Today we are so excited to share an Indian wedding in Cornwall here at Tredudwell. Read on to find out all the wonderful details!
The Proposal
“We met at work and had known each other for 7 years before we actually got together at the end of 2012, on New Year’s Eve. After a manic Christmas of decorating and hosting, Chris gave me an envelope with a number of clues for my Christmas present. I quickly worked out that he’d booked a trip to the King’s Head at Bledington, wish was where we had our first trip away a few years previously. We went on a lovely walk where Chris was looking for the perfect spot to propose. Unfortunately he was hampered by the dense fog that day, and then I stumbled in a muddy field. His last-ditch attempt for a lovely spot before dusk was hampered by me insisting we pop to the Hook Norton brewery instead. Eventually in the evening when we sat down for dinner, he popped the question!”
Why did you choose a Cornwall wedding venue?
“We chose Cornwall as Chris has regularly holidayed there with his family for the last 40 years, and I have come to love it over the last 5 years too, as we still come down a few times a year to see Chris parents who have retired down here.
We chose Tredudwell as it had good capacity for a larger Indian family. During early discussions and then with planning, the flexibility that Valerie showed was amazing, and she took in her stride all the complications that come with the Indian wedding in Cornwall.
We loved the venue from the first moment of seeing it, the pavilion was amazing with the right balance of character and being a blank canvas meaning we could completely transform the space from Indian wedding one day to English ceremony and reception the next day.”
Did you enjoy the planning?
“Most of the time I enjoyed the planning, but it was also very difficult at other times. Where I knew how I wanted something, I usually found a way to make it happen, for example the cake! But the real frustrations came with how things would look when it was all brought together. Chris and I are both scientists so our brains aren’t that well wired for designing and bringing a room/décor together.”
What were your 3 top priorities when planning your wedding?
“Food / Drink / Entertainment. Chris and I both love to host and we are known to over-cater when it comes to food and drink. We also find it important that our family and friends can relax and enjoy themselves.”
Tell us about your magnificent dress, was it easy to find? The beautiful autumn colours definitely matched the evening autumnal sky…
“The Indian dress was initially worrying me, as I had no idea of styles I liked. I was convinced I was going to for something simple, lightweight and elegant, but then I found my outfit and I fell in love with it immediately and knew it was “the one”. It was far from simple and definitely not lightweight and was very bright and shiny!
Did you have a decoration theme? If not, what were your key style ideas?
For the Indian wedding, the colour theme was orange and gold, chosen to complement my outfit mainly. The stage/mandap we chose was gold and really stood out. The rest of the décor we kept to a minimum as there were already a lot of bright colours with everyone’s outfits.
For the English ceremony, the colour theme was navy/blush/grey. I wanted to transform the pavilion from the bright Indian ceremony into a more serene space.
Why did you choose Paul Keppel as your wedding photographer?
Initially Chris and I both loved his website and his style of documentary style of photography, but it was important that we got on well with our photographer. We arranged a Skype call with Paul and he immediately made us both feel at ease and really listened to what we wanted and advised us well. We just felt comfortable and confident with Paul from the beginning.
How important was the food in your wedding plan and why did you choose your caterers? Were there any favourite dishes?
Food was a massive part of our wedding. For the Indian wedding in Cornwall big day we wanted to have full traditional Gujarati thali meal, and our caterer (Nilbhai) actually came recommended by our priest!
For the English ceremony we wanted to use a local caterer as we really wanted to have some Cornish themes to our food. White Radish had come highly recommended and when we went for tasting we loved the food and Charlie and Amy made us feel comfortable and confident from the beginning. They were amazing with the menu and our requests.
Finally, can you tell us your 3 top memorable moments?
Chris: My favourite moment was after the English ceremony being able to relax with a glass of champagne and spend time with our guests.
Muji: My favourite moment was after the Indian ceremony when we went for photos, it was the first moment I felt like we were “married”.
Chris and I love Top Gun, and our first dance was re-enacting the serenading scene with “You’ve lost that loving feeling”.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience with us Muji and Chris! If you’re thinking about having your Indian wedding in Cornwall at Tredudwell Manor, please get in touch. In the meantime, enjoy the photos by Paul Keppel.
