It was while walking their dog in the local woods on a winter’s morning that Sam dropped to one knee, surprising Alice with a meticulously planned proposal. “He planned for a photographer to be hiding in the woods, so we managed to get some great snaps of the moment!” she laughs.
The couple chose Trevenna as their venue because it offered everything on their wish list. “We wanted somewhere rural that had a rustic and laidback feel to it, and would let us have a good number of family and friends stay with us on-site,” explains Alice. “Every time we visited Trevenna we had the most brilliant weather – you’d be forgiven for thinking it came as part of the package!” Booking it for the August bank holiday weekend allowed them to take full advantage of the exclusive-use venue with a welcome dinner on the Friday night and a garden party on the Sunday.
The rustic chic venue set the tone for the styling, the trestle tables, bare light bulbs and minimalist floristry blending beautifully with the textures of granite, wood and exposed brickwork. “We both love green, so we knew that had to be our main colour; we teamed it with grey and white and kept the rest very simple,” says Alice.
The sunshine arrived once again for the couple’s al fresco ceremony, which was followed by cocktails in the garden to a string quartet soundtrack. Guests settled down to a delectable wedding breakfast featuring fishcakes, chicken and pancetta, courgette and mushroom wellington, brownies and lemon tart before the speeches – which proved to be one of the weekend’s highlights. “There was the most overwhelming response to all of the speeches,” says Alice, reflecting on the cherished moments, from the hilarious to the teary-eyed.
Their favourite moment from the day, however, was the first dance. “I didn’t want to have a slow first dance, so we had a more upbeat, dance type song that we both love,” says Alice. “We got up first and as soon as the sax kicked in everyone jumped on and went mad for it!”
“With the ceremony, speeches and first dance out the way, it was great to let our hair down,” agrees Sam. The celebrations continued the next day with a more relaxed vibe. “It was really nice to socialise with our guests without all the pressure of the events on the big day,” he says.
“There really is no right or wrong way to have a wedding, so you should focus on creating an event that represents who you both are and acts as a celebration for your relationship and the love you have for your friends and family,” says Alice when asked to impart her wedded wisdom. “Focus on creating a setting where you and your guests are relaxed, comfortable, well fed and watered – and ready to have a party!”
Photography Thomas Frost thomasfrostphotography.com
Venue Trevenna trevenna.co.uk
Dress What Alice Wore whataliceworebridal.com
Groom’s outfit Suit Supply suitsupply.com
Hair Lisa Gadsby instagram.com/lisa.gadsbyhair
Flowers Escential Blooms escentialblooms.co.uk
Cake White Peony Cake Co. whitepeonycakes.co.uk
Signage Smith & The Magpie smithandthemagpie.com
Entertainment Lizzie Roberts & Friends lizzierobertsviolin.com
Festiglo entertainment-nation.co.uk/festiglo
