Kate and Joe’s riverside wedding ceremony was held at Trevillet Mill on Saturday 11 September 2021…
…. And just like the setting, the ceremony was magical, with great character, and full of natural beauty!
Kate and Joe originally booked to marry in June 2020 – enough said on that subject! Once things had calmed a little, we managed to get a new date into the diary, and even coordinated a post-lockdown meeting in person – and as face-to-face meetings have been few and far between this year, I was especially happy we could arrange this!
And of course a meeting in person allows for a more meaningful connection – and I instantly loved Kate and Joe’s vibe. A very outdoorsy couple, with a passion for travel, mountaineering, kayaking, scuba diving and their cat Pandora, they wanted a highly relaxed and informal ceremony that was simply about their coming together and chance for their closest family and friends to celebrate their marriage with them. No fuss, no theatre, all very natural, which would suit their surroundings (and personalities) perfectly. This – I completely got, we were definitely on the same page! So much so, on receiving their first draft, Kate said:
Joe and I have read through the ceremony and we absolutely love it. It is so beautifully written and beyond anything we had imagined thank you so much.
Ah what a good match! So with a few tweaks, the ceremony was finalised and we were ready to go. Very luckily, Kate and Joe had managed to secure a booking at the local register office on the same day as the celebrant ceremony – so with their legal paperwork complete, it really was to be an afternoon of celebrations (and just one anniversary date to remember, too!).
I arrived at the Mill on a perfect September day, the sun dappling through the trees, to hear the joyful buzz of guests enjoying their surroundings with a drink or two. A spectacular yet charming setting, the Mill is set on the Trevillet River which meanders through the Rocky Valley, right between the historic locations of Tintagel and Boscastle. You can walk from here through woodlands and past waterfalls out to the headland, where there are incredible views of the sea, cliffs and the beaches in Bossiney Cove at low tide. Even the island of Lundy can be seen on a clear day. I understood exactly why this location was so beautifully suited to Kate and Joe.
But back to the ceremony! As always, I’d allowed a little time to meet the guests and chat with them which I always enjoy, and catch up with my couple’s wonderful photographer, Tom Frost. When Kate was ready, Joe collected her from their cottage and they enjoyed that very first look – an intimate, emotional moment, perfectly suited to the couple who decide they want to enter their ceremony just as they will be leaving it – together. Their choice of entrance music - the theme to The Detectorists by Jonny Flynn - was so right for this idyllic setting..
And the ceremony flowed naturally and instinctively, recalling Kate and Joe’s initial meeting at school, and then their later connection in their 20s – in a match which was so perfect, they wasted little time in deciding they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. There were lots of warm and genuine smiles, and a few tears too. When we arrived at the vows, it was wonderful to see several passing walkers gathered on the opposite riverbank, quietly and respectfully observing Kate and Joe’s promises to one another, waiting for them to exchange rings and then clapping at the happy conclusion!
Kate and Joe are one of those really kind-hearted, thoughtful and unassuming couples I find myself particularly connecting with, so it was such a pleasure to be a part of their day, even more so because we had all waited some time for it. It was lovely to receive this initial feedback from the couple:
We honestly can’t thank you enough for the ceremony you delivered, it was everything and more we could have asked for. We wish you all the best with your future weddings, we know they will all be just as happy as we were!
How lovely :-) If you’d like to read Kate and Joe’s full review – you can here
And I just wanted to say an extra thank you to Tom Frost for sharing his wonderful images – my favourite of the year so far!