Alexa and Sham celebrated their wedding in the gloriously nature-oriented retreat of Cabilla Cornwall on Bodmin Moor on Saturday 14 September 2024…
…. and this was a wonderfully reflective and romantic British-Indian fusion ceremony - a celebration after our own hearts!
We first heard from Alexa and Sham back in August 2023 - and we quickly realised we knew of Alexa through her work as a wedding planner! (It’s always a big compliment to be contacted by a fellow wedding industry pro - but always a bit of extra pressure too!) When Alexa explained that she and husband-to-be Sham wanted a ceremony that would reflect their British-Indian heritage, and it would be a multi-cultural wedding celebration, to which we said, sure we can do that - but we added, it would be a first for us, so if you did want someone with more relevant experience, we could happily recommend another celebrant.
Luckily, Alexa and Sham really wanted us! And so the date was booked, and before we knew it, we were researching Muslim traditions and discussing the intricate details of their ceremony. Regular readers will know that a part of our planning process is a fun questionnaire, for which we ask couples to complete together or individually - and it includes a ‘deep dive’ into their relationship; we always hope clients will find this a fun step of their ceremony planning! So we were thrilled when Alexa and Sham returned their questionnaire with a note which said, “Thanks so much for sending this over, we really enjoyed going through our answers together last night - what a lovely step of the process!”
We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again - when couples enjoy this step of taking a moment to reflect on their relationship, and remembering all those special little moments in time, as well as considering all the lovely qualities they appreciate in one another, we KNOW they will have the most amazing ceremony! So as part of our follow-up we arranged a lovely chat in person, over a glass of fizz in the summer sunshine at The Alverton in Truro - one of our favourite places to catch up with clients.
And we really did have the best conversation - and this meant that writing their ceremony was an absolute dream, and we were excited to send over the first draft, which prompted this feedback: “The ceremony words look absolutely fabulous - and we're so excited to see you on our big day!”
We should add that something which intrigued us, alongside creating this ceremony, was Sham and Alexa’s choice of venue. Its location on Bodmin Moor was so completely ‘us’ - off the beaten track (literally!) and in the rugged heart of Cornwall, just a stone’s throw from where we live. And there is nothing we enjoy more than walking under big open skies, enjoying dramatic views, with just the wild ponies and rabbits for company! It’s serene and unspoilt, and interestingly, often passed over by wedding couples, so we felt even more grateful for the opportunity.
On the day, guests gathered from far and wide to enjoy cocktails in the September sunshine, and it was quite the moment when Sham and his crew appeared, in traditional dress. And just as we were ready to begin, Alexa and her girls strolled across a meadow of wildflowers to the ceremony space, where the styling really was exquisite - just perfect for an early Autumn wedding - and so beautifully reflective of our couple.
Sham looked so very proud and in love as his bride approached, escorted by her father Keith, and we took a quiet moment before our ceremony began. Then community vows were made and our couple responded 'Qubool hai!' to confirm their acceptance of their marriage. This was a ceremony that was romantic and fun, contemplative and sassy - which required no readings or further embellishments - simply authentic words spoken from the heart. And when we arrived at the couple’s personal vows to one another it was one of those moments when you could hear a pin drop, the exquisite highlight of the ceremony. With handmade rings exchanged and pronouncements made, the most perfect confetti throw took place - totally befitting a wedding planner!
And then shortly after their celebrant ceremony, Alexa and Sham jumped in a car and went to Bodmin Register Office to complete the legal paperwork for their marriage - just the perfect, and most practical, arrangement!
Our couple kindly posted this review following their big day:
Lisa is absolutely fantastic and so attentive at what she does. We were made to feel so special throughout the entire process from enquiry to the day itself and beyond. The little touches that Lisa sent us, encouraged of us and supported us with made the whole process so wholesome and meant that we even made some date nights out of some of the stages of the process! Lisa even went the extra mile to find some cultural touches that we might like to include in our ceremony and it just made us feel really cared for. We had such a special ceremony and if we could do it all over again, we would hire Lisa a million times over.
And that sums up exactly what we want for all our couples - to feel cared for and supported, to enjoy the journey as well as the destination, and to know that they made exactly the right decision in their choice of celebrant. Thank you Alexa and Sham, we can’t express how much these kind words mean to us.
And thank you also to our couple’s photographer - the adorable Mollie McAusland - we cannot recommend her highly enough!
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