Inspiration

How utterly gorgeous is this? I'm sure there are moments for everyone while planning a wedding where they wish they could elope, and while Davina and Angus stayed close to home, they had an elopement of sorts, with an intimate celebration for close family and friends on a stunning Devon beach. The resulting images from Amber at Liberty Pearl are just so special, absolutely something to treasure for years to come. Stunning bride Davina runs a swimwear company (Zennor Bikini - check them out for British-made mermaid bikinis of dreams) so naturally she wanted a hand in creating her dress. Along with Michele Ann May, the creative duo made the elegant long sleeved gown you see in the photographs.
Davina the Bride: I knew I was always wanted to design my own dress, running my own business Zennor Bikini has fuelled my passion for design. I had a very specific idea of what I wanted and knew that Michele Ann May makes the most beautiful dresses from scratch. She had designed my sister in laws dress a few years previously and it was stunning so I knew where to go! I always wanted a simple dress but something that also turned heads. Without realising it the specific design I wanted was actually a classic Parisian dress according to Michele, which was totally accidental! The lace and silk was sourced from Paris and Italy and the Veil was floor length Italian silk. I never understood what all the fuss was about when it came to wedding veils but honestly I thought my dress was beautiful and then I put on my veil and it was like out of a fairytale.

The Groom

Angus the Groom: Luckily my Father has a wonderful array of suit jackets, and being from a farming background I figured a tweed jacket would be very suited! In fact the jacket I wore was the very same jacket my father had purchased to impressed my Mum. They have been happily married for 30 years so I guess it worked! I teamed this up with some navy chinos and tie and a light blue shirt.

The Venue

After cancelling our big wedding of 150 guest, we just wanted something simple and stress free. Having just 9 of us in total meant we could have our wedding anywhere, being surfers we always wanted to get married at the beach! Ayrmer Cove in Devon is a very special place for us! We regularly BBQ there and go for summer swims, I was also baptised there so that place has a lot of great memories for us! It’s quite a walk to get down there but once you are there, it's beautiful and usually empty apart from the odd dog walker passing through!

The Decor

As our venue was the beach so we didn’t really have much to decorate! My Mother in Law arranged some really beautiful slate hearts on the rock where we said our vows. She also wrote on stones everyones names who attended which was a lovely touch. There were a few little signs here and there which my husband put up which were really cute and also handy directing the way!

The Flowers

Our bouquets and buttonholes were made by myself and my friend Lizzie. We picked up some babies breath the day before and added ivory ribbon and rustic twine. We used babies breath for the buttonholes picked some cornflowers from the garden to add a splash of colour. My Mother brought some fern over from her Mother's garden which looked beautiful. Lizzie and I had an awesome time making them and it literally cost pennies. My mother had also dried rose petals for the confetti which was so lovely!

The Wedding Party

Everyone just wore their own smart attire, my friend Lizzie wore one of the Bridesmaid dresses I had purchased from ASOS for the bigger wedding ( I had 7!!!) which looked so pretty and like something out of Robin Hood!

The Ceremony

We went to a registry office on the morning of our wedding, which was great fun, Ru and Lizzie our good friends came along and the lady who married us was so lovely! Although we were just in jumper and jeans it still felt very special. It was a great way to start the wedding day! We were so happy when we said our vows on the beach because the sun came out!

The Food

Sticking to our super simple theme, we decided a Beach BBQ would be ideal! We chucked everything into a wheel barrow and wheeled it down. We have an big old fire pit which we used, our friend Ru attended to the BBQ and did a cracking job! It was quick and really tasty! Dessert was our favourite Caramel Slice with a cup of tea sat round the BBQ.

The Photography

Amber is so talented we really wanted her to capture our day, as we had nearly no one attending we felt it was important to have beautiful shots for our family and friends who weren’t there. Amber is a good friend of ours, she very kindly offered to take photos as a gift which we are so grateful for!
Fern Godfrey

Written by Fern Godfrey

Bride: Michele Ann May | Bridesmaid: ASOS

Inspirational articles you may also find useful