All photos by Cornish Wedding Photography
Wow. The ceremony. The Fowey Hotel really outdid themselves with a recent refurbishment and new chairs + chair covers. The place looked amazing for the ceremony, and it brought tears to my eyes when I saw it for the first time: filled all with the people we love there to be our witnesses.
For our programmes, and throughout the day, we carried through an airmail theme. Because Alex and I were trans-atlantic for a year, much of our correspondence was written (although we did talk on the phone every day too). So, for our programmes, we wrote our guests a letter about the day–a little about us and our story, what poems and readers to expect in the ceremony, an order of the day and song choices on the back along with a thank you to our parents (I will blog a DIY for you at a later date for them if you’re interested!). For the envelopes, we bought actual airmail envelopes, and then printed an ampersand ‘&’ to signify our union. The first time the cursive ampersand appeared in the programme was on our signature: ‘Alexandra & Erica.’
Our officiant was the local registrar, Sandy, and can’t rave enough about her. The legal ceremony has the potential to be a bit dry, but Sandy and her co-registrar, Davina, knew how to make the ceremony personal to us and specific to Cornwall (county in South West England). Here is Sandy talking to Jordan (in the white) and Leslie, our two readers for the ceremony.
My mom and brother represented my side of the family well. My mom is holding the madrone ring warming bowl my dad made that was passed around during the ceremony to be ‘infused’ (couldn’t say ‘blessed’ in the legal ceremony!) with everyone’s love and well-wishes.
Just as soon as the ceremony began, suddenly we were exchanging vows, then rings, and then sealing it with a kiss! Alex’s face as I’m sliding on her wedding ring just does me in–and truly reflects the joy in the room, as you can see in her mum’s face in the following picture. Totally sublime!
And then it was on to make the declarations legal by signing the schedule! Alex’s was shaking she was so nervous (she *hates* her signature), and our Best Men stood by as witnesses. In the last photo you can catch Alex’s ring as well as my mom’s wedding ring that I wore on the day for my ‘something borrowed.’
After we signed the schedule, Davina presented us with a Cornish commemorative civil partnership certificate (the real deal came in the mail a week later, and didn’t look as pretty) and Sandy wrapped up with a Celtic saying (in other words, a blessing!) that tied everything together and allowed us a few moments to take in the crowd. Once ‘You are the Best Thing’ by Ray LeMontage started we gently boogied our way out to the garden for strawberries & champagne!
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What an absolutely exquisite day. Last night I looked through your previous posts, and I’m positively charmed by your story. Congratulations!
Please do share instructions for the programs!
Thank you so much for your comment, Hannah! I’m glad you’re enjoying the re-telling, and will definitely post instructions for the programs soon!
You both look lovely, but the best part is seeing all the support and happiness around the two of you. What a beautiful moment!
So happy for you two! Love reading your re-caps!
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