Magic moments

Posted by Claire Ridley on 10 November 2022

Anya and Andy met at Anya's place of work when Andy started some building work at the offices. "We instantly got along and I looked forward to him coming in every day," Anya tells us. "I was attracted to his sense of humour because he always made me laugh. He tells me that he first noticed my smile and the sparkle in my eyes!" Andy adds, "Anya appeared to ignore me at first, missing my chat-up lines because she was wearing her headphones!"

The couple spent their first date enjoying an off-road drive in Andy's truck followed by lunch. "It wasn't long after the first date that we both realised that we had each found somebody special in one another and the spark was there," Anya says

Couple The couple became engaged on the 17th July 2021 at their local golf course. “I had taught Andy how to play golf there so we shared special memories from it,” Anya tells us. “We were booked on a helicopter ride that got cancelled the day before where, unbeknown to me, Andy was planning to propose so he had to think of something else! We visited the golf course with our children and as I started walking towards the first hole, Andy said he wasn’t feeling well and pulled me into him before getting down on one knee and asking me to marry him! There was a tournament taking place that had stopped play to accommodate the proposal so the balcony was packed with golfers and our family members who had witnessed it all - it was one of the best days ever!”

SETTING THE SCENE - The couple spotted an advert for Watermouth Cove Weddings on Facebook and instantly fell in love with the romantic, rustic feel of the venue. "The sea views looked stunning and after visiting the property, we could see ourselves getting married there," Anya tells us. "We love being by the sea and this venue offers a private cove and caves to explore. We decided to celebrate over an entire weekend with a pool party on Friday night and our wedding ceremony on Saturday followed by a roast lunch and a live singer during the evening. We were all made to feel so welcome at the venue and nothing was too much trouble."

The couple decorated their day with a burgundy and champagne colour theme. "Our flowers were rich red, cream and pink varieties and my sister used burgundy roses and pampas grass in the centrepieces that she created for us," Anya tells us. "She also decorated the sweetheart table and peacock chairs with greenery and flowers."

Anya and Andy chose gold candle holders, tea lights and mini chalkboard table numbers with quotations written on the back. "Our table plan was a family tree and our place names were wooden love heart keyrings tied with burgundy ribbon which also attached to the table plan," Anya describes. "We had photographs in frames dotted around the reception of all the married couples who attended our wedding on their big day."

Guests enjoyed prosecco and canapés after the ceremony and for the wedding breakfast, they tucked into a barbecue. "I'm from South Africa where barbecues, known as braais, are very popular so we ate burgers, sausages and chicken served with a variety of salads and chips," Anya says. "We also had an ice cream station for dessert serving four delicious flavours and an assortment of toppings and sauces plus a brownie pyramid."

Cake Anya and Andy had a sweetie table and a white and burgundy buttercream cake decorated with silk flowers. "It featured a combination of our favourite flavours including biscoff and red velvet," Anya describes. "It was displayed on a cake stand that Andy's dad made for us mounted on a personalised metal ring that Andy created finished with Mr & Mrs initials and the date of our wedding. My daughter crocheted us some cute wedding bears that took pride of place on the sweetie table!"

Anya wore a beautiful dress called Sheryl by Romantica of Devon that she loved. "It was a mermaid shape with lace shoulder straps, a layered bodice adorned with handbeaded detail and an illusion back," she tells us. "I teamed it with a cathedral-length veil and a rose gold Swarovski crystal hair accessory."

Andy chose a navy three-piece suit with a contrasting burgundy and gold trim on the pockets that tied in with the colour scheme. "He wore a burgundy waistcoat and bow tie along with a Louis Vuitton pin on his jacket instead of a buttonhole," Anya says. "Our best man wore the same suit with a navy waistcoat and burgundy tie and Mason, who was our ring security, wore a royal blue three-piece suit with a burgundy bow tie and a 'ring security' badge!"

Ceremony The maid-of-honour and flowergirl wore gold gowns while the two bridesmaids wore different burgundy dresses. "One featured a classic round neck with a lace bust and one was a sleeveless empire-line style," Anya says,

Celebration TIME TO CELEBRATE - The couple had a DJ to entertain guests during the evening of the wedding and a live singer on Sunday evening after lunch. "We also had coloured smoke bombs that looked fantastic in the photographs with the last one turning the back of my dress green which everyone found amusing!" Anya tells us. "I then tripped over my dress on the dancefloor and fell backwards with one of my friends falling on top of me which added to the entertainment!"