JP and Cat's Wedding in Clyst St. George, Devon

Neither the bride or I felt as nervous as we thought we would during the ceremony itself. The only hiccup would have been the attempt to put a horse treat on my finger instead of a ring, owing to them being held in the same pouch! It got a laugh anyway. The last minute decision to have our guests do a sword arch and confetti throw together also seemed to work.

The canapés and cocktails that followed the ceremony went down well, with many people being tempted to fill up on mini jacket potatoes and arancini balls before the main meal. The rain continued sporadically, reducing the potential for the traditional "group photos", so we decided to do the bare minimum here and allow the photographers to take more candid shots throughout the rest of the day.

The wedding breakfast was entirely vegan, and from feedback we have received was enjoyed even by those who were dubious of what to expect. The heat and excitement dismissed some appetites (including my own) and I found myself barely drinking any of the wine and only just able to finish my meal. It was all delicious though!

The best men (two of them, as I was being greedy) then faced their fears and did their speeches. Both got some good laughs and despite their nerves did not show apprehension.

We then commenced the entertainment for the rest of the day with the pirate quiz - which resulted in an unexpected draw between two teams. This was resolved in a sword-duel once champions were chosen. Events after this were a bit more free-form in that we had no particular order prepared. They included treasure hunts, piñatas, and sea shanties for all to participate in, and we even had some card and board games available for the more introverted.

We had made the decision not to open the bar to alcoholic beverages until the evening, after the bride and I had finished our first dance in the form of a sword fight. Unfortunately, the piñatas started and finished later than we thought they would and so the first fight also happened later than expected. This did have the benefit of being after our evening guests had arrived. Whilst it didn't happen quite as we had practised it, the show did contain the main elements and entertained the watchers so was a success. Also no limbs were cut off.

It was at this point that we chose to settle the unfinished business of the irate quiz winners. This fight involved much safer foam swords and also provided some good chuckles. By this time, it was gone 8pm and people were running out of energy so the Tug-Of-War event we had planned never happened.

At this point I started drinking so the rest of the day is a little less clear! I tried to divide my time talking to guests, enjoying the fabulous buffet, and generally making sure the guests were happy. The last of our guests left at about 11pm, leaving those of us spending the night to chill out till we eventually all went to sleep - don't ask me what time that was as I don't know!

The next morning, we packed everything up, including decorations and remaining food. Well, our friends did a lot of the work; I crashed shortly after unloading back at home and pretty much slept most of the next 24 hours... All in all, a great day, neither over or under planned and made all the more successful due to the combined efforts of fantastic friends, family and suppliers.