Wedding at The Hunters Moon, Devon

Grace and Jevon danced all night long after their eyes met across a dance floor on Christmas Eve 2015. Seven years later, the couple were visiting St Michael’s Mount during Storm Eunice when Jevon proposed amidst the wild weather. “We now call it the perfect storm!” laughs Grace.

With their love story officially beginning on New Year’s Eve 2015, New Year’s Eve was the perfect wedding date for the couple, who chose the Hunters Moon, Grace’s family’s Georgian country house hotel in Sidmouth, as the setting for their “classic Hollywood glamour” celebrations.

The black tie affair was styled with swans and gold accents. “I had a clear vision of ornate gold, regal tablescapes, swan planters, white amaryllis in the church, anemones and thistles in our whimsical bouquets, and large stone vases and beautiful church candles throughout,” explains Grace.

Style took a front seat, with the nearlyweds knowing just how they wanted to look for their dazzling day. “I wanted to combine the elegance and gracefulness of the beautiful Grace Kelly and the timeless style of Marilyn Monroe,” explains Grace, who wore a stunning minimalist gown with a detachable overskirt and custom silk and ostrich feather gloves. “My wonderful bridesmaids’ inspiration was Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s with her iconic black dress, gloves and pearls,” she continues. “Jevon always knew what he wanted to wear too: a classic ivory velvet double-breasted jacket with gold accessories.”

As the year drew to a close, the couple treated their guests to “an old-fashioned style wedding with a feel of New Year’s Eve excitement, enchantment, romance and glamour”. The ceremony at Sidmouth Parish Church was filled with joyful hymns, gospel music and a surprise for Jevon. “I arranged for some of my former dance students to surprise my husband and all our guests with a ballet dance performance on pointe in the aisles of the church,” reveals Grace. “It was incredibly sentimental and emotional, and I loved being able to surprise Jevon.”

At the Hunters Moon, everyone enjoyed a “flawless” winter-inspired vegetarian menu including a delectable celeriac and truffle foam soup and a mouthwatering sticky toffee pudding, the couple’s favourite dessert. The sweet treats continued with the lemon wedding cake with buttercream piping and swan cake toppers to represent the newlyweds and their cats.

Looking back, entering the dining room was a real standout moment, thanks to their party-loving friends. “Our raucous wedding guests were all dancing and cheering to Jennifer Lopez’s Let’s Get Loud – with matching chic sunglasses and napkins swinging in the air,” laughs Grace.

The first dance – Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, “an oldie but a goldie!” – kicked off the evening in style. “Our wedding band, Joey the Lips, brought in the new year in the most spectacular way,” she reflects. “They were our dream come true!”

And what about her advice for busily planning couples? “Try to enjoy the crazy ride and do a little each day rather than leave it all to the last minute, to avoid any extra stresses,” she says. “Your wedding is ultimately about your love for each other and nothing else truly matters at the end of the day. Embrace and enjoy every moment.”