A Wild and Windswept Pengenna Manor Wedding in Cornwall for a Free Spirited Rue de Seine Bride

Seeing these spectacular, evocative images by our Little Book member Richard Skins Photography has been a balm – I feel like I smell the sea air!

Molly and Joe were married on the 8 September (pre covid!), with a ceremony at a church in Boscastle, Cornwall, followed by a marquee reception at 800 year old Pengenna Manor, Trelill, Wadebridge. The couple both work in fashion; Molly is Head of Visual Merchandising Europe for Loewe, and Joe is a menswear image consultant, running his own online shop and styling business.

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The couple hired our directory member, the wonderful Richard Skins, to capture their wedding in photographs.

“We loved his relaxed style, and thought his photography was amazing. He captures the day perfectly and makes you look your absolute best. I was nervous to see the photos, but we couldn’t have been happier with how they turned out.”

“My (Molly’s) family live in Cornwall, and we got married in the church in my village, Boscastle. We wanted the day to feel like an extension of our own style, and wanted something very natural and timeless.”

Molly looked like a dream in her gloriously striking Rue de Seine dress (the ‘Avril’), featuring all-over Cornelli lace in sinuous, botanical designs, and a showstopping long train.

Molly found her dress at a boutique which is now very sadly closed (but not as a result of COVID). We recommend looking at these boutiques instead.

“I know it sounds cliche but I instantly knew it was my dress as soon as I put it on. I’d had a few appointments in other bridal shops, and was starting to feel a little worried as the experiences weren’t great, and I just didn’t like or have any emotional connection with any of the dresses I had tried, but with this one it was instant.”

“I think the most important factor was that I feel completely ‘me’ in the dress, and also very comfortable. If the dress doesn’t feel like you, keep going! When you know, you know.”

Molly paired her dress with a simple tulle veil, so as not to detract from the detail of her dress. On her feet, she wore a pair of luscious velvet platforms by Chloé, and she also wore the earrings that her Mum also wore on her wedding day.

The bridal party looked wonderful in white, with the different dresses – some halterneck, some asymmetrical, some ruffled – from Vera Wang, paired with their own choice of neutral hued shoes.

Joe’s wedding suit was made-to-measure by Gieves & Hawkes, in a subtle striped weave fabric, with a double-breasted waistcoat. He also wore a shirt from Marks & Spencer, an ivory and polka dot knitted tie from Drake’s, and brogues by George Cleverley.

The doorway to the church in Boscastle was adorned with a pretty floral garland, and inside there were lots of flickering candles and tea lights. Molly’s wedding transport was a vintage dark blue Bentley supplied by a local vintage car specialist in Cornwall [no further details provided].

Molly’s ceremony entrance music was Neil Young’s Heart of Gold, and she walked down the aisle together with her Dad.

“We both used to work at Selfridges, and met there. Joe was hosting a pop-up shop at Chelsea Football Club, and I went along to style it. We started dating, and the rest as they say is history! We were together five years before we got engaged.”

“Joe proposed on a weekend away to one of our favourite places, a village called Shere in the Surrey Hills. We were engaged a year before the wedding.”

In the beautiful old church, and in the presence of their loved ones, Molly and Joe made their vows to each other, and exchanged simple platinum bands they’d had made at a Hatton Garden jewellers [sadly, no further details provided].

Confetti filled the air as Molly and Joe left the church together as husband and wife, walking together hand in hand through the churchyard, and across the wild North Cornwall cliffs to the sea.

“Our videographer was Mike from Pure Vida Cornwall. We watched a few of his videos and liked the way he captured weddings, and loved what he did with ours. With both Mike and Richard, our photographer, the most important thing was that they both made us feel incredibly comfortable, and also reminded us through the day to have fun and relax, which was definitely reflected in the photos and film of the day.”

“I was lucky enough to have one of our friends do my hair. Larry King was a guest at the wedding, and his gift was the gift of good hair! One of my bridesmaid’s sisters did my make-up, who works at Charlotte Tilbury.”

Launceston-based florists Flower Scene created wildly beautiful bouquets and floral arrangements for the day, including Molly’s bouquet of greenery, grasses and seed heads, alongside white blooms like roses and scabiosa.

Vintage buses had transported guests over to Pengenna Manor for the reception, where they were greeted with drinks and delicious snacks from caterers Fee’s Food.

“My bridesmaid Katherine is a very talented designer, so we were super lucky to have all our stationery designed by her. Our invites, menus, place cards and orders of service were all made by her and looked amazing.”

Molly and Joe’s reception was held in a clear-sided marquee hired from Absolute Canvas, which was styled beautifully inside with lots of locally sourced ivy, rosemary, eucalyptus and olive branches, made into garlands and chandeliers (complete with disco mirror balls) suspended from the canvas ceiling, as well as trailing across the long feasting tables.

On the tables there were tea lights and black candlesticks with simple, white taper candles, as well as mini bottles of Jagermeister as guest favours.

The candles were lit, and dinner from Fee’s Food thoroughly enjoyed. Starters included mackerel with creme fraiche, mackerel gravlax with mustard and dill sauce and samphire, and potted shrimps with fennel, radish and watercress salad.

The main course was an Essex inspired pie, mash and liquor feast of steak and ale or cauliflower cheese puff pastry pie with spring greens, creamy mash, liquor and gravy.

Wedding cake also doubled as dessert, and was a naked lemon polenta cake decorated with fresh flowers, baked by the couple’s caterers, Fee’s Food.

After the cake dessert, speeches and toasts, the marquee became a dancefloor, and Molly and Joe’s first married dance together was to Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac.

“Our favourite part of the day was the dancing. It was a great party!”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“The best advice I would give is to make sure you really pre-plan ahead of the day. Make sure all bases are covered, and that everything is accounted for, so that when the day comes, you can just relax and enjoy it. It might be biggest party you’ll ever throw, so you want to make sure you can enjoy it!”

“On the day itself I would also say – don’t sweat the small stuff, and don’t focus on anything that isn’t perfect or as you’d expected it to be. If something didn’t turn out how you wanted it to, forget about it and move on – no-one else will know or notice.”

“Don’t waste time worrying about the weather – you can’t control it, so if it rains, it rains! And you’ll still have a fantastic time. Just make sure to have a fool-proof plan for all weather situations. We had our drinks reception in a barn rather than outside in the lovely gardens because of the rain, and I didn’t care at all on the day.”

Molly and Joe, thanks a million to you both, what a beautiful day you had, and it’s been brilliant to share it here. Thanks also to Richard Skins, as always, for these wonderfully captured images.

Until next time,

Laura x