Victoria & Alex

Victoria & Alex

Ceremony and reception venue: Pentillie Castle & Estate - a ceremony under the Wisteria-clad Pavilion followed by a marquee reception in the grounds.

We met … Alex and I were work colleagues for a number of years before we began dating. Our paths crossed very occasionally until we started working together, after this the coffee dates began!

Your first impressions of each other:

Victoria - I thought Alex was very charming, handsome, ambitious and he always made me laugh. 
Alex - I thought Tori was beautiful, confident and funny. She also gave off a sense of knowing what she wanted!

How did your proposal happen (when and where)?

Our proposal happened during a Covid-19 lockdown in January 2021. Victoria had been out for a walk with a friend for the afternoon, so I had arranged for the engagement ring to be delivered by the jeweller. Victoria was running late, loading various coats and footwear into the car whilst the jeweller was sat around the corner waiting for her to leave! When Victoria returned home, I attempted to get her to sit still in the living room. She jumped up (again!) and left the room to toast a hot cross bun. When she returned, I had videos and photos of our favourite place in Cornwall playing in the background as I got down on one knee. If we had not been in lockdown, this is where I had planned to propose. She never ate the hot cross bun!

Length of engagement: 18 months

In three words, how did you imagine your wedding day?

1. Classic

2. Elegant

3. Relaxed

How did you choose your venue?

We have many happy memories together in Cornwall, it is our special place, so when we got engaged this was the first place we looked. We came across Pentillie Castle online and immediately fell in love with it. However, as we have family and friends based around the UK, we were advised by a few people that we should consider a more central location such as The Cotswolds for ease of our guests.

At this early stage, we followed this advice and chose a venue in The Cotswolds. After (yet another) lockdown we were able to view that venue in person and we came away feeling uninspired and deflated. On the way home, we discussed that a wedding venue has a functional purpose therefore perhaps that’s why it felt a bit lacklustre and impersonal. The following morning, we woke up and promptly decided it wasn’t for us and this was our wedding so we should do what we wanted! Pentillie was the only venue which had stayed in our mind, so we got in touch with the Wedding Co-Ordinator, Chrissie, to arrange a viewing. 

On a sunny April morning, we made the journey to Pentillie. Even as you meander down the driveway when Pentillie comes into view, it has such a special feeling. On our wedding weekend, we considered our guests would also experience this as they arrived. We met the Chrissie, who was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Due to Government COVID restrictions, we were unable to view inside Pentillie, therefore we were given a tour of the grounds and potential outdoor wedding ceremony locations. 

Pentillie had a homely and relaxed feel to it, the staff and Pentillie owners were very friendly and helpful. Unlike other venues where there are strict confines in tailoring your day, Chrissie repeatedly explained “the day was ours to make” which meant we could plan our day as we imagined and dreamed of. It was a bonus that we could spend a long weekend at Pentillie with our families. Despite not seeing inside, we came away feeling excited for our wedding, so we knew it was the one for us. 

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 both wanted an understated and elegant feel to our day, this allowed for the beautiful flowers by Green Rabbit Flowers and Pentillie’s ambiance to shine through, giving our day a very relaxed atmosphere. Victoria’s Uncle has collected corks for the last ten years, which he generously gave us a small(!) number of, so Victoria’s parents made a cork board table plan. 

Victoria’s also Mum handmade all the place names, which took her many hours of painting, threading ribbons and writing names. We had sprigs of lavender at each place setting to reflect Victoria’s special family memories from the South of France, but also the more recent memories we have shared there together. Whilst these little details were a small part of our day, they reflected parts of our story and the places and things (drinking wine!) we enjoy together.

Were you inspired by anyone on social media? Pinterest/Instagram etc? 

Instagram was surprisingly useful in the wedding planning process, particularly for finding suppliers. Equally, Pinterest was great to gather ideas and themes. We were strongly advised by several couples to use Pinterest and Instagram as inspiration rather than a goal. As with all online content, it can be heavily filtered, a couple of photos where every detail has been carefully considered could actually be for a wedding photoshoot, so wouldn’t be realistic on a larger scale. This was some of the best advice we received! After this, we concentrated on a few key themes and ideas which made the overall process enjoyable.

Please give a brief account of your wedding planning story i.e., priorities, highs & lows, challenges etc…

We feel very lucky that our wedding planning was very smooth. Our view was that everything would work out in the end, and it did. It helped that Pentillie’s Wedding Co-Ordinator, Chrissie, was incredibly organised and went above and beyond – she even sorted the weather for us!

What food did you choose for your day, wedding breakfast and evening buffet, and why?

Our caterers, Outside Inn Cuisine, produced some incredible dishes for both the wedding and our wedding weekend at Pentillie. They were very attentive and dedicated in helping us curate our perfect bespoke wedding weekend menus. The food was incredible and presented beautifully the entire weekend, it truly went beyond our expectations. We cannot thank Outside Inn enough for the advice, dedication and wonderful food they produced over the weekend.

What was the song for your first dance, and why?

“City of Stars” from the film, La La Land. We watched this film a few years before we got engaged and we both said it would be a wonderful song for a first dance. It was a song we kept coming back to over the years’, so it was a perfect choice for us. 

What was your favourite part of the wedding?

Our wedding day was so special, it truly was the best day of our lives. All our family, friends and Pentillie staff made us feel so special. Our wedding had so many special moments, but walking back down the aisle as husband and wife with all our family and friends cheering us on is a particular favourite moment.

What was the most important investment for you? For example, food, drink, clothes, honeymoon?

There are so many important investments to make the day special. We considered food, drink and music to be the most important investment, those aspects will be most important to your guests. If your guests are happy then everything will fall into place!

Victoria’s Uncle, Ed Brewer, is a wine merchant for Liberty Wines. A few months before our wedding, he gave us a great experience tasting a variety of wines to help us choose. We received many compliments on the day!

We had a string quartet for our ceremony and drinks reception, who were fantastic at creating ambiance and playing some of our favourite modern music along with some traditional Scottish music (as a nod to Victoria’s Scottish family). In the evening, we had Tux Fizz who were amazing, the dance floor was full all evening. Everyone had a great time!

What is your top tip for other couples?

After all the hard work planning, on the day let go and enjoy the most amazing day of your life.

Watch Victoria and Alex’s beautiful wedding video by Matt Wright:

Suppliers:

Photographer: Tim Bishop Studio

Videographer: Matt Wright Films

Bridal Hair: Anna Ingram

Bridal Make-Up: Lopez Beauty

Brides Dress: Suzanne Neville

Brides Shoes: Rainbow Club

Grooms Outfit: Gieves and Hawkes

Bridesmaid Dresses: Maids to Measure

Groomsmen Outfits: Ted Baker

Flowers: Green Rabbit Flowers

Marquee: Hatch Marquees

Stationery: Lilac & White

Caterer: Outside Inn Cuisine

Wine Merchant: Liberty Wines

Catering Supplies: Abbotts Event Hire

Cake: Dollybird Bakes

String Quartet: The Bristol String Quartet

Band: Tux Fizz

Dog Nannies: Wedding Day Dog Nanny & Jartlett Dog Walking

Our Weddings Manager would be delighted to show you around Pentillie! To book your private viewing, please click here, call 01579 350044 or email weddings@pentillie.co.uk.