Sophie and Travis enjoyed their wedding in a tipi against a stunning Cornish beach backdrop. Sophie and Travis met when he visited Australia on a working holiday visa. "It was a trip that his family thought would only last a couple of weeks," Sophie tells us. "We both attended a cocktail tasting night through work and it was there that we got chatting. This was followed by a Facebook friend request and the rest, as they say, is history! "The couple became engaged underneath the washing line at Travis's parents' house on a trip to Australia! "He assures me that he planned to propose a few months later when we were going to be in New Zealand but he lost his nerve and just asked me sooner!" Sophie tells us. "He proposed with his great grandmother's ring and then we went ring shopping together which was romantic.
"We love the location where we married and it was the only venue that we both viewed," Sophie tells us. "A key thing for us was having space for our guests to stay over and the house itself slept 36 people plus there was camping available on-site. We also wanted to be able to celebrate with everyone over a couple of days."
The couple certainly did just that, hosting a surf contest and pizza picnic
beforehand, and a barbecue the day following the wedding whilst watching the England v Australia cricket match. "We hired a surf simulator and ordered lots of takeaway pizzas for our guests on the Thursday before the big day," Sophie tells us. "It was a great ice-breaker because our wedding was the first time that our families had met."
Bride's dress
Bridesmaids' dresses
DJ
Entertainment Band
Event staff
Flowers
Focaccia
Groom's suit
Hair
Illustrator
Make-up
Marquee Company
Photographer
Serving platters
Venue
Videographer
The couple's day followed a tropical theme with some personal touches. "Our flowers included Australian varieties and dried wheat because I grew upon a farm," Sophie tells us. "Another nod to Australia was the sugar flowers that decorated our cake. They were made by Travis's auntie who couldn't travel over for the wedding. They were placed on a beautiful cake made by my sister and auntie."
Sophie made the table plan and signage herself at a craft workshop. "I laser-cut the table plan and learnt a new skill in the process!" she says. "We also had personalised glasses used as place settings and favours, and a fabulous finishing touch was our large painted ceremony backdrop thata friend made for us using the colours of our theme. It also made a good photographic backdrop for our guests later in the day and now it's hung onour wall at home."
Sophie and Travis wanted to serve their guests something a bit different. "We both work in the wedding industry every weekend so wanted something different to the ideas we regularly see," Sophie tells us. "We chose to start with food from the grill that was our version of canapés. Wehad Thai yellow monkfish, octopus, sticky Korean pork, beef carpaccio and asparagus with hollandaise sauce.
We then displayed grazing boards of charcuterie made by Travis and our friend Marc from Duchy Charcuterie using beef from my dad's farm, different varieties of cheese, hummus, sweet potato butter, burnt grapes, pickles and focaccia from St Ives Bakery. This was finished off with a Krispy Kreme doughnut bar complete with sauces, sprinkles and glitter spray for people to make their own!"
"I wore a stunning pink dress by the designer Chantel Lauren and felt so much more myself when I tried it on than I did in any of the white gowns," Sophie tells us. "I loved the hand-painted silk underskirt which made it feel different than anything I had seen before."
This colour was also used in the bridesmaids' dresses. "They all wore pink like me but each had a different style because they were all different dress sizes so I didn't want them wearing one type that they may have felt uncomfortable in," Sophie says.
Travis wore a slightly different look to his groomsmen. "He loved the jacket but it had sold out in all the other sizes that were needed so his groomsmen wore a different style that still coordinated with his," Sophie explains.
"We surprised our guests with a live illustration taking place throughout our ceremony," Sophie tells us. "We also had an eco-glitter bar during the reception, a band, a DJ, and a flash mob to finish the ceremony that was a huge hit with everyone! The Chorus, an a cappella choir from The Falmouth & Exeter Students' Union, performed their version of All You Need Is Love by The Beatles that made our day!"