Claire & Ben
This destination wedding makes the most of summer’s invitingly warm nights with a relaxed, al fresco approach
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Violeta Minnick,
violetaminnick.com
Ben and Claire may have met while working in Shanghai, but it was Mallorca that set the scene for their love story. “Ben made a bet with me while out for a drink that I wouldn’t be brave enough to jump into the ocean from a small cliff near his parent’s home in Mallorca. If I went with him and tried it, he’d pay for the entire weekend. He took advantage of my competitive side,” the bride laughs. “I did it! It’s where we fell in love.”
The proposal was an equally spontaneous affair. Ben popped the question one Sunday morning in Berlin.
“I knew when I started the search for my dress that I wanted something feminine and relaxed to fit the style of our Mallorca destination wedding. On a whim, I popped into a boutique and found the one! It was a vintage lace design over sheer silk – simultaneously modern and classic – without being too structured or overly fussy. I loved that during the day I could wear it with a silk bow waist tie. And then for the evening, I could add a contemporary copper belt instead.”
“My wedding dress did what any wedding dress should. It made me feel like the best version of myself!”
Claire accessorised with simple jewellery, elegant Bionda Castana shoes and a delicate hair and makeup look. “I wanted to keep things simple and elegant. The dress spoke for itself and I’m not someone who overdoes accessories very often, so these choices ensured I looked like myself on my wedding day.”
When it came to the groom and groomsmen’s outfits, the perfect fit was essential if they were to be comfortable in the Mallorcan heat. “Quality and fit were the main things we looked for when choosing. Their sage green ties matched the colours of our wedding and the natural surroundings.”
One of my two bridesmaids was pregnant at the time, so twobirds Bridesmaid dresses were the perfect solution to work on different shapes. I could not have imagined getting married without my sister and best friend by my side!”
Ben and Claire tied the knot during an outdoor, sunset ceremony at Comasemma, the venue for their destination wedding in Mallorca.
“We devised the ceremony ourselves and my sister’s boyfriend was our officiant. The ceremony also featured readings by my sister and Ben’s brother.” The bride walked down the aisle to Eddie Vedder’s ‘Rise’ and the couple walked back up to David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’. “It’s tradition in Spain for the bride and groom to enter dinner to a song too, so we chose Guns and Roses’ ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ being eighties kids!
Our venue was a beautiful house in the hills. Set back 1.5km from the opening gates, it really felt secluded. It was the warm summer nights of Mallorca that tempted us to choose it for our destination. Plus, having relatives in both the UK and Germany, Mallorca offered neutral territory that was easy to reach. Almost all of our 120 invited guests were able to attend!”
The couple’s theme was inspired by the soft sage and orange tones of the surrounding countryside, created with a warm and calm colour palette.
“There was a real vintage vibe to the day, with lots of summery but sophisticated elements.”
The couple were happy with a laid-back approach to the styling, not needing everything to be immaculate, and focussed on sourcing quality details instead.
Rosemary and olive sprigs decorated the tables and menus, as well as succulents that were growing in the grounds. “All of our table linens were sourced from URBANARA, the homewares and textiles brand that we co-founded. Our styling was simple and honest and reflected the place and passions that first brought us together to build the business, and then a life, together.”
Continuing their rustic, relaxed theme, the couple’s naked wedding cake delighted guests with three layers of coconut and lime, orange, and vanilla and caramel sponge to savour.
The bride’s sister created icebreaker cards for the tables. Featuring British and German anecdotes, they had guests laughing and getting to know each other instantly.
“We also booked a Cuban band and a DJ for later on in the evening, who were great with requests and made sure everyone danced the night away.”
Following their destination wedding, the newlyweds minimooned in Turkey. “We plan to go travelling for three months for our proper honeymoon, starting in Sri Lanka before visiting Asia, New Zealand and finally Bolivia, where Ben also has family roots.
“My biggest piece of advice is that if you’re booking an outdoor wedding venue, the full moon dates go first. It makes total sense, but who would have known?”
“Our dinner and the speeches were highlights – everything looked so beautiful as night fell. My only regret is not giving a speech myself. I thought I’d be too stressed but it would have been lovely to personally thank my bridesmaids and family.”
SUPPLIERS
VENUE Comassema, Mallorca
DRESS Kaviar Gauche
BRIDESMAID DRESSES twobirds Bridesmaid
GROOM Monokel Berlin
INVITATIONS Abigail Warner
FLOWERS Joanna Walton
TABLE LINEN URBANARA
