Classic, timeless style for Ellie and Will at Rockbeare Manor, with Martin Dabek Photography
Some wedding websites publish AI-generated content. We don’t. The best thing about wedding blogs is that the words come from the lovely couples we feature, and their supplier reviews and wedding stories are written from the heart. Today we’re featuring lovely Ellie & Will, who married at Devon’s beautiful Rockbeare Manor, and chose recommended Rockbeare Manor wedding photographer Martin Dabek Photography to capture their day. The ceremony and celebrations are fabulous, the decor is perfect, the groom and bride look incredible, and the details are enchanting. (A personal highlight: their adorable pooch Cooper in miniature, on the wedding cake with buttercream on his nose!) As always, Martin Dabek has photographed the day beautifully, so it’s wonderful to start today’s blog with Ellie & Will’s lovely review for their brilliant Devon wedding photographer!
Wedding photography
Photographer’s website
Rockbeare Manor recommended wedding photographer Martin Dabek
Rockbeare Manor wedding photographer review
We really enjoyed working with Martin throughout our wedding process. From our initial phone call, through the planning meeting and the wedding itself, Martin was a joy to communicate with. On the day, he put everyone at ease which meant we got some amazing group shots. I think the pictures speak for themselves and I would highly recommend Martin.
Ellie & Will’s Wedding Story
Best wedding moment or memory
We had the best day so there are so many we could chose from; it’s hard to pick just one! I think one of the best things was having all of our friends and family together in one room to celebrate. That’s the really unique thing about a wedding and everyone had a great time partying the night away (the band were amazing!). We also really enjoyed the quiet moments we had to ourselves after the ceremony and whilst on our sweetheart table. We also really enjoyed the moment we saw each other at the start of the ceremony. We both had all the butterflies!
Tell us anything you did differently – any NEW traditions (or if you had none at all!)
We decided to mix up the order of the day a bit and cut the wedding cake after the ceremony. Sometimes I find at weddings that everyone has had a bit too much to drink by the time the cake is cut in the evening and people kind of forget to eat it, so we wanted to do it earlier in the day to ensure it was a special moment.
We also decided to serve afternoon tea (sandwiches and scones) instead of canapes during the reception (along with champagne, pimms and beer) and that meant the cake could be served as part of the afternoon tea. Again, sometimes I find canapes aren’t that filling and I wanted to ensure our guests were well fed. Everyone commented on how good the afternoon tea was!
We also decided to do a champagne tower before the wedding breakfast which was super fun! We also requested a black tie dress code with all the men in tuxes which really suited the venue.
Wedding suppliers
Videographer name + review
We used Devon Wedding Films and absolutely loved the videos that were captured on the day. You wouldn’t have even known Matt was there but he got some incredible footage that we will treasure forever.
Wedding venue name + review
Devon wedding venue Rockbeare Manor – Cannot recommend them highly enough. The team there are amazing, efficient and truly experts at what they do. No ask was too much and we really enjoyed working with them throughout the process.
Florist name + review
Floral Art Devon – again, I cannot recommend them highly enough. I was struggling to find inspiration on pinterest of exactly what I had pictured in my head and after one phone call, they immediately understood what I was asking for. The florals on the day looked incredible!
Hair + makeup name + review
I used Becky Flynn for make-up and Jessica Faye for hair. Both ladies were an absolute joy to work with both for the trials and on the day itself. I loved how my make-up and hair looked and I know my bridesmaids were really pleased too. They both brought a calming presence, gave loads of great advice on what to eat, when to eat, timings for the morning, helped rearranged furniture to get better pictures etc. Would recommend!
Wedding cake maker name + review
We used Sweet Satisfaction Cakes. Nicole was so lovely and a pleasure to work with.
We initially met on the phone (as we aren’t based in Devon) and Nicole was very accommodating when we requested to come for a cake tasting on a specific weekend that we were down for a wedding planning weekend. She perfectly captured what it was we asked for and when we asked if we could put a small model of our dog on the side of the cake, she was more than happy to help. The cake also tasted fantastic!
Stationery designer’s name + review
We used Lucca Studios for our stationery. Laura is a pleasure to work with and very skilled at what she does. Our table numbers were Scottish islands which she hand sketched and they looked incredible. She also gave us great advice on the colours we ended up choosing, what would work well together etc.
Wedding entertainment
Big shout out to the band. Helix and the Hounds were incredible, everyone loved them and we danced all night!
Wedding wear
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
I wore a timeless and classic wedding dress with a long veil, silver jewellery and light blue heels. My husband wore a black tux.
Dress or suit shop name + review
My dress was a custom Suzanne Neville dress which I got from Ellie Sanderson bridal boutique in Beaconsfield. My veil was also from here. My shoes were just from Next! I am really tall and don’t often wear heels so as much as I would have liked to buy some designer wedding shoes, it just wasn’t worth it (and you couldn’t really see them under my dress anyway). My husband got his tux and shoes from Moss Bros
Styling and personal touches
We wanted to inject some colour into our wedding breakfast so decided to hire in table cloths, chargers and plates and I’m really glad we did this as the room looked amazing. My brother also did all of the MC announcements on the day which was a great way to include him.
Wedding ceremony and readings
We had a very traditional ceremony that was short and sweet. It was unfortunately raining on our wedding day but one memory I have from the day is during the pre-ceremony interview, the registrar said “a wet knot is harder to untie” and that is something I’ll remember forever. During the ceremony my husband’s Dad gave a reading called “A Marriage Made for Two” which compares a successful marriage to riding a tandem bicycle which was very personal to us as we are both keen cyclists.
“A Marriage Made for Two”
A successful marriage can learn a lot from bicycle riding.
You should promise each other that you will not be fair weather riders,
but venture out together in the wind and the rain.
Only by braving the storms as a team will you reap the rewards when the sunshine arrives.
Look after each other.
A well oiled bike will run smoothly and change gear easily.
Marriage is like a tandem…keep pedalling or the one at the front shouts at you!
You should promise each other to not only enjoy new adventures and explorations,
but appreciate the same old routes you know and love.
Marriage is a promise to each other to endure the climbs,
so that you may chase the swoops and swerves of perfect singletrack.
The journey may be long and may have hills ahead,
but if you climb together with love and passion,
you will be able to achieve everything you both desire!
Wishing you all the best from the start line of the greatest endurance event of your lives.
Good luck and may each lap be a great adventure.
Wedding planner name + review
We used Devon wedding planners Hyland Weddings & Events and I can’t recommend Natalie and her team enough. We used their styling service and like with our other suppliers, they are truly experts in what we do and completely understood the vibe we were after. Natalie is so organised, so fun to work with and her team on the day were so efficient in getting everything set-up and moving flowers around which meant we didn’t have to think about any of that.
I’m saving some of my favourite images from Ellie & Will’s wedding to share on instagram later – head on over to @englishweddingblog to see more!
Martin Dabek is a Somerset wedding photographer and a member of English Wedding
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