'Jim proposed after we'd been surfing, he cannily hid the ring in his wetsuit and managed not to lose it in some pretty messy waves!' says Beth.
Immediately deciding to get married in Cornwall, a special place for them both, the couple landed on Ta Mill, a farm venue in a secluded valley, 'where we could have most of our guests stay for the weekend.' Living in London meant the couple relied on the venue to help them coordinate local suppliers. 'Helen at Ta Mill was really flexible in helping us create the day exactly as we wanted it,' explains Beth. 'Without her help we wouldn't have had the amazing weekend that it ended up being.'
Deciding to do away with a theme in favour of keeping the décor 'relaxed and natural' to reflect the beautiful surroundings, Beth and Jim focused on filling the venue with an abundance of lush greenery and flowers.
'Our florist helped us create something to match the giant foxgloves and meadowsweet growing wild at the mill,' says Beth. 'We had white roses and ferns for buttonholes, and daisies, freesias, ivy, astrantia, roses and nigella for the bridal bouquets and hair. The long stalks of Canterbury bells made a great impact in the centrepieces.'
Beth's relaxed hair and make-up were complemented by a lightweight French gown ' a wise choice on one of the hottest days of the year ' while Jim sweated it out in a three-piece tweed suit!
After a touching outdoor ceremony followed by a confetti run, the couple and their guests started on the pink fizz and speeches.
'A 'double hat' tipi created an atmospheric space and much-needed shade for our meal and, importantly, the dancing!' says Beth. Determined to use Cornish suppliers where possible, the guests tucked into sharing dishes of local produce, which included salmon dressed with prawns and samphire, ham, salads with edible flowers and herbs, and Cornish new potatoes. Dessert was brownies, scones and chocolates with wine by nearby Camel Valley ' and anyone with space left after all that was treated to a selection of Cornish cheeses, plus a hog roast later in the evening!
The first dance followed ' Pulp's 'Common People' ' then it was time to fill the dance floor, thanks to local band The Qwest. 'They woke our guests from their food comas, played a whole heap of classics and kept the party going very late,' says Beth ' which led to one of their favourite moments. 'If we had to pick one, it'd probably be just as the band was starting up, in the warm evening sunshine when we could see how much fun everyone was having.'
After a long, sunny evening of celebrating and dancing, the guests were treated to 'stupendously good tacos' the day after the wedding. And as well as providing next day food as 'a great way to recover from the party', what are Beth's other top tips for busily planning couples?
'Do what you can to plan it to reflect you, your friends and family but don't try to micromanage on the day,' she says. 'Once it gets started, just keep your arms and legs inside the carriage, try to relax and enjoy the ride!'
Photography South Weds southwedsweddingphotography.com
Venue Ta Mill tamill.co.uk
Tipi The Cornish Tent Co thecornishtentcompany.com
Catering Piglet Cottage pigletcottage.com El Huichol elhuichol.co.uk
Dress Laure de Sagazan lauredesagazan.fr
Hair Kerra Griffith kerragriffith.com
Make-up Denise Jackson makeupandbeautycornwall.co.uk
Flowers Flower Scene flowersceneflorists.co.uk
Wine Camel Valley camelvalley.com
Transport Cornish Cabs
Entertainment The Qwest theqwestband.com
Copyright Wed magazine 2019
