Ruth and Leigh had a wonderful windy wedding day at Whitsand Bay Fort! I love how versatile this venue is. The staff at Whitsand along with the great mindset of Ruth and Leigh are proof that even if you have horrible weather on your wedding day, you can still have a ton of fun.

I have become a regular Whitsand Bay Fort Photographer and I couldn't be more happy! (and not just because the food is amazing) Jane, Dave, Beth and the rest of the team are so nice to work with! They make me feel incredibly welcome every time, even though they probably see way too much of me.

My Fave moments include Windy photos on the cliff top, Ruth drying her dad with a hair dryer, the buggy arrival in the rain, A cosy ceremony, funny face cards, hilarious speeches (including a surprise appearance from the legendary Frank Turner) and the family sing along. Here is what Ruth and Leigh said about their incredible day ....  

Hiya Ruth and Leigh, Tell my lovely readers your story of how you met and got to this awesome stage in your lives? 

We both qualified as teachers in 2010. Leigh moved back from Exeter to Brighton where he had studied for his undergrad. Ruth meanwhile had studied her PGCE in Plymouth and was ready to start a new adventure elsewhere. She was super lucky to get a job in Brighton. As new teachers, our (different) schools both decided to send us on a course. Our info packs were laid out in front of us on the table with our names on. Leigh was late as usual (and a little hungover)! So we began talking about our experiences as new teachers. At lunchtime Leigh spilt orange juice all over another teacher on the course...drawing attention to himself, how attractive!
We kept in touch and the rest is history!

what was your favourite part of your wedding?

It's hard to choose a particular part as it was all amazing. If we had to choose the highlights would be the ceremony, the speeches, Ruth's Brother's sing along and the dancing! Plus getting everyone up on to the clifftop for photos. So as we said difficult to choose the best part.

Your favourite story/s from the day - The one/s that you will tell when you are really really old?

The weather has to be the talking point! After a 3 month heatwave and the driest summer for decades, we ended up with torrential rain on our wedding day. Our vision of an outdoor wedding looking out over the Atlantic Ocean was not to be. Our guests arrived in the rain, umbrellas aloft and waterproofs at the ready but with a smile on their faces. It certainly didn't ruin our day.

What made you choose your venue for your wedding?

The outdoor space! Looking over the ocean whilst getting married was our vision - which in the end wasn't to be. However, Whitsand Bay Fort pulled it out of the bag and decorated the Vaults Bar beautifully so that we could have our ceremony inside. Fortunately, we managed to get up to the clifftop for some windy and wonderful photos.

What made you choose the details and theme/styling for your wedding?

Purple, the colour scheme, was not even discussed as it has always been Ruth's favourite colour. We wanted to go for a relaxed, vintage feel which the venue helped with.

What advice do you have for couples planning their wedding?

We wanted to have our wedding as stress free as possible so went for a venue that provided a package. This meant we didn't have to worry about caterers or music which was a huge help. Enjoy the process! Ruth really enjoyed making decorations and we both enjoyed spending time with friends and family in the build up. It all comes together in the end - even if it rains!
Also, during the day itself make sure you take some time to watch your family and friends enjoying themselves - it's unlikely they'll all be in the same room again! We were given this advice, however the day goes by so fast we forgot to do this! Try to make a point of doing this at some stage in your day.

I love food, music and entertainment They are the some of the best things about weddings! - What food did you have, was it yummy and what did you have to entertain yourselves and your guests?

We had a huge BBQ which everyone enjoyed! We also had a variety of desserts and a buffet in the evening, nobody went hungry! Music was an important part of our wedding as we both love our music. Ruth walked down the aisle to 'Here, There and Everywhere' by the Beatles and we walked back up to 'Ain't no Mountain' by Marvin Gaye. We created a playlist for during our meal which people enjoyed. After the meal, Ruth's brother Tom did a sing-along set on his guitar - a big success! Our first dance was another highlight, 'I Knew Prufrock Before he got Famous' by Frank Turner - our favourite artist. We started the song just the two of us and our friends and family joined us for the anthemic part of the song which was a special moment. During the speeches, our friends had a surprise for us...Frank Turner himself sent us a congratulatory message via video - how lucky are we?!

A Shout Out to your wedding suppliers: 

Venue / Food: Whitsand Bay Fort
Flowers: Greensails, Torpoint
Outfits: Ruth - La Boutique, Exeter
Leigh and Boys - Moss Bros
Bridesmaids - JJs House online
Cake: Samantha Neighbour, family friend
Hair and make-up: Avril Zinn and Vicky Yeardley at Beauty Within, Torpoint
Photobooth - South West Photo Booths
Entertainment - Ruth's brother Tom Payne

What were you looking for in your photographer, Why on earth did you choose Jamie Webb as your photographer and what was it like working with Jamie on the day?

We wanted natural, colourful and bright photos that caught little details which we may have missed throughout the day - and that's exactly what we got! Everyone commented on how lovely Jamie was and he kept in contact with us throughout the planning process. There was hardly any posing, just genuine laughter and fun caught on camera!

Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Despite feeling anxious and disappointed about the weather (you know, with the whole driest summer in decades thing) when the day came it truly didn't matter. In fact, we think it may have made the day even better as everyone stayed inside and enjoyed the music, food, the atmosphere and the company of another. It really was the best day of our lives! 
Thank you so much Jamie, for being part of our wedding day and capturing some very beautiful and fun moments. We highly recommend you.

Aw Thanks so much you two! You are amazing! Hope you pop the kettle on and enjoy some of my fave moments below...

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