A Blush Coloured Caroline Castigliano Gown For A Fairytale Wedding in Sunny Devon

It really was a nice day for a white wedding for today’s gorgeous couple and I have to admit, I got a pang of envy over our brides beautiful gown when the photo’s landed in my inbox.

The whole day almost reminds me of a Disney princess’s wedding day and I can’t wait to share it with you. So without further ado, let’s skip to it. Cabin services manager Lyndsay and mechanical engineer Shaun said their I Do’s one sunny summer’s day, 14th June, in 2018 at the exquisite Grade I listed Rockbeare Manor in Exeter, Devon.

Photography by Clare Kinchin

On hand to capture such a gorgeously sunny and magical day on camera was Devon and Cornwall based self-confessed ‘story teller’ photographer Clare Kinchin.

“Clare was amazing, and so was her partner Alan who accompanied her on the day. Clare made our day feel very relaxed and welcoming. Having our photos taken didn’t feel like a chore or regimental, which really helped us enjoy the day much more and also enabled us to socialise with our friends and loved ones. We couldn’t recommend her enough!”

“We chose the venue as when you break through the trees of the driveway, the white facade is really impressive and has definitely got that ‘wow factor’. The venue itself is beautifully appointed and the grounds on a hot clear day are perfect for guests to enjoy drinks outside. You also have the benefit of getting married outside, weather permitting.”

The bride and her maids also carried beautiful green and blush bouquets made from blush coloured flowers and foliage, expertly created by Plymouth based florists The Secret Garden Flowers.

The bridesmaids all wore navy blue dresses by Debut at Debenhams and a pair of Pandora earrings, to compliment the groom and his groomsmen.

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The groom chose a 3-piece made to measure navy blue suit from Moss Bros, accessorised with a pink knitted tie from Marks and Spencer, Loake shoes and cufflinks and socks via Amazon.

Lyndsay’s absolutely fabulous strapless blush coloured lace bodied gown with a sweetheart neckline was by wedding dress designer Caroline Castigliano via White Mischief bridal shop in Henfield, West Sussex.

“I chose the dress as it was a little different to others I’d seen and I had always wanted a blush coloured dress. As a little girl, I would always say I was going to get married in pink. My lace edged cathedral length veil was from a local wedding boutique to me and my shoes were by Christian Louboutin.”

“I wore peony and blush by Jo Malone as my wedding perfume. I had wanted something new for the day and when I tried it, it smelt fresh and went with the peony flowers and blush coloured wedding dress.”

“My other accessories included a gold charm from my nan, which was modified and made into a pendant by Plymouth based jewellers Robins & Moore.”

“My earrings were an amazing surprise gift from Shaun on the morning of the wedding and were a set of diamond studs. They were also an exact copy of my engagement ring so it all matched.”

Lyndsay and Shaun’s first meeting was at a local bar in Crawley where they were both enjoying separate nights out with friends. After Shaun approached Lyndsay and asked if he could take her phone number, the rest as they say, is history.

“We got engaged at a Champagne house/vineyard in France called Domaine Sacret. We visit France regularly each year and always try to take a visit to the Champagne region as we fell in love with the area after visiting early on in our relationship. The Champagne house has guest suites and so Shaun had arranged for a personalised bottle of Champagne to be made which had the proposal on the label.”

“We went out for dinner to celebrate my birthday and Shaun arranged for the box with the bottle inside to be put in the room for when we came back. Shaun had explained that he’d ordered a large bottle to be made and asked me to take a look at it. When I slid the cover off and saw the proposal on the label, Shaun was waiting, bended on one knee, behind me with the ring. We were then engaged for two years before getting married.”

“Domaine Sacret also made customised Champagne for our wedding which was used during our wedding toasts. It included our wedding details such as the names and dates etc. on the bottles.”

The bride’s father walked with her down the aisle to the sweet sounds of All Of Me by John Legend.

“The music was played by Shaun’s best man on his flute which was amazing and really made the whole experience more personal.”

The couple then chose two readings to be read during the ceremony, one titled Marriage and one titled On Your Wedding Day.

“We swapped weddings rings bought from Robins & Moore. Shaun chose a 5mm palladium band as palladium is so hard wearing, and I chose a diamond cut out ring to sit well next to my engagement ring.”

Once the formalities were done and the ceremony over, the bride and groom and their guests made their way outdoors into the glorious sunshine for a drinks reception and lawn games before the wedding breakfast which was hosted inside the venue.

“The venue was already so beautiful and really didn’t need much more decor adding to it. We just used glass vases and candles to compliment it and pictures of our parents and grandparents from their own wedding days to make our day more personal.”

Lyndsay chose a mostly all-white palette for the indoors decor, opting for natural chivari chairs and simple yet sophisticated centerpieces, made from candles, blush flowers and foliage.

The stationery was designed by one of Lyndsay’s close childhood friends and the couple chose not to gift favours, instead opting to donate money to charity.

“We chose to donate to the Children’s Hospice Southwest instead of providing guests with favours, and in turn, the charity provided pin badges for everyone to wear. Shaun’s nephew very sadly passed away at a very young age due to a very rare illness called Tay-Sachs, so his family always try to raise money at every opportunity to help keep their hospices open, which they were fortunate enough to benefit from themselves.”

“Our cake was made by Shaun’s father David. He makes amazing fruit cake normally for Christmas, so we asked him if he would like to make our wedding cake.”

“We sent him a couple of pictures from the Internet and he made an exact copy of what we wanted, including the iced flowers and colours. He really did do us proud!”

Following the wedding feast and speeches, the couple performed their first dance to Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran before wedding band The Loose Cannons had guests partying on the dance floor until the early hours of the morning.

“Apart from saying our vows to each other, my highlight from the day would have to be near the end of the evening and dancing with our band. All of the wind instruments (trumpets, sax etc.) surrounded us whilst playing Walking On Sunshine by Katrina And The Waves – it was amazing!”

“We also liked being on the top table and just taking five minutes to look around the room at each table, watching everyone having a good time and people laughing and joking. It made us feel good that everyone was enjoying themselves.”

Words Of Wedded Wisdom

“I would just say to take five minutes out and watch your guests interact with each other. When the day arrives, forget everything and all the stress as nothing can be changed by that point. Just enjoy the moment!”

Congratulations to the happy couple! And a big thank you to photographer Clare Kinchin for capturing the day so beautifully on camera.

Until next time…

Much love,

Holly x