On this dull January Sunday I thought we’d bring a little sunshine to the proceedings, so today we hear from Emma about her and Brett’s big day last summer. (Before we do though, let me just say this ~ I’ve seen Brett’s band Even Nine and they’re great, do go and see them if you get a chance).
The proposal
Brett proposed on the last night of a holiday in the Caribbean. After dinner he took me out onto a wooden jetty overlooking the bay and went down on one knee and proposed- I was so surprised, but I said yes (of course!). It was so romantic and very emotional! Then we went back to the bar for a glass of champagne to celebrate and there was suddenly a power cut- the entertainers around the pool where spinning balls of fire as part of their act and that’s all we could see. It was so memorable!
How long did you spend planning your wedding?
18 months- we started looking at venues as soon as got back from holiday!
The location
We had the ceremony and reception at the Polurrian Hotel in Mullion. We chose it because it was local to where we lived and is a fantastic setting; on the edge of the cliffs with amazing views across to Mounts Bay and Lands End. It also has a beautiful quiet beach at the foot of the cliff, for photographs. Family and friends had been to weddings at the Polurrian over the years and all recommended it. The food choice was fantastic and the chef even let us suggest some of our own favourites. Paula, the duty manager who showed us around the hotel and took our booking, was so friendly and understood how we wanted the wedding to be. She looked after the wedding day itself too and was worth her weight in gold- she made sure everything was perfect. We had 70 guests to the ceremony and reception – a nice number as it still felt intimate; and a further 20 in the evening.
The theme
The theme was set around delicate, natural colours as anything bold would have clashed with the beautiful setting of the hotel and the seaviews. We used soft pinks, creams and mauves – and sweet peas as a little theme – I’ve always loved the scent of them and the flowers are really delicate.
The outfits
My wedding dress was from Vu’s Bridal Boutique in Wadebridge, which is a bright, luxurious feeling shop and you feel special the second you walk in there. It has a huge range of dresses and the staff are very patient (luckily!) and give great advice. My dress was really just as I’d imagined and hoped – ivory silk, covered in champagne lace with a champagne ribbon. It was strapless and the main body of the dress was very fitted, shaping out slightly at the thigh. As I’m quite petite anything flouncy or heavy would have swamped me! The lace overlay was less fitted, so it softened the overall look and the length of the train was just right. I felt so fantastic in it and wish I could wear it again and again!
The bridesmaids’ dresses were ivory silk, mid calf length, with pink and mauve flowers embroidered on the bodice and a satin sash (double sided in pink and a mauvey colour). They came from Monsoon, and I actually bought them in 2010, as the colour of the embroidered flowers was perfect for the colour scheme and apparently, they change the colours each year, so I had to get them while I could! Unfortunately the little bridesmaids were growing like crazy- so I had to guess what size they would be in 12 months time (eventually we decided on generously large sizes and had them adjusted down just before the wedding!!)
The suits came from Moss Bros in Truro. As we both wanted the wedding to be informal and relaxed, Brett felt he’d be more comfortable in a suit than tails. Brett and his best man had matching embroidered waistcoats and the other men had plain cream ones.
The bridal party
We had three bridesmaids – my two nieces, Poppy (6) and Jenna (3) and Brett’s niece Kimberley (11) They all looked so beautiful, I was so proud of them. Poppy even wrote a poem and read it out (perfectly) as part of the ceremony – it brought tears to a few eyes! Brett is a drummer in a band, Even Nine, who have been together for years – so his band mates were his ushers, along with 2 friends and his nephew, Nathan(14) – who suddenly looked so grown up in his suit!
Transport
We stayed at the hotel the night before the wedding (in separate rooms of course), overlooking the sea – it was a stunning view to wake up to – bright blue sky and calm sparkly sea! But Brett was able to borrow a stunning silver blue Jaguar XJ from work which we used the day after the wedding and we felt completely spoilt – it really was ultimate luxury!
Flowers
I think I actually squealed when I saw my bouquet – it was so beautiful. Pink, light purple and cream sweet peas, pink peonies, cream roses and rosemary tied together with an organza ribbon. It was really delicate and the scent was incredible. The two little bridesmaids had posies of sweet peas too. The corsages were made from freesias and the button holes simple roses. We also had cream china jugs with organza ribbons around them, filled with sweet peas, cream roses and rosemary as well- and used them at the ceremony on the window sills and as table centre pieces during the wedding meal. The flowers were all provided by Anna Sawle at Wedding Flowers in Cornwall (based near St Ives) and I would recommend her to anyone – the flowers were one of my favourite parts of the wedding and she is just brilliant!
The rings
I chose a small platinum ring – I wanted something delicate and plain, as my engagement ring has quite a bit of detail and I have small fingers. It’s just what I was looking for! Brett has a fantastic palladium ring, part polished, part brushed with a single tiny diamond. We found them both at Ernest Jones in Truro – and because Brett had bought my engagement ring there, we had a discount on the wedding rings!
The cake
We were so over the moon with the cake(s)- I had had an idea for individual mini wedding cakes, each with two iced sweet pea flowers on top, then a larger ‘top’ cake for us to cut, with fresh sweet peas in the same colours as the iced ones on top. Anna Sawle (Wedding Flowers in Cornwall) made the cake topper and the colours were just perfect – matching the iced ones identically!
Cakes by Design (Amanda Walton, based near St Ives) made the cakes. There were 2 types, half were lemon sponge with lemon butter cream, and others were chocolate sponge with baileys butter cream – just delicious! Initially I took my sketchy drawings to her and she made the cakes from that – and they were even more amazing than I’d hoped!
We gave one mini cake to each couple – (myself, my best friend, mum and sister parcelled them up in the afternoon between the reception and evening entertainment – it was great fun!) We put them in clear plastic cake boxes with mauve tissue paper in the bottom and tied them with mauve ribbon and a little name tag on each one.
Speeches
We had the traditional speeches… but the best man put on a slideshow extravaganza of Brett’s most embarrassing moments over the last few years – being a drummer in a rock band, going away on tour etc, there was plenty of ammunition – it was definitely an eye opener!! The expression on our mum’s faces said it all! It was very funny!
Photography
We used Kiss Photography (Ricky and Jenny Vitulli) from St Ives. We met Ricky at a wedding fair at Kingsley Village and loved the style of their photography and the albums he had on display straight away. They were modern, eye catching, bright and colourful and lots of fantastic magazine style effects and we got on well with him. Initially I didn’t want photography for the ‘getting ready’ part of the day, but after we went to meet Ricky and Jenny to discuss the day and the style of photos etc it completely changed my mind – we get on so well with them, I wanted them to be there all day, involved in everything. We were just over the moon with the results and still rave over our wedding album. We especially liked the two mini albums that were part of the package- as they were great presents for the mums!
I don’t think it’s possible for us to pick one favourite picture of the day- there are so many we love!!
A friend took video of the day for us as we decided to spend more on the photography than we had planned.
Decorations and favours
I made a lot of things myself (decorating the invitations that my Dad kindly printed, making the table names, seating plan, menus, order of the day cards, little jars of sweets for the table etc ) It was time consuming, but it felt more personal and special.
We had POP cakes as favours (little tiny iced sponge cakes on sticks, made in any shape/design you like – ours were drums, because of Brett being a drummer and a lot of our friends are musical. I ordered them on the internet and was really pleased with them – they really can make anything into a little lollipop cake!) Dad’s company also kindly gave us sugared almonds as traditional favours, which we gave out in the evening. They smelt amazing!
Honeymoon
My incredible sister actually won our honeymoon for us in a magazine competition – 7 days all inclusive in Mauritius!! We were so, so lucky and grateful! We had the most amazing time there, relaxing, playing golf, going to the spa and eating at the incredible restaurant s- and I even found the gym! We would definitely go again if we could – it really was a bit of paradise!
We went on honeymoon the weekend after the wedding, instead of jetting straight off, which was ideal, as we had time to get organised and packed without any rush or stress.
Afterthoughts
What advice would you pass onto other couples?
Everyone says take in every moment of the wedding day, as it goes so fast, which is true, but also, enjoy the planning part too. Enjoy looking at venues, shopping around and choosing exactly what you both want (and ways that you can sensibly afford to do it). It makes the whole wedding experience last longer!
What was your best buy?
Our photography package – having the day captured so beautifully was worth every penny, because we have them forever now. Every picture brings back so many memories – they are priceless to us.
What was your best bargain?
My wedding shoes – I found them on Ebay! I think they were about £20. I needed champagne coloured shoes and the choice in the shops was limited and, I thought, very expensive! These were so incredibly comfortable and the style was just what I wanted – peep toe with a nice stiletto heel – and it didn’t break my heart to walk across the beach and get them sandy and a bit wet! They brushed off and were as good as new. I’ll definitely use them again!
Which was your favourite part /best memories of the day?
We both agreed it was when I walked into the ceremony and down the aisle with my Dad. The room looked incredible, the sun was streaming in and all our friends and family were there and Brett was waiting for me. It was magical to see each other at that moment!
We have so many great memories of the day – the weather was perfect too – a really hot summers day, and we had an ice cream trolley on the hotel lawn for our guests. When we went to the beach to take photos, a lot of the guests sat on the edge of the swimming pool and dangled their legs in the water. It was so laid back and everyone just enjoyed the sun. The colours of the flowers and the scenery were incredible all day and when the sun went down in the evening, it was a really blazing sunset.
