I’ve now been writing for Love My Dress for just over a year, and am in constant awe and amazement at all of the beauty and creativity I see being poured into the most joyful and loving celebrations.
Today’s particular wedding is a first for me, though, in that it’s an elopement wedding, that is, it was organised within the space of just 10 weeks! It all takes place in stunning landscaped gardens and woodland, on the edge of a river, in Dartmoor, Devon.
Meet Cassie, who is a social investment manager, supporting UK charities in combatting social issues, and Thomas, who works in landscape construction, garden design and building. They were married on the 29 March 2018 at Ever After, Lower Grenofen, Devon.
Images by Clare Kinchin Photography
“It’s a beautiful setting for a wedding, and in a location close to our hearts. We visit Dartmoor National Park annually in the summer. We loved the naturalness of the venue and premises; the flow of the river just footsteps from the main venue was simply the cherry on top of the cake.”
Cassie found her gorgeous, long-sleeved, boho lace dress by Rembo Styling at The Secret Dress House in Reigate (sadly since closed).
“I just loved the style, and fell in love with it when I first spotted it. It was everything I wanted; soft and simple, and I loved the details of the neckline and back.”
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“The designer was amazing. Although I only had less than 10 weeks prep for the wedding, I contacted the shop who stocked this collection around week 9, and with a large degree of luck, and someone somewhere helping make my dreams come true, I managed to get the dress I found, which was in the 2018 collection, and ordered, received and had it altered with still one week to our wedding day.”
Neither Cassie or Thomas particularly enjoy being the centre of attention, nor did they ever envisage a big wedding. Once their daughter was born, however, it felt important to them to formally become a family, and this was when they began to investigate smaller, elopement ceremonies.
“Thomas asked if there was any month I’d prefer to get married, and with March 31st being my parents’ wedding anniversary (had my mum still been alive, it would have been 45 years) I said March as I’ve always wanted her to be connected somehow to my special day. Plus March is the month our first child was born. With that, our mission was on.”
“We searched the net for elopements at short notice, and tried to find a place of meaning. I fell upon Ever After in Dartmoor, and fell in love with not only the pictures, but how Nicola writes about the venue, how it was created, the language she uses and the sheer style.”
“I emailed Nicola on the off chance she’d have last minute availability and shared my story, the importance of March, and being married in a dear place close to our hearts, and with luck and her pure, kind heart, she offered us her venue and elopement package for Thursday 29 March 2018, even though she had planned to close the venue for the Easter Bank Holiday.”
“What a truly remarkable person! Nicola was the first sprinkle of luck in the planning of our wedding.”
“Rembo Styling were so helpful to push my order through, due to it not being peak season, and the shop owner was amazing, as she promised if the worst came to the worst, I could have her display dress altered. If it wasn’t for the flexibility and passion for making people’s dress fit for just them, I wouldn’t have had my perfect dress.”
Cassie also carried a glorious spring bouquet by Amanda Randell Cox, filled with roses, hellebores, lisianthus, waxflowers and beautiful blooms in various, pretty shades of pink, together with greenery and fragrant herbs, like rosemary.
“Amanda’s sensational flower crafts are all part of the elopement package at Ever After. I got exactly what I asked for (by that, I mean I didn’t tell Amanda what type of flowers to use). I gave her my preference on colours, and the feel of simplicity and beauty, and put full trust in Amanda from reviewing her work online, and believing that Nicola at Ever After put me in great hands.”
Cassie took care of her own hair and make-up, and in her lovely, long hair, she wore a beautiful floral crown of hellebores, waxflowers and greenery, all tied with a pink velvet ribbon, by florist Amanda Randell Cox. Cassie wore an 18 carat gold bracelet, given to her by her future in-laws on the day of the wedding, and on her feet, wore white sandals from New Look.
“My requirements were only every discussed over email. I wanted something subtle, delicate and soft. I got just that, and was thrilled when I saw it on the day. Amanda certainly knows her stuff, as the crown matched my bouquet and theme perfectly.”
“Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle is the fragrance my mum bought me in my early 20’s, and every year for Christmas.”
“It’s the perfume Thomas bought me on the first Christmas after she died. I loved it from the moment I smelled it as a perfume girl in Debenhams in my teens, and it has such a special link to my mum.”
Thomas wore a green tweed jacket and waistcoat, with super-stylish velvet detailing on the jacket lapel, from Marc Darcy, perfectly coordinating with his burgundy chinos from ASOS. He also wore a shirt from Next, brown suede Chelsea boots from Goodwin Smith, and a bow tie, which was his dad’s, worn on his own wedding day.
Cassie and Thomas’ lovely little girl wore a blush pink embroidered lace dress, complete with a pretty bow, from Mamas & Papas, and shoes from Next.
“Normally the father of the bride holds you up as you walk down the aisle, but my poor dad’s knees went a few weeks before the wedding, so in fact I was holding him up! My dad, the fighter, still managed to take me down the aisle to Thomas and our little girl in his arms. We walked in to a string quartet tribute to Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now.”
“Thomas and I met in our late teens, and were friends for a few years before ever dating. Apparently Thomas had a bet with a friend (a pint I must add!) that he’d take me on a date (which he won after years of trying – I obviously didn’t pick up the signs he liked me like that). It’s strange as my dad had a bet he’d get a date with my mum, and they ended up being married for 39 years before she unexpectedly died.”
The couple dated for a few years before going their separate ways, rekindling their friendship, and then relationship, three years later.
“Unbeknownst to me in the early years of us dating, Thomas suffered from anxiety, which would have played a part in our ‘downs’ as a couple. Understanding one another is so important in order to be life partners. Meeting for a second time, we both had grown, learnt many life lessons, and knew exactly what we wanted from a relationship and life.”
“We instantly realised the love ignited when we were first in a relationship had never really gone. Things developed fast. Within 6 months of getting back together, we bought a house, which we planned to strip back and do up to our taste. Within days of receiving our keys, we realised we were expecting our first child.”
“We’ve always talked about marriage, but more so after the arrival of our daughter. However, with me being on maternity leave, the expense of setting up a new home and Thomas’ anxiety, we didn’t think it would happen for many years financially, especially to be in a position to have the type of wedding we knew our family and friends would have wanted us to have.”
“However, after a big heart to heart at the start of the New Year in 2018, we both talked about how we really wanted to be married to round us as a family, all sharing the same name, and to plan to have further children if we are lucky enough, so we decided an elopement wedding would be perfect, and actually more us.”
Part and parcel of organising a wedding in 10 weeks was making sure there was a registrar available to perform the ceremony, and luckily for Cassie and Thomas, there was! Whilst saying their vows to one another, the couple also exchanged rings, each one with a heartfelt story attached.
“Thomas had his recent late grandfather’s wedding band, whom he was remarkably close to his entire life. His ring dates back to the 1920’s. I chose a transitional 18 carat gold wedding band, which worked perfectly with my engagement ring. My engagement ring is 18 carat gold with emerald and diamond details.”
“Thomas chose this ring, not only because I’m not a person who likes the norm or too much bling, but because an emerald was the birthstone of my mum, and was also her favourite colour. We have an emerald and granite headstone for her grave. She would have loved it, and I love that he was so thoughtful and found a ring that was not only for me, but sums up the aspects of our lives. They were bought from the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter.”
Thomas’ dad, Bill, read an extract from the book Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo – being also a favourite musical of his, which he has seen many times with his children, including Thomas and Cassie for their respective birthdays a few years ago.
Capturing the joy and intimacy of Cassie and Thomas’ day (not to mention some scene-stealing shots of their delightful daughter!) was photographer Clare Kinchin.
“Clare is just amazing. Both Thomas and I hate our photos being taken, but she is such a lovely person. She put us immediately at ease. She knows exactly how to capture the best and different types of shots that truly capture the feeling on the day. We regularly look at the photos and it just takes us straight back to the magic felt on the day.”
Cassie, Thomas and their loved ones enjoyed an intimate, delicious wedding breakfast together, followed by an incredible carrot cake by private chef and baker Harrie, of Boo To A Goose.
“Harrie came as part of our elopement package, and doesn’t only make works of art when she bakes, but is a fine chef, too. Our canapés and wedding breakfast were mouth watering. The cake was a carrot cake made to look like a tree stump with our initials carved into it!”
Cassie’s close friend Nikki made personalised hessian bunting, along with a hessian ring cushion, and for favours, Cassie sourced hessian bags from Hobbycraft, which were filled with miniature bottles of each guest’s favourite drink.
“We love the outdoors, and the grounds of the venue were just amazing. It’s such a magical place, with a indescribable feel. We loved that the backdrop of the venue would allow us to bring our love for all things natural and rustic indoors. The colour choices were based on bringing warmth, beauty and natural earthy touches of green (my mum’s favourite colour). We also loved that we could stay onsite in the honeymoon cottage, which is so fabulously designed, and so cosy.”
“Nicola from Ever After has so many props to make the day look great. Not much else was needed, as she had everything we wanted, that was to our taste. She has a special eye, and each aspect of the venue is so well thought through. I did the rest – I made the chair place wooden plaques, and put little personal notes in a bottle on the table for each guest.”
In keeping with their low-key elopement, Cassie and Thomas opted not to have entertainment, or a first dance, but to round off their wonderful day, they enjoyed a dance with their parents.
“Becoming married was our favourite part of the day. We both would have loved some of our closest loved ones there, but it wouldn’t have fit with our decision to elope, and the day dynamics would have changed with more people, so we had our 5 closest people, which made the day very special. The venue choice made the day so memorable.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“You’re never going to please everyone when it comes to organising your wedding, but as long as you stay true to what you really want, and are sensitive to those who may not like your choices, they will eventually understand and love you enough to not hold it against you forever.”
“Remember the day is whatever works for you. The little things may feel like the big things at the time of planning, but if something goes slightly differently, you won’t even notice on the day.”
Cassie and Thomas, thank you so much for sharing your incredibly beautiful day with us, and many congratulations, too. Huge thanks also go to Clare Kinchin for her images, and if you’d like to see more of her work on our pages, then do take a look here. Likewise, if Cassie and Thomas’ intimate elopement has left you wanting to see more, we have lots more lovely, low-key celebrations to enjoy right here.
With love,
Laura
Credits & Thanks
- Photography - Clare Kinchin Photography
- Venue - Ever After
- Cassie's Dress - Rembo Styling via The Secret Dress House (now closed) + Shoes - New Look + Flower Crown - Amanda Randell Cox
- Florist - Amanda Randell Cox
- Thomas' Outfit - Jacket + Waistcoat - Marc Darcy + Trousers - ASOS + Shirt - Next + Shoes - Goodwin Smith
- Flowergirl's Dress - Mamas & Papas + Shoes - Next
- Food + Cake - Boo To A Goose
Laura Callan View all Laura's articles
Laura is a freelance writer and content creator who loves telling stories. She has keen eye for photography and art, and lives with her husband, cats, and huge amounts of books.
