Your Devon & Cornwall Wedding - May/June 2019 (Issue 19)

REAL WEDDINGS 35  CAN YOU FEEL THE love tonight S ophie and Ashley first met in Salcombe while he was visiting the area. “Ashley invited me out for a drink and our romance started from there,” Sophie tells us. The couple managed a long distance relationship between Portsmouth and Devon, seeing each other every weekend before becoming engaged in August 2017 in a romantic Parisian proposal. “We went on a weekend away to Paris where we visited Disneyland and then did some general sightseeing,” Sophie explains. “On the last evening, we booked a cruise along the River Seine. We were all dressed up and had a VIP table at the front of the boat with the most stunning, uninterrupted views. Afterwards, we left the boat and headed for the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up and as we found a bench to sit on, Ashley popped the question! I was so happy and shocked that I forgot to say “yes” to begin with. It was a perfect moment and one we’ll both never forget.” SETTING THE SCENE “We visited a wedding fair at Dartington Hall after my mum suggested it, and from the moment we walked in, we knew it was ideal for us,” Sophie explains. “We booked our wedding date there and then and also met our photographer, Martyn Norsworthy, at the fair. Because Salcombe is a very special place to both of us, we wanted to be married in the local church that’s situated in a beautiful location with views of the estuary.” As a lover of all things Disney, Sophie had always dreamt of a fairytale wedding, so their theme included lots of Disney details with the main colour being pale blue. “As we left the church, our choir sang Can You Feel The Love Tonight by Elton John from The Lion King ,” Sophie tells us. “My mum had also booked us a Rolls-Royce as a surprise to take us to the venue after the ceremony, as well as transport me to the church with my dad. This was such a lovely addition to our fairytale and looked fantastic in our photographs.” The couple used a Cinderella carriage template on their invitations, table numbers and name cards. “We also used a carriage as our table centrepieces, which was decorated with flowers and fairylights and sat on a mirrored plate,” Sophie explains. Being cheese lovers, Sophie and Ashley decided to have a wedding cake made of cheese. “To add to our Cinderella theme, we found two little mice dressed as a bride and groom to go on top of our cake,” Sophie and Ashley’s fairytale wedding at Dartington Hall incorporated a Disney theme Images courtesy of Martyn Norsworthy “My mum was a huge help in the year leading up to the wedding, planning the finer details. She deserves a huge thank you for all of her help.” - Sophie