Kelly & Joe
Kelly & Joe
Ceremony and reception location: Bathing Hut at Pentillie Castle for the ceremony with the reception in the Castle
We met… in 2004 at school but started dating August 2009
What was your proposal?
Joe proposed to me on Christmas Day 2014. I thought that it was strange that I had not received a Christmas card from him during the month of December, as I had previously. On Christmas Day he gave me a card and inside he had written a message asking me to marry him. As I was reading the card, he dropped to one knee and presented me with my engagement ring
What were your wedding theme/colours?
Our wedding theme was woodland and wintry with an emphasis on mistletoe. Our colour was Port, which gave a feeling of warmth
What flowers did you choose?
Our florist was Phillip Corps and he captured everything I wanted for our wedding. He listened and came up with the most amazing ideas and was able to bring my dreams to life.
My bouquet was a gorgeously elegant hand tied arrangement consisting of wintry floral and foliage. The flowers and foliage used were mistletoe, white gypsophilia, silver brunia berries, green hydrangeas, hellebores (also known as the Christmas Rose) and silver grey eucalyptus.
The bridesmaids bouquets consisted of hand tied simple white gypsophilia. The groomsmen buttonholes were also made of gypsophilia with lichen twigs.
The bathing hut was decorated with a wintry door wreath made up of seasonal foliage and a mass of white gypsophelia tied with a hessian bow. The pillars outside were spiraled with an ivy garland. Inside the bathing hut, two of the beams either side of the entrance door were dressed with trailing ivy, gypsophilia and mistletoe garlands. At the front of the bathing hut we had another garland above the window, and storm lanterns with church candles with moss and dressed with delicate gypsophilia heads lit the windows.
On the registrars table we had a low-lying arrangement of foliage, gypsophila, hellebores and roses.
In the reception we had a long garland stretching across the mantelpiece in the dining room again made up of the same seasonal foliage.
On the dining tables we had a low lying displays of silver birch logs at different heights interspersed with tea light holders, hydrangea heads, ferns, gypsophila, viburnum berry, hellebores and ivy. The dining room chairs were dressed with hessian sashes and poses tied alternately with mistletoe and gypsophila.
How did you choose your bridesmaids/best man and ushers?
My bridesmaids were my sister Sarah-Jane, Joe’s sister Kelly and my two cousins Amy and Gemma.
Joe’s best man was his best friend James and his two ushers were my cousin James and another good find of Joe’s, Nick. Both of Joe’s friends we went to school with.We chose our venue because…My mum and I first visited Pentillie and I fell in love with it from the first moment we started the drive down to the castle. The views were outstanding and when I first had a glimpse of the castle I was in awe. Regan showed us around and I knew instantly this was where I wanted to get married. Although the castle is large it still had a warm and homely feel. As soon as I saw the Bathing Hut I knew that was where we would have the ceremony. It just captured everything I wanted my wedding to be. After our first initial visit I couldn’t wait for Joe to see it so we made another appointment as soon as Joe was home and he loved it just as much as I did.
I chose my dress because…
I went for a Maggie Sottero dress in light gold. The colour suited my complexion as I am quite pale skinned and the tone was much kinder to me. The A line design with a corseted back was very flattering and I felt amazing in it. I loved the lace and beading detail and I ordered extra material and lace appliqués so I could have a jacket made to cover my arms, as it was a winter wedding. My seamstress Anna was amazing and made the most gorgeous jacket that looked part of my dress. I originally didn’t want a veil but decided quite late on into the wedding arrangements that I would like to try some. So I went back to Prudence Gowns in Plymouth where I bought my dress and tried some on. Surprisingly I chose a full length one with diamonds on it. I loved it and couldn’t stop smiling! I chose a light gold sparkly-heeled shoe from the Rainbow Club. These just finished everything off.
What food did you choose for your Wedding Breakfast?
Our caterers were Anytime, Anywhere Ltd from Launceston. They had such an array of choice and it was difficult to choose but we eventually agreed on:
STARTER. Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Parmesan Croutons or A Smooth Chicken Liver Pate with Apple Chutney and Seeded Breads
MAIN. Breast of Chicken with a Cranberry & Thyme Crust with a Light Chicken Jus or Cornish Leg of Lamb with an Apricot, Garlic & Rosemary Stuffing with a Red Wine Jus
DESSERT. Trio of Home-made Desserts consisting of Warm, Rich Dark Chocolate Brownie, White Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake with a Raspberry Coulis and a Duo of White & Dark Chocolate Mousse served with Shortbread Biscuits
What food did you choose for Evening Buffet?
For the evening we had a selection of finger food consisting of Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef & a Horseradish Cream, a selection of freshly made sandwiches with various fillings, Pizzas with a variety of toppings, Home-made Basil Pesto and Tomato Pesto Pinwheels and Sesame & Soy Glazed Cornish Beef Skewers. We also had a Cornish Cheese Board which was a large buffet display of Cornish Cheeses – Cornish Yarg, St Endellion Brie, Cornish Pepper Cheese, Davidstow Mature Cheddar, Village Green Goats Cheese & Cornish Blue, served with their Home-made Chutneys, Fresh Breads, Biscuits & Fresh Fruits.
Wedding Cake was made by…
Kate of Centrepiece Cakes made our wedding cake. It was a round three-tiered cake that was covered in a rustic coating of white chocolate ganache applied in rough horizontal lines and decorated with tiny pearls. Each tier was a different flavoured sponge. The bottom tier was Ferrero Rocher cake filled with Belgium milk chocolate whipped ganache and crushed hazelnuts, second tier was Red Velvet filled with Belgium white chocolate whipped ganache and the top tier was Carrot cake filled with Belgium white chocolate & orange oil whipped ganache buttercream. The cake was decorated with beautiful winter foliage, pine cones, stunning ivory/off white sugar roses, white sugar hydrangeas ands prays of sugar mistletoe. The cake was mounted on a very large wooden log stand to give the rustic feel.
Kate also supplied a Dessert Table for us. We had Italian Almond Macarons in port colour filled with white chocolate ganache decorated with edible gold dustings and gold leaf, Cake Pops in a mixture of Red Velvet, Vanilla & Raspberry and Chocolate & Salted Caramel. Each cake pop was dipped in white chocolate and decorated with a mix of ivory and gold sugar pearls, a mixture of large Cupcakes in Chocolate Orange, Red Velvet and Vanilla each decorated with Belgium white chocolate ganache buttercream with a mix of ivory and gold sugar pearls. Half of the cupcakes had a port coloured lace effect wrap and the other half had gold coloured lace wraps. She also made some delicious homemade marshmallow, which was a mix of vanilla and vanilla & raspberry.
How did you feel when you walked down the aisle?
As we were having our ceremony in the Bathing Hut and with it being winter we decided to book cars to take us down from the Castle to the Bathing hut. We booked through Chauffeur Driven Executive Cars in Plymouth. I loved their offer of vintage cars and chose their Original Vintage 1930 Franklin 147 Salon and their 1927 Franklin 11b Sedan. When my dad and I arrived at the Bathing Hut we could hear the string quartet 4tissimo playing. We all started to feel the emotion and excitement of the day overwhelming us. We managed to compose ourselves and were ready to enter the Bathing Hut. The string quartet started to play Canon in D by Pachelbel and my dad and I entered the Bathing Hut. Everyone around was stood and Joe was at the front looking back at me. We both made eye contact, which never dropped until I was beside him. Once I was with Joe I instantly felt more relaxed and ready for the new chapter in my life.
What was the most important investment for you?
I’m not sure how to answer this as everything was an important investment as we wanted the day to run smoothly and for everyone to enjoy themselves. However the part that took the longest to sort out was to find the right dress but once that was accomplished everything else just fell into place
What was the song for the first dance?
We booked The Swing Kings for our evening entertainment and they were outstanding. They sang our first dance, which was Wherever You Will Go by The Calling. Throughout the evening they sang 2 x 45 minute singing sets and DJ’d the rest of the time.
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We have been unable to have a honeymoon yet due to Joe’s work commitments but hope to have a belated one this year
What is your top tip for other brides or grooms?
Make sure you book everything you need in plenty enough time. Our wedding plans started as soon as we got engaged with booking the venue first. Finding the right venue for you is important, as this is where you will need to feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible as it is such an emotional day. Once the venue is booked look at reserving other things that are important to you. For example we had heard such good reviews about The Swing Kings and really wanted them for our entertainment. When I called to reserve them the date we wanted was the last one left, so we were really lucky. It’s also good to find a reputable photographer, as these will be your memories to look back on. It took me a while to research and find one but when I did it was worth the wait and Emma from Freckle Photography was perfect for us. As I am quite a shy person she was able to put me at ease and make me feel comfortable and the photographs that she has produced I couldn’t wish for anything better. Keep a planner of when things need paying and keep it up to date. It’s an amazing day and all the stress of arranging it all falls neatly into place.
I also wanted to mention about Celebration Pyrotechnics. They made a wonderful display for us and our guests to enjoy and so many commented on how brilliant the firework display was and how cute the sparkler guard of honour looked.
Suppliers:
Photographer: Freckle Photography
Dress: Maggie Sottero – Prudence Gowns
Shoes: Rainbow – Te Amo Bridal
Bridesmaid: Te Amo Bridal
Suits: Moss Bros
Flowers: Phillip Corps
String Quartet: 4tissimo String Quartet
Evening Entertainment: The Swing Kings
Fireworks: Celebration Pyrotechnics
Cake: Centrepiece Cakes
Caterers: Anytime, Anywhere Ltd
Cars: Chauffeur Driven Executive Cars
Vintage Post Box: Panache Gallery
Wedding Stationery: Laura Likes Stationery
Chair Sashes & Table Runners: Sashes & Bows
Our wedding coordinator Chrissie would be delighted to show you around Pentillie! To book your private viewing, please call 01579 350044 or email weddings@pentillie.co.uk.