Wedding at Castaway's, Cornwall

'Since that first date, we were pretty much inseparable,' recalls Lauren, who met Elliot online. 'It was the most natural and easy relationship either of us had ever been in, and feels like this is how it had always been and always would be.'

Elliot was working on a superyacht in the south of France when he popped the question to Lauren. 'We were travelling from Cannes to St Tropez, sailing in the most beautiful azure water,' reminisces Lauren. 'I was watching the classic sailing yachts racing when Elliot said he was going to get something, and as I looked up he was there on one knee next to me. We popped the champagne and were accompanied by a small pod of dolphins who showed up to play in the boat's wake just as it all happened!'

With its views across the yacht harbour and Roseland peninsula, Castaways on Mylor's waterfront made the perfect setting for their 'relaxed country romantic meets coastal' theme. Shades of blue, blush, peach and natural tones featured in much of the dÃ©cor and floristry whose 'romantic hedgerow' aesthetic included sweet avalanche roses, white freesias, pale pink astilbe, eucalyptus, ivy and trailing jasmine everywhere from the posies to the pew ends.

'We wanted our wedding to reflect us as a couple, our love of the countryside and sea ' with Elliot being an accomplished sailor and lifeboat man ' with a bit of a relaxed Mediterranean feel to it,' explains Lauren.

However when Covid struck, they were forced to delay for an entire year. 'Choosing smaller, local suppliers made the process of postponing so much easier; we managed to rebook our whole wedding in less than five hours!' says Lauren. But with the pandemic still looming large the following year, the couple were prompted to postpone once again.

'Although the rebooking went smoothly, the stress was unlike anything we have ever felt before,' admits Lauren. 'This was the biggest day of our lives and right up until a few weeks before, we had no idea about how our day would go, how many people could attend or whether my mum ' who lives in Cyprus ' could get to the UK.'

Yet adhering to the few restrictions that were in place at the time didn't hamper the day in Lauren and Elliot's eyes. 'We were able to have everyone we wanted to be there in the end too,' says Lauren. 'Our amazing day felt like Covid wasn't even an issue!'

Everything occurred without a hitch ' including the newly-weds being treated to the crew members' tradition of photos aboard the Falmouth Lifeboat followed by a journey on a Fleming 55 yacht. 'As we left Port Pendennis Marina, there were people standing outside the Maritime Museum waving and clapping,' smiles Lauren. 'Having that time just the two of us allowed us to take it all in and enjoy our first moments of being married.'

After canapÃ©s and cocktails on the quay, guests tucked into a 'Mediterranean-meets-Greek' feast that included tapas-style sharing boards of tempura vegetables, roasted Mediterranean vegetables and halloumi, slow-cooked Moroccan lamb shoulder, roast butternut squash and a sumptuous trio of desserts.

'To finally be able to hug and dance with our friends and family after so long, and to enjoy our day in exactly the way we had dreamed it would be ' it was actually better than we could have imagined!' says Lauren of her highlight of their day.

And she is replete with practical advice for other couples. 'Use smaller, local suppliers if possible ' they really made our day feel so personal,' she urges. 'Have more music than you think you need for signing the register ' it takes longer than you expect! We chose some uplifting Motown music and kept it as a surprise for our guests. And if you feel overwhelmed by too much choice, go back to what you loved right at the beginning of planning. It's what your heart was originally drawn to.'