I had the pleasure of photographing Dave & Ellen’s wedding at Pendennis Castle in Falmouth. It was such a beautiful day with a vintage VW camper, firing of the canons, and to finish we were spoilt with an amazing sunset.

 Here are a few words from them about their wedding.

How did you first meet?

We met in April 2009 at (of all places) Butlins in Skegness. Ellen was on a friend’s Hen Do and Dave was there with work. It was a motorcycle event and Dave was there with Honda as they had a stand there for the weekend. We met for the first time in the evening as it turned out Ellen’s friend ( whos hen do it was ), was the niece of the Honda events companies’ owner that Dave was working with that weekend, so we were all there in one large group.

Dave and Ellen got talking that night and after a few drinks Ellen refused to give Dave her number unless he came back to find her the following night, to prove he really meant it. The next night Dave returned and armed with a few more Honda colleagues, set out to scour the bars and clubs to find her. He did, got her number, and spent almost every day together since.

Please describe the proposal

I (Dave) booked a table at Gylly in Falmouth for dinner and planned a nice meal, few drinks and a romantic walk on the beach, where I would propose… About halfway through the meal, the rain started to come down and as a result, Ellen refused to go for a walk and just wanted to go home.

The problem was I still had a ring precariously wedged in my trousers that was becoming harder and harder to hide. I had built up to proposing that night for so long that I wasn’t going to let a bit of rain stop me, so instead of taking Ellen home, I drove her to the top of Pendennis point. I had, it transpired, misjudged the wind and was almost blown away when I stepped out of the car.

However I had committed and was going to follow it through, so at the top of Penennis Point, Looking out over Gylly Beach, with the castle to our right, in the middle of a howling gale – I got down on one knee and proposed (neither me or Ellen can remember what I said that night, but it must have been good because she said Yes!).

The dress – where did you find it, and what was it like? Who did you take with you dress shopping and how did you find the whole experience?

From the start, Ellen knew she didn’t want to be trawling round lots of shops and making a big fuss of it all. She had been to one mainstream shop with 2 of her bridesmaids to try on different styles and shapes to find the style she wanted. Ellen then came across a local wedding dress supplier who was extremely helpful and effortless, who found the perfect style and shape for Ellen – which turned out to be completely different to what she thought she wanted! So it pay’s to listen to an expert!

When Ellen found the one, she was with her mother and maid of honour, everyone burst into tears and suddenly the thought of getting married became very real.

what where the reasons for choosing your wedding venue?

Ellen has always wanted to get married in a castle. Falmouth has a special place in both of our hearts and after proposing directly in front of Pendennis castle – it pretty much had to be there! (Plus they had guns they could fire!)

When planning your wedding, did you have any help or did you do it mostly yourselves? What were the most important aspects for you (eg. the photographer, the food, the decor…)?

The majority of the planning was done ourselves with the help of our parents and friends, with the assistance of Trenton at Pendennis who helped us through the finer details and aspects relating to the specifics of the venue. The most important aspects for us were that we had good photo’s to look back on later, but photo’s that looked natural and were not forced.

We wanted everyone to enjoy the food and that there was enough to go around, and also that the day went smoothly and none of the guests were left floating around unsure of what to be doing. We just wanted a nice, smooth, flowing day – which Paul, Trenton & the Catering team all delivered for us!

What was your wedding inspiration? (think decor, overall theme and feel of the day, etc)

We didn’t have a theme for the wedding, we just wanted a calm, flowing, and relaxed day for everyone.

Describe some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them.

Design of the cake was good fun from start to finish, made by our bridesmaid and great friend Leah – it went through 3/4 different shapes and sizes until we finally came up with the finished cake. The main focus points of the day were provided by the stunning location of the Castle and Barracks. The backdrop and the weather made it perfect. One of the highlights was actually the day before the wedding, having so many of our friends and family sat together having a “pasty break” whilst decorating the barracks.

Bride: What advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day?

Not to worry about being unable to speak to everyone on the day, it is so incredibly hectic that you will be hard pressed to catch everyone. Also to make sure that you have a good contact at the venue who is able to guide you through both the day and the planning beforehand, (Trenton). Lastly – don’t make too many plans for the next day, aside from any hangover – your feet and jaw will hurt so much from all the dancing and smiling!

Groom: What advice would you give to future grooms for their wedding day?

A close friend of ours, on the day of the wedding, told me to “Remember it is your day, forget everyone else and focus on you two.” – So to any future grooms, just remember – Johnny knows!

Any advice for those planning their wedding now?

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time on the day and accept all the help you are offered!

As usual, here is a selection of favourite from a Dave & Ellen’s wedding at Pendennis Castle.  Please feel free to share on social media, or leave a comment.

If you would love to have a wedding at Pendennis Castle then please do not hesitate to contact me or to view more photographs head over to my blog.

Suppliers: Venue: Pendennis Castle | Dress: Town House Bridal | Hair & Make up: Ink Fish | Bridesmaid dress: Online | Flowers: Mother of the Bride | Cake: Leah Elliott (Bridesmaid and baker extraordinaire) | Transport: Strawberry Leisure | DJ: We made our own!

15 Comments

    • Thanks mate, I really struggle with that part and I find couples love talking about their wedding. Plus its nice for future couples here first hand from another bride who has had a wedding at their venue.

  1. What and amazing venue! I really love the sunset images and the emotion you captured. Top work Paul.

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