A private evening cruise down the Danube River in Budapest made for an enchanting setting for a proposal, paving the way for a fun-filled fairground-themed wedding at one of Devon's most enchanting venues. "We were spellbound from the moment we turned into the stunning, meandering driveway," says Emily of her love affair with their daytime venue of choice, Coombe Trenchard.
"We wanted the fun, fairground theme to be present throughout the day, tying in our love of the film Adventureland," she explains. A riot of colourful balloons paid tribute to another of the couple's favourite films, Up! while their love of travel - in particular, Japan - was also reflected in the decor. "Colours were kept bright and glints of gold glitter became my favourite thing!" says Emily.
Emily donned a beautifully embellished gown and carried a vibrant bouquet of blooms for the emotional al fresco ceremony beneath Coombe Trenchard's clock tower, while Bob accessorised his groom's attire with a dapper bow tie and braces. Guests then enjoyed a sunny afternoon in the glorious gardens, playing an array of traditional games and tucking into an afternoon tea picnic.
Jumping aboard a bus, the party relocated to Dingles Heritage Fairground for the evening. Fairground-inspired food of hot dogs, burgers and candyfloss from The Carousel Cafe proved a hit with guests, who also delighted in a popcorn bar and meringue kisses between playing a variety of games and stints on the rides.
"Seeing all of our favourite people laughing and chatting on the rides at Dingles was particularly wonderful," reflects Emily, "but my favourite moment has to be the heady rush of becoming husband and wife, and heading to Dingles on the bus with all of our friends passing bottles of wine between us and feeling completely high on life and love."
A fan of doing things your own way, Emily extols the virtues of simply having fun and getting creative with the planning process. "Stick to your guns and have the day you want, trust yourself to choose what feels right. Pack it full of your personalities and have fun with it, there are no rules!"
Photography Freckle Photography www.frecklephotography.co.uk
Venue Coombe Trenchard www.coombetrenchard.co.uk
Dingles Fairground Heritage www.fairground-heritage.org.uk
Dress Needle & Thread from ASOS www.asos.com
Bridesmaids' dresses French Connection www.frenchconnection.com Next www.next.co.uk
Flower girl dress Stella McCartney www.stellamccartney.com/gb
Hair Hannah Woodgates Hair Design www.facebook.com/hwhair
Make-up Elle Hitchens www.ellehitchens.co.uk
Groom's outfit Trousers and shirt Ted Baker www.tedbaker.com braces and bow tie Mrs Bow Tie www.mrsbowtie.com shoes Marks & Spencer www.marksandpsencer.com
Flowers The Flower Mill Cornwall (bouquets and buttonholes) www.theflowermillcornwall.co.uk additional decorative flowers by Sarah at Coombe Trenchard
Catering Coombe Trenchard www.coombetrenchard.co.uk
The Carousel Cafe at Dingles www.fairground-heritage.org.uk
Popcorn bar Joe & Seph's www.joeandsephs.co.uk
Games The Prop Factory www.propfactory.co.uk
Transport Carmel Coaches www.carmelcoaches.co.uk
Entertainment Andrew Vanstone Music www.facebook.com/andrewvanstonemu
Copyright Wed magazine 2016
