Renu & Simon
Sunday 5th May 2019
Wedding Day
If you find yourself here then you may have received an invitation to Renu and Simons wedding.
The wedding day will be on Sunday 5th May 2019.
It will take place at the beachside Carbis Bay hotel near St. Ives in Cornwall (see location pic above!)
There will be a traditional Indian ceremony from 10:00am conducted by a Hindu Pandit Ji.
There will be a buffet lunch where you can sample both Indian and English cuisine.
You will be entertained at lunch by a wonderful Cornish acoustic guitar player called Pete Berryman.
Some of the guests (including the Bride and Groom) will be changing outfits from their Indian attire into Western formal wear (Black Tie) for the afternoon ceremony which will start from 4:30pm.
The Bride and Groom are expected to sign the marriage register at 6:00pm.
The wedding breakfast will take place in the hotel overlooking the North Atlantic coast just after 6:00pm.
Speeches will be attempted and a locally made cake will be cut, distributed and enjoyed, probably alongside a glass of bubbly or two.
There will no doubt be much toasting and and a DJ will provide us with music into the evening.
Fireworks will take place on the beach at about 9:30pm and we will continue the party until Midnight in a similar tradition to other enchanting love stories!
If you wish to stay at the hotel then you can mention that you are on our wedding VIP guest list for a discounted rate.
Cornwall has so many things to see and do and is a special place so you are strongly advised to take the opportunity to spend a few days exploring or simply relaxing by the coast.
If anything remains unclear or you need help with any arrangement then please contact Renu or Simon at any time xx
Wedding Breakfast
The "Wedding Breakfast" as it seems to be reffered to maybe be also known as "dinner", "tea", "supper", "scran", "croust", "nosh", "grub" or "bhojan" but simply put, it is yummy food!
The chefs at the Carbis Bay Hotel have produced a unique menu for the occasion and you are invited to pre-order your 3-course meal.
The meal options are designed to cater for most dietary preferences but if you are allergic to any ingredients or simply detest a particular vegetable then please let us know in advance so that individual requirements can be accommodated.
If you have any particular questions about the menu then we can put you in touch with the executive chef via the hotel event organisers so please don't be shy and send us a note via this website.
Lunch Buffet
Lunch will be available from about 1:00pm - 3pm. You will be able to grab a traditional Cornish pasty, try a sample of locally caught fish, help yourself to an indian style vegetable curry or simply graze on a plate of fresh salad. The format is relaxed and you can return to the tables as many times as you like.
Children
If you are lucky enough to be under 10 years of age then you get your own special menu! Why eat yucky asparagus or icky spicy paneer when you can stuff your face full of perfect pizza or fantastic fish fingers! If you are on the cusp between childhood and adulthood (a perpetual state for some!) then you can have a choice of the adult or child food menu.
Cornwall
This may be the first time some of you have visited the Celtic nation of Kernow.
Kernow (Cornwall) is one of the 6 Celtic nations alongside Eire (Ireland), Cymru (Wales), Alba (Scotland), Mannin (Isle of Man) and Briezh (Brittany).
Cornish was the ancient language spoken by the Celts of Kernow and it sounds very different from English.
The last native speaker, Dolly Pentreath, a fishwife (a real job) from Mousehole (a real town) died in 1777 but you can read the language on local road signs and official buildings and you can even take Cornish language exams if you wish.
Nowadays, while you probably won't hear the language being spoken fluently, you can often hear a strong Cornish dialect sprinkled with unusual words.
If you hear anyone say, "dont fret, I'll do that dreckly my lover" this would mean "relax, it will be done my good friend but in my own sweet time so please dont rush me".
Cornish folk really don't tend to rush around much unless its on the rugby pitch or there is a half price pasty sale on at Berryman's bakery in Hayle ... boy o'boy then you'll see scads of 'em put their bleddy skates on an geddon down there fast as lightning!
So ... take heed (listen to some advice), if you are in local shops and think that service is a bit too slow for your liking, its because the clock runs slightly slower in Cornwall.
There are a few theories as to why this may be but the most likely seems to be that Cornwall is that little bit further from the Greenwich Meridian Line and therefore makes one revolution around the clock slightly after London - as the first track of a vinyl LP makes one revolution slightly slower than the last one which is closer to the centre.
You should therefore take the opportunity to try and unwind yourself as it will tend to be you that is out of sync with the local clocks and not your friendly hosts that only appear to be running too slow from your slightly out of sync perpective!
Emmets
Cornwall has always been full of interesting characters some of whom can seem slightly 'different' at least from the perspective of the 'Emmet'.
An Emmet is what the locals call you when you journey to Cornwall from the lands beyond the Tamar river.
Indeed, it has been said that the Royal Albert bridge (aka the Tamar bridge) was designed and built by the engineer Isambard Kindom Brunel in 1855 just so that he could more easily pick up a pasty or two without needing to swim back to the mainland.
The Cornish are a naturally trusting race and usually very very friendly. This can be slightly unnerving to someone skilled in avoiding all eye contact with their fellow man on their daily commute in the London tube system.
Though some may initially find it unusual, this overt friendliness does not usually mean that the Cornish person is trying to sell you insurance or snake oil.
Generally you should try and relax around the Cornish folk and if one engages you in conversation, there is really no need to tighten your grip on your new iPhone X as you might do if you were back at home in London or Delhi.
You are in their home land, they are welcoming you. Go with it!
Dress Code
The Hindu ceremony will take place from 10:00am within a custom built frame or "mandap" decorated with pastel-hued flowers.
There will be blessings to the Hindu Gods and fire will help ward off any bad spirits.
The bride will be presented with a diamond mangalsutra, a traditional symbol of the union of bride and groom akin to the exchanging of rings in a western ceremony.
The Pandit-Ji will recite prayers in Hindi for the happy couple and signify their wedding under Renu's Hindu culture.
Guests are invited to compliment this scene by wearing their Sunday best!
We would hope for business suits, polished shoes, handkerchiefs and freshly pressed shirts for the men and as for you lovely ladies, this is the perfect opportunity to wear that knock-out dress you have been saving for just such a special occasion.
High heels are perfectly acceptable (for either gender!) but as we are beside the seaside and you may want to go out for stroll on the beach after lunch, it is suggested that you bring along suitable beach footwear as well.
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For the morning ceremony, Renu and Simon would be delighted if any of you wanted to wear traditional Hindi outfits: kurtas, sherwanis and Neru collars for the men and saris, blouses and scarves for the ladies.
As most of you know, Simon and Renu have been known to dress up on the odd occasion so you are most welcome to dress to impress!
After lunch, the culture shifts westward and the south Asian subcontinent outfits of the bridal parties morning will be replaced by a traditional black-tie level theme.
Black-tie translates to "a tuxedo" for our north American guests ... think Bond ... James Bond and the best of British elegance.
The bride and her OMG wedding dress will appear at about 4:30pm and guests are requested to be seated by this time.
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A supporting black-tie theme is encouraged for the cognoscenti but if you are devoid of dickie-bow then your "Sunday Best" will still allow you VIP entry.
Evenings on the Cornish coast can be a bit nippy and there are plans to go out to the beach for a few fireworks at about 9:30pm. If you have coats (of a non beer-coat variety) then you are encouraged to bring these along. Hopefully it doesn't rain but it is a British bank holiday weekend so anything is possible so head the advice of Lord Robert Baden-Powell in 1908 ... Be Prepared!
If you are unsure as to any element of the dress code then please contact Renu or Simon who can speak to your tailor directly or should that not suffice, point you in the direction of a couple of amazing designers who will be more than happy to offer you suitably bespoke assistance!
Piskies and Pirates
Cornwall is an enchanted land full of music, art, incredible creativity and tall 'tales of mystery and imagination' as the Americn novelist Edgar Allen Poe might write or british band The Alan Parsons Project might sing about.
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In Tintagel, you can visit the remains of the legendary kingdom of Camelot where Merlin the magician, King Arthur with his sword Excalibur, Lady Guinevere & Sirs Gawain, Galahad, Lancelot and the other chivalrous knights gathered around a round table planning their quest for the holy grail.
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Cornwall was also once the home of giants. One, a 'John of Gaunt' lived on Carn Brea near Simon's home town of Redruth and another, John's rival, Bolster hailed from from St. Agnes.
These two unruly misfits were known to throw huge boulders at each other from the top of their respective granite homes. As the giants are thankfully no longer around, you can go and play on their 'cups and saucers' or the 'sliding rocks' as Simon did as a boy.
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The coast around Cornwall, now famous for wonderful sandy beaches, world class surfing, top sailing and unrivaled fishing were once notorious for the wreckers and pirates who lured cargo laden boats onto the deadly jagged rocks and plundered their ship-wrecked bounty in the black of night.
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You can visit pirate gathering places such as the ancient coaching house near Bodmin Moor where Daphne Du Maurier based her famous novel of smugglers and skullduggery, Jamaica Inn or dine at the Admiral Benbow pub in Penzance where Jim Hawkins first encountered Capn Billy Bones, Blind Pew and the notorious one legged pirate Long John Silver before their mutinous overseas adventures in Robert Louis Stevenson's wonderful 1881 novel, Treasure Island.
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Even if you avoid the patch wearing pirates and the treacherous rocks off of Lands End then you aren't necessarily safe near the seas around Cornwall.
The waters surrounding these lands are known to be the playground of beautiful mermaids who can lure land folk to the deep with their sweet song. You can read documentary evidence that such a mermaid beguiled the young man Matthew Trewella to the bottom of the ocean in the enchanting village of Zennor.
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While you are here, keep a close eye out for the local little people.
Cornwall is the home of the Knocker, similar to woodland Elves or garden Gnomes, these mostly friendly little folk spend much of their time underground and are known to protect miners who always leave a little bit of their croust (food) as a thank you.
Be more wary of the more mischief making Piskies who sometimes act more like nasty Gremlins but if you catch them on a good day then their magic can make them as welcome as a friendly Mogwai.
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Be particularly cautious of listening to closely to any sweet enchanting music carried on the breeze for you may unwittingly become another of the nine maidens who lost themselves in the tuneful temptations and were turned to nine standing stones, destined never to dance again.
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Though the little folks are notoriously shy of stangers, you will be able to marvel at the some of the magical locations they live in.
If you have not heard of the TV series, Poldark then you've been missing out! The show has recently appeared on Netflix and most of it is filmed in and around picturesque locations throughout Cornwall.
Poldark is based on Winston Graham's 12 novel series and tells the Cornish based tales of mining, banking, smuggling, fighting and a few other 'ings.
It follows the lives and adventures of Ross and Demelza Poldark, of the nasty Warleggans, the wealthy and influencial Bassets and a number of other historical Cornish families.
It is possible to go safely undergound via the Poldark mine adventure park near Helston and you can choose a more authentic experience and visit a real Tin mine at Geevor. If you wanted to stay above ground then you could do worse than going to visit South Crofty Tine mine near Redruth where Simon and several generations of his family had worked. Just don't forget to leave some food for the Knockers!
Technical
jQuery + the Galleria plugin were used, along with the 960 Grid Framework. The images have taken hours to edit and customise, please dont laugh at my dubious efforts!