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

47  REAL WEDDINGS waxflower, grey berries and tree fern and they handed their guests real petal confetti to throw while they stood on the grand stairway in the venue. Because their wedding took place close to Easter, Emma and Nathan chose white boxes tied with baby blue ribbon filled with mini eggs for their adult guests and a bag of puzzles and games for the little ones to keep them occupied during the speeches. They also displayed a rustic woven basket for cards and gifts, an order of the day hand-written on a chalkboard and other signage around the venue. "We had a 'dancefloor rules' board placed near our large light-up letters, a sign outside to direct guests, and a 'and so the adventure begins' sign which all looked great!" Emma tells us. LOOKING THE PART Emma chose the dress called Galatea from Watters by Willowby. “I fell in love with how unique it was, I wanted something original and I had so many compliments on the day,” she tells us. “It had a deep-plunge neckline that was duplicated at the back, pleated tulle and lace appliqué, a velvet waist tie and silver undertones which look so pretty.” Because Emma’s dress was a statement piece, she chose not to accessorise it too much. “I added a pair of silver leaf earrings and a split veil for the ceremony which attached on both sides of my head and draped down under my ponytail.” Emma and Nathan’s bridesmaids wore baby blue A-line dresses with chiffon ties on the shoulders. “They teamed them with silver sparkly heels that coordinated with my baby blue shoes and on the bottom of each pair, I stuck crystals spelling out the words ‘I do’,” Emma describes. “They also wore small silver heart necklaces and earrings and each had bridesmaid gowns to wear to get ready in which they loved!” Nathan and his groomsmen were all dressed in the same dark blue suits with matching waistcoats, baby blue ties and pocket squares, white shirts, and brown shoes with a pair of personalised socks each featuring the names of their roles at the wedding. TIME TO ENTERTAIN Along with a DJ hired for the evening, the couple chose to have a photo booth to entertain their guests so that they could each take a picture home with them. “Everyone loved it, even our photographer, Julie, got involved with a bit of help from my grandad!” Emma says. “We also gave everyone sparklers in the evening which provided a good photo opportunity and made sure that the children had games to play. Instead of a guest book, we provided a jar for guests to put a note in for us to read on our first anniversary so it was good fun to read them all this year!” “The day was a whirlwind, but the best day of our lives. It was filled with everyone that meant the most to us, so we felt very special and loved.” – Emma and Nathan “I designed and printed all of the invitations and hand-tied them with blue ribbon – they looked so pretty.” – Emma