Me & My Wedding: A Family Day In A Stunning Location
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The Love Story
This December will mark our ten-year anniversary, but when Callum and I first started dating, he made it very clear he had no interest in marriage. His parents are divorced, and he didn't see marriage as a positive thing. Maybe because I’m a more romantic person, I was always trying to get him to see the light. He loved our relationship and what it meant to be in love, but he just wasn’t interested. Things changed after we bought our first house together. He said he knew he wanted to marry me after a week of living there, but he didn’t actually propose until my 30th birthday.
The Proposal
For my birthday, I’d booked a stay at Whately Manor in the Cotswolds. Because I planned the trip it didn’t occur to me that we might get engaged. I knew there was some sort of surprise happening, but I assumed it was just for my birthday. When we went down to the bar at dinner, the maître d’ started acting quite strangely, encouraging us to go for a walk before dinner. We did, and when we got to the top of the hill, Callum told me to sit down. He took my hand and told me how lovely it was and how we could come back every year. I must have looked a bit puzzled because he quickly followed up with, “…to celebrate our engagement.” That’s when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.
The Ring
Callum had my ring made by Gemima – he’d been working with her for about three months or so, designing it from scratch. It’s amazing how pleased I am with it considering we never had any conversations about rings or proposals. My wedding ring also came from Gemima, while Callum’s was made by a friend’s jeweller.
The Planning
We both wanted to get married in the Cotswolds. Not only is that where Callum is from, it’s also where we spend a lot of time with friends and family. I didn’t think I’d have a big wedding but when we put our guest list together, it came to roughly 140 guests, which we then had to accommodate. We’re both party people too, so we wanted to create that vibe.
The Venue
It’s hard to find a venue in the Cotswolds that can accommodate a larger wedding. We wanted a special setting, but to squeeze everyone in we were going to be forced to go down the hotel route. In the end, to make it as personal as we wanted, our only option was to have a marquee wedding. This also meant we’d be able to bring our own caterer in – and food was going to be an important part of our day. We also knew we wanted to get married in Cirencester church and get everyone to go for a drink over the road at Henry’s Pub, which is Callum’s dad’s restaurant, after the ceremony. Then, we rented a private house – which isn’t really a readily available wedding venue – for the reception and after-party. I’m not sure it’s actually something I’d recommend. It gives you so much to think about because you have to bring so much in yourself – right down to how you get electricity and water to the catering tent.
The Décor & Flowers
We used Boutique Marquees who were amazing. They literally saved our wedding – their team rallied together to get our tent up in record time on the morning of the wedding due to circumstances that were completely out of their control. Plus, the best part is they have a very good catalogue of stylish furniture, bars and dancefloors, so they can furnish it to your taste, along with tables and all that sort of stuff. The tableware was a mixture of The Lux Collection and R&R Catering, who we found through our own caterer. Our flowers were done by Charlotte Gabb. We did gypsophila waterfalls over the ends of the pews in the church, then lots of tiny vases with flower buds down the centre of the tables in the marquee. I was obsessed with my bouquet, mainly because it felt so romantic and unstructured.
The Ceremony
My mum’s side of the family are all quite traditional. Once we found out our reception venue wasn’t licensed to host the wedding ceremony, a church wedding just fell into place. Cirencester church looks more like a cathedral, so it’s an amazing setting. We exchanged traditional vows and they let us choose a passage to be read out, along with a couple of hymns. The only customised element was my walk down the aisle. The church suggested an organist but I found these guys called The Canapés who played Sweet Child of Mine on the piano – which is a song my dad and I love. It was a nice surprise for him and made him quite emotional.
The Dress
Even once we were engaged, I didn't know what kind of dress I wanted – except that I wanted two, one for the main event and one for the party afterwards. My main dress came from Halfpenny London, who were incredible from start to finish. They understand that this is probably the biggest moment of your life. Because I work in fashion, I thought I’d want something quite glam but not too crazy, a statement yet also classic and timeless. The minute I tried my look on, I knew it was the one. I never wanted a veil, so when the Halfpenny team suggested a cape that detached, leaving behind these incredible tulle sleeves, it felt like the perfect alternative. My second dress was made bespoke by Clover London, my bag was Mint Velvet and my day shoes were Mango, before I swapped into a pair of Amina Muaddis.
The Hair & Make-Up
Hannah Finn was my make-up artist, and my hair stylist was Lara Stokes – I found them both on Instagram. I wanted my hair down and curled, and we put in clip-in extensions to hold this Hollywood wave, and my make-up was glow-y with pink tones to it.
The Bridal Party
My sister was my maid of honour, and my friend Louise was a bridesmaid. They picked their own dresses – my only instructions were pink and preferably floor length. Callum had a lot more groomsmen and two best men, Eddie and Scott. They all wore navy suits – Callum’s came from Suitsupply and he had it tailored. Their ties came from Reiss.
The Food & Drink
We always wanted Relish to do the food – the head chef, Rob, is unreal and we wanted a menu that tied into how we like to spend our weekends. It’s a cliché but we love sushi, so we knew we wanted it at the wedding. Our first course consisted of gyozas, maki rolls and padron peppers, followed by chicken, beef or veggie options with a pan-Asian twist. For dessert, there was apple crumble or Eton Mess. We decided against a wedding cake so we could have a champagne tower, but the poor weather put paid to that! We picked all the wine only about a week before the wedding with the help of Relish and Majestic Wine. We also did his and hers cocktails – his was a Paloma with a twist and mine was a passionfruit martini. Finally, place names on the table were shots of tequila. As soon as we sat down, everyone did a shot – I did say we’re party people.
The Photographer & Videographer
Antonia Katerina was our photographer and I really loved her style. When she suggested we take photos on the tennis court I could literally see the colour drain from Callum’s face. But it turned out to be one of the most iconic images of the day. We also had a videographer from Yeti.
The Entertainment
The evening band we hired were the Super Spokes. I discovered them in the pub across the road from the SheerLuxe office! I filmed them that night and sent it to Callum, saying we should book them for the wedding. Later, our friends DJ'd. We’d given them themes and a bit of direction to help set the right tone.
The Day Before & After
The day before the wedding we hosted wedding drinks at Henry's with a buffet. It started out at about 30 people but quickly turned into about 70 just through word of mouth. The day after, we stayed on site at the house with around 60 of our guests. We went down to a wild swimming area and did clay pigeon shooting afterwards, which was fun. Relish also re-catered lunch and the evening food – we had a pool party with paella, big salads, and all the puddings that didn't get eaten the day before. The weather was awful, but we just got in and partied in the rain!
Advice For Other Couples
Trust your photographer. They know what they’re doing. Also if food is important to you, make it a priority. I’ve been thrilled by the number of people who have told me it was the best food they’ve had at a wedding. Also, don’t be afraid of having open conversations with parents and other family members about what you want. We didn’t overly involve anyone so we could plan the day we wanted. Finally, add more wiggle room to the budget in your head. It's so easy for things to get out of control. And actually, my last piece of advice would be to consider a wedding planner – we’d have appreciated some help setting everything up to ensure the day ran smoothly.
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Photography by Antonia Katerina
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