Wedding at Carswell Farm, Devon

Deciding upon Carswell Farm, near to where Carina grew up in south Devon, the venue gave the couple just what they were looking for: ocean vistas, a secluded beach nearby and holiday cottages for their families to stay on. "It's a beautiful, remote spot on the coast with amazing views of the sea," says Carina. "They were happy for us to have camping on-site too, and we had pretty much free rein to do what we wanted."Keeping the ceremony personal to them, the couple married in Carina's local church. "Carina's mum organised her local village orchestra to play as a surprise outside the church as guests and Carina arrived, which was a nice touch," recalls Sven.  

With many guests taking the opportunity for a holiday in Devon, lots of Carina and Sven's family and friends opted to camp for the entire wedding week, meaning the fun wasn't restricted to the big day. "We also had a barbecue party on Sunday with a fancy dress theme of 'Beach dwellers and sea creatures'," reveals Carina, who says the couple took their styling inspiration from visiting festivals together such as Glastonbury and Bestival every year.


A buffet table of antipasti created an informal atmosphere and enabled guests to relax in the sunshine on the grass and straw bales, before a sit-down meal of rare beef with salads and a seafood platter was served. The naked cake - made by one of Carina's bridesmaids - boasted layers of blueberry, lemon, chocolate and blackberry sponge, and was served alongside berries and cream.

As the evening wore on and the sun went down, the guests danced the night away to The Jacks. "Our band was absolutely fantastic," remembers Carina. "They really got the party going with everyone up dancing, and lots of people on shoulders and crowd-surfing!" Chipotle pork buns were served to keep energy levels up as the band finished and a silent disco began, before an after-party at an abandoned tea house on the headland. "Full marks went to father-of-the-bride Mark for outlasting the younger generation and staying up until 5am!" laughs Sven.

Photography Emma Stoner Photography emmastonerweddings.com
Venue Cornwood Church cornwoodchurch.com Carswell Farm carswellweddings.com
Dress Elliot Claire Bridal elliotclaire.com
Groom's outfit The Kooples thekooples.co.uk
Styling & decor Lucie Nugent
Flowers South Brent Flowers southbrentflowers.co.uk
Catering Wild Garlic wildgarlicdevon.com
Entertainment The Jacks thejacksband.co.uk
Marquee Hatch Marquee Hire southwestmarqueehire.co.uk
Bell tents Ready Tent Hire readytenthire.co.uk
Toilet hire AndyLoos andyloos.co.uk

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