Bryony and Zoe attended the same secondary school where they became best friends. "We shared similar interests and our friendship grew stronger after we left school," they tell us. "Five years later, we fell in love and purchased a house together."
The couple became engaged on 26th June 2019 when Bryony proposed to Zoe at Bigbury on Sea beach in Devon. "I couldn't think of anything better than having Zoe as my wife," Bryony tells us. "I asked her mum and dad for their blessing before popping the question at our favourite spot. Zoe's mum Debbie had helped me choose the ring which was a big surprise for Zoe, and she said "yes" instantly - plenty of happy tears were shared!"
The couple wanted a venue that would accommodate their ceremony and reception. "When we first viewed Trevenna, we loved the natural beauty of the place and the fact that it was in a secluded, private location," they tell us. "It offered multiple options for where we could have our ceremony, both inside and outdoors, meaning we didn't have to worry about the weather and the hosts were very welcoming and could cater for all of our needs. It also allowed up to 40 guests to stay for the entire weekend with us which was important because it allowed us plenty of quality time to spend with our loved ones.”
"I felt nervous in the morning and was the most emotional one during the ceremony! I became more relaxed during the evening – the day just went by so quickly and I didn't stop smiling!" – Bryony
"I felt very happy during our ceremony and was relieved that we had everybody there. We both felt extremely lucky that we could have our wedding on our original planned date with no restrictions because, in the lead-up to our wedding, the pandemic was stressful for us all!" – Zoe
Bryony and Zoe's colour theme was blush pink mixed with white and green which was reflected throughout their décor, including in the floral centrepieces which consisted of three vases with one filled with water and a lit floating candle, another brimming with a pink, white and green floral arrangement and a third filled with sand from some of the couple's favourite beaches with a flag saying 'hand-picked by Bryony and Zoe'. "In the middle of the vases was a wooden name stand sprayed rose-gold displaying our table names that were after these beaches," Bryony tells us. "Because my mum used to be a florist, we purchased some wholesale varieties from St Mellion Flowers Cornwall and she used these to create my bouquet and our three bridesmaids' posies, 15 buttonholes, the table arrangements and aisle flowers. She also used some to decorate our four-tier semi-naked cake. We asked the talented team at St Mellion Flowers Cornwall to dress the arbour, decorate the hanging ladder in the ceremony room and make Zoe's bouquet and the top table spray which all looked beautiful."
Zoe's dad owns a window and door business so the couple used a refurbished white internal door with each table name written on the individual glass panes. "We painted these glass panels rose gold and decorated the door with faux foliage which looked great," they tell us. "We made our hand-written place names using white card placed on cork and sourced an old mirror which we sprayed rose gold to be our order of the day. Zoe's dad created a sweetie bar using old pallets which were painted grey and pink and we gave sweets, crayons and colouring books as favours to the children and scratch cards in 'lucky in love' holders to the adults."
The couple's guests enjoyed a three-course sit-down meal of arancini balls, caesar salad or crab filo tart to start followed by mushroom wellington, pork or beef as the main course and lemon posset or a trio of brownies for dessert. "The mouth-watering evening food provided by the chefs at the venue included pasties, cheese, meat, bacon rolls and our delicious wedding cake which featured a salted caramel tier, carrot cake and lemon drizzle layers and a raspberry and white chocolate tier."
Bryony chose the wedding dress called Eleanor by Essence of Australia purchased at Prudence Gowns in Plymouth, Devon. "I wore the complete opposite of what I imagined I would," she tells us. "I thought I wanted something to cover my arms and a style that wasn't too big but I ended up picking a gown featuring thin straps and a long train which I felt confident and beautiful in. I teamed it with a mid-length plain veil and a floral headpiece, a Swarovski bracelet which Zoe gave to me as a present on the day and a pair of white, flat sandals."
Zoe chose the Kelanna dress by Stella York bought from The Bridal Corner Boutique. "I picked this style because my mum and I cried happy tears as soon as I tried it on," she tells us. "I loved the detail on it and how it made me look and feel, I just knew it was the one. I wore a short, plain veil, a sparkly tiara, a Pandora bracelet, which Bryony gave to me as a gift on our wedding day, a pair of Swarovski earrings and I finished my look with some white lace sandals."
Both of their dads, and Bryony’s brothers, wore matching navy check three-piece suits teamed with brown shoes and a pink and blue floral tie. “We had three bridesmaids who were two of our best friends and Bryony’s cousin. Each wore long, blush-pink dresses with lace detail and they looked stunning.”
After their ceremony, Bryony and Zoe hired a saxophonist, Daniel Costin, to perform. "He entertained our guests whilst we were having our photos taken," the couple says. "Everyone enjoyed his music and he joined us as we walked into our wedding breakfast and performed a song as we took our seats."During the evening, the couple booked DJ Northey to get the party started. "We enjoyed half an hour of rock music during his set because Bryony's family are rockers at heart!" Zoe tells us. "This was a highlight of the evening and was very entertaining! DJ Northey also played our first dance song, This Will Be An Everlasting Love by Natalie Cole, as we performed our rehearsed routine – we had plenty of fun doing it and our guests loved it!"
Bryony and Zoe also booked a VW Campervan photo booth for their guests to enjoy. "There were plenty of fun props for them to dress up in and unlimited prints for everyone to take home," they tell us.
"The talented team at Trevenna made our day run without any worries - our guests were smiling all day and night because they were so attentive. Our photographers, Louise Richey and Steve, had our guests laughing throughout, capturing priceless, natural moments and working seamlessly with our videographer." – Bryony and Zoe
