Your Devon and Cornwall Wedding - Sep/Oct 2019 (Issue 21)

35  REAL WEDDINGS W hitney and Martin met when she became friends with his brother some years ago. “It isn’t a fairytale,” she tells us. “I didn’t like him at first! His dry sense of humour used to annoy me! But as we started spending time together in more recent years, and got to know each other better, our relationship developed from there.” The couple became engaged on Dartmoor in a surprise proposal. “Martin wanted to ask me on a walk one afternoon against the backdrop of the spectacular views,” Whitney tells us. “It didn’t quite go to plan, though, so he ended up asking me in the car! I was taken by surprise and very happy.” SETTING THE SCENE “We wanted our loved ones to join us for a wedding weekend and Bickleigh Castle offered everything, and more,” Whitney tells us. “We loved the fact that a different area of the venue is used for each different part of the day and it was all so beautiful. The grounds are magnificent.” The couple made use of the grounds by hosting a lawn reception. “We laid out large picnic blankets and provided outdoor games including twister, swingball and hula hoops, plus bubbles for the children to play with and a sweetie table, which they loved. We tied balloons to benches and provided our female guests with a pair of heel protectors each to save their shoes!” Inside, the wedding breakfast room was decorated with white bunting to complement the flowers. “One of my favourite items was the heart- shaped wildflower wreath that our florist, Polly, created,” Whitney tells us. “It was so special and complemented the wildflowers that we displayed on each table in different jars as centrepieces. I loved it so much that we hung it in the Great Hall during our ceremony and then moved it to take centre stage during our wedding breakfast.” “Sarah at Bickleigh Castle kindly allowed us to use their Rolls-Royce to drive me and my dad from the cottage where we were getting ready up to the castle gates at the entrance to the Great Hall, which allowed us five minutes of calm before the ceremony.” - Whitney