Meeting at a Plymouth high school at the age of 18, Rosie and Matt became friends before they started dating. On their 10-year anniversary, the couple spent a weekend in the Cotswolds. “We went for a hike to Cam Peak, where Matt showed me a short video he’d made of clips of our 10 years together, before proposing with a bespoke ring he's designed featuring an aquamarine - the same stone as my mum’s engagement ring,” says Rosie.
A beachside venue was a must for the couple, who share a love of the Devon coast. “Bigbury and Bantham beach have always been special to my family with many birthdays and achievements celebrated on Bigbury especially,” says Rosie. “Once we arrived at Bigbury Bay Weddings and saw the spectacular view we just knew it was where we should get married!”
Choosing a sophisticated pastel rainbow palette with lots of plants and flowers, including peonies, dahlias and camomile, Rosie and Matt love crafting and wanted to make all the details of the wedding completely unique. They made everything including the candle-holders, frames and pots, with friends and family pitching in to help source or make the design elements. Rosie designed all the wedding stationery which included her own illustration of the stunning view from the venue.
Getting legally married before the wedding meant their clifftop ceremony could be led by their friend William. “He made it into something so personal and funny, and captured us as a couple perfectly!” she says. With Rosie’s family dog, Teddy, as the ring-bearer, Rosie and Matt then exchanged their own handwritten vows. “We both managed to keep it together and live in the moment. It was just so special to be able to create our perfect ceremony and make it so personal,” she says.
After the ceremony, pasties, prosecco and beers were served in the top garden, with hand-marbled glasses created by Rosie for each guest to use and keep as a wedding favour. A musician provided an acoustic soundtrack as the couple headed off to a nearby field for photos. “We could see the wedding from a distance with everyone enjoying themselves,” says Rosie. “It was an amazing sense of achievement.”
Adopting a relaxed, social approach to the wedding feast, guests feasted on burgers, sausages, chicken, salads and chips followed by cheesecakes and a biscuit bar filled with the couple's favourite sweet treats, including ginger biscuits made from Rosie’s nana’s recipe.
Coldplay’s Yellow was the couple’s first dance song, performed by The Nashville Heat. “We all sang and danced together; it was such a special moment!” says Rosie. “Then they really brought the party. They had us all congaing around marquee picking up biscuits from the bar en route! Everyone danced and sang all evening and just had the best time, which is all we could ask for.”
Looking back, the couple are grateful for the “team effort” that went into creating such a meaningful wedding day. “Both Matt and I were as involved as each other; we each crafted, designed and decided on the whole thing together and it was really a wedding for us both," she reflects. "Also, on the day Matt and I made a promise to stick together: talk to everyone together, eat with each other, get drinks with each other. It meant we actually experienced the day together.”
Photography Katie Goff Photography katiegoffphotography.com
Videography LJ Films ljfilmsweddingvideographer.com
Venue Bigbury Bay Weddings bigburybayweddings.co.uk
Marquee Hatch Marquee Hire southwestmarqueehire.co.uk
Dress Temperley Bridal from Bridal Reloved Tavistock bridalreloved.co.uk/tavistock
Hair & make-up Arena Creative Hair arenacreativehair.co.uk
Shoes Charlotte Mills charlottemills.com
Suit Suit Direct suitdirect.co.uk Charles Tyrwhitt charlestyrwhitt.com
Groomsmen’s suits Next next.co.uk John Henric johnhenric.com
Bridesmaids’ dresses Free People freepeople.com
Flowers Wildflower Floristry wildflowerfloristryplymouth.co.uk
Décor & marbled homeware Rosie Grace Studio instagram.com/rosiegracestudio
Décor & furniture The Natural Hire Company thenaturalhirecompany.co.uk
Catering Kitty O’Hanlons kittyohanlons.com
Cake Chloe's Cakes chloescakes.co.uk
Bar Wild Blue Bar wildbluebar.co.uk
Cheesecakes Cake Delicious
Rings Quality Diamonds qualitydiamonds.co.uk
JWF Unique Designs jwfuniquedesigns.co.uk
Entertainment Jessie Robinson
The Nashville Heat thenashvilleheat.co.uk
