Alison and John’s journey to “I do” began during a magical moment while watching the fireworks at Disney World Florida. ‘We were on a huge family holiday,” Alison recalls. “It was the perfect setting – all caught on camera by a cast member, and the family had no idea, so they were over the moon! It was a lovely moment to share.”
Planning a “fun not formal” day, Alison and John planned a wedding that prioritised their guests’ experience. With a focus on wellness and togetherness, the couple designed and handmade many of the personal details themselves, with plenty of help from a brilliant team of friends and family.
“We wanted to keep our guests well fed and hydrated,” Alison explains, organising pastries, tea and coffee for guests at the church before the ceremony.
St Day Old Church in Redruth provided the enchanting setting for their ceremony. “We fell in love with this iconic church,” Alison says. “John has family buried in the graveyard and it’s a remarkable Gothic building; we had always had ideas to have our wedding here.” Although the church is no longer consecrated, the couple were able to hire the venue and arrange a celebrant – their close friend Ben. “He delivered the most amazing service,” she says. “It will forever be one of the most beautiful gifts we’ve received.”
The church was dressed with arrangements of vibrant locally grown flowers, including a striking archway, all arranged by a team of volunteers. “My dad made the framework for the arch, and we now have it in our garden as a lovely memento,” Alison adds. From a rain shower in the middle which saw umbrellas being passed around and the church’s resident doves even making an appearance, it was a ceremony to remember.
The celebrations then moved to a tipi on John’s grandparents’ land in St Day, where the relaxed atmosphere continued. Guests were greeted with mead fizz cocktails named after the couple’s pugs - the Marley, the Bruno and the Winston - as a steel band set the party vibe. “Steel Appeal were wonderful,” says Alison. “The kids were in awe, and they even let some of them play their steel pans!”
A barbecue and Greek gyros from a street food truck provided the self-serve wedding breakfast, while speeches gave way to an afternoon tea and garden games in the late afternoon sun.
As the evening unfolded, the couple cut their cake before their first dance to Coldplay’s Sky Full of Stars performed by Josh Curnow. “When it was completely dark, our photographer Tom stayed to take photos of us with our lightsabers,” reveals Alison. “He was totally on board as we are fans of Star Wars and wanted to have some fun!”
For Alison, incorporating loved ones into the day added an extra layer of meaning. “If you have family and friends who want to help make your day extra special, let them join in,” she advises. “It really made the day so much more, as it was a celebration of us being husband and wife but also bringing our most important people together.”
Photography & videography Thomas Frost thomasfrostphotography.com
Venue St Day Old Church stdayoldchurch.org
Dress Dando London dandolondon.com
Bridesmaids’ dresses Coast coastfashion.com
Flower girls' dresses Next next.co.uk
Suits Next next.co.uk
Dogs' outfits 6Sage Designs instagram.com/6sagedesigns
Hair & make-up Salon Vanilla salonvanilla.co.uk
Flowers Sown in Cornwall facebook.com/sownincornwall
Catering Damys damys.co.uk
Dank Franks dankfranksfood.com
Bray’s & K's facebook.com/p/Brays-Ks-100085621401200
Welcome & toast drinks Cornish Mead Co. cornishmead.co.uk
Transport Honey Bugs Cornwall honeybugscornwall.co.uk
Garden games Elephant Rock Events elephantrockevents.co.uk
Confetti Reach Flowers Pod flowerpod.org
Entertainment Sea Strings seastrings.persona.co
Steel Appeal steelappeal.org.uk
Josh Curnow joshcurnowmusic.com
DJ Woody
