Your Devon and Cornwall Wedding - January/February 2021 (Issue 29)

41  REAL WEDDINGS lisianthus, pale pink astilbe, ivory roses and smaller spray roses teamed with waxflower, eucalyptus and fragrant rosemary." The couple displayed four small milk bottles on each of the tables as centrepieces filled with gypsophila. “They looked great sat on top of the hessian and lace table runners that Simon's mother had made for us that reflected our rustic theme,” Alexandra describes. The couple's delicious semi-naked Victoria sponge cake was also decorated with the same flower varieties used in the bridal bouquet along with plenty of berries. For dinner, they offered their guests different mouth-watering options including Thai fish cakes with homemade chilli sauce to start, seared sea bass fillet served with crab potato cake and green beans as a main dish, and key lime pie for dessert. Other details at their reception included bottle openers as favours modelled on an old vintage key, balloons printed with 'just married' placed on the top table, silver and pink balloons framing the entrance, bunting dressing the dancefloor and plenty of fairylights decorating the cafe windows to offer some privacy. “These looked so romantic twinkling during the evening,” Alexandra tells us. LOOKING THE PART Alexandra wore a Sottero and Midgley dress. “I chose a fitted style that featured a small train,” she tells us. “I loved the elegant lace back and felt that the dress suited my style. I also liked the ethos behind the company from which I bought it because all the money from the sale of their wedding dresses goes towards organising weddings for people with a terminal illness. I accessorised it with a pair of pearl earrings that my mother had given to me as a 30th birthday present, dusky pink espadrille wedges and fresh flowers in my hair.” Simon and his best man wore the same blue suits teamed with silver and ivory waistcoats and dusky pink ties. “Simon had a slightly more elaborate buttonhole than his best man,” Alexandra tells us, “and my maid-of-honour wore a beautiful knee-length dress with a pink sequin top that shimmered in the sunlight paired with some nude sandals.” TIME TO ENTERTAIN The couple hired a cocktail mixologist who was a big hit with their guests. “Cocktails were in demand!” Alexandra says. “He had created some of his own cocktails for us including a Sidwell Slammer and included my favourite, a Cosmopolitan. We also had a DJ that was recommended by our friends who had got married the year before. Our guests loved it when he played the Prodigy!” “Due to the restrictions on travel, my brother could not fly in from Australia to give me away, so my mum gave me away instead. I loved this as did a lot of our guests. She said a few words during the speeches which was a very special moment. There was a real sense of celebration at our wedding - our friend Gill told me that it was the best wedding she had ever attended!” – Alexandra