A marquee wedding with a vintage country theme

real wedding:

A Military marquee wedding with a vintage country fair theme

Yzella and Ben celebrate by saying ‘I do’ at their magical military marquee wedding reception.
Date: 1st April 2023
Venue: Roswarne House
Photography by Liberty Pearl Photo and Film Collective

Here they tell their love story.

A chance meeting

Yzella and Ben met in 2019 at their local church, where years later they said their wedding vows.

“I was leaving an evening church service and heading to the pub with some friends,” Yzella remembers. “My vicar Olly, had been talking to Ben and shouted over to me ‘You’re the same age, go with Yzella!’ We went to the pub and talked and laughed all evening.”

A couple of months later, the pair were a couple. At the time they didn’t know it, but they were destined to be in a long-distance relationship for some time.

“We had been together for three months before Ben was shipped out with the Navy, for what was meant to be two weeks,” The pair tell us. “Then due to the first lockdown, we didn’t see each other again for three months! After that, thanks to our jobs, we didn’t live in the same city – and sometimes even the same country – until two months before the wedding!”

The couple stayed together and after Ben proposed, they started planning their church wedding and marquee wedding reception.

Aisle Style

It is often the case that brides go to boutiques expecting to love a certain style of wedding dress and come away in love with something entirely different, and that’s exactly what happened to Yzella.

Yzella says, “I went to the boutique with a specific style of wedding dress in mind. All the dresses on my wedding planning boards were the same. When picking out dresses to try my mum suggested I try some other styles on just for fun. I tried her pick on first, thinking I would discard it but it turned out to be the one!”

The bride went on to try five other dresses, but none of them gave Yzella the same feeling. On the wedding dress consultant’s advice, she tried the first dress on again with shoes and a tiara and felt like a bride. When she turned to her mum and sister, they all agreed, this was the dress. Yzella walked down the aisle in an elegant satin, a-line gown with a lace bodice. She added a full-length veil with a scalloped lace edge, crystal tiara and sparkling silver jewellery to complete her bridal look.

Ben looked smart in his military uniform, while the six groomsmen stepped out in navy suits that were handmade in Bahrain, where Ben was deployed for six months in the lead-up to the wedding. They finished their look with dusty pink ties and pocket squares.

The six bridesmaids wore full-length dusty pink dresses each with different necklines to suit their figures.

Marquee Wedding Reception

Yzella and Ben married in their local church before heading to Roswarne House, in Cornwall, for their marquee wedding reception.

“Our wedding style was a fun, vintage country fair theme, with a navy blue and dusty pink colour scheme,” says Yzella.

The couple and their 200 guests had use of the regency house, the orangery, the marquee and the property’s six acres of grounds for their wedding day.

“I think the best decision we made was to ensure that there was no point in the day our guests could get bored,” the couple smiled. “We wanted there to be things to do and see all day, so when we were busy, guests were still having fun. We got so many comments on the day and still almost a year later, about how guests felt really well taken care of, and had fun all day.”

Vintage Country Fair Theme

When it came to decorating their wedding venue, Yzella and Ben used some of their own decorations and hired some from Out of the Ordinary Wedding Events.

Fresh flowers filled the church, with a posy tied to every pew end. All of the floral arrangements, including the bouquets, featured bright blooms. Ranunculus, tulips and narcissi in pinks, yellows and oranges added pops of colour to the pink and navy theme. Urns of blooms added even more colour to the church and were later taken to the marquee to decorate the entrance.

The wooden trestle tables for the wedding breakfast were decorated with navy table runners, tall gold candlestick holders and pink, navy and white taper candles. Pink, navy and crystal glassware added a touch of glamour to the tables and each place setting was finished with a glass plate charger and pink napkin. Silk flowers adorned the stairs of the manor house and decorated the marquee. Silk blossom trees were placed on either side of the top table for a romantic focal point.

Adding to the country fair theme, the couple had garden games and a Victorian sports day, which involved guests in welly wanting, croquet and taking turns on the apple shy. A magician entertained guests in the afternoon before the band took over in the evening, getting everyone up on the dance floor.

Advice to Brides

“Make sure you eat! I didn’t eat much, but I did have something of everything, you’ve spent time and money on this food, you need to make sure you try it! It will also help soak up the bubbly,” advised Yzella.

“Stop every now and again and just look around, slowly take it all in, it will slow the day down and keep you in the moment.”

The Details

Photographer: Liberty Pearl Photo and Film Collective
Videographer: Liberty Pearl Photo and Film Collective
Ceremony venue: St Martin and St Meriodoc Church, Camborne
Reception venue: Roswarne House
Wedding Coordinator: Out of the Ordinary Wedding Events
Wedding dress designer: Victoria Kay
Wedding dress boutique: Coastal Bridal, Mevagissy
Bridesmaid Dresses: JJ’s House
Menswear: Handmade in Bahrain
Flowers: Roseworthy Flower Farm
Cake: BB’s Gluten Free Bakery
Caterers: Ausel Cakes and Big Pan Parties
Shoes: JJ’s House
Hair and Makeup: Bridal Hair by Rhian
Makeup: Bee and Beaut and Alice Elizabeth MUA
Church Singers: Esther and Emily Music
Cellist: Cath Buckler
Band: Land of the Giants
Magician: Adrain Ward
Garden Games: Little Eden Entertainment LTD and Anton Roberts

A big thank you to the happy couple for sharing this beautiful love story with us. Read more amazing wedding stories and get all the inspiration right here.