SUPER RELAXED, INTIMATE, FAMILY WEDDING AT POLHAWN FORT IN CORNWALL – LAURA AND PAUL
If you love the idea of not going over the top with typical weddingy traditions, Spending the perfect day chilling with your closest people, wearing the comfiest clothes (for most of the day) popping to your own secluded beach and having your own personal chip shop for dinner then you’ll adore this Intimate, Polhawn Fort wedding!
Their day...
Laura and Paul got married at the beautiful Polhawn Fort, Cornwall, in May. It was an intimate outdoor wedding, with just 17 guests, a photographer (thats me), The lovely Ruth from Polhawn Fort and two freaking adorable and miniature Sausage dogs.
What I loved about the Polhawn Fort is that not only was it a super unique and stunning wedding venue but it became this lovely family's home for a few days. Their home, with a once in a lifetime view, a cosy fireplace, a nice big kitchen, a huge lawn for games, sunbathing and walking the dogs.
Oh yes, oops, I almost forgot to mention, its very own, secluded beach.
This day was so lovely! I particularly loved that Laura and Paul spent lots of the morning together and I thought it was absolutely genius that after the ceremony and trip to the beach, Laura and Paul changed into super comfy clothes (With Hubby and Wifey t-shirts of course) so that they could relax.
A little chat with Paul about their story and their Polhawn Fort Wedding...
I would love to hear the story of how you met and fell in love?
Not so romantic this part but we met on a night out in Manchester with different parties and got chatting and exchanged numbers and went from there really! Initially I would travel to see Laura maybe two or three times per week to meet up and then spend most weekends together.
Tell me all about the proposal?
Really simple after being together for a long time I decided to make the leap and ask Laura, initially I wanted to do this in New York or Iceland but we couldn’t get the time off work and so proposed instead at home on one knee on Christmas Day 2 years ago!
What wedding venue did you choose and why?
So choosing Polhawn Fort was really and quite surprisingly simple....Laura started the search with dog free wedding venues in Cornwall/ Devon and Polhawn was the first that appeared and pretty soon after we drove down to visit with some family for the day (not the best decision) but apart from the 600 miles in a day it was the best decision we made and instantly fell in love with the venue!
What was the vibe of your wedding?
So me and Laura are both extremely laid back as you will have noticed and as such we wanted a friendly close family laid back celebration where people would be free to enjoy the facilities as much as possible. In terms of style laura loves her Vintage and did an amazing job with the decor! Which the theme was Rustic Vintage
What are your favourite memories/moments that you think of when you remember your day?
The Groom getting ready in the morning with Graeme the best man , the mad rush of the balloon episode with Laura’s parents, seeing Laura in her dress finally looking beautiful after the initial laughs over the flower girl going the wrong way. Photos on the beach where great and a one of experience! Laura’s dad seeing Laura in her dress and the kids enjoying themselves on the beach!
What advice would you like to give to couples about planning the day and any advice about the day itself?
Paul received some brilliant advice the week before our special day from a friend at work which basically said he chances are something will go wrong but do you know what “shit happens” get over it and get married and enjoy the day and make some memories, that comment will stick with me and it’s exactly what I would say to anyone planning a wedding!
Laura said don’t stress as that is when things go wrong. If you haven’t got it on the day don’t panic. Enjoy your moment.
What special details did you include in your wedding?
2 absolutely mental miniature sausage dogs always gives a certain character I find haha! Other than that the afternoon tea went down well with all with Laura’s rustic vintage style and layout and needless to say the somewhat last minute inclusion of the fish and chip van in the evening went down an absolute treat! Laura and her Mum sourcing Vintage Bone China for over a year to use at the wedding. Wedding favours was Fudge.
What resources did you use to find the perfect vendors and suppliers?
Laura gets absolute credit for this with her research and attendance of numerous wedding shows up and down the country! Facebook, Pinterest both came in extremely handy also.
I love food and music! Let's talk about food and music?
Food was Afternoon tea with sandwiches etc from Waitrose with handmade scones by the mother of the bridge Hilary. Jam was homemade by Laura and her Mum Hilary. Evening meal was supplied by Ahoy Fish and Chips!
Walking down the isle song was Ed Sheehan and Andrea Bocelli with Perfect symphony and then music that was played the rest of the day was a playlist that everyone in the wedding party had input with.
The wedding team:
Venue - Polhawn fort
Men’s suits - Maria Modes Bridal
Flowers - Rachel’s Flowers
Evening Meal - Ahoy Fish & Chips
Laura’s Dress and Flower Girl dress - 7th Heaven Bridal
Laura’s shoes - Charlotte Mills
Beauty was done by Jennifer Wallis (Sister in law)
Decor - All by Laura
Wedding Cake by our friend at Stuart Thornley Cake Design
Why on earth did you choose Jamie Webb as your wedding photographer?
Haha good question! We met with a couple of photographers previously and it just didn’t click, needless to say from the moment we met with Jamie at the venue over a year before the day for a cup of tea and chat it felt right and my god did it pay off well with excellent work and dedication Jamie shown on the day fitting in with the family and even helping out with the chores haha Jamie’s character and style fitted hand in hand with ours and can’t wait to see the end result of which we are both extremely excited!
Is there anything else that you would like to add?
All of our vendors surpassed our greatest expectations for such a small and intimate wedding.
The Photos...
Thank you to laura and Paul and your amazing family's for making me an honorary member of the family for the day. I could not have felt more welcome. Also It would be rude not to mention on here a special thank you for insisting on sending me home with extra chips for Samantha, sweets for the Webbling's and enough food to feed my family of four for a couple of days. All of my couples spoil me, but I can safely say that this was the first time I have left a wedding with literally a sack full of food. Samantha said can I ask you to get married every week so that we don't have to go shopping? haha.
I loved this Polhawn Fort wedding so much and I would LOVE to spend more time photographing weddings here. If you’re getting married and looking for a super laid back and natural wedding photographer, please get in touch, I'll treat you to a nice cup of tea.
Big Loves
Jamie
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