Happy Thursday readers! Has wedding season begun for you yet? Last weekend, I went to my first wedding of the year (hooray!). I was lucky enough to celebrate the nuptials of one of my oldest and dearest friends and, just like her, the day was really beautiful and soulful. Today, we have a winter wedding to share with you which emanates warmth and the grand splendour of a bygone era. Sarah and Karl’s black tie wedding took place on the 22nd November last year at Huntsham Court in Devon – an imposing, 19th century baronial mansion. The low, soft, November light adds a timeless feel to the images captured by Jonathan Ellis.
“When styling our wedding, we took cues from the venue. Most of all, our day was a representation of us and the things we love. When choosing a venue, it was important to us to find somewhere we could make our own, where we could provide an open bar and choose our own caterers (we both love food – A LOT!). Huntsham Court was perfect – both elegant and stylish and steeped in heritage and warmth as well as the flexibility to do what we wanted for a whole weekend (we didn’t want to limit the wedding to just one day and Huntsham Court has 31 bedrooms which meant that we could have the people we love with us for two nights).”
Photography Copyright (c) 2015, Jonathan Ellis
“Karl and I met at the advertising agency we both worked for. We were friends for a while first and then realised we liked each other (after a cheeky snog on a drunken night out!). After dating for a short time we moved in together and a year later Karl proposed. I think everyone expected Karl to do something ‘quirky’ as he’s creative (he once used augmented reality to present my Christmas present!), but it was the complete opposite and just what I wanted.
I came home after work to find that he had filled the lounge with candles and had prepared dinner and champagne. Unfortunately, I desperately needed the loo when I got home, and had to run off for a wee as he started to get down on one knee (which really didn’t help with his nerves)! I then couldn’t eat anything as I was too excited! We were engaged for just over a year.”
The fabulous stationery was created by the groom by the way – I really adore the way the ‘order of the day’ included a little tissue for any tears shed…
Karl looked very dapper in a midnight blue tuxedo from The Kooples and Grenson brogues.
“We didn’t want the standard morning suit, but we still wanted Karl to stand out from the crowd, so we went for a tuxedo from The Kooples and had it altered so that it fitted him perfectly.”
“A lot of the veils I looked at were very similar and had really thick, heavy tulle. I found my veil via Sibo Designs on Etsy, and when it arrived it was just as lovely as it looked in the photos. I know it’s more common for brides not to want to take their dress off when they try it on but that’s how I felt about my veil! I wore my veil with a simple leaf vine with pearls, also from Etsy.”
“We were so pleased with our photographer, Jonathan Ellis; the photos he produced are just perfect. His work is different to your standard wedding photographer and has a timeless feel. On the day, Jonathan and his assistant Vince were fantastic and looked like country gents in their tweed suits! Plus it was great having a photographer who genuinely felt like a friend!”
“Huntsham Court provides a wedding planner to help with the basics and we were lucky enough to be allocated Clair; to say she was amazing would be an understatement. We paid for her to be there on the day too and she just got on with everything and if there were any problems on the day neither the guests or Karl and I knew about it. She was so helpful with tips and advice we can’t thank her enough.”
“Our florist, Sophie from Earth Gallery Flowers was lovely. As the venue itself has lots of character and dark hues, I wanted simple, white, elegant flowers with hints of green. Even in November Sophie managed to get the flowers we wanted; gypsophila, roses, hydrangeas, anemones and ranunculi etc.”
Sarah’s dad walked her down the aisle in a blue and burgundy kilt to the sounds of ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by The Beatles.
“My dad is Scottish and it’s been my dream since I was a little girl that he walk me down the aisle in a kilt! He looked very handsome!”
“We customised the standard vows with a couple of personal lines. The ceremony is the most important part of the day and the reason you have brought your family and friends together and so we wanted to make sure the promises we made to each other were right for us.”
“One of our close friends, Jenny, read ‘I like you’ by Sandol Stoddard Warburg; she chose it as she said it reminded her of us. It was perfect. Karl’s sister, Nikita, read ‘I carry your heart’ by EE Cummings, a classic and one of my faves.”
Sarah purchased her stunning, lace Augusta Jones gown at Ivory Tower in Solihull and her chapel length veil from Sibo Designs via Etsy.
“After trying on a few dresses I wondered if I was ever going to find my perfect gown (I’m quite fussy about lace!). Luckily my sister pulled out my dress and it was so beautiful and delicate. I really wanted a gown with a low back and originally my dress had a full lace back with buttons. Thankfully the designer was more than happy to alter it for me to create my dream gown.”
Alongside the beautiful flowers, Sarah and Karl decorated Huntsham Court with lots of lovely, thoughtful details:
“Once the big things were sorted we could have fun with the décor and other extras! We made a popcorn bar, complete with homemade light up sign, where guests could flavour their own popcorn with caramel, banana and even chilli and lime. Karl created an epic guest book using an old fashioned phone that recorded messages when you lifted the receiver. For the ‘tradionalists’ we had Jenga blocks to sign. We put disposable cameras on the tables and a few dressing up props including monocles, top hats and pipes!”
“I always knew my grandma would make our cake. She is self-taught and exceptionally gifted; she has made nearly all the family’s wedding cakes. We wanted a simple three tier cake with a cascade of flowers. I didn’t see the cake until the day of the wedding and I was blown away; the flowers were incredible (I still have them!) – most people thought they were real!”
“Food was a big part of our wedding weekend! We opted for Dartmoor Kitchen, who are also the proud owners of Tom’s Pies. Naturally, we had pie and mash for our main, followed by our favourite desserts; crème brûlée and chocolate brownies.”
Sarah and Karl made a very sweet video to play at the wedding, depicting their relationship thus far; the couple’s little nephew and niece played the starring roles. You can watch the video here.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Planning the wedding was stressful at times and there were a fair few tears, but at the end of the day I can honestly say it was all worth it. We shared a momentous occasion with all of the people we love most in the world – so just hold on to that thought. I unexpectedly lost my Uncle earlier in the year, it was devastating but it also put into perspective what was important. If it means more to someone you love and you can live with it, concede on the little things.
As long as you have a list of what is really important to you and stick to it, let the other little things go. At the end of it all, the commitment to your partner is what it is all about.”
A big thank you to our couple for sharing the details of their special day and to Jonathan Ellis for the lovely images. If you’d like to see other beautiful Devon weddings, please click here. You can find more stunning Augusta Jones brides on the blog here.
Wishing you a great rest of your week!.
Annora x
Photographer – Jonathan Ellis
Venue – Huntsham Court near Exeter
Wedding Day Coordination – Clair from Huntsham Court
Wedding Dress – Augusta Jones from Ivory Tower
Veil – Sibo Designs on Etsy
Headpiece – Etsy
Shoes – Jimmy Choo
Accessories – Pearl earrings borrowed from the bride’s mother
Bride’s Scent/perfume – Coco by Chanel
Groom – The Kooples tuxedo + Grenson brogues
Bridesmaids – Debut by Debenhams dress
Groomsmen – Burton suit jacket + Next waistcoat and trousers + Jasper Conran tie
Florist – Earth Gallery Flowers
Cake – Made by the bride’s grandmother
Entertainment – DJ Liam Fairlie from Flybase DJs
Catering – Dartmoor Kitchen
Stationery – Created by the groom
Beautiful venue, have had the pleasure to work there several times