Lexie and Joe's Festival-Style Wedding
Interviews 22.04.2021
Everyone who gets married or celebrates an event at Ash Barton becomes part of the Ash Barton family. None more so than the fabulous Lexie and Joe who had their wedding way back in 2014. Now regular visitors to Ash Barton, the couple have recently bought a property close by in Braunton. We caught up with them for an hour or so recently to talk about their memories of the big day, the longest proposal ever and the story behind that white suit.
So how long were you together before you got married?
Joe: “Believe it or not, we were friends at school at 14. I fancied her, but she didn’t fancy me! Lexie moved to Australia and when I went to visit her in 2008, I realised I still carried a torch for her. When she moved back to the UK in 2009, I finally got the courage to take her on a date. We went ice skating and I told her I was the only person she could be with.”
Super romantic. And how did you propose?
Joe: “I took my time with that too! I thought about it in 2012 when we had cycled to Paris to raise money for charity. But we got lost and ended up having an argument. I finally proposed in Greece in 2013.”
Lexie: “That was the holiday we also ended up going to a dog sanctuary and rescuing a dog. It was eventful!”
Why did you choose Ash Barton as your wedding venue?
Lexie: “Originally, we wanted to get married abroad. But we love Devon and Cornwall too. So when my Dad sent me a link to Ash Barton, we knew we had to go and look at it. I remember the website saying no curfew. With a of few places we’d looked at you had to be out by midnight. So being able to party until 5am if we wanted to was amazing.
“All my family are overseas, and a huge contingency came over. We wanted a venue they everyone could stay at and would feel like a holiday.”
And was there a theme?
Lexie: “We love festivals like Glastonbury and wanted to create a wedding with a festival vibe. So we had Wedstock!”
Joe: “When people got the invitation to our wedding, we wanted it to be something for people to look forward to. We wanted it to be really fun and relaxed and we told people to dress in whatever they liked. There were no rules.”
Tell us about your gown Lexie. Who was the designer?
“I made it myself! I didn’t have the slightest idea what I wanted. So I went up town with Mum and tried on loads of expensive wedding gowns. But ultimately, I decided I wanted something unique. In hindsight, it was ridiculous making my own dress at home with Joe in the house! I remember having to hide behind curtains so he wouldn't see me in it. I also remember I was still making alterations the night before the wedding!”
So let’s talk about that suit Joe
“Ahh the famous white suit! I went all over London with my best man Richard and couldn’t find anything I really liked. I remember saying to him I wanted to wear something really lairy, something that I’m going to regret wearing in the future and he said: ‘let’s get white suits!’ So we nipped into Zara and bought them there! I seem to recall our orange ties costing more than the suits did.”
Tell us about the day itself. What was the order of the day’s events?
Joe: “Well, I went surfing the morning of the wedding!”
Lexie: “The girls all had their hair done in the morning at Salt Hair Beauty. We had our ceremony under the oak tree at 3pm. Then we walked back through the house and out into the walled garden where everyone threw confetti, and we enjoyed canapes and glasses of fizz. Then at 6pm we had a wedding breakfast buffet in the big party barn, followed by cheese from The West Country Cheese Co. and desserts in the old chapel. Followed by a live band and a DJ back in the big party barn until late!"
What was your first dance?
Lexie: “A friend of ours is a choreographer. So she choreographed a dance for us and then our friends joined in. Needless to say, we were still practising up until midnight the night before the wedding.”
Joe: “We danced to Send Me on My way by Rusted Root. It was on a mixed tape I’d given Lexie when we were kids.”
How about the flowers?
Lexie: “Teasles in Braunton did the flowers for us.”
How many guests did you have?
Lexie: We had 120 guests in total. Our close families stayed in the house, and our friends camped in bell tents or in nearby B&Bs.”
Joe: “We own a vintage Hymer motorhome. We had it parked at Ash Barton, so I slept in it the night before the wedding!”
What food did you serve? Who did the catering?
Joe: “My best man’s brother-in-law’s company Dublicious did the food. In true festival style we served mini burgers!”
Lexie: "As well as quail scotch eggs, mini sausage rolls, magical mushrooms, tomato shots and mojito bonbons. Then later we had a wedding breakfast buffet of slow cooked Jack Daniels pork shoulder, chilli lasagne, and herb and butternut pie, served with southern slaw, grilled sweet potato and bacon salad, mint and pomegranate couscous, and tomato salad."
Sounds delicious. What was the cake like?
Lexie: "We couldn't be more different around food. Joe loves my Mum’s fruit cake. But I really like cheese. So we had a Ying and Yang cake that combined both our favourite things.”
Joe: "And we cut the cake with a sword belonging to Lexie’s great grandfather. It’s a family tradition."
And how about the entertainment?
Joe: "The Midnight Rebellion Band followed by a DJ. We had Liam at FlyBase."
Who was your wedding photographer?
Lexie: “The parents of one of my bridesmaids are both photographers. In fact, her dad is a cameraman at the BCC. They very kindly took the photos for us.”
How did you add a personal touch to your wedding?
Lexie: “We had so many personal touches and all our guests were involved. Friends made the bunting for us. Others sewed lace on to my veil. Joe’s brother made the timber arbour we got married under and he also made the shelter for the wine bar in the walled garden. Our dog even came to the wedding and had his own bandana.”
What were the most memorable moments of the day?
Joe: “There were so many. Lexie walking down the aisle to the lake, our nephew’s speech, hanging out in the kitchen, the few seconds before we walked into the walled garden and a sea of confetti when it was just the two of us, or Alfie, my best man’s little boy getting the ring stuck in his pocket. Those accidental moments are actually the most special moments, I think.”
Lexie: “I remember there was a 10 minute downpour at one point and everyone ran into the old chapel. But it was so much fun. Everyone just started talking and laughing.”
Did you do anything on the days before and after the wedding?
Lexie: “We arrived on the Thursday afternoon and had a BBQ around the fire pit. Friday was setting everything up. We all went to down to the beach too at Saunton Sands on the Sunday. And we had fish and chips from Squires on the Sunday night.”
Joe: “The pool and games barn were brilliant for the day after the wedding too.”
What is your advice to other couples planning a wedding at Ash Barton?
Lexie: “It is such an experience. Our guests told us they’d felt like they had been on holiday and it was the best wedding they’d ever been to.”
Joe: “It really is a magical place and worth every penny. Everything about it is wonderful. Even the drive up the lane. You come around the corner and see Ash Barton for the first time and it feels like Narnia!
“My advice would be: don’t worry about anything. Just go and it will be great. Don’t over plan it. Just do what you want to do and you will remember it for the rest of your life. Ash Barton gives you a licence to be outrageous.
“When you spend a few days at Ash Barton you forget the outside world exists. We completely and utterly love it. We were so lucky to get married there.”