Sally & James

I honestly don't know what to talk about first - my eyes are having an absolute frenzy at all the deliciousness of this Buckland Tout-Saints wedding in South Devon. I'll start with the fabulous Bridesmaid outfit made up of a blush pink tulle skirt from Needle & Thread and a silk blouse from Pinko. So fashion forward, but so elegant and timeless at the same time. Then there's Sally's gorgeous Sassi Holdford gown, which has one of the prettiest lace backs and cap sleeves I ever did see. She looks absolutely stunning. I'll definitely be pinning the beautiful picture captured by Matt Penberthy of the two ladies together. Now on to the deep, dark, sultry and very sexy blooms. Absolutely amazing use of colours and textures from Laura Hingston flowers that really bring this classic wedding to life. Add some slate name place settings, an ice cream cart and you have yourself one elegant and very inspiring manor house wedding to pour over this afternoon.

The Wedding

Sally the Bride: Before embarking on my search for the perfect wedding dress I gathered recommendations from friends and spent many hours on Pinterest looking at styles and fabric options. I knew that I wanted something simple, elegant and not overly fussy. I visited a number of designer boutiques in London but left feeling underwhelmed by the dresses and disappointed with the service. Finally I found Miss Bush, a designer boutique in Ripley, Surrey. On entering the chapel I was blown away by the décor, atmosphere and the dresses were out of this world, I knew I would be walking out having found the dress! My appointment was with Emma, the owner of the boutique. Emma’s unique style and knowledge of wedding dresses was exceptional; she talked me through various designers and styles before I took the plunge and tried on some dresses. The dress I chose was a design by Sassi Holford, it was beautiful and made me feel like a million dollars. I took my mum and mother in-law-to be to see the dress and their tears sealed the deal. I wore simple jewellery as I felt my dress was a statement in itself so I wore a subtle pair of diamond earrings and of course my rings.

Hair & Make Up

My hair and make-up were both such lucky finds! Initially I was going to do my own hair and make-up for the wedding, but after many neck cramps and much stress I thought I’d better get someone in. I wanted a little more make-up than I am used to wearing but still wanted to look like me. I came across Emily McEwan on a wedding blog. We scheduled a trial and I was delighted, my skin looked glowing and incredible, so I asked her straight away if she was available for my wedding and thankfully she was. For my hair Emily recommended Lauren Dunn. I knew I wanted my hair up to show off the intricate lace detail on the back of my dress but I let Lauren mastermind the finished look. I was thrilled with the messy chignon and I even slept with my hair still in as I loved it so much.

The Groom & Groomsmen

It has been an ongoing joke that James spent far more on his suit than I did on my dress! He says: it was a deep navy blue, three piece suit from Gieves and Hawkes which he was exceptionally happy with. James’s shoes were Barkers. The groomsmen wore their own suits and James chose them all matching soft grey/navy polka dot ties which were a linen and silk blend from TM Lewin.

Bridesmaid

It was very important to me that my bridesmaid was comfortable and that she actually liked what she was wearing. I have never really liked traditional bridesmaid dresses so decided to opt for something a little different. My Bridesmaid wore a very feminine vintage blush tulle skirt with a simple but elegant silk top.

The Venue

The number one most important thing for us was to find a venue that could fit all of our friends and family but still feel intimate. We live in London but wanted to escape to the country and find a venue that would accommodate us for the entire weekend. I spent many wonderful childhood holidays in South Devon so for me Devon was the obvious choice; it did not take me long to convince James! We visited numerous wedding venues but fell in love with Buckland Tout-Saints, a luxury country house in Kingsbridge. The venue had all the charm and character that we wanted without being too grand and formal.

Flowers

We kept the decorations really simple, focusing on flowers. Wow, the flowers! They were one of my favourite things about the wedding! The amazing Laura Hingston designed my bouquet, centerpieces and buttonholes for the chaps. Laura received a pretty small brief from me. I had looked on Pinterest so had an idea of what I wanted but I was very happy to let Laura work her magic. I knew that I did not want to clutter the venue with unnecessary decoration and that I wanted the flowers to be the main focal point. We didn’t really want to focus on a ‘theme’ so decided on neutral tones, lots of light and shade and texture with a wild and natural look. The bouquets and buttonholes were finished off with Silk and Willow grey ribbon. Fast forward to the end of the night and I was unceremoniously running around to gather some of the arrangements to send guests home with, they were too special to waste.

Food

The food menu was put together by Buckland Tout-Saints Head Chef Ted Ruewell. I am passionate about food so having the perfect menu was extremely important. Ted did not disappoint, the food was exceptional! We opted for canapés followed by a three course wedding breakfast. The Tian of Brixham crab, Roast rump of Devon lamb and the chocolate cremeux were my favourites and were delicious. Judging by our guests empty plates it seems they agreed too. I also want to say a special thank you to The Dartmouth Ice Cream Company for providing our guests with delicious homemade ice cream after the ceremony. The old fashioned tricycle was very unique and the homemade clotted cream, heavenly honeycomb and double chocolate ice cream were exquisite.

Photographer

When people say the day goes past in a flash and you only remember snippets they are not joking. With that in mind we wanted a photographer that caught it all, the laughter, the crying, the love and that’s what we got with Matt Penberthy. Neither James nor I particularly love having our photo taken but Matt made us feel at ease and was a pleasure to be around! He caught all the love and special moments on the day and when we look back at the pictures it transports us there. He’s superb!

Wedding Hampers

We decided very quickly that we did not want to have traditional wedding favours but knew that we wanted to do something unique and extra special for our wedding party. It did not take long to settle on the idea of creating luxury hampers full of locally sourced produce. My mum and I sourced vintage baskets from antique shops in Ashburton. James and I spent many weekends visiting delis and farm shops, tasting delicious chutneys, pickles and local ales along the way. We selected produce from: The Dartmouth Deli, South Devon Chilli Farm, Riverford, Saveurs Patisserie, Stockley Farm Shop, Hogs Bottom Garden Delights, Dartmoor Brewery and The Devon Soap Company.