Steve and Clare’s relaxed, intimate and family oriented wedding ceremony was held at Boconnion on Saturday 20 August 2022…
…. And it was a ceremony full of joy, love and laughter, with participation by each and every guest!
Steve and Clare were a dream of a couple to work with – two wonderful people who felt exceptionally lucky to have found that special someone they each described as their ‘perfect fit’, and who were delightfully excited about their big day. Initial conversations revealed that both were keen for a ceremony which was in keeping with the weekend of celebrations they had planned - relaxed, informal and family centred. They embraced the idea of including different wedding rituals to celebrate their love, and by the time we had chatted a couple of times on video calls, we felt that we had the perfect idea of how to create the ceremony they really wanted. On receiving the initial draft of their ceremony, Steve and Clare replied: “Wow! Thank you so much for our first draft! It was lovely to read, and now the reality of our wedding is becoming so much clearer.” The day before their wedding, Clare, Steve and 12 of their closest family and friends arrived at Boconnion to check into the gorgeous Georgian manor house and launch the festivities with plenty of bubbles! And where better to celebrate – Boconnion really is the perfect place for family get togethers, with its luxurious country house style, and the space (and facilities) to create wonderful memories.
We do love working there – it’s always so easy. Boconnion host (and fellow celebrant) Caroline Griffiths has everything organised like a dream, and it’s fabulous to work with a team of trusted suppliers – on this occasion it was lovely to discover that Roger Miners would be playing the baby grand piano, Steven Prebble taking the photos, Kimberly Holland in charge of hair and make-up, Floribunda looking after the floral arrangements, a stunning wedding cake created by The Cornish Cakery and all the catering courtesy of Dish Cornwall. On days like this it’s like coming home to an extended family! But back to the ceremony – and we felt very lucky that our run of fair weather ceremonies at Boconnion continued, and that Steve and Clare’s wishes for an outdoor ceremony could be granted. In fact, the weather was good enough for all the catering to be al fresco, and even a pool and pizza party went ahead later that day! But the ceremony celebrations commenced with friends and family enjoying drinks on the patio, while Bella the dog scampered around enjoying the attention, and we eagerly awaited the entrance of Clare and her party.
Attended by Steve’s daughter Amelie, Clare’s younger son Matthew and her elder son Charlie, Clare was escorted from the manor house to the ceremony location. Our bride looked truly radiant as the entrance song of Let There Be Love by Nat King Cole was played by Roger. On arrival, Charlie had the honour of presenting his mum to husband-to-be Steve, who was accompanied by his son and best man, (another) Charlie!
The ceremony commenced with an ancient ritual to bless the wedding rings – the rings passed among the guests enabling each of them to hold and bless them with their happy thoughts and good wishes. Meanwhile we reflected on the story of Steve and Clare – right from that very first date on the breezy beach at Sandbanks, to the surprisingly down-to-earth proposal which still had Steve sweating!
One of the most memorable parts of the ceremony was the handtying ritual, which enabled participation by each of the guests, as they gathered around and were invited to lay a coloured ribbon of their choosing, each with its own significance, over the wrists of Steve and Clare to bind the two families together for ever more. While we tied the hands, Clare’s son Charlie read the poem ‘The Blessing of The Hands. With Clare and Steve choosing the last two ribbons - Clare opting for red, the colour of strength, courage, love and longevity, and Steve choosing pink for unity, honour, truth, romance and happiness – we finally tied the knot. Steve and Clare then spoke their own promises to one another, and younger Charlie assisted with the exchange of the wedding rings. The signing of a wedding certificate was followed by much cheering, clapping and throwing of confetti as Steve and Clare exited to some of their favourite songs.
And then the party continued! Even the littlest guest, new grandchild to Clare and Steve, baby Louis had a wonderful time in the perfectly relaxed surroundings.
After the ceremony, Steve and Clare kindly provided this feedback:
Lisa got to know us well in advance to work out who we were, what we would like and to design a ceremony to suit us. She was incredibly easy to work with and made us both feel totally at ease at every stage. Our ceremony was intimate, beautiful, loving and fun exactly as we wanted it and Lisa delivered it beautifully. We could not recommend her highly enough.
Thank you Mr and Mrs Bolam, it was a complete pleasure to create and deliver such a personal and joyful ceremony, and to share it with those closest to you. We wish you all the very happiest of times.
All photography by Steven Prebble.
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