This groom made three very special requests for his English summer wedding

Personal trainer India and Naval officer Ben wanted a “quintessential English wedding”.

“Timeless, romantic and luxurious,” describes India, 27. “Ben 28 had three main wants for the wedding – to wear his Naval officer’s uniform, have a ‘sword arch’ outside of the church and to choose his own beer … he essentially left the rest to me – I was overjoyed.”

They married at their English summer wedding on September 29, 2018 at St Petrox Church, Dartmouth, followed by a reception Dartington Hall in Devon. “It was a late summer/early autumn wedding so we wanted tones to reflect the season,” says India. “We went for dusky pink and gold colours, and of course men in uniform!”

Having previously worked as a party planner, India took the reins on many tasks herself including making their wedding cake, a doughnut wall and place cards. “I wanted to put my own stamp on the day … and it saves money,” smiles the bride.

The couple finished the evening with a sparkler tunnel and a surprise fireworks display. “We finished the evening with a bang!” laughs India.

Photos courtesy of Barney Walters.

“My dress had 17,500 hand-stitched diamonds and pearls on, so it was incredibly sparkly in the low light at the end of the day,” says India.

“Ben trained at the Dartmouth Royal Naval College and so has a big affinity with Dartmouth,” the bride says of the church location.

“We chose him for his incredible ability to capture ‘in the moment’ photos,” India says of their photographer Barney.

“I’d always dreamed of a horse drawn carriage, however our venue was a good 40 minute drive from the church,” laughs India of their car option.

“I made a four-tier lemon sponge cake with vanilla fondant icing,” says India.