Newdowns Farm Steph and Tom

A field with the perfect view

Steph and Tom had been visiting St Agnes every year for as long as they had known each other, 12 years. Tom has Cornish roots; his grandmother used to live in the village.

“We have walked the coastal route from Porthtowan to St Agnes many times over the years and were just in love with the views. When we saw that we could get married in a field on that coastline we just knew it would be perfect”

Steph and Tom also liked the idea of a 'do it yourself' wedding and making it their own! And when they saw the field, they couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else.

The Unbridled

Steph found The Unbridled on Instagram and discovered that Carla had already shot a few coastal weddings in the past.

“I loved her use of light. I liked the romance in the poses. I liked that she featured the sky in the photographs as it adds to the mood.”

Steph and Tom planned a FaceTime chat with Carla and they liked her laid back manner and that she suggested that their guests didn't need to have lots of posed photographs.

“We love the candid photos that she took of the guests! Carla was fantastic and we are over the moon with our photographs.”

Theme/vibe As laid back as possible!

Everyone could wear what they wanted to wear Steph’s Dad wore a kimono style jacket - he lives in Japan! Steph went for a bohemian style dress and flower crown so her sister Steph’s only bridesmaid followed that vibe.

The flower girls also wore flower crowns and inside the marquee was a mismatch of influences from their lives!

“We had mesh of rustic and Thai influences. Tom and I live and work in Thailand so we sourced colourful paper umbrellas from Chiang Mai and hung them above the dance floor it was very effective!”

The tables featured Cornish wildflowers and the runner down the middle of the tables was from Thailand. The place cards were hand-drawn pictures of each of our guests, drawn by their niece and by the children they teach in Thailand.

“I liked that it was just lots of stuff that we like rolled into one! Why not!”

70mph gale force winds!

The winds meant a change of plan - they had to move their wedding from the Saturday to the Sunday because of unforeseen 70mph gale force winds!

“Really Good Marquees couldn't set up in such weather conditions and all of our incredible suppliers were so accommodating and agreed that they could come on the Sunday instead, which was a massive relief!!”

On the Sunday morning Really Good Marquees started extra early to set up.

“The team were really helpful in setting up and helped with the electricity supply which wasn't their domain, and the marquee looked great!”

celebrant Grace Jevons

“I do have to mention our celebrant Grace Jevons. The ceremony was so wonderful and personal to us. Grace went over and above to help Tom set up for the wedding! She also sent us thoughtful gifts after the wedding.”

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A BBQ wedding feast by Kerra's Catering.

On the menu, steak, chicken, salmon and halloumi with platters of salads and side dishes.

“Kerra and her team were excellently organised and very accommodating not only with the day changing but with all the guest's dietary needs too. Yummy food, wish I had eaten more!”

Let’s mingle with the North Cornwall Ceilidh Band

North Cornwall Ceilidh Band, a Ceilidh band is a great way for guests to get to know each other and all their guests loved it!

The dress

Steph was set on a bohemian style dress, keen on lace and floaty big sleeves.

“I googled bohemian wedding dresses Derby and came up with the Ivory Quarter in Melbourne (I don't think they are trading now however). They had so many bohemian style dresses to choose from I was spoilt for choice. I really loved my dress! I got lots of inspiration from Pinterest.”

Accessories

The day was going to be spent walking around in a field so Steph didn't want to spend a huge amount of money on shoes.

“I was pleased with the simple sandals I wore in the end with little white flowers on. They were really comfortable and allowed for walking down to the coast for photographs."

Steph chose to have dried flowers in her bouquet she liked the idea of lavender the result was really effective and went with the bohemian look. She also wore a small flower crown with wild dried flowers

Steph’s Favourite part of the day

“My favourite part of the day was the ceremony conducted by Grace Jevons. She sent us questionnaires to answer and we wrote our vows (with her help!) but she put a wonderful biography together about us which really made the ceremony so personal and special.”

Tom’s Favourite part of the day

“Tom's favourite part of the day was the ceilidh band! He also liked the time when it was just us two having photographs on the coast. That really was magical when the sun was setting and the waves were crashing on to the rocks.”

Top tips

“I would say that a 'Do it yourself' wedding is really great because the day is completely your own and you have free reign to do exactly as you want. However, it does take time to organise particularly in the weeks leading up to the wedding. We were lucky as we were on six weeks summer holiday and had the time for last-minute changes and lots of emailing!

When in the UK we aren't based in Cornwall but rather Gloucester. However, we only needed to go down to Cornwall a couple of times (not a hardship) to meet with suppliers and to choose the venue so I would say don't be put off by a location that isn't near where you live. Most of the organising was done by email, FaceTime and Skype telephone calls from Thailand! Despite the effort, I'm glad we did it that way.

Oh and if you're having a coastal wedding, don't just think about rain but wind speeds also! Try and stay calm, things might not always go to plan but your guests won't care they'll just be happy to be there!”

• Photographer: The Unbridled
• Wedding Catering: Kerras Catering