Having met while sharing a taxi ten years ago, travel-loving couple Chloe and Devon dated for eight years before Devon proposed during a trip to Iceland. “We snorkelled in -12C waters, snowmobiled over glaciers and watched the Northern Lights, but he couldn’t find the right time,” laughs Chloe. “He got down on one knee on our final night outside the Hallgrímskirkja church.”
Their search for a venue started at Kilminorth and the couple immediately knew it was the place for their wedding weekend “We wanted a DIY space where we could create a weekend of all the things we love and make us who we are,” explains Chloe. "We tried to personalise the whole weekend to all our favourite things.” The celebrations kicked off in fun-filled style on the Friday with guests enjoying fish and chips washed down with fizz as well as table tennis and a golf tournament.
The next day, the couple's al fresco ceremony took place in the scenic setting of the paddock, beginning with Chloe’s mum and dog Bernie (the ring bearer) walking her down the aisle to an acoustic version of The One by Kodaline. Sharing their hand-written vows as they exchanged rings engraved with each other’s fingerprints was Chloe’s favourite part of the day. “As we planned each detail of the wedding together, it was a lovely surprise to not know what we’d written to one another,” she says.
Theming the day around “adventures we’d been on”, the décor was based on “the places that shaped us”, with a Japanese feel as a nod to Devon’s childhood in the country. “Banners behind our top table read ‘Koi no yokan’, which is a saying in Japanese that means a premonition of love… an ‘It’s meant to be’,” says Chloe. “We also handmade hundreds of paper cranes, which we hung between plants and lights above our tables.”
Opting for sharing platters on each table, the bespoke menu contained “feel-good, tasty food that we had eaten across the world on our travels”, says Chloe. “We had pork belly, arancini, chicken satay, mini fish and chip cones, and beef in Yorkshire puddings, with world pizza for evening food.”
Homemade lollipops with wildflowers made personalised place names, while the floral decorations were put together by Chloe and her family with flowers from her own garden. “I have rose bushes and plants in my garden that were my nan’s, and I loved that we could incorporate some of our favourite flowers into the day,” she says.
Bringing the high-energy vibe to the dance floor, live band Tux Fizz kicked off the partying with the couple’s first dance, Drops of Jupiter by Train. A conga line of 100 people, dancing to Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, was a fitting endnote and one of Chloe’s best memories of the day – but the fun wasn’t over yet! On Sunday, a barbecue saw everyone playing cricket, eating wedding cake and reminiscing about the day, then finishing with a silent disco until the early hours.
After such a full and fun-packed wedding, what’s Chloe’s advice to others? “It all comes together – and if doesn’t, it won’t matter!”
Photography I Do Film + Photos idofilmandphotos.co.uk
Venue Kilminorth Cottages kilminorthcottages.co.uk
Glamping tents Bella Kernow bellakernow.co.uk
Dress Daria Karlozi from Exmoor Brides exmoorbrides.co.uk
Suits House of Cavani cavani.co.uk
Rings Noémi EÅ›ka noemieska.com
Earrings Lua Studios lua-studios.com
Hair Leah Mcshane instagram.com/hairstylist_leahmcshane & The Adam James Hair instagram.com/the.adamjames.hair.studio
Make-up Holly Baird instagram.com/hollybairdmua
Emily Rose instagram.com/emilyroseglam
Catering Fuel Catering facebook.com/fuelcatering
The Fishermen’s Chippy thefishermenschippy.co.uk/thechipvan
Seating plan Ottie Design ottie.co.uk
Bouquet & buttonholes H. Watts Florist hwattsflorist.co.uk
Entertainment Tux Fizz tuxfizz.co.uk
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