Becky & Andy

Becky and Andy got married in St Agnes in Cornwall. They had a really relaxed and joyful day, surrounded by their family and friends. Their wonderful reception at Driftwood Spas was a stones throw from the beach which was the perfect spot for dreamy golden hour portraits with Jessica Grace Photography. The table decorations honoured grooms Andy's New Zealand heritage with iconic Paua shells native to his country, dried flowers in jars, and beach themed candles filled with sand and twine. The fashion choices are stylish but fun with the groomsmen donning shorts, braces and bow ties and the ladies look absolutely heavenly all in white lace gowns. You ready to be beside the seaside?

Story

Andy and Becky met in New Zealand when Becky went to work there as a midwife. Becky met kiwi Andy through a friend and they instantly hit it off once Andy finally asked Becky on a date! They left New Zealand together a year later and went travelling in Southern Africa for 6 months. When they knew that they could survive living and camping in the same Landcruiser together they thought that this must be the real deal. Four years later they decided to get married after Andy proposed under the northern lights on a husky dog sledge in the Arctic Circle in Norway. He had not planned to propose and there was no ring - he was overwhelmed with the beauty of the mountains and snow and thought there was no place better to propose! After their travels and 2 years working in London they now live in Birmingham and are on to their next adventure...renovating their first house! Andy and Becky love the outdoors and are nature and wilderness enthusiasts. They wanted their wedding to be organic, simple and fun where they could enjoy celebrating with their guests in a beautiful setting. They didn't want to spend a fortune and spend 2 years planning (and stressing) about a wedding so the day was planned in 4 months. It all went very smoothly and everything came together so well - definitely helped by their carefree and laid-back attitudes. After a Met Office yellow weather warning and torrential rain in the morning we were greeted with blue bird skies and beautiful sunshine for the rest of the day!

Ceremony

Becky the Bride: St Agnes Church - Reverend Anne Brown - conducted an intimate and relaxed ceremony. We enjoyed the hymns and prayers for the blessing of the wedding that were very special to us. We had a bible reading read by a close friend and a poem written by another one of our best friends. The guests all walked down to the reception venue from the Church as it had miraculous stopped raining after we came out of the Church!

Venue

We love coastal walks and being by the sea. We found the Driftwood Spas that had a garden terrace with awesome sea views, which was also a stones throw from the beach - we couldn't have asked for a better location. We wanted a small and intimate wedding with our family and close friends. We invited around 50 guests as we wanted to enjoy the day with the people that we love and are in our lives - we didn't want to make small talk with people we rarely see!

Colour Scheme/Décor

No definite theme. We had bunting and fairy lights but wanted to keep with a relaxed and outdoor theme being right by the sea. For the centrepieces there were dried lavender and icing sugar delphiniums in jars, with sand and pebbles that we had picked from the St Agnes beach. Paua shell from New Zealand was scattered on the tables to bring in a kiwi vibe.

Food

We had canapés with cider and Pimms on the garden terrace, a hog roast for the main meal and fish and chips from the Driftwood Spas own shop in the evening. Lots of the guests enjoyed wandering down to the beach to enjoy these. We had a keg of beer named Bandy goes Bush (inspired by our African adventures) that was made by the Driftwood Spas own brewery and traditional Cornish scones instead of a cake.

Entertainment

Andy and Siboney provided the live music - they were incredible, super talented artists from London who knew how to rock the party.

Photographer

Jessie was the most incredible photographer. She was a recommendation from a friend. Jessie was professional but had a relaxed and friendly approach. She ensured that our photos were natural, captured the authenticity and beauty of the day and did the most amazing sunset shots - we were blown away when we saw the photos! Wow!

Bridal Style

I found and bought my dress in 20 minutes. It was the first dress I tried on - as I didn't want to try on hundreds of dresses. The first one was perfect and I loved the classic and beautiful lace. My dress was from the Wedding Dress Retail Outlet and the staff here were so helpful and friendly. The dress was only £495 but looked like it could have been three times as much My shoes were bought a few days before the wedding from Office, I wore sandals for the day and blue heels from Kurt Geiger for the night. I also got changed into a playsuit from ASOS Petite for the evening reception, I wanted to be able to dance and not worry about the train on my dress.

Beauty

No hair and make up trials - the hairdressers and make up artist were fantastic and I trusted them to use their expertise to create natural looks and make us feel beautiful. They guided us and gave us suggestions how to have our hair and make up done.

Grooms Attire

Andy wears shorts all the time - he even wore shorts at the top of Mount Kilomanjaro so it would have been strange to get married in trousers! Andy wore shorts, braces and a bow tie from Mrs Bow Tie.

Flowers/Florist

The flowers by Flowershed Trebilcocks were natural, wild and boho themed. Mainly pastel tones and lots of gypsophilia. The bridesmaids and I all had flower crowns with natural shades of white and greens which were absolutely stunning.

Wedding Party Fashion

My bridesmaids picked their own dresses - their only brief was it has to be cream and lacy. My sister had just had her baby so it was important for the bridesmaids to feel comfortable. I didn't want them to be too matchy-matchy and wear dresses that didn't suit them! Groomsmen wore shorts, braces and bow ties.

Advice

Go with the flow - keep it simple on the day so you can enjoy it. Don't feel like you have to spend 2 years planning a wedding.