We were trying to have a British summer time wedding, combining traditional elements with a big party and a laid back atmosphere.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We come from very different backgrounds and locations, making our story even less likely. Melissa was born in Fort Lauderdale, FL, before growing up in Athens, GA. After undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Georgia and UT Austin, respectively, Melissa works with children with autism, teaching them behavioral skills.
Scott was born in the UK and grew up in Reading. He attended the University of Oxford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before moving to New York to start his career in finance. Since then, Scott has worked in Private Equity in New York, London and Los Angeles. We have lived in Los Angeles together for the last 3 years and will be moving to the UK in December. We are both very passionate about our work/careers and support each other to reach all the professional goals and aspirations we have.
We both say our love language is “experiences,” and this is how we choose to spend our free time. The first way this manifests is through travelling, which during certain periods of our relationship was the only way we could see each other as we did long distance for ~18 months. We have been skiing, done beach trips, wine tours and historic excursions all around the world and always have an amazing time together.
Secondly, we love to eat and experience all varieties of cuisine – from fine dining, to new local spots in the cities we live in, all the way down to casual takeaway nights while watching a movie together. Finally, we love to experience things with friends, Scott being a big organiser of events and spending the night on the dancefloor, and Melissa always being the life of the party and chatting to everyone.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
As unlikely as it sounds for a girl from Georgia and a guy from the UK, we met in Austin, Texas! Scott was fairly randomly sent to work in Texas while working in New York, and knowing very little about Texas at the time, he fought with his bosses and asked not to go. However, it turned out to be the best thing that happened to us.
After being invited to a ‘wig party’ by a colleague, Scott was welcomed into a large group of incredibly social friends in Austin.
From Scott’s perspective: I entered the party and after scanning around seeing all the normal party activities going on, I was drawn to one of two girls sitting on the floor eating popcorn and ignoring everyone else. My first impression was clearly beautiful, but seemed like a lot of fun given she didn’t seem to care what everyone else thought or was doing.
From Melissa’s perspective: When I first saw him and heard him speak, I thought “what in the world is this cute British guy doing in Texas?”. He was obviously cute but the way he carried himself with so much confidence was what struck me initially. He was the life of the party!
When we got to talking, we couldn’t stop, and when we left the party, we were looking for each other all night!
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Melissa: There was not one moment for me. I think it was a collection of little moments that showed me how kind, respectful, fun, and nurturing of a person he is. Each time I saw bits of his character, I thought to myself – that’s someone I want to be with forever, that is someone who I want to be the father of my children someday.
Scott: I realized sooner than Melissa, I think. After just a month of dating, I invited her on the family trip to Spain – some might say this is crazy, but I knew I wanted everyone to meet her. She fit in perfectly, making both my trip amazing and bringing life to the whole holiday. Spending this time with her, laughing, getting to know how aligned we were in what we wanted and just generally having a great experience made me realise that I could do this forever.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Scott proposed during a mini-holiday to Santa Barbara, California. We were at Pence Vineyard and had arranged for a private wine tasting – between courses we took a stroll through the gardens, to a lily pond and out to the pier.
From Scott’s perspective: I had no nerves about the question, but I was nervous about dropping the ring in the water! After getting on one knee on the pier and telling Melissa everything I love about her, I asked her to spend the rest of our lives together. After a few tears from both of us we celebrated with some champagne sitting around the pond.
From Melissa’s perspective: He led me to a lily pond, then he got down on one knee and said some really beautiful things that I wish I had on videotape because I blacked out and don’t remember any of it!!! I do however remember how I felt while he was proposing, and it was the same feeling I had when I saw him down the aisle.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
Overall, we were trying to have a British summer time wedding, combining traditional elements with a big party and a laid back atmosphere. As a lot of the guests were coming from America, we wanted to give them a unique British wedding experience.
We chose Boconnoc as it provided an idyllic countryside estate in the rolling Cornwall hills, but importantly had the space to host 50 of our closest family and friends onsite in the main building and surrounding cottages. We had guests in traditional attire, with men in morning suits and women with hats, but then made sure we had lots of drinks stations and music throughout the day to ensure a fun atmosphere.
We wanted to make the wedding weekend an experience, so we had events across multiple days—a Thursday dinner, golf, and afternoon tea on Friday, followed by a welcome party on Friday evening with all our guests before the big day.
Also, we wanted to use a marquee and outdoor elements as much as possible and were lucky that the British weather outperformed our wildest expectations, making the day an amazingly sunny occasion.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
The band! We wanted people up and dancing all day and night, so we had the roaming Herringbone Cocktail Club band playing acoustic pop hits during the cocktail hours and the 10-piece Fortune band for the evening. We were very happy with the outcome, and the dance floor was full all evening!
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Yes! A few small things, but one we definitely laugh about now is our first dance. We had spent many weeks taking secret classes, preparing a dance with a big lift ending. However, our DJ played a different version of the song, so the song was cut short right before the lift. We were both upset at the time as it felt like a big deal, but obviously, no one else noticed! After a quick cheer-up chat with the bridesmaids and a few emergency tequila shots, we were back on track!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Melissa’s dress came from a bridal boutique in LA called NWLA. She went for a classic, timeless dress inspired by Jackie Kennedy. It came from an Israeli designer called Lihi Hod, which was especially sentimental to Melissa, given her Jewish background.
Scott wore a traditional morning suit from Favourbrook, combined with less common houndstooth trousers that he, his dad, and his brother wore to be different on the day.
VENUE Boconnoc Estate, @boconnocestate PHOTOGRAPHER In Lovers Eyes, @in_lovers_eyes VIDEOGRAPHER Soby Films, @sobyfilms PLANNER & STYLIST Fern Godfrey Weddings, @ferngodfreyweddings FLORIST Emma Hewlett Floral Design, @emmahewlettfloraldesign CELEBRANT Chuppah Ceremony – Brother of the bride ENTERTAINMENT The Herringbone Cocktail Club, @herringbonecocktailclub; Fortune Band, @fortunebandlive HIRE Furniture – Virginia’s Vintage Hire, @virginiasvintagehire; Linen – Maison Margaux, @maisonmargauxltd;
Tableware – Out Of The Ordinary Events, @outoftheordinaryeventhire; Marquee – Sperry Tents SW, @sperrytentssw CATERING Dish Cornwall, @dish_cornwall; Friday Evening Party – El Huichol, @el.huichol CAKE Ladyvale Bakery, @ladyvale_bakery STATIONERY Ofelia Botella, @ofeliabotella HAIR & MAKEUP Georgia Chabrel, @georgialchabrel.hmua BAR TEAM Sauce Cornwall, @sauce.cornwall RINGS Richard Grew from RMG Setters BRIDE’S CEREMONY DRESS Lihi Hod, @lilihod BRIDE’S RECEPTION DRESS Katherine Tash, @katherinetash BRIDE’S SHOE Jimmy Choo, @jimmychoo BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Antique blue ring – From the bride’s grandmother; Pearl Earrings and Choker – Ring Concierge SUIT WITH WAISTCOAT, JACKET & TROUSERS Favourbook, @favourbook GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Daytona Watch – Rolex, @rolex GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Bleu – Chanel, @chanelofficial GIFT REGISTRY Zola, @zola
