Jodie and Josh, the creative forces behind the innovative catering company Pickle Shack, chose 11th November 2023 as the day to exchange their vows, at the very beautiful Pynes House – an exclusive use country house wedding venue in near Exeter in Devon in the South West of England.
This elegant country house was the perfect backdrop for this wonderful wedding that was a genuine reflection of the couple’s values – a day that was full of local and sustainable choices and packed with heaps of warmth and happiness.
Jodie was stunning in her Suzanne Neville gown, nailing an elegant but simple vibe and her maids wore burned orange dresses from Ghost that mirrored the colours of the late Autumn flowers and foliage.
I really appreciated the supplier appreciation Jodie so generously shares in her words below – I love that as well as their floral designer, she gives a shout to the flower farmer who lovingly grew all the beautiful blooms, and the incredible energy and sense of confidence and female empowerment that her hair and makeup artist provided her.
I hope you love this wedding, photographed beautifully by Emma of Freckle Photograph, as much as I do.
Venue & Location
Very proudly, Pickle Shack is Pynes House’s catering partner, so we’ve had the pleasure of travelling Pynes House’s iconic driveway hundreds of times. To this day, it still gives me goosebumps.
Given that we’d opted for a November wedding, it was important that our venue had beautiful and flexible inside space – which of course Pynes House has in abundance. Pynes House also offers twelve magnificent bedrooms, which meant we were able to extend our wedding day to a wedding weekend, surrounded by our closest friends and family. Knowing the property and the team so well was an added bonus, as we felt so comfortable and at home.
We were looked after by the sensational Phoebe, of Elisabeth Shell Events, who coordinated our day with the most mesmerising subtly and efficiency. I’ve worked alongside Phoebe at many, many weddings so I knew that she is the best-of-the-best, but experiencing Phoebe’s extraordinary talents first-hand, as a bride, was one of the biggest honours of my wedding day.
Phoebe had complete control of our wedding day, yet everything felt entirely organic. Phoebe was present every time I felt on the cusp of nervousness, and kindly guided any members of our bridal party who needed a little extra direction.
Bridal Beauty
Ellie, The Up Do Girl, created my Hollywood Wave of dreams. I love the timelessness of a Hollywood Wave, and Ellie completely embraced my infatuation. Ellie was one of the very first suppliers I booked as I’ve seen Ellie’s stunning work before on our mutual brides. Ellie’s brides always look incredible, and their hair is just as perfect come the evening when they’re bouncing around the dancefloor.
Sophie May Fawkes was our fantastic make-up artist. I first came across Sophie’s work in October 2022 at a wedding we were catering. Our beautiful bride was still immaculate come midnight, so I enquired who her make-up artist was and voila – another supplier booked.
Sophie and Ellie need to be commended for their formidable confidence-building skills. They both contributed so much energy, positivity, and female-empowerment to the room that morning. I felt a million dollars walking down the aisle and I am eternally grateful to Ellie and Sophie for this. I had been so nervous about this part of the day, but I needn’t have, as all my nerves disappeared after spending the morning with my perfect hype-crew.
The Dress
Suzanne Neville
I had my heart set on a Suzanne Neville dress and was lucky enough to find ‘Ariel’ at The Ivory Lounge in Plymouth. From the outset I wanted something simple and feminine, and ‘Ariel’ ticked those boxes for me.
I stumbled across a second-hand Suzanne Neville veil, which was damaged, but thanks to the exemplary talents of Lily at Lily Fairbrother Bridal Alterations, it looked as good as new on the day.
I visited The Ivory Lounge on my own, and the lovely Emily helped me pick out a few dresses to try on. I was very much in the decision-making zone that day, and so Emily’s honest, insightful, and encouraging advice was perfect.
My necklace and earrings were made by Janie, the remarkable talent behind The Lucky Sixpence. I fell in love with my wedding jewellery the moment they popped up on my Instagram feed. It was a complete impulse purchase and I regret nothing. I have also worn the jewellery multiple times since, which brings me immense satisfaction.
My bridesmaids wore Ghost and our flower girl dress was from Next.
Sassi Holford Rihanna Dress Size 12 (Sample Gown)
£2,500 (was £4,290)
2214 by Jesus Peiro, Size 14 (Sample Gown)
£1,000 (was £2,270)
The Ceremony
Josh’s sister, Aquara, is an exceptionally talented musician, so when she offered to play our ceremony music, we bit her hand off. Aquara indulged us, and our guests, with classical harp throughout the ceremony.
The way the harp echoed up the staircase before I walked down the aisle was magical.
We wrote our vows together and read them to each other. Our vows centered around our children and our respect for nature. Our niece read an extract from Dolly Alderton’s ‘Everything I know About Love’ as part of our ceremony. This reading resonated with us as it celebrates the quieter aspects of love, which can be easily overshadowed by the grandeur of a wedding.
“Love is a quiet, reassuring, relaxing, pottering, pedantic, harmonious hum of a thing; something you can easily forget is there, even though its palms are outstretched beneath you in case you fall.”
Find your wedding readings
Photography
Josh and I met Emma, of Freckle Photography, at a cliff-top marquee wedding that we catered in 2016.
It was a stormy day yet Emma’s energy and enthusiasm, along with the radiant connection that she had formed with the happy couple, made the whole day technicolour. It didn’t matter one-jot that it was raining outside, as the fun and energy that Emma captured inside the marquee that day was far more memorable.
Emma’s photography is honest, natural, and vibrant. The joy that Emma’s photos evoke was a perfect fit to document our busy little family in all its unkempt glory.
our recommended photographers
How They Met
Josh and I met at school, as teenagers. Our twenties were filled with travelling and building our business, and then in 2019, Josh proposed during a surprise weekend away to Paris.
Much like our leisurely approach to getting engaged, it was then a further four years before our wedding. In that time, we welcomed our two gorgeous children to the world.
Josh and his Groomsmen wore three-piece black suits from Moss Bros, which they chose together during a fun day out in Cardiff. The wonderful Chris, in the Exeter store, then helped Josh and my Dad with final fittings and alterations.
The Reception
We kept décor very minimal but hired terracotta knotted napkins from Fika Event Hire. I was so happy with the extra layer of autumnal-loveliness that the napkins added.
Naturally, Pickle Shack catered our wedding. This was somewhat surreal, but the overwhelming feeling was pride and gratitude for our incredibly talented team who absolutely smashed it… as they always do.
Our menu, designed by Josh, featured indulgent local ingredients including oysters, scallops, venison, and beef fillet. Our menu also incorporated wild ingredients that had been foraged by our children in the summer and preserved.
It goes without saying that food was one of the most important aspects of the day for us, and it was so special to share our first meal as a married couple with our favourite people beneath the glittering chandeliers in the Ball Room.
Our awesome Front of House did the most perfect job of looking after us and our guests too, which all added to the love and gratitude in the room.
Gemma at Poppys Flower Studio masterminded our stunning florals. We’ve known Gemma since we first started working in the wedding industry, and I adore her as much as I adore her work. I gave Gemma my ideal colour scheme and my preference for locally-sourced flowers, and she ran with it.
Gemma incorporated a mix of fresh and dried flowers grown by Georgina at River Garden Flowers, and cleverly created arrangements that could be reused and repositioned around the venue throughout the day.
Josh and I both agree that the speeches were our favourite part of the day. The outpouring of love, reflection and celebration from our very favourite people was indescribably special.
Evening & Dancing
The almighty Mammoth Band filled the dance floor all night long. Their amazing medleys went down particularly well, and the dance-off was one of my very favourite moments.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
Trust your suppliers and lean on them whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Ever since joining the wedding industry almost ten years ago, I knew it was a very special place to be, but now, having experienced being a bride, my pride for this industry is off the charts. Every single one of your suppliers’ cares – like, really cares – so seek their advice and expertise at every step.
Secondly, don’t shy away from off-peak months, especially if you’re working to a budget. November offers the most beautiful colour palettes and the weather is still relatively mild.
Explore Our Shop
Love My Dress Wedding Directory Members
The below suppliers and venues featured in this article are part of the Love My Dress Wedding Directory.
Pynes House
Additional Credits
The below suppliers and venues are featured in this article, but are not part of the Love My Dress Wedding Directory.
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
