Wedding at Lusty Glaze, Cornwall

Sarah and Dale hosted a laid-back beach party at Lusty Glaze with a very special surprise

'We met in December 2012 as we both were walking out of Bangkok airport to begin separate adventures,' says Sarah of how she and Dale first crossed paths.

Friends from each group they were travelling with recognised each other and introduced the couple, who then spent a few weeks together in Thailand before Sarah's holiday came to an end. 'Three months later, I got a call from Dale out of the blue saying that he's back in the UK and wants to take me on a date. I took him up on his romantic offer of peri-peri chicken and we've been together ever since!'

Travel was a key component of the pair's romance: during a two-week road trip in California, Dale popped the question while they were camping in the middle of Sequoia National Park. 'We had just cooked some dinner on the barbecue and opened a couple of beers around the fire. He then made a beautiful speech and got down on one knee to present the most perfect engagement ring.'

With a sense of place being such an important part of their love story, Sarah and Dale picked Lusty Glaze as the venue to marry. 'As soon as we arrived, we knew it was the one for us,' explains Sarah. 'We absolutely love Cornwall and being by the sea, so it seemed the perfect package.'

Basing the look and feel of their sand-between-the-toes celebrations on a 'very relaxed, personal and fun' vibe, Sarah took the seaside setting as inspiration for the palette, 'but also added splashes of bright and bold shades, which represent our personalities quite well,' she says.

From her embellished boho style gown to Dale's dapper blue suit, the bright and beautiful wild flowers to the stationery (all individually made by graphic designer Sarah), every element combined to create the laid-back, coastally cool aesthetic. 'The beautiful beach backdrop meant the venue really didn't need much decoration, so we had clusters of medicine bottles on the tables and three large wild hoops hanging from the ceiling to tie it all in,' says Sarah.

Acoustic music, beach volleyball, drinks and canapÃ©s greeted guests before they tucked in to a buffet-style barbecue with a huge array of dishes including steaks, halloumi, salads and pasta.

'For our first dance, the band played the most beautiful version of 'My Girl' and then they went on to play an awesome couple of sets to get the crowd on their feet and dancing the evening away. We had a DJ takeover for the rest of the night and it turned into a full-on party that we will never forget!' recalls Sarah of the evening revelry.

'The whole day was a complete dream but I think our favourite part was when the wedding party was told to go out onto the beach and then all of a sudden a plane went across the sky with a 'Sarah & Dale' banner! It was a complete surprise from one of my bridesmaids and was one of the best presents we could have asked for. The plane circled the sky a few times and everyone was just so amazed. Definitely something we will never forget!'

Though she wouldn't change a thing, Sarah shares one piece of planning advice with others. 'As our wedding had so many personal touches, it was hard to delegate jobs to others and we did a lot ourselves, so I would say if you have anything you can give to others, definitely do it, as you'll be surprised how many people want to help.'