Eleanor and Ryan’s Cornwall barn wedding felt calm and heartfelt from the very beginning. Choosing a meaningful church ceremony through to an evening spent dancing in the barn as the light faded over the countryside, their day reflects the kind of wedding we so often see unfold here. If you’re dreaming of a Cornwall barn wedding venue that offers space, calm and flexibility, Tredudwell Manor is designed to let your day unfold in a way that feels natural.
How would you describe the style or colour theme of your wedding?
“We wanted it to feel relaxed, personal and elegant in a simple way. We had dark green as a central colour but because most of our flowers were home-grown (and therefore a variety of colours), we incorporated a mix of summer/autumnal shades throughout our scheme. A lot of the decorations were homemade/designed by Eleanor and her family as we wanted a rustic and natural feel. This included greenery from her garden to bring the beautiful outdoors inside and lots of candles and fairy lights to make it cosy and intimate.”
Where did you get your outfits for your wedding?
“Eleanor tried on dresses in three separate shops and found the amount of choice a bit overwhelming but it was such a special experience to go with her mum, sisters and baby niece. She eventually chose her dress from Bridal Gossip in Weybridge – Caroline was incredible and made Eleanor feel really comfortable right from the start. She encouraged her to try on a variety of styles, made the process really fun and was so supportive throughout. The dress was perfect and it fit every aspect of our day seamlessly – even dancing until the very end!
The bridesmaids were simply briefed ‘dark green’ so they could each find a dress that made them feel special, complimenting their own unique style. It was amazing to see how co-ordinated they looked despite each dress being from a different shop and they all looked so beautiful.
Ryan bought his suit from Suitsupply – shoutout to Sven at the Lime St. store in London. He gave Ryan exactly the kind of personalised service he was looking for. Not to mention a great fitting and great looking suit that made him feel confident.
We rented the groomsmen’s suits from Moss Bros. With suit rental apparently becoming a dying breed as a business (from our experience at home in London!) Moss Bros was the best option given the fact that Ryan’s groomsmen are spread across the UK. They offered a service where the lads could get sized at their own convenience and pick up the suits at a store local to them. It worked perfectly for us and was convenient for all parties.”
Walk us through your day and tell us the story in your own words.
“Wow, where to start? We can honestly say that it was without a doubt the best day of our lives and we know what you’re thinking – ‘everyone must say that’ , but the fact is – it really is true.
We decided to separate the night before to be with our families/bridal parties. Eleanor, being from Liskeard opted to stay at her family home whilst Ryan and his friends stayed at Tredudwell Manor. The Manor was a total hit – the charm of the building, the comfortable rooms, and not forgetting the amazing breakfast provided on both days. It was the perfect place for Ryan to get ready with his groomsmen and share a toast (maybe a slightly teary eye too!). When the time came to leave for St. Martins Church in Liskeard (our place of marriage), the car carrying Ryan, the Best Man and two of the Groomsmen broke down! Yes, really…mercifully not in a single track countryside lane but next to a garage – by some divine intervention. It all adds to the story – shoutout to Ryan’s best man/brother Liam who shouldered the car stress admirably.
With six bridesmaids and family present, Eleanor’s morning was no less busy! They loved this quality time together and Eleanor shared a special moment with her parents: getting into her dress with her mum and the car journey to the church with her dad (special mention to Cornish Bay wedding cars for the most gorgeous car called Bertie). Praying with our Vicar Will, her bridesmaids and her dad was a real highlight to ground everyone before walking down the aisle. A lot of our guests had travelled a long way to be at our wedding so we wanted to fill our day to make the journey worthwhile. This meant we had our ceremony at 12pm and allowed lots of space for each part of our day that followed.
Our ceremony was a perfect, emotional rollercoaster filled with personal touches and many tears (more on our ceremony later on) and we loved doing the confetti toss afterwards – it brought us so much joy to see everyone’s smiling faces as we left!
A really special moment for us was our car journey to Tredudwell – our first time alone as husband and wife, both giddy with joy! At Hayley’s recommendation we took the time to stop off en route with our photographer at Lantivet Bay, a two minute drive from Tredudwell, to have our photos taken away from the eyes of all our guests which we appreciated. It was such a treat to see the sea too.
We loved our reception which gave us two hours to have canapés, Pimms and chat to all our guests. We had a variety of lawn games which everyone enjoyed using and we really enjoyed taking our time with this part of the day.
Our wedding breakfast was a delicious family style dining feast followed by a trio of desserts as we had our speeches from Bride, Groom, Father of the Bride and Best Man which were a real highlight.
We have been Lindy-hop dancing for around two and a half years and so decided to choreograph/improvise a short routine for our first dance as husband and wife to our song ‘Hallelujah I love her so’ by Ray Charles. We had so much fun and this really started the party off well before our band Jive Tiger started. We spent ages searching for a band and originally wanted local musicians, however we couldn’t find anyone with the vibe we wanted who were available so had to search further afield. We were thrilled when we found Greg and his band – they were phenomenal musicians and everyone was on the dance floor the whole night.
We finished our night with a sparkler send off before walking the long journey back to Tredudwell Manor…! A muddy wedding dress, a groom missing a tie and two pairs of sore feet: the signs of a wedding well done. We wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Sharing breakfast the next morning with our close friends who stayed in the Manor was so special, then a pub lunch with anyone who was able to stay was a perfect way to end the weekend.”
One of the joys of a Tredudwell Manor wedding is having the house as part of the experience. Staying on site allows the wedding to unfold gently, from getting ready in the morning through to breakfast the next day, with space to relax and properly be together. Find out more about our Manor House accommodation and our local partner The Vale here.
Why did you choose to get married at Tredudwell?
“As a barn wedding venue in Cornwall, we pride ourselves in being a place where couples can take their time and make thoughtful choices. Eleanor and Ryan’s wedding shows how our spaces adapt around each couple, allowing the day to flow naturally while still feeling held and supported.
We knew we wanted to get married at St Martin’s Church in Liskeard which is the church Eleanor attended with her family as a child, so we were looking at venues within a thirty minute drive. Tredudwell was at the top of our list as it had been recommended by a few family friends who had previously been married there. We loved the expansive views – firstly of the sea in the distance as you’re driving towards it, then the rolling hills, pond and the Manor House in the grounds. The modern barn space was exactly what we wanted: a rustic vibe with beautiful views and lots of space for dancing and guests. We appreciated that it is a flexible space: that we could separate the eating from the dancing and also do what we wanted with the space. Additionally, they have bi-folding doors across the whole space which is really useful in terms of airflow should the weather be hot so the room doesn’t become stuffy. Lastly, we were really impressed with Hayley on our first meeting – she showed us many examples of weddings in different seasons/styles so we could really imagine what we wanted and we could tell she was going to be really helpful but not intrusive in our planning.”
What kind of ceremony did you choose and why?
“We wanted a traditional Christian ceremony at a Church to celebrate Eleanor’s faith. We already had the personal connection to St Martin’s church from her childhood, and then our dear friend Will Gowers (who trained with us at drama school and is now ordained as a Vicar in the Church of England) married us meaning the ceremony was extra special. We wanted loved ones to be a major part of the service whether that be through singing, readings, music, worship or prayers – all of which contributed to a very personal, spiritual and emotional ceremony.”
How did you make the decisions that come with planning a wedding?
“We started our planning by listing what was important to each of us for our day and where those priorities aligned. In our case: the ceremony, music and food came out on top so we knew that this was where we wanted to focus our time, energy and budget. We did a lot of research into what we wanted within our means and luckily we are also at an age where lots of our friends are getting married so we were grateful for their expertise and advice (some of whose ideas we may have borrowed too..!!)”
How did you find the planning process with Tredudwell team?
“Really easy. From the off, Hayley and the team were very communicative and answered any questions or concerns we had really quickly which gave us a lot of peace of mind. They gave us a really helpful document with recommendations for all suppliers, accommodation and travel which was invaluable for us and our guests.”
What did you eat and drink?
“Beetham Food was our first and only choice. Jamie Beetham had catered for Eleanor’s sister Harriet’s wedding and the food was incredible so we knew we wanted to book him straight away. He was fantastic and listened to all our requests and ideas and created an amazing menu. Jamie supplied all the food throughout the day: we had a variety of canapés for the reception (all too good to mention), a wonderful spread of sharing platters for our wedding breakfast and then Cornish pasties and the biggest cheeseboard you could ever wish for for the evening. The quality of the food was commented on by all guests and Jamie and his team’s service was impeccable.”
Did you enjoy having the freedom to personalise your catering options?
“Yes, absolutely. We had guests with various dietary requirements so we loved being able to design a menu of seasonal Cornish produce with Jamie.”
What kind of personal touches did you love adding to your wedding at Tredudwell?
“Tredudwell is a brilliant empty canvas that you can do anything with. We knew we didn’t want to detract too much from its natural beauty but also wanted to make our day as personalised as possible. We had photos displayed around the main space spanning our twelve year relationship, and also pictures of us with each of our guests to celebrate our history with everyone present. Both being actors, we have been fortunate to have been cast in several shows together (thanks to our friend Sarah) and so each table was named after a show we had been in together. Our friend Luke is an Oyster master (!) so had kindly donated hundreds of oyster shells to us for DIY purposes and Eleanor and her sisters decorated each shell with guests names for keepsakes. We had a table with photographs of our parents’ and grandparents’ wedding days to celebrate the love stories that came before ours and a Polaroid camera to capture all our guests for our wedding book. Confetti was dried and gifted by family and friends and elderflower cordial homemade by a family friend for our soft drinks. The whole ceremony was extremely personal too with Eleanor’s childhood cello teacher playing her down the aisle to Gabriel’s Oboe, one of our favourite pieces of music which Eleanor arranged for string trio. All the music that featured throughout the day was personalised too: our favourite film soundtracks at the church whilst guests entered, swing music at the reception and specific playlists for each stage of the party curated by Ryan. We wanted it to reflect ourselves and our personalities and we think it was all these details combined that helped to make our day so special and full of love.”
What was your favourite part of your wedding day?
“Don’t ask us that! It was all perfect. But marrying each other and doing so in front of our favourite people in the world is unbeatable.”
Did you have any challenges when you were planning your wedding? How did you overcome them?
“We were apart for four months whilst Eleanor was away for work just before the wedding so it was tricky planning some of the details whilst in separate parts of the country. This led to some things being left to later than we maybe would have liked. But all in all, communication is everything and with the help of our loved ones we managed to get it all done in time.”
What is one piece of advice you would share with newly engaged couples who are about to embark on their planning journey at Tredudwell?
“Do it your way: your wedding day should be authentic to who you are as a couple. Don’t feel pressured by what you see online or what you think others might see as important. Don’t lose sight of why you’re there in the first place which is to make the ultimate commitment to each other. It’s a really special time – one of our closest friends told us to make the most of being engaged as it’s such a short period in the span of your life so just enjoy the lead up and make the planning fun too. Good luck and remember that there are no stupid questions!”
What was the weather like on your wedding day?
“We chose September on the basis that it’s usually dependably warm and dry in Cornwall during this time of year but boy were we proved wrong in the lead up. Spells of torrential rain, strong winds and pretty darn cold too! The wedding morning also started out like this but by the time we were leaving for the Church the heavens cleared and we were blessed with hot sunshine. This meant our guests could be outside playing lawn games and enjoying the views as we had always hoped. A perfect day (but we would say that whatever the weather had been!) Weather is really the only thing out of your control so don’t stress about it and try and surrender to any outcome so you’ll have fun either way.”
Did you book wedding suppliers or did you go DIY?
The flowers
“Living in Cornwall, Eleanor’s dad Graham is a passionate gardener in his spare time, so was willing to take on the challenge of growing the flowers for our wedding. We chose seeds together that would flower for September and along with some dried statice florals from our family friends, we ordered wholesale stems from St Mellion Flowers to add to our bouquets. Eleanor and her bridesmaids had a really special time the eve before our wedding creating their own bouquets which added another personal touch to our day.”
The wedding cake
“We actually had three separate cakes! Ryan’s mum Ros made us a traditionally iced fruit cake with a family recipe. Eleanor’s mum Sarah made us a gluten free lemon drizzle with naked icing and we had a three tier cake professionally baked by Tina’s Cakes For All Occasions (based in Liskeard), also covered with naked icing. Our dear friend Lucinda beautifully decorated all of the above cakes with a variety of brightly coloured flowers to fit our colour scheme.”
Did you have a wedding planner?
“No, we wanted to plan everything ourselves to save money and make it as personalised as possible. However we loved that Tredudwell offered an on-the-day co-ordinator: Hayley was incredible in this regard. It made all the difference for us to relax about timings on the day and we knew we were in safe hands.”
Who was your photographer?
“Beth Cath Key – a recommendation from Eleanor’s sister Molly (one of her Maids of Honour). We loved her relaxed and kind approach and of course her shots. Really natural, un-pretentious and full of character. An engagement shoot was also included in the price which we appreciated as it meant we got to meet her and get comfortable in front of the camera. She is based in Exeter but was willing to travel and we couldn’t recommend her enough.”
Videographer?
“It is worth mentioning that we never intended to have a videographer for our wedding. But about six weeks out, we had a change of heart and saw Matilda Björklund had posted about her videography on a Cornish Wedding Facebook group we were part of. Eleanor had been to a wedding where she’d been the photographer and loved her manner and work so we were thrilled that she was free to join us. She mixed camcorder footage with more modern DSLR/Mirrorless style footage which was exactly the style of videographer we wanted. The result was a vintage/home-video style capturing of the day which was absolutely perfect and we are incredibly glad we decided to invest in this and her.”
We love that Eleanor and Ryan went for home grown flowers and handmade details! It really created the spirit of a rustic barn wedding in Cornwall so beautifully. Our wedding barn offers a simple backdrop that lets personal touches shine, creating a space that feels warm and lived in rather than styled for show.
Final words
We couldn’t be more thrilled with Eleanor’s five star review on Google!
We had the most incredible wedding day at Tredudwell Manor. Hayley and the team went above and beyond to help us in the lead up and on the day. It was the perfect setting for what we wanted from our special day and we wouldn’t have changed a thing. We are so glad we got to share so much of Eleanor’s beautiful home county with all our loved ones. Thanks so much, Eleanor and Ryan x
Eleanor and Ryan’s Cornwall barn wedding is a lovely reminder that the most memorable days are shaped by intention and care. If you’re looking for a barn wedding venue in Cornwall where your celebration can feel unhurried and truly your own, we would love to welcome you to Tredudwell Manor. Please get in touch to check our availability here.
Love,
All at Tredudwell x
Find their suppliers here:
Catering: Jamie Beetham
Music Band: Jive Tiger
Photographer: Beth Cath Key
Videographer: Matilda Björklund
Florist: Home designed – home grown by bride’s father Graham. With extra wholesale flowers from St Mellion flowers
Hair & Makeup: @emilieshairandmakeup
Wedding outfit supplier/designer:
Eleanor – Bridal Gossip
Ryan – Suit supply
Cake Supplier – Tina’s cakes for all occasions (baker) and Lucinda Jones (friend/decorator)
