A meeting in a Falmouth pub 11 years ago led to a ‘non-proposal’ for Alex and Keran. “He was getting a ring made, which I knew about, and he’d planned to hang onto it and propose properly, but I think we both got a bit excited over fish and chips and champagne on a Friday night,” recalls Alex. “I tried it on and kept it on!’
Hugged by flower-filled gardens in a secluded corner of Cornwall, the couple fell for the charms of Burncoose House for their ceremony followed by a marquee reception on the lawn.
“I didn’t want a white dress so I suppose it started there,” says Alex of her inspiration for the blush pink and forest green colour scheme. Her gorgeous floral veil and the soft green of the bridesmaids’ dresses picked up perfectly on the foliage of the bouquets, while cream and blush pink blooms were dotted throughout.
“We made a few things ourselves, borrowed lots of bits and pieces from my bridesmaid Katie's brilliant mum, Vanessa, and let the flowers and foliage do the most,” she explains.
A relaxed morning meant the couple were on top form for their love-filled ceremony, surrounded by their loved ones amidst the lush greenery and natural light of the conservatory. “Keran getting emotional saying his vows,” was Alex’s favourite part of the day: a moving moment after a long wait for the wedding.
“We were meant to get married three months before, but Keran got poorly with Covid two days before the ceremony and we had to postpone everything at the last minute,” she reveals. “Luckily, a fair few of our suppliers were good friends. It was amazing to see them work and they were all absolute heroes.”
Joined by their dog Olive “who lapped up all the attention”, the newly-weds then enjoyed the drinks reception. “It was so good to finally chat to people and meet some of each other’s friends we'd not met before,” says Alex.
“We then sneaked away for some photos while the rain paused,” she says, before settling into the marquee for the speeches and wedding breakfast. A delicious feast of baked seabass with herbs and lemon, charred greens with preserved lemon and dukkah, and laffa bread with za’atar was followed by a feta and honey cheesecake with summer berries. The cake, meanwhile, was an impressive lemon and elderflower confection with Italian meringue.
As dusk fell, the dancing begun in the form of a “hilarious” ceilidh! “We followed it up with a playlist of power ballads – complete with wigs and inflatable guitars – and ‘90s/‘00s classics to round off the night, before a small kitchen party for the last ones standing,” says Alex.
Reflecting on their dreamy day, the couple have one very important piece of advice for soon-to-be-weds. “Take out insurance as early as possible,” affirms Alex. “Having to postpone everything at the last minute was stressful, but so many people pulled together for us to make it happen just a matter of weeks later. Also, get your friends involved: it’s really special having them there along the way and you’ll appreciate the extra help.”
Venue Burncoose House burncoosehouse.co.uk
Photography Verity Westcott veritywestcott.com
Dress Leanne Marshall leannemarshall.com
Groom & groomsmen’s outfits Trevails trevails.co.uk
Hair Hair By Emma C hairbyemmac.net
Make-up Amy May instagram.com/amymaymua_
Flowers Three Acre 3acre.co.uk
Cake Oona’s Cakes instagram.com/oonascakes
Stationery Suzie Foster Design suziefoster.co.uk
Entertainment Frances Oates Ceilidh
Videography Niamh Thomas
