My Wedding Notebook Blog

A CYCLING INSPIRED WEDDING AT ROCKBEARE MANOR

This beautifully executed bicycle themed wedding took place at stunning Rockbeare Manor near Exeter.

THE COUPLE

Nathalie and James met in high school and have been together ever since. James finally proposed on Christmas Day.

THE PLANNING

Nathalie and James started their wedding planning by attending a fayre in Exeter where they found their florist and ideas of what they wanted. They then continued researching online where they found the rest of their suppliers.

Some of the wedding suppliers which helped Nathalie and James create their dream wedding were:

Venue: Rockbeare Manor, Dress: Prudence Gowns, Photographer: Martin Dabek Photography, Flowers: Brompton Buds, Cake: Cherry Blossom Cakes, Suit: Tux & Tails (Bristol) Hair: Saks Hair and Beauty Bristol, Entertainment: The Blue Lion Band, Make-up: Beauty time

THE CEREMONY

The ceremony was an emotional one, full of giggles, tears and laughter. After the ceremony and confetti shot, couple was left to mingle with their guests and enjoy every moment together having just said their I do’s.

THE THEME & DECORATION

James love for biking made it natural for a bicycle themed wedding. Not an easy one to pull off, but they really did! The details were very subtle, elegant and very creative and I love weddings which incorporate the personality of the bride or groom!

Nathalie: “I love crafts, a family friend helped me hand-make 80 small ceramic pots in which we potted up succulents as favours for our guests. We also grew the succulents, propagating them from leaves!”

THE VENUE

Rockbeare Manor is owned by the same company that runs Priston Mill and Coombe Lodge– two very successful and popular South West wedding venues.

Martin Dabek: “Being Rockbeare Manor’s wedding photographer couldn’t be easier. There are lots of great rooms: spacious bridal suite (probably the biggest I ever seen), the billiard room (lads chill out zone) and ceremony room with an impressive chandelier. Rockbeare Manor is simply stunning country house, and it’s got such a grand feel to it.”

THE DRESS

A Sottero Midgely design from Prudence Gowns. Truly beautiful, unique and with a bit of 1920s flair. The bridesmaids also wore dresses from Prudence Gowns.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY

The wedding photography style is relaxed and creative. Capturing all the joyful and little moments.

Nathalie: “We arranged to meet and were really impressed with Martins work, and his calm and reassuring manner. On the day most of the time we did not even notice Martin taking photographs, he captured really natural moments which bring back wonderful memories. We received the email from Martin whilst we were watching a TV programme, we immediately turned it off to scroll through over 500 images, they brought back so much emotion it was really exciting!”

Martin covered the whole day beautifully! With the important family photos, a gorgeous evening portrait photo in front of the venue and by the fountain just after the sunset. The first dance, which was also a talking point of the wedding, the couple picked “One love” by Bob Marley, which is a brilliant choice for the first dance!

Nathalie: “We are so impressed with Martin’s photos and the album he has created for us; I would highly highly recommend him. Not only is his work stunning but he is the most friendly and professional person to work with. Even our guests commented on how lovely he was. We have amazing photos to remember our special day, including one that went on to win an award.”

THE FLOWERS

Nathalie: “Emma at Brompton Buds provided our flower arrangements, from bouquets and button holes to a beautiful staircase display, floral bicycle wheels, and of course flowers on our cake. Emma was fantastic at listening to our vision and bringing it to life.”

THE CAKE

White, elegant and decorated with flowers. A beautiful work of art by Cherry Blossom Cakes.

THE ENTERTAINMENT

Nathalie: “We hired The Blue Lion Band, who allow you to request any size of band, and tailor the songs to your preference. We had a 7-piece band who were amazing!”

THE ACCESSORIES

Nathalie: “My mum bought my Jimmy Choo shoes for me. My accessories were from Ivory & Co – their showroom is absolutely stunning; I visited with my mum and sister and had the best morning trying on all things sparkly.”

TIPS FROM THE COUPLE:

“If you’re planning your wedding, the biggest piece of advice we could give you is: Enjoy the build up to your wedding as much as possible, when the day finishes, it’s all over!”

Top money-saving tip:

“It’s up to you to decide which are the areas where you’re happy to cut back costs. We used an online printing company ‘printing.com’ to print all our invitations, and stationery which I designed. That saved a small fortune!”

Thank you to Martin Dabek for sharing his amazing photos. To see more weddings from him, click here

For more wedding planning tips, click here.

And to search for wedding suppliers, click here.