Chrissy and Jan’s Relaxed Summer Wedding

“We had two must-haves when it came to our wedding,” says Chrissy of getting married to Jan at Camel Studio. “We wanted it to be relaxed, and we wanted to spend as much time together as possible. Looking back, we expected it to be really nice, but in reality it was much, much better,” she reflects.

“We narrowed our search down to two elopement venues, and felt Camel Studio was warm and cosy, with everything we wanted in one place,” explains Chrissy. “We met with Helen on Zoom and we liked her and the venue straightaway. It made our decision easy.”

As they began to plan their summer wedding, the couple – who met online and “instantly felt a connection” – had a virtual tour, loved the photos of the venue and then used Camel Studio’s list of recommended suppliers to pull their day together. “The suppliers they recommended were all fantastic and really added to the vibe of our chilled day. It’s hard to know if you’ll have a rapport with someone, but we honestly couldn’t have picked better people.”

Both very relaxed, Chrissy and Jan found the run-up very smooth, thanks to “constant communication and reassurance from the venue”. But it was only when they arrived at Camel Studio the day before their wedding that the reality of the venue before really sunk in.

“Wow,” says Jan. “Both of us were utterly wowed,” – a sentiment Chrissy wholeheartedly shares. “Even the photos in the brochure – which are beautiful – don’t do it justice,” she says. “We already thought it was lovely, but it was better in real life. The welcome from Helen and Dave was great, and the cottage was stunning. You feel like you’re properly on holiday; the views are incredible.”

Enjoying a “delicious” welcome meal and spending the evening with Chrissy’s daughter Charlie and her friend – who were their two guests - the couple were determined that everything remained fun and relaxed.

Starting their wedding day with breakfast together and sharing gifts between the four of them, they all then got ready with each other, something that was really important to Chrissy and Jan. “We didn’t want to not see each other, did we?” says Jan, speaking to Chrissy. “You helped me with my tie, I helped you with your dress. And then we walked over to the barn together… and got married!”

Chrissy and Jan then called their families during the ceremony; something they cite as one of their favourite parts of the day. “It was really nice to see them – even though they were in Poland and Scotland – to say ‘We’ve done it!’, and so they could see us dressed up,” says Jan. “They weren’t there with us but they were there in our hearts.”

They then enjoyed canapés before exploring the venue with their photographer, Andy of South Weds Wedding Photography . “We didn’t stop laughing and it was probably hard for Andy to get any serious shots! But he was so relaxed and helpful, and we just loved it all.”

It was back to the barn for an “incredible” meal, prepared by Ali Pumpfrey of AP Chef, which comprised starters of Cornish cheese and tomato tart, followed by fillet steak with peppercorn sauce and potato dauphinoise, then a trio of desserts, as well as a naked cake… and lots of cocktails! “The food was absolutely outstanding,” says Chrissy. As the evening wore on, the couple played some games, then enjoyed homemade pizzas around the firepit as they stayed up until the early hours, enjoying the incredible venue and getting to know Helen and Dave.

“It was such a special day, and to add to that the rapport we had with Helen and Dave was brilliant. You couldn’t wish for two better people to host your wedding.”

So what’s the couple’s advice for those considering a smaller or less traditional wedding? “Do it for yourselves, it’s your day. It’s not selfish to want to make the best memories for yourself,” says Jan. “Make sure you’re happy with the decisions you’re making. We’d always planned to have a small wedding. It wasn’t a secret – we’d told close friends and family – but it just worked perfectly for us. We’re not that traditional, and we really wanted to just spend time together on the day. We wanted to make memories that were together instead of with other people,” he says.

“Not having family there did make it easier to focus on ourselves,” agrees Chrissy. “The kind of people we are, we’re always thinking about everybody else, but on our wedding day, we wanted to spend as much time together as possible, and we were conscious that if we had more family there, we wouldn’t have seen each other. “

And as for their own personal highlights, Jan’s is a simple one. “The best thing is that we actually got married,” he says, while Chrissy loved the atmosphere at the venue. “We did wonder whether it would be a quiet day, and would there be enough going on to fill the day but it all ran so smoothly, and was very relaxed but we had such fun. We laughed all day!” she says.

“It was so lovely. Everything about the beautiful venue was absolutely perfect. The views, the cottage, Helen and Dave – there were literally no negatives, and I would 100% recommend getting married here. We definitely made the right decision to have a small wedding at Camel Studio.”

Suppliers

Venue: Camel Studio - www.camelstudio.co.uk 

Photography: South Weds Wedding Photography - www.southwedsweddingphotography.com

Coordination: Phoebe Rubinace of Piccolo Weddings - www.piccoloweddings.com

Flowers: Escential Blooms - www.escentialblooms.co.uk

Catering: AP Chef - www.apchef.co.uk

Cake: Claire’s Sweet Temptations - www.clairessweettemptations.com

Words: Lucy Higgins