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Fran and Sam's Wedding in Cornwall

Posted on 4th December 2017 at 19:12

Our wedding day dawned with a classic Cornish fanfare of weather - blazing sunshine one moment, and rain to put The Tempest to shame, the next. At our welcome drinks the night before, we had had to wade through a small flood in the village to make it back to the hotel - and I had lain awake for several hours wondering how on earth my dress would survive the next day! But I need not have worried - nothing would dampen the spirit of such a wonderful day...

We welcomed 80 guests to celebrate with us in my husband’s home county of Cornwall, and had chosen the beautiful Fowey - where we had spent many happy days over the three years since we met. It had been a labour of love - involving monthly trips down the M5 to attend church on a Sunday, a stipulation from the vicar to enable us to marry in the parish church that we actually ended up enjoying a lot as we were welcomed into the lovely Fowey community. It had been a whirlwind year - engaged in November, the arrival of our daughter Alice in April and then the wedding in September - but we couldn’t wait to celebrate with all of our nearest and dearest, and I couldn’t wait to dive in to the nearest bowl of bread (it turns out that losing ALL your baby weight in 5 months is a pretty tough ask!).

Hair and Make-Up started VERY early for our 1pm wedding, but having my bridesmaids and my mum around to help me field Alice as well as pouring the nerve-steadying prosecco was wonderful. I had set my heart on cornflower blue bridesmaid dresses, and finding none anywhere on the high street had ordered them (with some trepidation) from a website called forherandorhim.com<http://forherandorhim.com/> - but they turned out beautifully. The colour was exactly what I had in mind, and it was great that the girls were able to pick a style that suited them whilst still being in a matching theme. I had sourced my hair, make-up, flowers and photographer locally - with the help of my sister in law who had got married nearby a couple of years before. They were all amazing and delivered to the highest standard - making getting ready a totally stress-free experience (changing nappies aside!).

I couldn’t wait to put my dress on - it felt like the reward for all my hard work planning the wedding, and the gruelling diet and fitness regime I’d undertaken in order to feel my best in it. For me, it is the perfect dress - I felt demure and elegant, yet fun and relaxed - exactly what I had wanted when I first stepped in to the boutique. The team at Clifton Brides were wonderful - they set me at ease about making sure the dress would work for me whatever size I ended up, which was no small feat considering I was 4 months pregnant when I tried it on for the first time! I wanted a natural look for hair and make-up and I wore flowers in my hair to match the loose bouquet and the boho style of the dress.

The service was lovely. We’d spent quite a bit of time with the vicar in the run-up to the wedding and he really personalised the service to us which we appreciated. I made it through the vows without blubbing and my 2 year old niece who was flower girl even made it down the aisle! It was the quickest hour I’ve ever spent in church! As the church is in the middle of the village, we were greeted by a crowd of well-wishers outside, including Fowey local Dawn French!

The whole wedding party processed back through the village to the hotel - which was great fun, if a bit of a spectacle! I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re not a fan of being the centre of attention!

I didn’t eat much food, but everyone said it was delicious. I definitely DID get stuck in on the dance floor though - to the wonderful Blue Lion Band who played absolutely everything on our wish list! And then just as soon as it had begun, it was all over! We had a couple of days away straight afterwards in Cornwall which was a chance to recover (and re-live the day!) and we are planning our honeymoon in California for May (when Alice is old enough to be left with grandparents for a glorious 10 days!).

Thanks again to the wonderful team at Clifton Brides - you were marvellous, and I would heartily recommend you to any future Bristol brides.

Fran x