TO SOULMATES From housemates Katie and Ethan’s big day was a vibrant, personality-packed wedding filled with colour, creativity and heartfelt touches Images courtesy of Kirsty Purkis Photography Katie met Ethan originally at a Halloween party, but they went their separate ways at the end of the night. A week later, she moved into a house share for her final year of university and discovered that Ethan was already living there! “He spent the following months trying to woo me, which eventually worked,” Katie remembers. Ethan proposed in Egypt in 2023, and the couple started planning their big day. When Katie viewed Rockbeare Manor as a potential wedding venue, she knew it was the one. “It’s a beautiful Grade I listed building that looks like something straight out of a Jane Austen novel,” she explains. “The light, bright spaces and original features made it impossible not to fall in love with.” Since the décor at the venue is clean and minimalist, Katie and Ethan decided to inject some bold colour through their wedding palette, while maintaining a formal feel. Hues included rose and hot pink. Centrepieces included small vases filled with pink roses, with lace and pearl runners for each table. The duo repurposed a postbox from the tip, transforming it into their wedding letterbox, while Katie hand-painted the venue onto canvas for guests to sign as an alternative to a guestbook. “Rockbeare Manor’s food is incredible,” Katie tells us. After the ceremony, the couple and their guests enjoyed canapés including sesame halloumi bites with chilli jam and battered cod with triple- cooked chips, pea purée and lemon. For the wedding breakfast a starter of buffalicious mozzarella was served with cherry vine tomatoes, chilli jam and toasted pumpkin seeds. This was followed by slow-roasted glazed short rib of beef with pommes Anna, pak choi and red wine reduction. The indulgent dessert was a double chocolate and Morello cherry brownie with clotted cream ice cream. Pizza was served later in the evening. The bride wore Jesse by Watters. “When I tried it on, it felt just right,” Katie remembers. “It was slim-fitting and slightly quirky with an off-the-shoulder Grecian style, which I loved.” Meanwhile, Ethan and his groomsmen wore classic tuxedos, and the bridesmaids were dressed in two different shades of pink. The couple set out to inject as much of their personalities into the day as possible and set up a beer pong table in the garden in honour of their university days. Additionally, because the two travel a lot and love to make travel videos, they set up a projector showing their vlogs on a loop. Guests were also able to try their hand at several garden games, and Katie created a ‘sip and sign’ crossword for them to play, featuring clues about the newlyweds. Katie’s cousin played with his band, Noble Jacks, whose upbeat country and folk music perfectly matched the Devon countryside vibe. “Everyone loved them,” the bride shares. Katie leaves us with her top planning tip: “Don’t get carried away with other people’s expectations. Make your day your own – it will be far more meaningful. The smallest personal touches create the magic.” REAL WEDDINGS 17
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