Retorrick Mill wedding in Newquay - "seating plans, set meals and traditions are overrated"

This post will show you how quirky the wonderful Retorrick Mill is! This venue in Cornwall is just incredible and perfectly suited to Becca and Josh’s laid back nature. The venue is full of character and the staff are awesome! Plus the food they cook in house is to die for!!! and the beach is just a little trip away.

Below you will see what what happens when you want to wear odd socks and comfy shoes on your wedding day (because you always do!) have your dog with you on the day (the perfect ring bearer) have a ceremony under the fisheys (you’ll see) and have your fave people stay on site for a couple of nights so that you can spend the day before, day of and day after your wedding, chilling with your friends and fam and celebrating with great food, great live music and a trip to the beach! If this sounds like your ideal wedding, then you will love seeing the photos below and reading Becca and Josh’s story (and PERFECT advice)

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A little chat with Becca…

Your story of how you met and got to this awesome stage in your lives?

We met at a university society meeting. The first words Josh said to me were “it's ok we don't bite” - Great start. So me and my friends sat and talked to Josh and his friends for the evening. A week later I moved accommodation at university and Josh offered to help me move. Whilst walking between houses he told me some interesting and funny stories about uni and his engineer life. A few weeks later Josh invited me for lunch, which he was late to! (he got stuck setting up a music gig apparently!) Lunch turned into coffee which ended with us at mine watching bake off till about 1am. After he left uni in the summer we dated long distance for 2 years with a lot of train rides and skype calls. I moved to Plymouth in my final year and we settled into life living together. In May 2017 he took me for a trip to the moors in the rain and dark (romantic right?!) and proposed at our favorite spot with a haribo ring. Somehow we even managed to have horses all around us. It was so us and so perfect!

What was your favourite part of your wedding?

The food, the atmosphere, the music and of course the ceremony.

Your favourite story/s from the day - The one/s that you will tell when you are really really old?

The one white duck which appears in all the photos and our conversations on whether they have ears or not! The manager leading a conga across the stage and dancing on the tables. One of my bridesmaids excitement of me being out my dress in the evening, meaning that she could be too.

What made you choose your venue for your wedding? 

I don't think there was ever a discussion about the wedding venue, we just kind of knew we wanted it to be at Retorrick Mill. It's a great, quirky and very “us” venue. We love the decor inside, the farmland and the lack of phone signal.

What made you choose the details and theme/styling for your wedding?

We went for a no hassle, no frills, wedding. We don't do the latest trends or styles and we aren't about “things” in life. We wanted a wedding to reflect this, so we chose the rustic/hippy vibe theme. We had purple as the colour scheme as my favorite flower is lavender and Josh's company colours are purple.

What advice do you have for couples planning their wedding?

Don't stress or try to please everyone, it's your day! do whatever you want! invite who you want! and of course don't invite people you don't want! 
Seating plans, set meals and traditions are all overrated, don't get hung up about these things!
Live music and good food are a must!
Spreadsheets! Write down everything you need to buy and set a budget. Max and min amounts and actual spending (including all the little bits) makes life much less stressful.

I love food, music and entertainment They are the some of the best things about weddings! - What food did you have, was it yummy and what did you have to entertain yourselves and your guests?

All the food was from Scott and Babs the in house restaurant, who did food after the ceremony including; sausages, cheese, hummus, breads. Then our main meal buffet was everything from smoked pork, salmon, to herby chicken. We even had garlic bread and pizzas in the evening. All of which was very fresh, local and tasted totally amazing. 

We had a lot of music throughout the day. Walking down the aisle was Butterfly - Mad Dog Mcrea, walking out was Overture of Monty Python's Spamalot, father, daughter dance was Never walk alone - Elvis Presley and First dance was The Answer - Jamie Lawson (who made a little surprise video appearance during the speeches) 

We had live music throughout the day from … 
Wildwood Kin - a rock, folk band, who often feature on radio two
Chris Davis - Who sings kooky, up beat pop covers
Anti-Matador - strong funk vibes, with a deep bass line band

All bands we love and did great sets for us.

A love for your awesome wedding suppliers?

Flowers - Hunny B, Plymouth
Decorations - Becca's fabulous amazing Mum Amanda 
Cake - Becca 
Entertainment - Wildwood Kin, Chris Davis, Antimatador 
Hair - Sophie Davies, Newquay 
Dress - Elaine Rawlings, Truro 
Suits - Skopes 
Food - Scott and Babs 
Venue - Retorrick Mill
Sound engineer - Mark Claxton 
Sound and lighting - NUB Sound, Plymouth
Live Stream - Tom Boulden (NUB Sound)

What were you looking for in your photographer, Why on earth did you choose Jamie Webb as your photographer and what was it like working with Jamie on the day?

Neither me or Josh like having photos taken and we didn't want to spend the wedding day being forced to pose this way or that way.

We didn't want a "photographer" we wanted someone to catch real photos of people throughout the day and Jamie fitted this image.

I found Jamie by accident scrolling on Facebook and I’m very glad I did. After looking at some of his previous wedding photos and meeting him for a cup of tea, it was obvious to us that his style was perfect for our wedding.

Jamie was in communication with us from the day we booked him and was always on hand for advice. On the day he was just like any other guest, enjoying the day and being a part of the action (just with a camera) It was a pleasure to have him at the wedding and we already have people asking when they can see the photos of moments he's caught them in.

Aww Becca, Thank you so much for sharing your story, offering the best advice for laid back couples and for those amazing words about having me as a photographer! Thank you both again for having me too! Your wedding was a blast and I wish I had stayed longer to see the dancing on tables and to eat your pizza! haha. Big loves xxx

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Let’s talk!

If you are planning a laid back wedding like Becca and Josh, then I would absolutely love to hear all about it! Send me a lil message to find out more info about how I can help you remember all of the awesome moments of your day forever!

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