Beside the Beautiful Sea

As you may or may not know, my Summer is jam-packed with weddings, the first of which took place on Wednesday by the coast not far from Plymouth. The happy couple: my cousin and her long-term boyfriend (they met at Hull Uni over a decade ago). That's right, my cousin, making it my first family wedding (I can't count my auntie's, although I was a flower girl being only three I don't remember much and probably fell asleep before the party started).

After a slightly cramped 4 hour drive we arrived in Kingsand, our home for two nights. The village of Kingsand (and it's close neighbour Cawsand), is full of colourful and unique buildings each with it's own name, winding narrow streets and plenty of steep hills leading up from the stoney and sandy beaches to the numerous forts dotted around the coast line. Our own cottage, we had one to ourselves, was called Margery Hill Cottage which boasted two sitting areas, a spacious kitchen and of course beautiful views of the sea.

The wedding ceremony itself took place in a tiny little church on top of a hill, and, aside from the vicar being a bit of a grumpy sort, it went very smoothly. But it was the location of the reception afterwards which made the day. Polhawn Fort. Originally built during the 1860s to form part of the coastal defence against Napoleon's invasion, however, the fort never saw any action. It's an awesome stone structure with walls several feet thick, a roof garden, turreted stairs leading to an open plan floor and several bedrooms beneath. The interiors create a sense of occasion but upon going outside you see why it's become a bit of a hotspot for weddings, the views from the  expansive garden are stunning. We were a little exposed to the elements (my hair resembled straw by the time I went inside) but it was worth it for glorious sunshine, champagne and canapes on the lawn, sitting amongst the pretty wild flowers and taking the overgrown and rugged path down to the beach - the definition of picturesque.

After v.good food, three types of pudding (win!), a few peach bellinis and quite a lot of wine it was time to dance the night away. The newly weds also, as the party continued into the morning, presented us guests with a brilliant surprise - a silent disco (this was not in concern for the neighbours, the fort is pretty much isolated, rather for the very young guests and those who'd passed out early) - genius.

Beard also in attendance.