Summer solstice wedding in Cornwall

Meeting through their mutual friend Sarah, Michaela and Jake spent the summer of 2012 together within the same social circle. 'It was a summer of attending gigs, going to festivals and having sunny Cornish adventures,' says Michaela, remembering how Sarah's matchmaking skills led to romance blossoming. 'In fact, Sarah was our maid of honour for our wedding.'

Looking back at a proposal that almost didn't happen, Michaela explains: 'We went travelling in December 2016, starting in Hong Kong, where my family live, for five days before heading to Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. Jake's baggage ' which, unknown to me had the engagement ring in ' was delayed in transit from Dubai to Hong Kong! Luckily, it arrived a few days later, and Jake and I had some drinks and walked to Victoria Harbour. Fast forward to 3am and Jake was down on one knee proposing! We spent the next day celebrating with my relatives before setting off to our next destination.'

As they began their venue search, both Michaela and Jake knew they wanted an informal celebration, so planned the legal formalities at the local registry office followed by an outdoor wedding. 'We wanted a laid-back and playful wedding, and we chose to get married on the summer solstice ' the longest day of the year ' after many years of camping and celebrating this date with friends,' says Michaela. The couple opted for an idyllic setting overlooking the sea in Trebetherick, Polzeath, transforming a clifftop field with domes and a mobile bar.

Choosing a woodland theme based on nature and simplicity, Michaela and Jake opted for trees as table names. 'Our floral arrangements were predominantly white, with white roses, peonies, blue eucalyptus and veronica as well as foraged green foliage,' she says of the nature-inspired dÃ©cor. 'We were fortunate to have Jake's gran as our florist. Country Flowers has been a family-run business for 35 years, as is now run by Sarah Clemes who assembled my bridal bouquet.'

There were more surprises in store for the couple's guests, who were already wowed at the setting. 'For the ceremony, we gave the impression that the celebrant had not arrived,' says Michaela. 'We made a few people sweatâ€¦ until Jake's best man took the centre stage and gave us away.'

After a moving ceremony, guests enjoyed canapÃ©s of dim sum, fillet of beef, and duck wraps, to the sound of the newly-weds' customised playlists that played throughout the afternoon. Enjoying drinks in the sunshine, the couple gifted their guests a unique spin on wedding favours. 'Minimising waste is important to me and we decided to custom-design cups for people to use and take home as a keepsake,' she says. A hog roast kept the celebratory vibe going to the soundtrack of speeches, before the couple cut their impressive four-tiered cake in lemon, elderflower and Chai spiced flavours.

As the celebrations progressed, live band Broken Down played tunes into the evening. 'We both felt a little awkward about the first dance, namely because we don't like being the centre of attention. But as our song reached the crescendo, we had confetti cannons go off and everyone joined the stage and dancing ensued!' says Michaela.

'We really chanced it with the weather,' she says, looking back. 'There was torrential rain the day before and after, but we were fortunate enough to experience sunshine all day followed by the most beautiful sunset surrounded by loved ones. It's a moment I'll cherish forever, particularly during these challenging times!'

Her top tips for those planning their own wedding include some sage advice. 'Make time for each other that doesn't involve planning,' she advises. 'Lean on others ' people like to get involved with weddings ' and, most importantly, enjoy the day. We regularly took moments to stand back to take note of what was happening around us.'