Rachel knew straight away where she wanted the wedding to take place. "I've visited St Ives several times a year since I was a baby and it's always been my dream to get married in St Ia Parish Church," she says. Their friends and family flocked to the seaside town from as far afield as London, Manchester and even India for their weekend-long wedding. "We wanted to include both cultures in our wedding," says Rachel, so a fairytale church ceremony took place on the Saturday followed by a Hindu ceremony on the Sunday.
The theme for their church wedding took the dreamy theme of butterflies with a colour scheme of ivory and pale pink. Rachel donned an elegant one-shouldered dress embellished with sparkle, while her bridesmaids wore handmade dresses, which echoed the design of Rachel's dress. The flowers were a pretty medley of ivory and pale pink blooms.
From the singing of the church choir and the pealing of bells to the drive along the seafront as newly-weds, the church ceremony was every inch the fairytale Rachel had dreamed of. "There was a huge crowd cheering my arrival, and the same crowd waited outside congratulating us and taking photos after the ceremony," says Rachel, reflecting on her favourite memories.
Everyone enjoyed canapes, cocktails and lawn games at Tregenna Castle followed by a wedding breakfast including the likes of vegetable soup, roast turkey and summer berry Eton mess. A combination of party classics, a twinkling dance floor and a spectacular firework display concluded the first day of their wedding weekend.
An opulent colour scheme of red, gold and ivory set the tone for their Hindu ceremony the next day. Tregenna Castle's pavilion was adorned with red, orange and yellow floral arrangements for the traditional ceremonials, "It was wonderful seeing all my friends and family make the effort to wear saris," comments Rachel, who wore a red and gold traditional lengha and had her skin adorned with henna. "It is traditional for the groom's name to be hidden in the henna which he must find by the end of the night," explains Rachel.
Guests dined on a range of dishes from chicken tikka masala, vegetable curry and saag aloo to shepherd's pie alongside other delicious nibbles, while cocktails on the lawn, a giggle booth and DJ playlist added to the day's delights.
Reflecting on her two-day wedding, Rachel has some sterling advice for other couples. "Try not to get too stressed during the planning - it's one day (or two in our case) out of the whole marriage and rest of your life together."
Photography Pervaiz Shah www.shahphoto.co.uk
Venue St Ia Parish Church followed by Tregenna Castle, St Ives www.tregenna-castle.co.uk
Dress Ronald Joyce from Bride! www.brideincornwall.com
Traditional lengha Saree Mandir www.sareemandir.co.uk
Hair and make-up Gemma Gittins 07841 175325
Groom's outfit Swarbricks www.swarbricks.co.uk
Flowers and cakes Sunnyside Flowers www.facebook.com/susan.sunnysideflowers
Transport Arrival Wedding Cars www.arrivalweddingcars.co.uk
Strawberry Leisure www.strawberryleisure.com
Entertainment CV Events www.cveventsuk.com
Celebration Pyrotechnics www.celebrationpyrotechnics.com
Copyright Wed magazine 2014
