CELEBRATION A Summer Kirsty and Matt hosted their reception at East Soar Outdoor Experience, a National Trust farm in South Devon Images courtesy of HBA Photography Kirsty and Matt met via the dating app Hinge. “As Matt said in his wedding speech, who would have thought an app named after a creaky door would lead to a love story!” Kirsty tells us. Matt proposed, which came as a surprise to Kirsty. “We hadn’t seen each other much due to work commitments, so we agreed to have a special weekend away in March 2025,” she tells us. “He asked where I would like to go, and because I was born in Devon, I suggested Hope Cove, where I had never been but had always wanted to visit. Matt let me book the hotel, which I now know he did to not raise any suspicion. We enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea in a nearby hotel, then Matt suggested that we go for a walk. He had researched the perfect spot to ask me to marry him, on a bench overlooking the cove. The sun was just setting as he got down on one knee, and I started crying. I didn’t even look at the ring before I said yes through my tears – everything was perfect.” On the drive home, the couple discussed getting married in Salcombe. “We googled barn weddings and found East Soar Outdoor Experience, which looked ideal,” Kirsty tells us. “They only host nine weddings a year, and the website noted that the venue was fully booked for 2025. When I contacted them, the owner, Marijke, told me that the 30th of August 2025 was an available date, so we arranged a visit with our mums and booked it.” The couple chose a rustic-inspired theme with sage green, cream and champagne touches, as well as pale pink tones in the flowers. “I contacted Salcombe Gin to ask if they had empty bottles I could buy, and they kindly gave them to us,” Kirsty explains. “We placed lights inside and attached our table names to them. These names were after Devonshire towns, with our top table called Hope Cove. We created the stationery and menu cards ourselves, and purchased the wood slices to place the centrepieces and napkins on, topped with fresh flowers.” Kirsty’s elegant bridal bouquet was created with real flowers and repurposed after the wedding. “We placed this on my gran and grandad’s grave,” she tells us. “We also had milk churns that we put flowers in. Matt made the bridesmaids’ bouquets, and we decorated the ceremony barn with drapes, candles, seat coverings, flowers, faux bay leaf trees and fairylights.” Guests were offered a glass of sparkling English wine or elderflower on arrival. “After our ceremony, the caterers served a delicious selection of canapés, from mini Yorkshire puddings to fish options,” Kirsty tells us. “We served Moretti beer, a fabulous post-ceremony rum cocktail that our friends, Ian and Lauren, made (Ian is a famous rum ambassador), and we also offered alternative non-alcoholic options.” For the main course, everybody tucked into a barbecue of burgers, sausages, and chicken, accompanied by bottles of wine on the tables for guests to enjoy. “There was a can of sparkling wine for each guest to toast us with, to save people having to wait to get a drink,” Kirsty tells us. “It made a good sound when everyone opened them at the same time!” The evening food consisted of chips, pizza and cheese. “There was so much food and drink, including a pallet made into a crisp and chocolate food station.” Kirsty wore the Abella dress from All About Eve Bridal, which she teamed with a beautiful veil. “It was the first dress I tried on, and I tried on quite a few! I just kept going back to it,” Kirsty says. “Matt and his groomsmen wore RAF uniforms, and our beautiful bridesmaids wore sage green dresses and looked fantastic.” Kirsty and Matt entertained their guests with the singer Paris Adams. “She sang as everybody was seated, as I walked down the aisle, and as we exited the ceremony,” Kirsty tells us. “She also performed through our wedding breakfast, right up to our first dance song. Afterwards, The Atlantic Wedding Band took over, and we also had a photo booth, which everybody loved.” REAL WEDDINGS 19
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0NTE=