Beautiful Cornwall and Devon Beach Wedding Vibes

There are so many things to love about beach weddings! Just imagine saying ‘I do’ under the warm sun with a backdrop of turquoise sea and beautiful blue sky listening to wavs crashing on the shore. Then paddling romantically in the sea, stroll around the beach, watch the sunset with a cocktail in your hand and dance the night away, maybe even outdoors under the stars, festival style. If that sounds like your idea of a perfect wedding day, then beach weddings are for you. I have made a collection of some of my favourite coastal weddings around Cornwall and Devon from the last couple of years to get you inspired.

I have also put together a few planning tips for your wedding by the sea. Collected from feedback of past couples and my observations to help you plan your dream beach wedding.

Why choose a beach wedding…

If you want a relaxed, informal do, especially one that stretches over a few days, beach weddings are great. There can also be less planning involved for your decoration as the stunning backdrop often needs little to add. And they're easy to keep small and intimate. Couples often keep their beach weddings relatively small and intimate to give you the option to stay for a bit longer and you can have your wedding and honeymoon all rolled into one! Just make sure you send your Save The Dates out early so people have time to plan.

They are also perfect if you don’t want any guests at all. Many of my real brides opted for elopement weddings, a little romantic get away for just the two of you. There are some stunning elopement and small wedding venues here in Cornwall which also offer boutique accommodation for a truly romantic runaway wedding.

Dream Dresses for Beach Weddings

The bride’s dress should reflect the beach wedding’s relaxed and casual atmosphere. Lightweight and flowing fabrics like chiffon or tulle create a stunning beachy effect. Beach Weddings also lend themselves perfectly to an effortless boho look. Mos importantly a beach wedding dress should be relaxed and super easy to wear, especially if you're splashing in the sea or playing games on the sand.

For your accessories, an effortless ‘just pulled together’ look is amazing for a day on the beach. Accessories that work well can include a delicate headpiece, bohemian-styled jewelry, and a bouquet made of loosely arranged tropical flowers and greens.

Think a relaxed up do or a twisting hair vine with shell hair pins. Or go for the wavy beach hair look. If your ceremony is actually on the beach, a short and simple veil that won't trail in the sand is a good idea. Or skip the veil altogether. Regarding shoes, keep it comfortable and ditch the high heels, they are not the most practical shoes to wear on a sandy beach! Sandals, glamorous flip flops or even barefoot is the way to go. To be honest most of my brides ditched their shoes soon after the ceremony and ended up barefoot the rest of the day. Also tell your guests as sometimes people don’t plan their outfit accordingly.

For the guys, think relaxed linen suits or even just linen trousers or shorts with casual short sleeve shirts. It can be quite hot when it’s a sunny day, so avoid thick tweed suits etc. , the linen or any light fabrics will keep you cool in the summer breeze.

Tell your guests to keep it casual too and to bring sunscreen, hats and comfortable shoes with them

Sea inspired Decor

Another bonus of beach weddings is that your surroundings are so beautiful, you won’t need much decor. A colour theme incorporating the whites and blues of the scenery is lovely and add some loosely arranged local Cornish plants or integrate some tropical flowers and greens. You can so easily create your own DIY beach-themed wedding decor, such as driftwood centerpieces, conch-shell candle holders, and starfish garlands and sprinkle some shells on the tables.

Beach themed Cake

No wedding reception is complete without a cake, and for a beach wedding, the cake should reflect the seaside setting. Opt for a beach-themed cake, such seashells or or beach themed cake topping. You can even customize it to fit your colour palette.

Beach Games

Entertain your guests with beach games, like a game of Rounders, Giant Jenga, Limbo dancing, Pétanque…and think about the little ones, get some buckets and spates, so they can build sand castles.

Choose the right Photographer

When searching for a photographer, it’s crucial to find one who has a candid, natural style and experience in shooting beach weddings. Look through their portfolio and be sure to inquire about their experience with relaxed style weddings. This will give you confidence in their ability to capture your special day in the best possible light.

With your couple portraits, have fun with it and be playful! Walk hand-in-hand along the shoreline, take a dip in the ocean, or include a candid moment with your guests. Whatever you choose, your pictures will be sure to bring a smile to your face each time you look at them.

If you hate your photo taken, which most of my couples do to be honest. Consider adding an engagement shoot to your wedding photography package. This way you can get comfortable with your photographer and practice ahead of your big day. This will also help you get to know your photographer better and develop a relationship and trust, which can help you feel more at ease on the day of your wedding. Plus you get some extra shots you can use as invitations or integrate in your decoration.

If you would like to get some more inspiration from a Boho DIY details wedding at Pohawnfort, please visit RockMyWedding to view a feature of Katie & Alex beautiful relaxed day there, also featured on my blog

And if you are planning a coastal wedding any time soon, please don’t hesitate to contact me for availability. I get booked up very fast for the summer months, so be quick!

Engagement Session Crantock Cornwall // Gemma & Adam

A few from Gemma and Adam’s engagement session at Crantock a few weeks back. Gamma and Adam are getting married in July at Knightor Winery. They wanted a little practise before their big day, so we arranged an engagement shoot to ease their nerves of getting photographed. I love meeting couples this way, it really helps to get to know each other a bit and how we work together before the wedding day.

Here is a little taster from the session…

Cornwall Engagement Photography - Holywell Bay // Dan & Imogen

It was a pleasure to meet Dan and Imogen for their engagement photos a few weeks back. We went to one of my favourite local beaches, Holywell Bay. This beautiful Cornish gem is one of my top go to locations for photoshoots. Dan and Imogen don’t like their photos taken and wanted a bit of practice before their wedding in May. We had a great time and I’m quite sure they realised that it’s pretty easy to create some unposed, natural portraits… I can’t wait to shoot their wedding soon…

So great to meet you guys! Roll n May…

Why do I need Engagement Photos

Are you still wondering why you need engagement photos or if you should add an engagement shoot to your package? As a documentary /reportage style wedding photographer a pre wedding photoshoot creates a conflict as it obviously doesn’t fall in the ‘documentary/reportage photography’ category. It is more a planned photoshoot. Well, the couple portrait session and your family photos are the only part of the day which don’t fall under the documentary category. And I guess the couple portrait session is the most ‘feared’ part by people who don’t like their photos taken. However, I approach this shoot slightly different and you will soon see it’s nothing to be afraid of but rather to enjoy.

Most of my couples never had their photos taken by a professional photographer or hate their photos taken by anyone. Don’t worry, we keep the photos as natural as possible and you can get to see how to create beautiful portraits without posing. A great way to ease your nerves before the big day! It will be a fun and relaxing experience. One of the most important things to create stunning natural portraits is to be able to relax and be yourself. After all, engagement photos are meant to capture who you are as a couple, not just what you look like. During the shoot you will get more comfortable and relaxed at getting your photos taken. And the more relaxed you feel on the big day, the better your wedding photos will be!

You will also get to know your photographer and I get a chance to get to know you. In some cases there will be bit of guidance by me such as “hey guys, having a hug over there would be great” or “ run down the dunes holding hands’ or some general guidance on how or where best to stand for a good photo. Or some nonsense which usually comes out of me and hopefully makes you laugh! You will see the way I work ‘posing’ will be fun.

Because we can be flexible on a date, we can choose the right weather and location. You can add some beach photos to your woodland wedding and vice versa or we can get some sunset photos which might not happen on your wedding day as you can’t plan the weather ahead. I don’t know how many times I get asked about including sunset photos for beach weddings and I’m always worried for the couple that the sunset might not be as great as imagined or non existing on their wedding day. Maybe you want to visit the place you got engaged, even better, I love it if the location has a special meaning for you. You can also bring your dog(s) along, or are you more of a cat person, they are welcome too. I haven’t photographed a horse during an engagement shoot yet, if I could, this would make my day! Or bring your children along and make it into a mini family session. So many options, just give me a shout and we can discuss ideas.

With a relaxed, enjoyable engagement shoot you can create a series of gorgeous images to last a lifetime.

They also make great invitation cards or you might want to integrate them in your wedding decoration.

I believe so strongly in the benefits of engagement photoshoots that I include them as standard in my top full day wedding package.

And for any other full day packages you get a massive discount!

Oh and you can of course book a pre wedding shoot with me if you haven’t booked a wedding package. Maybe you’re visiting Cornwall and want some awesome photos of the two of you but your wedding is already booked elsewhere with another photographer. Not a problem, you can still book with me for some pre pre wedding photos. There are some stunning locations here in Cornwall, beautiful beaches, little rocky coves, cliff tops, ancient woodland and old mine buildings…the list goes on, I have a list of stunning locations for you to choose from.

Please contact me for availability and pricing

Engagement Photography Crantock Cornwall // Jess & Conor

A couple of weeks back I met Jess and Conor late afternoon at Crantock beach for their engagement photos. I decided to do a late afternoon photoshoot as I love the winter light this time of year. We got lucky to find a half decent dry day amongst the recent storms we had! They brought their two adorable dachshunds along with them. They had the best time ever running around like maniacs and digging holes. In fact, they moved so fast that I thought I struggled a bit to get a decent photo of them, but to be honest I’m quite pleased with the results. What do you think?

If you like what you see and thinking about getting some practice in before your big day, you recently got engaged or just want some nice photos of you, please contact me for further information and availability for an engagement/ portrait session. I lived in Cornwall over 20 years and can take you to some great spots.

Engagement Photo Session Perran Sands Cornwall // Neva & John

I had the pleasure to meet the lovely Neva and John for their engagement photo session back in September. They were on holidays here in Cornwall and stayed near Perranporth. They wanted to organise a photoshoot whilst in the county and had chosen the Perranporth area for it. We decided to head to Perran Sands as the beach there is usually a little quieter and it’s one of my favourite locals. I’m super pleased we were blessed with a beautiful golden evening light too. Here is a little teaser!

Engagement Photo Session at Holywell Bay // Phoebe & Chris

I had the pleasure of finally meeting Phoebe and Chris. It’s been a while since they booked their wedding with me in July at The Green in Cornwall. They have brought their cute little dachshund miniature poodle cross ‘Whitley’ along for their engagement shoot at Holywell Bay. They booked a pre wed shoot with me as they are both not very confident in front of the camera and wanted some practise before their big day. I hope I could ease their nerves as my shoots are not about posing but rather having fun and going for a relaxed walk on the beach whilst I’m snapping along. Well, I might point you in the right direction sometimes if I see a nice composition, but most importantly it’s creating an atmosphere to put you at ease and relax.

So here you go, a few of my favourites of the gorgeous three!

Engagement Photography at Lanhydrock, Cornwall // Leanne + Ross

Leanne and Ross are getting married at the Green Cornwall next year. They came down for the weekend to go to a taster session there to choose their wedding meal. Exciting times!

So we met up at Lanhydrock for a coffee to go through their wedding day and for an engagement shoot. Leanne and Ross don’t like their photo taken, like most of the couples who book with me. Do they decided to book a pre - wedding photoshoot with me to see how I work and to get used to be behind the Lens. We sat in the cafe and were waiting for the rain to ease off a little to venture out for a stroll in Lanhydrock’s woodland. They brought their adorable cockerpoo ‘Ruby’ with them. I wish she could come to the wedding, but only 1 year old she is very excitable and Leanne is worried she might jump up her dress with her muddy paws. I still hope they change their minds and bring her along for their special day, she would look too cute with a bow tie on!

So here you go, I picked a few of my favourites from the day, I just wish I took more of Ruby, but she was too busy messing in the undergrowth and getting herself muddy...

If you are in two minds if you should book and engagement photography session with me, maybe this article ‘engagement photos - are they worth it?’ I wrote for Lusty Glaze will help you to decide.

To book an engagement session with me just contact me for further details. If you have a wedding booked with me I can even offer you a discount.

Engagement Photoshoot on Perranporth Beach // James + Rachel

I can’t tell you enough how much I’m looking forward to shooting Rachel and Jame’s wedding at Tenderway Farm next year! It sounds like just the kind of wedding I love photographing so much, a relaxed style weekend with friends and family in Cornwall. This venue has also been on my bucket list since quite a while, so extra bonus! I met the two for their pre wedding consultation in Perranporth. Jame’s grew up here, so they wanted a few photos on Perranporth beach to ease their nerves before the big day. We were so lucky as it was a sunny day sandwiched in between all the rain we had here recently in Cornwall. The late winter light is super special on a sunny day this time of year. I would say this shoot was literally cast in gold!

Here you go, a few of my favourite photos from this session

If you are in two minds if you should book and engagement photography session with me, maybe this article ‘engagement photos - are they worth it?’ I wrote for Lusty Glaze will help you to decide.

To book an engagement session with me just contact me for further details. If you have a wedding booked with me I can even offer you a discount.

Cornwall Engagement Photographer on Perranporth Beach // Chelsea + Dan

I met Chelsea and Dan last week at the Watering Hole in Perranporth to discuss their wedding day next year at Lusty glaze beach and take some engagement photos on the beach. They had a week down here in Cornwall and are lucky enough to stay in Dan’s father’s holiday apartment overlooking Perranporth beach.

After a coffee we ventured out for a little taster photoshoot or some may call it engagement or pre-wedding photoshoot. They just wanted to get a feel for how it’s like to be in front of a camera before their big day. Well, we got a bit unlucky as it was dry during our meeting and as soon as we ventured on the beach the cornish drizzle came back.

Nevertheless I love the results and I hope you do too, Chelsea and Dan! Here are a few favourites from our session…

To book an engagement session in Cornwall just contact me for further details. If you have a wedding booked with me I can even offer you a discount.