Pentillie Castle Kate and Sam

Kate and Sam immediately fell in love with Pentillie

Sam proposed to Kate overlooking Kandy Lake in Sri Lanka just a few days before their six year milestone. They married one year and five months later at Landulph Church, and traveled in style to their reception venue at Pentillie Castle.

The couple looked online at all local venues and narrowed it down to their favourite two.

"We then went to visit both and immediately fell in love with Pentillie with its gorgeous views, friendly staff and how personal to us we could make it. Nothing seemed to be a problem and we could even have our doggies at the wedding."

Kate can describe what she pictured her wedding to be in three words. Personal, beautiful and romantic.

The couple decided on a spring wedding which worked really well with their rustic theme whilst incorporating blues and greys.

They often take their dogs for walks in the wildflowers and Amanda, their florist, managed to capture the perfect combination of flowers with some of their favourites.

"She made arrangements in rustic crates for our table pieces and we used hessian and lace for the table runners, along with bunting down at the Bathing hut.

Sri Lankan canapes and cocktails

For our arrival at the reception, we wanted to take everyone back to Sri Lanka, where our engagement took place, and so Sri Lankan canapes and cocktails were the ideal way to do this.

magic!

Sam and I have always loved magic and so magician Andy took everyone’s breath away whist guests enjoyed their arrival drinks."

The groom was tasked with arranging the car and chose an Aston Martin DB5 to take the bride to the Church and the newlyweds back.

"Although slightly on the smaller side, it was perfect! A nice added surprise for the guests too when they were offered a ride up to the castle in a ‘James Bond car’."

This couple love chocolate! They LOVE chocolate so chocolate had to be incorporated somehow! Their favours were homemade truffles.

"A definite high was ordering the cake…you cannot order a cake unless you have tried and tasted it first! We got to the cake shop where they had prepared three huge cupcakes of the flavours we had asked for, topped with so much ganache, more ganache than we have ever seen. Fair to say the rest of the day we were on a sugar rush, but it was absolutely delicious and we confirmed the booking immediately."

They chose a sponge cake with tiers of vanilla and dark chocolate, a lemon and white chocolate and chocolate orange, all encased in chocolate bands and hearts all beautifully created by Chocaccino.

"We had an easel for photographs which Sam’s dad had crafted. We printed pictures of us both with our families since growing up until recent years and some of our adventures together. We then had a Polaroid camera for guests to capture their evening which is a lovely keepsake and perfect to add to our guestbook to look back on in years to come"

the wedding breakfast

Sam and Kate had a choice of goats cheese, smoked salmon, both a favourite of theirs and soup. Followed by beef brisket, or roast chicken, Sam’s favourite Sunday dinner, or risotto. For dessert, chocolate mousse, Pentillie mess or lemon tart. There was something for every taste.

For the evening they hired a fish and chip van.

"Sam and I enjoy a portion of fish and chips every now and again as a naughty treat and this seemed the perfect opportunity."

Favourite part of the day

"All of it!

We could not believe the day had finally come! I had imagined a long walk down the short aisle, but before I knew it I was at the front and just so happy to be stood next to Sam with all our family and friends. I just remember thinking I was so lucky and how handsome he looked."

Selecting the venue was the most important part for Kate and Sam

"Had we used another venue, the day would have been totally different to what it was. Not only would we not have had the beautiful views for all our photographs, but we would not have come to know or get married at Landulph Church.

We also loved having Pentillie for the whole weekend for our celebrations with our closest family and our pooches who just had to be a part of our day.

At Pentillie you also get the advice and support from the Pentillie Wedding Team who made our day go so smoothly."

For their first dance, Kate and Sam chose ‘The way I tend to be’ by Frank Turner, performed by two of the band members as an acoustic duo.

"Sam really enjoys music by Frank Turner and I have come to like it after many a car journey. This was one of his songs that we both agreed to as a perfect first dance for us."

Top Tips

"Make the day tailored as much to you as possible. This is your big day and you have to enjoy it, rather than catering for everyone else’s needs. If family and friends know that you picked things because it is what you love, then they will enjoy it all the more.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to make your dreams come true. Not everything will go completely as planned, but these are the unexpected surprises which may just make the day even more memorable for the right reasons. Everyone always says ‘it is over before you know it’, and it is so true, so enjoy every second!"

• Venue: Pentillie Castle