Post-Wedding Thoughts from Real Bride Nikki

So we got married! I can’t believe that we are now Mr & Mrs Sherriff, but a month ago Coombe Trenchard hosted us for what I can honestly say was the best day of my life! I know people say that all the time and I’ve always thought they were exaggerating and it couldn’t possibly top all other days you ever had ever, but honestly it was amazing! The sun came out, we exchanged our vows in front of the people who really mattered to us and then we had the most relaxed perfect party in just the best surroundings!

I always knew Coombe Trenchard would be the perfect venue for us as it just had the most relaxed homely feeling and Sarah gave us so much flexibility from the start to make the venue and the day really feel ‘us’.

Clare Kinchin Photography

I hadn’t realised quite how emotional walking down the beautiful staircase at Coombe Trenchard would be to meet Ant and get married but I’m so glad that we had that first look and walked in together. I think I must have been squeezing Ant’s hand so hard he should have had bruises!

The ceremony room looked so elegant with the most epic floral display over the fireplace by our amazing florist Emma from Brompton Buds. Her floral displays throughout the day just blew us away … the flowers really made the perfect finishing touch for me.

Clare Kinchin Photography

Amazingly the sun came out at the last minute and our guests were treated to the full glorious impact of Coombe Trenchard’s gardens with lots of garden games, a popcorn bar and an icecream cart for them to enjoy, plus some amazing live singing from the Swing Kings.

Sarah and the team served a beautiful afternoon tea which everyone loved, our gluten free guests were especially impressed to be so well catered for!

Clare Kinchin Photography

Everyone was so surprised as well to find that there was a ‘second terrace’ for the evening reception! It was only the best moment to reveal the Coach House and Italian Terrace to them and for them to explore and find our photo booth area, chill out zone and the dessert cart and pizza van!

We rounded the evening up with an amazing band who blew everyone away … we pretty much didn’t stop dancing from the moment they started

Clare Kinchin Photography

Clare Kinchin Photography

I can’t thank Sarah & Emily & the team at Coombe Trenchard enough for everything they did for us in the planning of our wedding and on the day.  My advice to any couples planning on getting married at Coombe Trenchard is to really utilise the time and experience which they are happy to offer … and if they ask you for a spreadsheet of timings for your day please do it! Having a really detailed plan for the day and going over everything in minute detail might seem such a ‘faff’ and unnecessary when you’re in the stress of planning but honestly you won’t regret it. Because we were so organised before the day we were able to totally relax on the day itself knowing that everything was being taking care of for us.

I can’t believe I won’t be back to discuss my wedding plans with Sarah & Emily any more, I’ll definitely miss our chats and cups of tea. Thank you for following our wedding journey on the blog.

Nikki x

Clare Kinchin Photography

Unique & Proud - The Coombe Trenchard Way

Unique and Proud – The Coombe Trenchard Way    

Weddings have evolved. No longer a vehicle for sugared almond sales and varied only in pastel tones or train length, weddings are now truly a celebration of the couple themselves and personality is positively encouraged. Coombe Trenchard couldn’t be happier about this progression and welcome fresh ideas from every bridal couple we meet, all envisioning our interesting spaces in nuanced thought bubbles of wedding joy.

Freckle Photography

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You see, Coombe Trenchard’s history is embedded with more than its fair share of characters and individuality, not to mention the Arts & Crafts movement that applauded and sought one-off craftsmanship and stylised interest at every turn. Of course, we are also home to the country’s only disappearing wall, a true feat of design, engineering and radical genius. You can see the disappearing wall in action on this video, and be rest assured its unique magic permeates every part of the house. After much research and discussion with historians, we have concluded it was built purely because they could, a wanton use of talent and manpower that shouted extraordinary from the rooftops. And so, since 1906 when the house was built, those with a penchant for the unique have been drawn to Coombe Trenchard’s special kind of mysterious charm. We’re still hunting for the wine cellar, you’ll have to visit to discover what the Billiard Room walls are clad in (not something you would find in John Lewis!) and we continue to baffle visitors and historians alike whilst trying to piece together the story of this exquisite Edwardian home.

This, of course, makes us a wedding venue with a difference, a grand home with a big heart that has a soft spot for things being done a bit differently; yet still achingly beautiful and timelessly stylish. Wedding suppliers, guests and visitors alike are filled with curiosity at the exquisite detailing and distinctive feel of the house and one of our 2016 weddings graced the cover of Mr & Mrs Unique magazine, something we feel wonderfully fitting for our deliciously different corner of Devon. Balanced with a hearty helping of vintage objects d’art and spectacularly atmospheric woodland, we can’t think of anywhere more wonder-filled that Coombe Trenchard for a day that is truly unique. 

Find our more by downloading our brochure here.

A Chat with Elle Hitchens on Bridal Beauty

Elle Hitchens is a Bristol-based MUA who has worked on fashion shows, beauty shoots and even with celebrity clients. She possesses a zen-like calm that is a much needed tonic to wedding morning head-spins, but also gets excitedly animated when discussing make-up looks. Her clients get to feel like wondrous versions of their former selves, with added Beyonce-level confidence. 

As we receieve so many bridal queries about make-up artists here at Coombe Trenchard, we thought it best to sit down with an expert and get a professional opinion on the glamorous world of wedding day make-up (and find out how how to prepare!) 

Tell us a bit about yourself

"I've been working as a makeup artist for over 10 years and in that time have done over 700 weddings! It's such a total pleasure to help get brides ready on their big day. I've met some wonderful women and their families - I get a bit emotional just thinking about it!!"

"I worked for MAC for a few years whilst building up my freelance work and then eventually went completely self employed and haven't looked back. I love my job and i'm so grateful that I love what I do!"

What would be your top tips for brides looking to book a make-up artist?

"Ask around - a first hand recommendation from someone is a great tool. Do your research, look for a comprehensive website with real wedding images and testimonials from previous clients. You get what you pay for, make sure your artist uses high quality products and is fully trained and insured. Sometimes cheap is not best!"

"Don't leave it too late - the best artists sometimes get booked a year or two in advance - especially for Saturdays!"

What happens at a make-up trial?

"At a makeup trial you will work out your look for the day, you will talk about all aspects of the day including your dress, hairstyle, accessories, flowers, the colours or theme of the wedding etc. Be prepared by having a think about what style of makeup you like and also it's important to think about what you don't like. Images of makeup you like can be helpful too. I love a Pinterest board!"

How long does it normally take to complete a bride’s make up on the morning of the wedding?

"It can depend on the look but normally I advise an hour to complete the brides makeup and then there may be finishing touches later if necessary."


What is your favourite part of being involved in wedding preparation?

"It's a truly special thing to be involved in the preparations - I love the atmosphere on wedding mornings, there's usually a lot of love and laughter!"


What are the current trends for bridal beauty?

"Glowing, fresh skin is always popular. More and more people are using lashes and aren't afraid of being a bit more daring with their makeup - but you can't beat a classic natural bridal look. Most people want to look like themselves - but the best version. "


What would you recommend as a beauty regime in the lead up to the big day?

"A simple start is to drink plenty of water, keep your skin hydrated and if you don't have a skincare routine then start one. It can be a simple as remembering to moisturise or switching from wipes (which can strip your skin) to a nourishing cleanser. Or introducing a serum/face mask/exfoliator into your current routine. And remember a moisturiser with SPF is essential."
 

Freckle Photography at Coombe Trenchard

What beauty product could you not live without?

"Such a hard question as really theres a few, but it has to be mascara! Probably like most women out there I feel like I can take on the world as long as I have a bit of mascara on. My lashes are very short and fair compared to my hair colour so it makes a big difference when I emphasise them a bit!"

Thank you for chatting with us Elle! 

You can find out more about Elle and her work on her website

The Thinking Behind 'Boutique & Beautiful' Weddings

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Eclection Photography

Becoming personally invested in every bridal couple that chooses to hold their special day at Coombe Trenchard means that we learn from each unique wedding journey. We take notes, we excitedly converse over tea and biscuits and we feel the ups and downs as they do. Sometimes, we hear that the logistical elements are stressful, sometimes it’s hard to ensure all preferred suppliers are available on the same day, and sometimes it’s simply finding enough hours in the day to organise the myriad of detail that goes into a wedding. So many of our bridal couples are taking advantage of our glorious part of the world, yet do not currently reside nearby and therefore find it difficult to attend trials, tastings and meetings or be on hand to meet with those all-important suppliers. 

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Lucy Wallace Photography

Of course, we help as much as possible and offer a level of service that has surprised and delighted many a bride (and industry professionals!); carefully compiling our recommend suppliers list and discussing which would be a best fit for each unique couple, offering limitless visits, emails, chats on the phone and ensuring the biggest day of your life runs like clockwork. Seeing such a growing trend for mid-week celebrations and wanting to utilise our wealth of contacts, knowledge and penchant for organisation, we set about designing a day that was spectacularly stress-free.

With great enthusiasm, we discussed our projects with our favoured suppliers, knowing how much they enjoy working at Coombe Trenchard and happy to be offering a solution to time-scarce bridal couples. This seed of an idea was met with much excitement, and so, ‘Boutique & Beautiful’ was born. 

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Luna Photography

Here at Coombe Trenchard, we are unable to do things without a luxurious undertone (we blame our opulent yet charming Edwardian surroundings) and so the ideas for what constitutes ‘mind-blowingly special’ came thick and fast.

Possibly our favourite aspect of ‘Boutique & Beautiful’ is the pre-wedding overnight stay at Coombe Trenchard, giving couples the chance to meet with suppliers, decide on one of our 12 licenced locations in which to say ‘I do’ and indulge in some quality time together whilst nestled on the edge of Dartmoor. We can’t think of anything more romantic than wedding planning whilst exploring the gardens, woodland and sumptuous interiors of the charming country home in which you will soon be wed.

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Liberty Pearl Photography

Of course, the deluxe treatment continues through to the big day itself, with vintage champagne saucers to sip from on the south facing Italian terrace, mouthwatering delights from exquisite caterers and hand-designed stationery to delight your guests. We’ve even thought of marshmallows for toasting over the fire pits adjacent to our restored Coach House, overlooking Brentor.

It’s been a joy to compile aspects and contributors that we know make a wedding one to remember and we are hugely proud of ‘Boutique & Beautiful’ and the luxuriously laid back new choice it presents to our bridal couples, whose happiness and wedding satisfaction mean so much to us. 

You can download our stunning new 'Boutique & Beautiful' brochure here.

January blog from Nikki our 'Real Bride Blogger'

Oh my goodness its 2017! I can now officially say we get married this year! To be honest this fills me with a lot of mixed feelings. I’m obviously massively excited … I can’t wait to get married and also get together with all our family and friends and have bloody good knees up! I’m also incredibly nervous though … I’m an over-planner and over-thinker at the best of times so I’m trying very hard to not let the nerves get the better of me but also make sure everything is as planned as possible so on the day I can just hand everything over to Sarah and Emily and relax.

Since my last post we have sent our invitations out. Designing my own invitations, as a wedding stationer, was daunting but also incredibly exciting and I think we managed to strike the right balance between them being pretty but also fun and a little bit geeky. Elements of the invitations were inspired by Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Star Wars … but hopefully in a really subtle way! Our colour scheme is Navy, blush, dark pink, ivory and lots of green ferns and foliage and a bit of brown tweed. I love layering colours when I create colour schemes for stationery so this is definitely what I’ve done for our wedding. I think many people make the mistake of picking just one or two colours for their wedding and it ends up looking a little bit ‘flat’ as there is no layering or substance. My advice for any other couples who are getting married would be always to pick some neutrals as a base and then 2 or 3 ‘accent colours’ on top of that. It looks a lot more natural.

Our rsvp date is looming and we’ve had most of our guests reply but there is always an inevitable bit of chasing up. I’m looking forward to having final numbers though as then we can get all the last few bits finalised and start paying off all those deposits we put down last year!

We had a lovely visit with Sarah & Emily in November which included a very exciting discussion about food and what sandwiches and cakes we were going to have for our afternoon tea.

We also had a lovely visit to see Jennifer at Edible Essence for a taster for our wedding cake. Honestly possibly the best experience so far … me and Ant love our cake so meeting up with Jen was just heaven and we picked 3 flavours for our naked cake, plus a fourth flavour that Ant just couldn’t resist.. so we’ve ended up having a bit of a ‘groom’s cake’ on the side!

I’m beginning to get a little bit worried that with all the food we have planned our guests are going to be on a serious sugar rush for the entire day!

We have another visit to Coombe Trenchard planned for the end of January and I’ll be showing my family round for the first time which will be super exciting. It’s actually quite a bit of a wedding weekend as I’m also having my hair and make-up trial with the lovely Giselle from the Event Studios team which I’m really looking forward to!

Nikki x

www.knotsandkisses.co.uk