Annabel & Matthew
Annabel & Matthew
Ceremony and reception venue: Buckland Monachorum Church followed by a reception at Pentillie Castle, with a marquee on the Loggia Terrace
We met … on Dartmoor at a horse show.
Your first impressions of each other:
A cheeky chap, but kind and thoughtful. He suggested a cheeky date at Dartmoor Zoo. My first impressions were somewhat reserved. I mean, what’s the dress code for a zoo date? Turns out that it was a brilliant idea and we finished the date cloud watching on Cox Tor with fish and chips. As for Matt, he appreciated a girl’s willingness for an adventure and wondered how many more ponies it would take to keep me happy!
How did your proposal happen (when and where)?
Matt proposed at Cox Tor on the 12th Day of Christmas. Somewhat wintery, he couldn’t quite kneel in the boggy undergrowth, but I’ll forgive him for that. A beautiful sapphire blue ring from an antique shop. There is a real romance in a past life story of that ring and great taste, Mr B!
Length of engagement:
We were engaged on the 12th day of Christmas in 2020, but postponed our wedding due to the pandemic and thanks to Pentillie for their support.
In three words, how did you imagine your wedding day?
Cornish
Romantic
Traditional
How did you choose your venue?
There wasn't really much competition, but we knew when we sat on the sofas beside the log fire, that we felt at home and could envision our relatives feeling relaxed and comfortable too. In fact, we even ended our wedding sat on those sofas with our parents and bridesmaids, enjoying the last slices of cake with cups of tea!
Often the aspect that makes a wedding original to the couple is the detail/theme – tell us about the special details of the day and how you implemented them (colours, theme decorations, centre pieces, favours, photo booths, DIY etc).
We chose to incorporate spring colours of dusty pink, teal and navy touches. It was a real family affair, creating hand tied velvet bows for the napkins, hurricane candles with local moss and flowers picked by our florist, Debbie. Matt was able to use a gardening book to select flowers with Debbie, so I cannot take any credit. These were all dictated by our choice to have seasonal and local grown flowers. The smell of those sweet Williams (my grandfather's name) and thistles, bluebells and ferns were just divine.
I have to say, our little cake toppers were so special and spelt ‘ At last’ , which was a lovely way to symbolise our wedding, finally!
A local camera/photobooth for an hour in the evening was just the ticket to capture some fun after dinner, and allow our loved ones to leave a little message with a picture.
Were you inspired by anyone on social media? Pinterest/Instagram etc?
We always wanted a local theme and although social media certainly gives us ideas, we very much prefer traditional celebration and adored our suppliers giving us ideas and suggestions with colours to incorporate spring pastels.
Please give a brief account of your wedding planning story i.e., priorities, highs & lows, challenges etc…
Planning a wedding in the pandemic was certainly character building. However, it certainly places an emphasis on what is really important to you , and what really makes a wedding. It gave us time to develop really lovely relationships with our suppliers, some of whom have become really close friends. We always smile driving past Pentillie.
What food did you choose for your day, wedding breakfast and evening buffet, and why?
Dinner on the wedding eve – Vegan and Chicken Curries with fresh naans and a selection of family made puddings
The wedding breakfast
Canapes – Goats Cheese with Pickled Apple Puree, Smoked Salmon and Antipasti
Main – Ross and Hannah at Divine Dining provided the most amazing Spring Mezee… Roast Devon Pork, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Tomatoes, Summer Truffle Roulade, Harissa Aubergine, Broccoli in Pomegranate, Spring Greens, Honey & Paprika Root Veg and Cornish Yarg Cauliflower
Dessert – A trio of Caramel Brownie, Miniature Panna Cotta and Apple Scones
Wedding cake – Three layers of Raspberry, Elderflower and Lemon
What was the song for your first dance, and why?
L.O.V.E by Nat King Cole. Jazz, mellow and all that needs to be said.
What was your favourite part of the wedding?
That quiet moment after we were married, we popped upstairs briefly to change my veil. We took a brief moment to look out over the river as our guests meandered the terrace over drinks and croquet. We took it all in and the sunshine was just perfect as the Grey Dogs played light blues and jazz.
What was the most important investment for you? For example, food, drink, clothes, honeymoon?
For us, the most important investment was finding a venue where we could house our nearest and dearest for a weekend in company, to really soak it all in. Local suppliers were also a really important part for us, to be sustainable and support our small businesses.
Our photographer and videographer were the single best investment we could have made. These will be memories to cherish, and for those that couldn't be with us.
What is your top tip for other couples?
Relax into the process and try not to hold specific expectations. I really enjoyed supporting Matt to pick the flowers and cake flavours. Controversial for some brides, but actually allowed Matt to put his stamp on the wedding and have some creativity. We also leaned into our family and friends for support and their help. Accept help when offered! We also highly recommend a wine tasting evening as a family , great fun
“To the ‘Pentillie A Team’,
Where do we begin? You were the obvious team and ‘home’ for our wedding from the beginning. Matt and I felt truly blessed to have had our wedding at Pentillie. Our family and friends all expressed how wonderful the venue was and our suppliers also raved about their experience and felt you were the most exceptional hosts. Thank you for lending Pentillie - she’s a beautiful home and we will cherish our memories.
All our love,
Annabel and Matt”
Suppliers:
Photographer: Grace Elizabeth
Videographer: AK Films
Bridal Hair & Make-Up: FOAK
Brides Dress: The Bridal House of Cornwall
Brides Shoes: Rainbow Club
Grooms Outfit: Peter Posh
Bridesmaid Dresses: TH & TH
Groomsmen Outfits: Peter Posh
Flowers: Dartmoor Flowers
Marquee: Abbas Marquees
Stationery: Created and designed our own!
Caterer: Divine Dining
Catering Supplies: Abbotts Event Hire
Cake: Boo to a Goose
Music: The Grey Dogs (afternoon jazz), Blue Jewel Ceilidh (early evening to ‘get the party started) and The Missing Cat Trio (evening reception)
Photobooth: Devon Selfie Booth
Transport: Own family friend’s Morris Minor
Fireworks: Celebration Pyrotechnics
Our Weddings Manager would be delighted to show you around Pentillie! To book a time to suit you, please click here, call 01579 350044 or email weddings@pentillie.co.uk.