Set against the stunning coastal backdrop of Wembury, Plymouth, Josephine and Andrew celebrated their love in a day that was simple, meaningful, and beautiful. The couple, who first met through their local rugby club, tied the knot on 5th July 2025 at Saint Werburgh’s Church, the very place where they shared their first date. Andrew proposed at the top of Palatine Hill overlooking Rome, a perfectly romantic moment that marked the beginning of their next chapter together. They share with us their planning journey, the special details, and the meaningful moments that made the day uniquely theirs.
“When Josephine and I started planning our wedding, we knew we didn’t want something over the top; we wanted a day that truly felt like us. We’d been friends for years before falling in love, so every decision was about celebrating that journey and the family we’ve built together with our seven amazing children. Between work, rugby and family life, we planned everything in the quiet moments over cups of tea, shared laughs and the odd dad joke. Choosing hymns for the church felt special, grounding the day in love, hope and gratitude.
Although the day itself was perfect, we later laughed when we realised that we had both forgotten the flowers, completely unbeknownst to each other. It was such a “us” moment, perfectly imperfect. We didn’t chase perfection; we focused on what mattered: our vows, our family, and the joy of becoming husband and wife. When the day finally came, it was everything we’d hoped for: heartfelt, relaxed and filled with love. It felt like the start of forever, and it was.”
“Choosing our wedding venue was one of the easiest and most meaningful decisions we made. We were married in the beautiful church by the beach, the very place where we had our first date. From the moment we stood there together, looking out across the sand and sea, it just felt right. It held our past, our present and now, our future. The church itself is surrounded by stunning coastal views, with a peaceful charm that made the whole day feel calm and timeless. It was everything we’d hoped for, simple, heartfelt and full of meaning. Standing there, saying our vows where our story first began, felt like everything had come full circle. It truly was the perfect place to start forever.”
“We held our wedding reception at the Staddiscombe Function Centre, which was absolutely perfect for us. It offered plenty of space for all our nearest and dearest, and the team there made sure everything ran seamlessly. The atmosphere was relaxed, joyful and full of love, exactly what we had hoped for.”
“The dress I found, although it didn’t initially scream out to me on the hanger, when I tried it on, I just knew it was the one for me and my special day. I would say to try on different styles of dress, even if it’s not what you imagined, as they look totally different when tried on. We hired our suits from Moss and found a good coloured suit to complement our colour scheme. So much so, Andrew bought the suit after the wedding to wear for future occasions. Finding the bridesmaids’ dresses was more difficult, due to the different ages and heights of our girls; however, we found dresses from different outlets that complemented their ages and each other.”
“We couldn’t have asked for a better team of people to help bring our wedding to life. Each of them played a part in making the day truly unforgettable. Our photographer, Ewelina from Otem Photography, was simply incredible. After being let down by our original photographer close to the wedding, Ewelina stepped in without hesitation and completely exceeded our expectations. Her calm, creative energy put us at ease, and she captured every special moment beautifully. We’ll be forever grateful to her.
We travelled in style to our special day thanks to West Wedding Cars, who provided two stunning cars that added such a touch of elegance to the day. Our music was provided by the talented Fantastic with Fizz, a violin and guitar duo who played during our ceremony and added such a romantic, personal touch. Their music set the perfect tone from the very first moment.”
“We had a two-tier cake which was made by a local baker, Jenni from Little Home Bakery. She created something both beautiful and mouth-watering, in lemon drizzle and chocolate (our favourite) it was a real showstopper and tasted every bit as good as it looked. For the flowers, we had artificial bouquets and buttonholes by Tina Bloom Boutique (which we both forgot on the day), but they were absolutely perfect. We went to our local market to get the altar flowers, which we used for our top table. Petals Florist created a stunning half-real, half-faux arrangement that looked incredible all day and beyond.
For our stationery, we designed using our colour scheme, keeping them simple yet elegant and printed on textured paper our save-the-dates / invites / thank you cards with matching stickers to seal the envelopes. For our wedding favours, we used two Charities close to our hearts – Alderhey Children’s Hospital and Wirral Hospice St. John’s. We paid a donation to the charities, which supplied us with pin badges and teddies for the young children.”
What was the best part of your wedding day?
“The best part of the day is cliché, but becoming husband and wife. Saying our vows in front of our close family and friends in one of our favourite places and then partying.”
What are your words of wisdom for anyone else getting married?
“We would say do the day how you would want it, and no matter how much you get pulled in different directions, remember the day is about the two of you. The day goes so quickly and is over in a flash, so try to spend as much time as you can together throughout the day/evening.”
What are you most looking forward to about being married?
“Growing old together and completing life.”
The Team / Romantic Coastal Church Wedding at Saint Werburgh’s, Plymouth
Photographer Otem Photography @otemphotography
Venue Wembury Church / Dress, shoes and accessories Two For Joy Bridal / Florist Petals Florist and Tina Bloom Boutique / Hair and Makeup Make up by Emma Collyer / Cake Jenni Little Home Bakery / Music Fantastic with Fizz
IF YOU LOVED THIS ROMANTIC CHURCH WEDDING, PIN IT FOR LATER
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