This was the most colourful, joyful spectacle you could imagine. Combining their respective cultural traditions was such an honour – we lit unity candles, had a sand ceremony and a traditional handfasting. The bride and groom’s families danced down the aisle and we were treated to a vocal performance by an Indian celebrity. Afterwards, the bridal party carried smoke flares along the beach.
Arches Beach was the perfect venue for them because it was just so flexible. The team there allowed them the time and space to do everything they wanted to do, with no pressure whatsoever.
Arches is a dedicated beachside ceremony venue in North Devon, designed for couples who want the sea to be very much part of their wedding day.
And because it’s a ceremony venue rather than a traditional hotel or country house, you can create something much more relaxed and individual.
A ceremony with the sea as your backdrop
Arches sits right beside Newberry Beach in Combe Martin, with the sea forming an impressive backdrop to the ceremony space.
The room itself has large doors opening towards the bay, so even when you’re inside, you don’t lose that feeling of being beside the water. There is also the rather fabulous permanent flower wall, which gives you another option for your ceremony backdrop – and, as I discovered at Mansa and Albin’s wedding, makes an excellent spot for selfies!
The ceremony space can accommodate up to 120 people, with seating for 104, so it works equally well for a small intimate wedding or a much larger celebration. There is also a garden and balcony where you can continue the celebrations after the ceremony.
A DIY wedding venue
One of the things I think makes Arches particularly interesting is that it is deliberately a DIY wedding venue.
There isn’t a requirement to have your whole wedding day there. Arches is primarily your ceremony space, which means you can decide what happens before and afterwards.
You can bring your own decorations, choose your own music and arrange your own suppliers. After the ceremony, you might have drinks and cake in the garden, wander down to the beach for photographs, organise fish and chips, book a local restaurant or find somewhere nearby for a party.
There are also plenty of places to stay in and around Combe Martin, so your wedding can become a whole North Devon weekend rather than simply a few hours at a venue.
The Arches bridal suite
If you want somewhere special to get ready or to spend your first night as a married couple, Arches also has a beachfront bridal suite with sea views and its own balcony.
It means you can wake up overlooking the same stretch of coastline where you said your vows – which seems like a pretty lovely way to start married life.
Weddings with personality
For me, Arches is particularly well suited to couples who don’t want their wedding to feel like a package.
Mansa and Albin certainly made the most of that freedom. And that’s exactly the sort of wedding I love being part of.
If you’re looking for a beach wedding venue in North Devon, Arches Beach in Combe Martin is well worth a look.
