Whimsical Summer Wedding in the English Countryside
D'Arcy Benincosa has a unique way of making daydreams come true. Because this stunning countryside wedding? Well it's everything (and then some). Complete with creamy blooms, beautiful hues of blue, and the dreamiest outdoor ceremony, it's one celebration that we more than love. See it all in The Vault!
From the Bride... We first met a mutual friend's wedding and the rest as they say is history. Teo proposed on the weekend of my 30th birthday celebrations on a clifftop here in Cornwall as the sun set and the waves crashed below us. For our wedding we chose Nancarrow Organic Farm as we knew it well from working there as wedding photographers ourselves. Te food was an incredibly important part of the day for us and the fact that we could incorporate the organic farm produce was wonderful. We chose to write our own humanist ceremony and have it take place between two old oak trees. We knew we wanted the whole day to feel as natural as possible and felt it was a poignant place to make our vows above the intertwined roots of the two oaks, reflecting our ideas of marriage as a supportive union that allows for growth through life together. We wanted the whole day to feel inclusive for all our family and friends of different ages so we sat everyone at long tables and had sharing platters of organic food. We booked our Ceilidh (traditional Celtic barn dance) band with this idea of inclusivity and fun in mind too.
My wedding gown is an antique from Jane Bourvis who has a boutique near Portobello Market in London. It was made of three layers, the bottom layer a champagne gold 1930's silk slip, the next layer was silk chiffon and the top layer was lace, made by Jane from antique edwardian veils. It was so soft and comfortable. I paired it with an antique veil from the same boutique.
A DIY element included was that we made our own wedding bands at a Jewellers in St Ives. We are Polish, so we incorporated the Polish tradition of being greeted at the reception with blessings, bread, salt and sweet vodka by the women of the family.
My favorite detail of the day was the hand fasting piece of linen my Mum embroidered for the ceremony.
I have too many favorite moments mention, but a big one is waiting with my Dad at the top of the field, hearing my friend Caroline's beautiful voice singing Eva Cassidy's “Time After Time” for us whilst our friend Ben played the guitar.. watching my bridesmaids walking down to the ceremony in front of me then walking towards Teo and seeing him for the first time that day. I have never felt so nervous and so happy all at the same time. Another was seeing so many joyful faces during the ceilidh. Even Teo's 94 year old Grandmother was up dancing. She says it was the best wedding she's ever been to and she's been to a few!
Some advice for those planning: Don't be afraid to break the mould. Your ceremony can be whatever you want it to be if you wish. We chose to do the legal part the day before to allow us to marry entirely outdoors (as this isn't currently legal in England). If you want an outdoors ceremony somewhere not so reliable for the weather then be brave and go for it (also have a plan B of course) as the chances are it will be fine. In general, if you want to do things a little differently then do. We had ourwedding cake in the afternoon during the cocktail hour as we'd been at so many weddings where the cake was wasted as no-one wanted it at the end of the night after a big meal when the cake cutting normally happens. Do what feels right for you and your relationship. Know that there aren't too many actual rules when it comes to a wedding!
My wedding gown is an antique from Jane Bourvis who has a boutique near Portobello Market in London. It was made of three layers, the bottom layer a champagne gold 1930's silk slip, the next layer was silk chiffon and the top layer was lace, made by Jane from antique edwardian veils. It was so soft and comfortable. I paired it with an antique veil from the same boutique.
A DIY element included was that we made our own wedding bands at a Jewellers in St Ives. We are Polish, so we incorporated the Polish tradition of being greeted at the reception with blessings, bread, salt and sweet vodka by the women of the family.
My favorite detail of the day was the hand fasting piece of linen my Mum embroidered for the ceremony.
I have too many favorite moments mention, but a big one is waiting with my Dad at the top of the field, hearing my friend Caroline's beautiful voice singing Eva Cassidy's “Time After Time” for us whilst our friend Ben played the guitar.. watching my bridesmaids walking down to the ceremony in front of me then walking towards Teo and seeing him for the first time that day. I have never felt so nervous and so happy all at the same time. Another was seeing so many joyful faces during the ceilidh. Even Teo's 94 year old Grandmother was up dancing. She says it was the best wedding she's ever been to and she's been to a few!
Some advice for those planning: Don't be afraid to break the mould. Your ceremony can be whatever you want it to be if you wish. We chose to do the legal part the day before to allow us to marry entirely outdoors (as this isn't currently legal in England). If you want an outdoors ceremony somewhere not so reliable for the weather then be brave and go for it (also have a plan B of course) as the chances are it will be fine. In general, if you want to do things a little differently then do. We had ourwedding cake in the afternoon during the cocktail hour as we'd been at so many weddings where the cake was wasted as no-one wanted it at the end of the night after a big meal when the cake cutting normally happens. Do what feels right for you and your relationship. Know that there aren't too many actual rules when it comes to a wedding!