Wedding at Huntsham Court, Devon

“We met the ‘modern way’ during 2014 – the year anyone and everyone was Tinder!” laughs Pollyanna. After seven years of dating, the couple were at Marcus’ family beach house in Norfolk when he asked her to marry him. “We were up there very early one morning looking down at the sea,” she says. “I thought Marcus had bent down to grab our swimming costumes, but he ended up getting on one knee and proposing!”

Deciding on a midwinter wedding in the Devon countryside, the couple chose the elegant setting of Huntsham Court for their manor house celebrations. The family tartan was the starting point for planning the décor. “Marcus’ family has a tartan called Ancient Davidson, so I leant into that with lots of greenery, whites, and purple thistles,” explains Pollyanna.

Their friends and family arrived at Huntsham Court the night before the wedding, where they started the celebrations early with pizzas washed down with champagne. Despite the drama of an estate-wide power cut the next morning, Pollyanna was ready for the 1.30pm ceremony – and her arrival stands out as one of her most treasured memories.

“Walking down the stairs with my mum and maid of honour, then walking into the Great Hall where my family and bridesmaids were waiting and cheering for the big reveal was one of my favourite parts of the day,” she remembers. Choosing to wed in the ancient village church, located just along the venue’s driveway, Pollyanna dazzled in a striking Jesus Peiro gown, with Marcus in bespoke trews in the family tartan and a Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket.

“I had to walk down the aisle alone as my dress was so wide!” says Pollyanna. “We had three readings from Marcus’ uncle and my two stepparents and then three hymns. It was a cold winter’s day with a fresh frost and all the candles were lit – it was incredibly atmospheric. I walked into Bittersweet Symphony on strings and we walked out to Crazy Little Thing Called Love!”

Back at Huntsham Court, a champagne reception took place in the Great Hall to the resplendent sounds of a string quartet, whetting the guests' appetite for an exquisite wedding feast. “We walked into dinner to everyone cheering and spinning their napkins above their heads!” laughs Pollyanna, who did a speech alongside her maid of honour, dad, husband and Marcus’ godfather and best man.

Enjoying two courses at tables styled with candelabras and stems of white blooms, starters of smoked duck breast and crispy gnocchi were followed by mains of chicken breast with dauphinoise potatoes, balsamic shallot, ham hock fritter and organic greens, and squash, sage and goat’s cheese strudel. Puddings were enjoyed in the library, alongside a selection of cakes made by Pollyanna’s mum.

The evening saw the bride changing into a party-ready dress and sparkly cloak for their first dance to Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson’s version of Valerie. “Everyone crashed the dance floor after the first verse – it was wild; completely raucous!” says Pollyanna. “We partied into the night and were last to bed around 4am!”

Her top tips for busily planning couples are centred around organisation. “Start early and try to knock the big things off – if you want a big band, book very very early,” she advises.

“Figure out what aspects are important to you; for us it was the dance floor so we decided on a band and booked that first, and then worked the budget and everything else around that.”