Victoria & Paddy

I've really been looking forward to blogging this gorgeous wedding, as it's from my neck of the woods, in deepest darkest Cornwall, and it's ridiculously beautiful too. Victoria and Paddy chose Coombeshead Farm, a working farm with rooms and a reputation for incredible food, to host their wedding day. As well as keeping people fed well, the farm has an incredible tree copse under which Victoria & Paddy held their ceremony and lots of wonderful space for their bohemian marquee. It's always a treat to share weddings where the suppliers are members of our recommended supplier directory and as well as talented photographer Barney Walters, this wedding also showcases the work of wedding planner extraordinaire Jenny Wren and the lovely Garden Gate Flower Company girls whose home grown blooms always blow my mind. Everything is so organically beautiful, you're going to love it! Let's begin with getting ready in that gorgeous farm house...

The Venue

Victoria The Bride: Who could have predicted that our wedding venue was to be found through ‘liking’ a picture of a pork chop on Instagram. Coombeshead Farm hadn’t even opened when we approached them to host our wedding. It was all about the food – but then when we visited, the grounds were just spectacular. There aren’t enough words to describe this place – you must stay & feast there. The tree copse was just perfect for our ceremony – a woodland wedding was all we had dreamed of. The food was out of this world - we dined on canapés, bottomless sourdough & butter, slow cooked lamb shoulders, quince & hazelnut tarts, apple & blackberry trifles, cheese & late night cheeseburgers. We cannot thank the whole team enough for all their support in making our day magical.

The Ceremony

We had legally got married in Wales a few days before. I being Welsh & Paddy Cornish it was nice to have 2 ceremonies which satisfied us both. We had a Cornish ‘humanist’ ceremony, so we wrote all our own vows & readings reflected the early days when Paddy & I first met in London. We wanted an informal & relaxed blessing which John Langford or ‘John The Fish’ as he is better known, conducted perfectly.

The Planner

We couldn’t have got through the day without Jenny. Co-ordinator extraordinaire, I thought I was organised but then I met Jenny! A joy to work with & nothing was too much trouble. She even contacted her hang gliding Dad for a ‘real time’ weather update, when I was having a meltdown about the ceremony outdoors!

The Bride

I had my heart set on a particular designer, something a little different/a little bohemian but I left feeling upset & disappointed that her designs just didn’t suit me. It was only my second appointment where I found my Jenny Packham gown at the Mews in Bristol. I was encouraged to try things on I wouldn’t necessarily pick, & I picked something far more traditional than what I had envisaged – quite simple actually & not at all colourful but I loved it from first sight. I said I would never wear a veil. The plan was to have a bohemian dress & wild flowers in my hair. Dress didn’t go to plan so the veil was a natural progression. I had followed Hermione De Paula for a number of years as I looked to her embroidery for inspiration as a fashion student. I visited her Studio in Seven Sisters where I opted for a cathedral length veil with hand embroidered flowers & vines – her & the team are so very talented & create the most magical bespoke designs. I was like Kate Bush as it blew in the wind during the ceremony, I couldn’t bear to have it dragging on the floor so I wrapped it around my arm. I wish the weather had been better so I could’ve shown it off in all its glory. The saga of the shoes! I found it insanely difficult to find the perfect shoes. I wanted something I could wear again, so naturally I opted for an ivory satin furry Pom Pom pair of Jimmy Choo’s! I went to two stores in London to find the perfect untouched pair & a month before the wedding I realised they had boxed up the wrong size. I was horrified as were they & we managed to get the sizing corrected. To make matters worse, I didn’t end up wearing the shoes on the day as the weather was so wet. I wore my bridesmaids spare pair of heels from New Look which were two sizes too big, before changing in to a sparkly pair of Converse. As there was a lot of embellishment on the top half of the dress, I went for an understated pair of diamond earrings from Monica Vinader. They were a little contemporary which is what I wanted & something I could wear again.

The Beauty

I am hopeless at doing my hair & make up so I knew I needed an artist. Grace of Lips & Locks, as soon as I viewed her portfolio I knew she was the one for me. She listened, gave me advice & made me look like me with a bit more ‘jazziness’. She gave me the 1930s curls I dreamed of & is just the loveliest person inside & out.

The Wedding Party

I didn’t want my girls to match, they are all different shapes & sizes so I wanted them to feel comfortable & have something suited to them. Emma’s was the first to be picked, which I purchased from ASOS. A pale pink tulle dress, nipped in at the waist with an embellished waistband. As the months went by we had some amazing news & Emma announced she was pregnant. I did look at back up dresses but the dress grew with her thanks to the high waistband, it was perfect & fitted her beautifully. The other two dresses I purchased online from the retailer BHLDN. They sell in the US & as part of Anthropologie. Kim’s dress was a slightly different shade of blush pink, also in tulle & had an open back which she loved. Rosie’s was a nude, multi way tulle dress which she tied on one shoulder. They all perfectly complimented each other & formed a gorgeous pastel palette. The girls hair was very relaxed, each with a variation on a plait. I picked some lovely constellation hair slides which also complimented the jewellery they wore, which I picked up from Anthropologie & a little boutique in Clifton.

The Groom

Paddy doesn’t do shopping, so it didn’t come as a surprise that he left it quite late in the day. He opted for a 2 piece classic wool suit from Marks & Spencer, which he then had tailored. Best man & ushers wore their own suits, also in navy. Ties were all Liberty print & shoes were from Russell & Bromley.

The Flowers

Flowers have always been so important to me so I knew they would form a vital part of the day. When I saw on Instagram that The Garden Gate Flower Company had an open day at their gorgeous flower farm, I had to get in touch. They were one of the first suppliers we booked almost exactly a year before the big day. The flowers are all locally grown & seasonally available so I loved that our displays would be unique & unpredictable. It felt like we had known Becca & Maz all our lives. Nothing was too much trouble & as the ideas evolved they made them a reality. It was one area I knew I could completely let go.

The Photography

We chose Barney as not only was he Cornish but his pictures were ‘real’. We loved the spontaneity in his photographs, capturing those behind the scenes moments. We just love our photographs so much – he’s made it so difficult to put together our album!

The Stationery

Designed by my talented friend Rhi – believe it or not she is not a full time illustrator (but should be). Bespoke hand writing mixed with wild flowers & foliage. Tables were named after different varieties of apples – a nod to where Paddy works. We hand picked apples from the Orchards as place names to tie it all together.

The Cake

We opted for a Welsh cake called ‘Bara Brith’ – a rich fruit cake made with tea. Traditionally made in a loaf tin, we had it made in to 3 round tiers. It was decorated with fresh flowers and crab apples. I originally had planned to make the cake, but thankfully Mum sourced Lyn, a local Welsh lady who made it beautifully.

The Band

It was so hard to find a band, as there are just so many dodgy wedding bands around & that is exactly what we didn’t want. I had almost given up when I stumbled upon Freshly Squeezed who had been featured on Craig Charles Funk & Soul show. They were incredible! They had funk, soul, energy – we will definitely be going to one of their gigs.