Anika and Dave’s intimate bohemian real wedding in Cornwall

A small and intimate festival-inspired wedding with just close family and friends…

The proposal

“Dave proposed to me on a little hidden pebble beach close to where we live. He made me trek over huge rocks until we were at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea. I looked down and realised that he’d written ‘marry me?’ using stones from the beach,” smiles Anika.

“I was very surprised – I just thought we were going for a little walk along the beach with our children because the weather was so nice. I even invited my sister to come along and couldn’t understand why Dave didn’t seem keen on the idea!”

“In the end it worked out fine because she watched the kids while we went on our little trek.”

The bride’s outfit

Anika fell head-over-heels for Jenny Packham’s gorgeous wedding gowns, and managed to buy her dream dress for a fraction of the cost at a sample sale at Berkshire Brides. “The pretty bohemian feel of my dress really suited our wedding perfectly,” smiles Anika.

We had a hog roast and rounds of cheese instead of a wedding cake

The groom’s outfit

Dave and his groomsmen bought their suits from Marks and Spencer.

The bridesmaids

Anika’s four older girls wore dresses from Lipsy, Next and Jones and Jones. “Our daughter’s flowergirl dress and shoes were both from Monsoon. I also made her a little pair of fairy wings from wire and a pair of tights. I painted them a subtle pink colour to match the older bridesmaids and decorated them with glitter,” explains Anika

The ceremony

Was a civil ceremony outdoors, in a pretty little pavilion in the woods – the most magical choice for boho brides! Anika walked down the aisle (across the grass) to Skinny Love by Bon Iver

 

The reception

“We both knew from the start that we wanted something a little bit different. Our vision was for a relaxed, informal ceremony followed by a party under the stars and a weekend camping with our two children and close friends and family,” explains Anika. “In the end, we decided on a simple, rustic-style wedding with straw bale seating for the ceremony, a hog roast instead of a sit-down meal, rounds of cheese for our wedding cake and ice cream from a vintage truck for dessert.”

The honeymoon

As well as the weekend camping in the tipis immediately after the wedding, the couple also took a relaxing, two-week family holiday to Turkey.