Chloë and Ben’s wedding at Sandy Cove in Devon was an extra special event for us. Not only had I met Chloë and Ben several times in the build-up to their celebrations, but I had the pleasure to photograph both of Ben’s sister’s wedding over the preceding three years. I often have a unique privilege to see a family expand and celebrate over numerous years, but the relationship I’d built with the “Jennings Clan” had been a particularly unique one.
Chloë and Ben are two of the most kindest, generous and thoughtful souls you could ever hope to spend time with and I really do feel grateful to of been contacted by Hannah (Ben’s sister) all those years ago for her marriage to Rob.
As you’ll see below, Chloë and Ben celebrate with sunshine and rain, beach and cliff tops and of course; would any wedding be complete without two alpacas!?
Now for some more from Chloë and Ben themselves, or scroll down to see their wedding in its full colourful glory…
**You may even spot me in one of their photos**
How and why did you choose your venue(s)?
Our story starts meeting on a surfing holiday, so it was a must to get married near the sea. Devon seemed like a great idea and allowed us to organise a group surf lesson with our friends and family the day before. We had initially questioned the distance from our hometowns but were pleased to hear that guests planned to make a holiday out of the weekend.
How we found our venue, started on Hitched’s website. We made a shortlist and visited each one over a weekend. Despite dreadful weather, Sandy Cove Hotel still stood out as we were able to visualise everything we wanted. It just felt right.
What were your top one/three priorities in planning your wedding?
It was important to us for everyone to feel included and enjoy the day themselves, so when we were making our choices about music, food, favours etc, we were asking ourselves what would be fun for the guests and not making the entire day about us. One example was booking alpacas – as much as we love animals, we wanted everyone else to get to know them too! We kept this completely secret and loved seeing the surprised looks on people’s faces when they appeared.
Another priority was opening a bottle of fizz for every “wedmin” session –some great advice we got and followed strictly :)
What one thing most surprised you about your wedding, or planning your wedding?
Everyone says that it’s the happiest day of your life – and it seems so obvious – but even still, it did surprise us how much happiness and love you feel on the day when you’re there surrounded by family and friends.
Regarding surprises during the planning, I would say recognising the value of customer service/vendor relationship. There are some real standout suppliers who will help you in more ways you could imagine (Especially Barney, thank you!)
If you could do it all over again, which one thing wouldn’t you change, and if anything, what one thing would you change?
We loved everything about our day but there are certain things we definitely wouldn’t change.
Firstly, my dress –designed and made by my very talented friend, Victoria Sanders. It was everything and more – thank you, Vicky!
Secondly, the photo session we had down in the cove just us two– it was a fun, peaceful part of the day and the photos are amazing – even better than we imagined.
Lastly, deciding to have a videographer. It’s wonderful to have the day captured on film and relive those moments (and shed a little tear).
A few kind words about us from Chloë and Ben:
“Barney goes above and beyond being a wedding photographer. We were the third sibling to have Barney document our wedding so we had every confidence in him yet he still exceeded all expectations. The communication and advice in the lead up were incredibly valuable and on the day itself he is a joy to have around (and Sam!) The photos from our day are amazing – Barney captured the day beautifully.”
Complete supplier list can be found in the footer.
Complete supplier list:
Venue: Sandy Cove Hotel
Videographer: Foster Filming
MUA: Anna from Changing Faces
Hair Stylist: Sarah from Changing Faces
Band/DJ: Switch
Other Entertainment: Happyard Alpacas
Florist: Sweet Williams Flowers
Cake: Claire’s Sweet Temptations
Dress Designer: Victoria Sanders
Suit Designer: Mullen & Mullen
