Dave and Danielle’s Love Story

“I love how much he makes me laugh, everything we do turns to fun.
 I think that's the glue to our relationship!”

Sandy toes and salty kisses… the perfect way to describe Dave and Danielle’s romantic coastal inspired wedding. For a couple that is well known for laughing their way through everything, there was no better way to celebrate their love than surrounding their family and friends with lots of sun, fun and laughter.

It all started in April 2008 when they met at Virgin Active East Dorset gym, where they were both working as personal trainers. She fell for his sense of humour (and old Army uniform) and he fell for her eyes (and small gym tops).

Fast-forward four years to a relaxing getaway in Newquay, when during a walk along the cliffs at Little Fistral beach, Dave popped the question, “he hadn’t said anything for a while, I asked if he was OK and he got down on one knee! We celebrated with cigars and champagne”, remembers the bride.

Completely inspired by the beach, they planned their perfect wedding, and this past August 31st, they celebrated the most special day of their lives with a ceremony at Kenwyn Church in Truro, followed by a reception at the Glendorgal Hotel in Newquay. Their guests enjoyed the perfect seaside nuptials, complete with a funny photo booth, dance floor flip-flops, fireworks, beach hut favours, and tasty treats in the form of an ice cream trike and a coastal crepe cart.

As if that wasn’t amazing enough, they also had pre and post wedding festivities! The night before their ceremony they hosted a beach BBQ at Lusty Glaze Beach with a marquee and a game of volleyball, and the Saturday after the wedding Dave and Danielle had a party at Keywest Restaurant on Bournemouth Pier, where they put up a slide show of the wedding photos and had many more celebratory drinks with all the friends that couldn’t make it to the Cornish celebration, and not even the groom's football injury, suffered shortly after the wedding, could put a damper on their happiness.

ASK THE BRIDE

Favourite part of the your experience?

The beginning of our journey, when we were looking for places to have the wedding. We decided to get married in our favourite place, which is where I grew up in Cornwall. I loved making lots of weekend trips to visit the venues. Being shown around hotels, marquees and castles with lots of champagne made it all feel very special.

How did you pick your dress?

This was the hardest thing about the whole experience! I can’t remember the amount of times I said “this is the one”, I loved them all! I live in jeans and flip-flops so I decided to go for a dress that would really make me feel like a bride! It was a Justin Alexander style 8637 and I bought it from Pascali Bridal in Parkstone.

Most special part of the day?

Talking to Dave behind the door on the morning, when he touched my fingers I felt butterflies as if it was our first date, all my nervous feelings went away and I just couldn’t wait to see him at the church!

I also loved the fireworks at the end of the day, they were a perfect way to end the wedding and watching them while cuddling my new husband was the best feeling ever.

Favourite funny moment?

Dave’s speech, when he said we had met at Virgin, and it was obviously misheard around the room!

Best souvenir or keepsake?

I love my ‘Wedding by the Sea’ heart, which was a present from Coastal Creatives, where we hired our coastal bits.

I also absolutely love our cake toppers, they will be displayed somewhere in our house. We wanted our cake to reflect us as a couple and tell our story! The bottom tier was us at the gym, which is where we met and something we are both in to, the middle tier was camping with our tent, which we do a lot in Newquay, and the top tier was on the wedding day.

Did the groom help?

Dave had one job, which was to send the menu options to the chef the week before the wedding. The night before the wedding I found out he had missed out 2 tables, so at the beach BBQ I was going around asking guests if they remembered what they had chosen to eat.

What was your first dance?

Amazed by Lonestar, we chose that song after we heard it in a taxi after a night out, we sang it very loudly to the taxi man and decided it would be our first dance! We didn’t rehearse at all before the wedding so on the day we just rocked from side to side and back and forth, luckily the photos don’t reflect that.

“Dave went body boarding the morning of the wedding, when I kissed him in the church all I could taste was beer and sea water! Sandy toes, Salty kisses was definitely true”