Arun & Leena’s Micro Wedding at Hayne Devon

It’s difficult for me to even know where to start with this wedding; I could wax lyrical about ALL the fashion for both the bride and groom. Or perhaps the explosion of colour in the rustic flowers and imagery. Or the venue Hayne, who we adore wholeheartedly – a simple, rustic and authentic retreat nestled in Devon.

Instead, I think I’ll let the newlyweds take it from here…

Leena says…

The dream for our wedding was always a small outdoor ceremony. We loved the idea of a country garden rustic wedding but due to the unpredictable British weather, this was quickly dismissed. We had planned on having the ceremony abroad, where weather could be guaranteed. However, the Covid-19 pandemic meant this was just not possible.

We revisited the idea of having a wedding closer to home when restrictions began to be lifted. Arun grew up in Devon so it was natural for us to begin our search here and so we stumbled across Hayne. It was everything we were looking for. The rural setting and views are so peaceful and secluded. The beautiful outdoor walled garden where the ceremony would take place was everything we imagined. To top it off we had exclusive hire of the venue which meant it was only us and our 14 guests staying on site, giving our wedding an even more intimate, relaxed and cosy feel.

We both have Asian heritage and I love Asian culture. We even spent a few months travelling the Continent, so it was important to me that it featured in our day. My Indian wedding outfit was a big part of that. I loved the fit and modern style of Priti Sahni’s lengha design. The two-piece outfit was comfortable to wear and made me feel so special. The off-white colour with antique gold embroidery was a perfect match for Arun’s Zebel Bespoke bottle green tweed suit. I don’t wear a lot of make up so I was delighted with my natural, fresh make up by Maddie Austin. It didn’t feel too heavy and lasted all day. My soft up do wedding hair, complete with curls, braids and a flower crown was styled by Devon Wedding Hair. She perfectly accomplished the boho chic look I was going for.

Our wedding stylist, Rebecca Marie Weddings, did an amazing job of pulling together our vision of rustic, floral décor for our wedding breakfast. The highlight of the décor was most definitely the impressive suspended floral installation above the dining table. We were so pleased with how spectacular it looked, better than we could ever have imagined.

All the flowers used were grown in the Hayne garden with this season seeing an abundance of beautiful dahlias. It gave a great cohesiveness to the wedding. Milla from Hayne is a very talented florist and she was a big part in bringing all our floral arrangements together. All flowers, from the flower crowns, bouquet, cake, down to the floral installation were grown on site by Milla.

It’s very much a family affair at Hayne, with Milla’s on site floristry and Tim and his band, ‘The Hayne Hot Band’ including Pete and Glen, providing the music. We even walked into the ceremony to the loveliest live acoustic version of our favourite song, sung by Milla and Tim’s sweet daughter Martha.

Our wedding catering was another area where we were keen to include our love of Asia. Our caterer Rhiannon (From Land & Sea) did a great job of our Asian fusion menu. The shredded duck, chicken satay and fish cake canapés went down a storm. Our mains were served to the table sharing style which added to the relaxed, intimate feel of our wedding and meant our guests could try different things. Our beautiful semi-naked wedding cake was by Little Buttercup Cakery. It was actually made up of two different tiers, a chocolate tier and a Victoria sponge tier. The showstoppers were the absolutely stunning hand painted macarons we had alongside the cake.

We love the amazing memories that have been so well captured by Emma Barrow. The pictures are so wonderfully natural and in the moment. She made us feel comfortable and relaxed throughout the day. We’ll love looking back on the photos with fondness for years to come.

Best part of the day

My favourite part of the entire day was the first look with Arun before our ceremony. We had our first looks in private, away from our guests before the ceremony as well as a drink together to begin our celebrations. Until that point we had both been in planning mode, a little stressed and anxious. I felt myself completely relax when I saw him. The planning was all done, the sun was shining, we were about to have the outdoor ceremony we always wanted. All that was left was to say I do and enjoy every single moment.

From one bride to another…

I have two pieces of advice for anyone planning a wedding. Firstly don’t let yourself get too disappointed or dwell too much if any of your original plans go awry. It will force you to seek an alternative and it’s quite possible it was the better option all along.

Secondly, when the day arrives it will be so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of the day. Make sure you take a second, breathe, appreciate the time, money and effort you put into making this happen. You’ll be grateful for taking this small moment when you look back on the day.

Venue, Flowers + Band Hayne Devon

Photography Emma Barrow

Styling + Décor Rebecca Marie Weddings and Events

Dress Priti Sahni

Bridal Accessories Bees

Hair Stylist Devon Wedding Hair

Makeup Artist Maddie Austin

Groom/Groomsmen Suits Zebel Bespoke

Cake Little Buttercup Cakery

Catering From Land & Sea

Film Baxter and Ted

With thanks to ‘Hayne Garden Flowers’ and ‘The Hayne Hot Band’