This happy couple enjoyed a festive big day in beautiful Devon. Our WED2B Real Weddings Exeter feature reveals more:

Lucy and Will lived a street apart when they were growing up and have known each other since they were 13 years old. “He actually lived in the same street as my maid of honour,” says Lucy. “We started dating when we were 18 and our first date was in Bournemouth, where Will was studying at the time.”

 

Real Weddings Exeter: Lucy and Will’s Christmas celebration

 

Asking the question…

The couple were on their way to the Lake District in October 2014, for a holiday with Will’s family, when he proposed. “Will’s grandparent’s ashes are spread in a beautiful spot overlooking Elterwater village,” says Lucy. “We stopped at the spot like we do every time we pass and I got my phone out to take a picture of the scenery. When I turned around he was down on one knee! Will’s family were there to celebrate with us and his brother was able to capture it all on his phone, which was lovely. It was completely out of the blue and I cried happy tears! The first thing I wanted to do was ring my Mum and Dad but the signal was so bad I had to wait a little while!”

 

Real Weddings Exeter: Lucy and Will’s Christmas celebration

 

Finding the dress

Lucy purchased her wedding dress from WED2B in Exeter in the summer of 2017. “I visited with my Mum and the staff were amazing, nothing was too much trouble,” she says. “Before visiting I made a list of all the dresses I wanted to try and nearly all of them were available. The lady helping me listened to what I wanted and offered friendly advice to help me find the perfect dress. She really took the time to get all details exactly right.”

“I knew that I wanted a lacy, fishtail style with an appliqué hem,” says Lucy. “So when I tried on Callista by Anna Sorrano I just knew it was ‘The One’! It fit in all the right places. As the dress had quite a lot of detail I kept my accessories simple with just a plain short veil (Jane) to complete the look.”

 

Real Weddings Exeter: Lucy and Will’s Christmas celebration

 

To the manor 

The couple chose Kitley House Hotel in Yealmpton, Devon as their wedding venue. “It’s a 500-year-old country house hotel set in the heart of south Devon,” says Lucy. “It was the first venue we looked at and we both loved it, it ticked every box for us. It has a beautiful grand feature staircase and lovely high ceilings. It’s very elegant and classy.”

 

A winter wedding

The wedding was held on Saturday 23rd December 2017. “As it was December it made sense to have it all under the same roof, so we held the ceremony at Kitley House too,” says Lucy. “My Dad walked me down the aisle to the piano version of ‘She’ by Elvis Costello. Unfortunately the music was played through a speaker at the back and it glitched a couple times, which played havoc with my nerves!”

 

Real Weddings Exeter: Lucy and Will’s Christmas celebration

 

Festive fun

The ceremony was followed by a Christmassy wedding breakfast. “I was set on a red theme, which was mainly deep red with a few little touches of gold,” says Lucy. “We were really lucky with the décor as Kitley had lots of Christmas decorations already in place. I kept things quite simple with how much I added.” There was also a three-tier wedding cake made by a local cake maker, with layers of carrot cake, vanilla sponge and lemon drizzle.

 

Real Weddings Exeter: Lucy and Will’s Christmas celebration

 

A special performance

“My husband and best friend made the day so special by singing during the evening reception,” says Lucy. “They sang ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran and Beyonce. Will did the Ed parts and Jodie sang Beyonce’s. If we could do it all again we would love to have the power to make time go slower. The day went so fast we would just love to relive it all over again!”

Did your wedding have the wow factor like our Real Weddings Exeter feature? If you would like to be a part of our real weddings feature? Send your favourite photo to info@wed2b.co.uk and we’ll be in touch!