See more images in our gallery and the amazing local suppliers who came together to make this shoot possible in this blog post.
Photography by Cat Stephens Photography
More wedding inspiration from my Secret Garden styled bridal shoot at Cogges Manor Farm with Squib Photography UK.
It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by these wonderful local suppliers.
This festival wedding was a real break from tradition – full of alternative ideas for couples to get inspiration for their big day. It showcased an abundance of hanging greenery and was really tactile using different materials such as denim, macrame, paper, wood and terracotta details.
The colour palette had a 70s vibe full of Fall 2017 colours of a pale blue Bluebell, a soft Copper Tan coral, Navy Peony blue, brown and white. It was planned and designed by Hanami Dream and fantastically captured by Cat Stephens Photography.
On Sunday 17th September 2017, Cogges Manor Farm held a festival styled Wedding Open Day that Hanami Dream helped to organise. But this was not a traditional wedding fair – the Barn was dressed as if it were a real wedding.
Think dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl. It was a different take from the norm to provide options and open people’s eyes to the huge spectrum of ideas to bring their dream to life.
For example, there weren’t any real flowers at this wedding. They were either paper flowers or house plants showing couples that they can achieve this look by making (or borrowing) things themselves – this is great for any diy wedding couples.
Plus, all the stationery was embroidered on to denim rather than traditional paper – menus were on the napkins, name places were sleeves around the milk bottle glasses, table plan labels were hung on Portuguese laurels plants.
It was a relaxed and informal open day showcasing a truly personal wedding option – not a cookie cutter approach at all. Take a look at some of the testimonials from the day.
Cogges Manor Farm was the ideal location for this wedding as it offers the perfect blank canvas to add personalised details. It is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns as well as a beautiful walled garden, stunning grounds and an impressive Manor House as a remarkable backdrop.
The festival vibe was hailed from the entrance with impressive towering festival flags (from Event Flag Hire) – signalling the way to the party.
Couples walked in to the Wheat Barn down a tree lined aisle. The vintage mismatched chairs (courtesy of Linda’s Vintage Hire) were beautifully decorated with macramé chair coverings (from MacrAmy’s Macrame) and the Portuguese Laurels (kindly provided by Bampton Garden Plants) guided the way right to where the ceremony would take place under a stunning macramé backdrop (wonderfully created by MacrAmy’s Macrame) and framed by two beautiful olive trees (also from Bampton Garden Plants).
One side of the barn was decorated as a seating area to enjoy a sumptuous wedding breakfast. The vintage tables and chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire) were laid out below an impressive array of trailing plants in spectacular hanging macramé holders (from MacrAmy’s Macrame) and under spectacular festoon lighting (from Oakwood Events).
They were set with denim napkins (gorgeously embroidered by Little Pickle Creations) containing the menu, mini macramé favours (from MacrAmy’s Macrame), milk bottles (from Mabel & Rose) acting as drinking glasses with an embroidered denim name place (by Little Pickle Creations), placed inside were stripy straws (from Little Cherry), plus amazing natural biodegradable tableware (also from Little Cherry) – a perfect accompaniment to our street food reception.
The tables were also decorated with more terracotta pot plants and impressive paper flowers (from Pretty Big Flowers) that lit up for an incredible atmosphere.
The delicious ombre ruffle cake (by The Cake Element Bakery) echoed the colours of the denim stationery and sat beautiful on a vintage barrel (from Mabel & Rose) and amongst a display of framed absent friend photographs, crates and potted plants. The wonderful props from Mabel & Rose really brought the place to life and were dotted around adding features to every area including the bar which had a vintage tin bath and giant wooden barrels.
The other half of the barn was dedicated to the entertainment and dance floor – lit to accompany a party – including an impressive 7 square metre lit paper flower wall (constructed by Pretty Big Flowers).
Over the dance floor hung a white chandelier adorned with coral and denim ribbons and a 4-point drape star that flowed to the dance floor (from Oakwood Events), along with 4ft tall light up LOVE letters (wonderfully contributed by Gilt Edge Events).
There was also a chill out area complete with a comfy brown leather sofa, bales of hay as well as more vintage chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire). These were strewn with gorgeous lambswool wide-herringbone throws in mandarin and azure (from The Witney Blanket Hall).
Outside the party continued with a firepit to sit around, garden games and chalk boards highlighting the events of the day.
On top of all this, there was delicious food to try (courtesy of Goujon Monkey) such as beer battered cod, Cajun breaded chicken and deep-fried brie, along with paprika dusted chips. Plus, cake tasting from The Cake Element Bakery, drinks from Firkin Mobile Bars, live music from Joely Rendle and Natalya Williams, owl ring bearer from J.E.T. Falconry, a fashion show from Rosie Red Corsetry, plus two workshops on how to make some of the décor that was on display, expertly delivered by MacrAmy’s Macrame and Pretty Big Flowers.
There was a real festival vibe with macramé, hanging plants, dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl.
Thank you to all the wonderful suppliers that made this such an amazing wedding open day. It was lovely to meet excited couples in the midst of wedding planning – all the best with your special days!
It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by the wonderful local suppliers who provided their time, services, venue and products for free. Together we have showcased the amazing talent that our part of the UK has to offer the wedding industry.
Take a look at the fabulous suppliers that were involved in this styled shoot – Keeping it local with suppliers for the Festival shoot
And take a glimpse behind the scenes at the how the theme and designs came to life – Behind the scenes: Festival shoot
#keepitlocal
Planning & Design | Hanami Dream | www.hanamidream.co.uk
Photographer | Cat Stephens Photography | https://www.catstephensphotography.com
Location | Cogges Manor Farm | www.cogges.org.uk
Tree hire | Bampton Garden Plants | https://www.bamptongardenplants.co.uk/
Flag hire | Event Flag Hire | https://eventflaghire.co.uk/
LOVE light up letters | Gilt Edge Events | https://www.giltedgeevents.co.uk/
Food van | Goujon Monkey | http://www.goujonmonkey.com/
Chairs & tables | Linda’s Vintage Hire | www.lindasvintagehire.co.uk
Cutlery & crockery | Little Cherry | https://www.littlecherry.co.uk/
Stationery | Little Pickle Creations | http://www.littlepickle-creations.com
Props | Mabel & Rose | http://www.mabelandrose.com/
Macrame | MacrAmy’s Macrame | https://www.facebook.com/MacrAmysMacrame
Lighting | Oakwood Events | www.oakwoodevents.co.uk
Paper flowers | Pretty Big Flowers | https://prettybigflowers.com
Cake | The Cake Element Bakery | http://www.cakeelementbakery.co.uk/
Blankets | The Witney Blanket Hall | http://www.witneyblankethall.co.uk/
Delivery | Global 360 International Freight Forwarders | http://www.globalthreesixty.co.uk/
This festival wedding was a real break from tradition – full of alternative ideas for couples to get inspiration for their big day. It showcased an abundance of hanging greenery and was really tactile using different materials such as denim, macramé, paper, wood and terracotta details.
It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by the wonderful local suppliers who provided their time, services, venue and products for free. Together we have showcased the amazing talent that our part of the UK has to offer the wedding industry.
Thanks to all these wonderful suppliers #keepitlocal
Photographer – Cat Stephens Photography
Award winning, Oxfordshire based wedding, family and lifestyle photographer. Full day coverage wedding packages available from £750
Location – Cogges Manor Farm
Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns for weddings. They are a perfect blank canvas where you can add loads of personalised details to make your special day complete. Your wedding can be as individual as you are with your own choice of catering, furniture and decoration.
The magnificent and spacious Wheat Barn can seat up to 200 guests, with refurbished stone floor, and portable heating included in the cost of hire. The more intimate and adjacent Barley Barn can seat about 60 guests or is an ideal choice to use as a dance or ceremony area. Each barn can be hired separately, or as a combined hire. Cogges offers a civil ceremony license and is next door to Cogges Parish Church.
In addition to any indoor space you hire, you and your guests can use the charming outdoor space to wander and enjoy (and after 5pm you will have exclusive use of the site). Cogges has many perfect locations for your wedding photographs, such as the Manor House lawn, the walled garden or the orchard and you can even include the farm animals in your photos.
Tree hire – Bampton Garden Plants
We are a retail nursery in Bampton, West Oxfordshire. We have a passion for plants and our friendly and knowledgeable staff are always happy to help you find the plants or give you the advice that you require. We pride ourselves on having a fantastic range of plants small and large including beautiful home grown summer and winter bedding.
We also boast a fabulous café serving hot lunches everyday. The shop offers further products including hand tools, furniture, pots and planters and gardeners supplies area as well as gifts and our food shop, stocked with local produce.
Flag Hire – Event Flag Hire
At The Event Flag Hire Company we design, manufacture, hire and install beautiful handmade flags, bunting and banners, perfect for your festival wedding. Our lightweight self-install telescopic poles and flags were designed to be a visually stunning but simple and cost effective way to decorate any venue. We also offer a full bespoke service which allows flags, banners or bunting to be made to a particular specification.
Our stunning flags and bunting will make your festival wedding stand out from the rest, plus we offer a 10% discount for weddings. All styles are available in hues of white and made specifically with weddings in mind. Alternatively our bright colourful silk flags will equally compliment a festival-themed wedding. We use over 70 colours of silk so can match any colour scheme.
Our flags and bunting hire represent a quick, effective and environmentally friendly way of creating a festive atmosphere. We have created simple wedding packages to make it cost effective for you to decorate your venue yourselves using our self-install flags and bunting. Prices include flags (style and colour of your choice), 6m telescopic poles and ground fixings, bunting and return next-day courier service direct to your door. All these packages are portable and will fit in a standard car.
We have been making flags for 15 years and keep coming up with unique designs to keep up with demand. Each flag is a unique work of art hand crafted to an extremely high standard in our Bristol Studio. We cover the entire of the UK and abroad so please get in touch where ever you are!
LOVE light up letters – Gilt Edge Events
Specialists in Bespoke Wedding Venue Decoration From Centrepieces to Flower Walls, Candy Carts to Starlit Backdrops, Garlands, Fairylight Canopies, Giant LOVE letters, Disco’s Grand Floral Arch and much, much more.
A Complimentary Design Consultation to transform your chosen venue into something magical for your big day. Working with you we can create the theme of your dreams, all installed & removed with the minimum disruption to your big event.
We can supply Starlit Backdrops, Table Decorations & Centrepieces, Chair Covers, Fairylight Canopies, Garlands, Grand Floral arches, Candy Carts, Sweet/ Dessert Dressers Flower Walls, Giant LOVE Letters and much, much more.
Karen, with many years experience as a fashion designer in London, combined with Phil, with a career in the Graphic Design, Signwriting and Event Industry will deliver a bespoke wedding, leaving you to concentrate on having the Best Day of your life.
Food van – Goujon Monkey
Goujon Monkey are an Oxfordshire based gourmet street food caterer offering traditional favourites with a modern twist.
They pride themselves on serving the finest quality street food available, using only the freshest ingredients. All of their food is cooked from scratch and served from a lovingly restored vintage Citroen H van.
With menus to suit different tastes including their hand prepared Beer Battered Cod, Goujon Monkey offer a unique addition to your big day.
Our prices start from £750 for private event catering for 75 guests. Contact details Tim 07469710373 or Matt 07917284944.
Chairs & tables – Linda’s Vintage Hire
We provide a stress free vintage hire service for all occasions. If you are organising an event with a vintage flare we can supply furniture, crockery and a range of props and accessories to give your event that much loved nostalgic vintage feel.
We work with theatres, corporations, event and wedding planners, caterers, photographers and festivals to mention but a few.
So if you’re planning your vintage event whether it’s afternoon tea, the wedding of your dreams, a magazine shoot or creating something inspirational for a large festival there is no end to what can be achieved with the help of Linda’s Vintage Hire. We can deliver up and down the country so just give us a call on 07532 184174 for a quote.
Cutlery & crockery – Little Cherry | https://www.littlecherry.co.uk/
Little Cherry are an online supplier of natural biodegradable tableware and a wide range of ethical and stylish party supplies for weddings, street food, festivals and events throughout the UK.
Our aim is to make food look fabulous on our environmentally-friendly tableware. Ranges include the ever-popular Palm Leaf plates (made from naturally fallen palm leaves in India), compostable Sugar Cane and the largest selection of Wheat Fibre tableware in the UK, including a new takeaway range.
We cater for any size of event and offer discounts to caterers for bulk orders. We also have a dedicated Trade Site, can offer next day delivery and offer a sample pack service allowing customers to “try before they buy”.
Our fantastic selection of cups, cutlery, napkins, picks and skewers are the perfect accompaniment to any of our ranges of tableware.
Stationery – Little Pickle Creations
Nicola from Hanami Dream approached us to provide wedding accessories that she had imagined, but never seen made before – that’s our ideal brief!
We love a challenge, and love making unusual items that no-one has ever produced before. The wedding items we produced were around a denim theme, so we embroidered guests names onto handmade denim bottle sleeves, and made individual hanging name labels for the table plan along with napkins embroidered with the menu.
Really unique and personalised, just as it would be for any couple planning their own special day with their own ideas and themes that they wish to use. Sometimes these unique items aren’t ordinarily available from traditional wedding suppliers and that’s where we come in – creating special unique items tailored specifically to our clients requirements.
Props – Mabel & Rose
Mabel & Rose has a lovely array of original vintage and rustic props available to hire. Our large range includes old apple crates, oak barrels, chalkboards, vintage suitcases, rustic wheelbarrows, an old delivery bicycle plus lots of smaller items like vintage bottles, jars, jugs and pots. So whether it’s large milk churns filled with flowers or a selection of vintage tin baths to keep your drinks cool we would love to help you enhance your venue and create the perfect look and feel for your wedding. Styling and on the day venue dressing services are also available.
Macramé – MacrAmy’s Macrame
Macramé artist
Keeping it natural!
Workshops and evening classes…
Lighting – Oakwood Events
Oakwood Events supplies stunning lighting for stylish couples. We design and install lighting schemes for barn weddings using fairy lights, festoon lights, bare bulbs, paper lanterns, chandeliers, drapes, uplighting, bunting and dance floor lighting.
Lighting is a unique addition to your wedding and can be used to highlight features like beams or stone walls, change the atmosphere between day and night or make a colour or design statement to match your theme. We pride ourselves on top quality design, professional installation and amazing features; explore our Pinterest boards for inspiration and to see how our lighting adds wow factor to barn weddings.
See your wedding in a different light!
@OakwoodEventsUK
@oakwoodevents
@oakwoodevents@oakwoodevents
Paper flowers – Pretty Big Flowers
Our self-assembly kits let you create stunning giant paper flowers. Why settle for factory made sameness when you can create a totally unique display at a fraction of the cost?
We’ve taken the guess work out of self-assembly – even a crafting beginner can get professional and consistent results.
Paper flowers add a touch of feminine glamour to lots of situations. Enjoy creating your own decorative accents with our giant paper flower self-assembly kits for a wall at home, a stunning backdrop for wedding photos or an eye catching motif for an important event. And of course you can take the credit because the flair you add is all your own (we’ve just made it effortless!)
@BigPaperFlowers@pbigflowers@prettybigflowers@prettybigflowers
Cake – The Cake Element Bakery
We are a successful duo of husband and wife working together to produce a really superior product.
Any size and any design, we love making wedding cakes. We offer a variety of delicious flavours and fillings. We use the best ingredients and passion to create a beautiful and delicious wedding cakes, making your special extra special.
We are committed to quality and excellent customer service. Our cakes are fleshly baked to order and crafted by hand.
@SiedlerMichelle@miauller@thecakeelementbakery@thecakeelementbakery
Blankets – The Witney Blanket Hall
Witney Blanket Hall was built in 1721 by the Company of Blanket Makers. For over 120 years, every blanket woven in the town came to the Hall to be weighed and measured, and upstairs in the Great Room the Company set the Rules for the Trade. After 1845 the New Mills established their own measuring, and the redundant Blanket Hall became variously a Brewery, a Lemonade Factory, Engineering Shop, Office of births marriages and deaths, Dancing School, and latterly, a distinctive gentleman’s house. During most of its history, the Hall is also where many of the town’s Public Meetings took place, the death of Kings solemnly commemorated and the birth of Princes celebrated with great feasts. In the 18th Century, the Hall housed the town’s Fire Pump. In 2015, the Hall reopened its doors to reveal this illustrious past and offer woollen blankets and throws, coffee pies and assemblies, both commercial and cultural. Visitors are always welcome and are invited to come and find out more about the infamous Witney Blankets.
The Pie Shop offers its famous pies and platters, as well as tea, coffee and cakes. We are licenced so wine and Blanket Hall Beer are always available. The Hall can also be open outside hours by arrangement and is often available for hire by Companies and Societies.
@theblankethall@witneyblankethall@theblankethall
Delivery – Global 360 International Freight Forwarders
@Global-360-International-Freight-Forwarders
Take a look at a behind the scenes look at the briefs that were given to these fabulous suppliers and how the Festival theme came to life with their designs and products.
A real break from tradition, this festival wedding showcased an abundance of hanging greenery, dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl, using different materials such as denim, macrame, paper, wood and terracotta details.
See more images in our gallery and the amazing local suppliers who came together to make this shoot possible in this blog post.
Photography by Cat Stephens Photography
Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns which provide a wonderful setting for celebrations.
I may be a little bias, as this venue has a special place in my heart – not only is it a beautiful local licensed wedding venue in my home town, but it is also a haven and wonderful place to escape with the children.
More than just a farm museum and set location for Downton Abbey, it also offers two rustic and untouched barns as a wedding venue. They are a perfect blank canvas where you can add your own personalised details to make your special day complete.
More and more couples are shying away from the cookie cutter approach to weddings and demanding a more unique and individual wedding.
This venue certainly helps couples who want to fulfil this ‘diy’ desire as there are hardly any restrictions or prescriptions. You have the freedom to use the suppliers of your choice, you can choose your own room layout and your own decoration to suit your theme for the day. Therefore, you have the option of taking this venue in a variety of different directions. It’s a really versatile space.
Don’t be under any illusions – it may take a little extra work than a ready made venue but you can make this place fit your theme perfectly.
And embrace the fact that it’s rustic – you’ll need to think about your catering options cleverly. For example it would lend itself very nicely for a hog roast, bbq, picnic or food vans.
It feels like the location is really rural but you’re actually right by the centre of town. And this is more than a shell of a building in the middle of a field – there are facilities (although you’ll need to bear in mind it is still rustic and a short walk to the toilets), accessible and ample parking, plus it’s close to bus routes and hotels.
What you do get is a lot of space (both inside and outside of the barns). And the beauty of Cogges is that it is more than just a wedding venue. Your guests can benefit from all the other facilities and attractions around the site in between the formalities of the day. And after 5pm, as well as the barns, the rest of the site is exclusively yours to enjoy too.
There’s a lovely laid back and friendly atmosphere at Cogges Manor Farm and loads of charming locations for photographs, such as the Manor House lawn, the walled garden or orchard and you can even include the farm animals in your photos!
They have a limited number of wedding slots per year and there is only one wedding per weekend.
I will be styling the venue for their Wedding Open Day on Sunday 17th September 11am-3pm. Come and see the barns dressed for wedding planning inspiration.
And see how stunning this venue looks in my Modern Edwardian Secret Garden inspirational styled bridal shoot.
WEDDING VENUE FACTS
Type of venue: barn
Find out more: www.cogges.org.uk
Location: Church Lane, Witney, OX28 3LA
Wedding season: March-October
Guests: 200 in Wheat Barn: 60 in Barley Barn
Marquee option: weighted marquee permitted
Ceremony: Licensed inside from £300
Venue hire: from £3050
Nearest church: St Mary’s Cogges, Church Lane, Witney, OX28 3LA (0.0 miles)
Wedding breakfast: bring in own catering suppliers
Accommodation: local b&bs
Wedding fairs: Open Day in Autumn
Other things worth a mention: so much more than just a wedding venue and very family friendly
St Mary’s Cogges Church | Witney
Based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (published in 1911), this modern Edwardian styled wedding shoot is a perfect harmony of traditional and contemporary elements brought together with sheer glamour and sophistication. Planned and designed by Hanami Dream and wonderfully captured by Squib Photography.
This elegant and delicate wedding is set in the grounds of a local English Manor House in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds of the UK (also used in the filming of another 1910s drama, Downtown Abbey). The lush greenery of a walled garden is discovered behind a secret locked door and its unseen natural beauty is unearthed after being concealed for many years.
Complete with an intimate ceremony on the croquet lawn, drinks in a secluded corner of the garden, followed by a celebration in a stunning Cotswold stone barn, this wedding features modern twists on traditional wedding styles with a real sense of rejuvenation.
With clear acrylic ‘stationery’ and signage with white brush lettering (where the greenery of the garden can be seen through), a hoop bouquet, a fresh take on the time-honoured wedding dessert of a croquembouche, vintage pearl details, antique keys and a friendly robin redbreast motif. Mary and Colin would be proud to attend this stylish wedding.
The colour palette is soft and understated so nothing distracts from the abundance of sumptuous cascading foliage. White is accented with hints of pink Pale Dogwood and plenty of the Colour of the Year of Greenery. There’s a definite nod to the Pantone® Spring/Summer 2017 colours with some subtle inclusion of blues (a navy Lapis for the groom’s suit and a denim Niagara of the manor house internal doors), Hazelnut and more greenery in the form of Kale.
Cogges Manor Farm was the ideal location for this wedding with its very essence in this era. It is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns as well as a beautiful walled garden, stunning grounds and an impressive Manor House as a remarkable backdrop.
The couple got ready in the peaceful setting of the Manor House, strolled romantically through the walled garden, encouraged their families to ‘choose a seat not a side’ on vintage chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire) on the croquet lawn, and enjoyed the perfect blank canvas of the Barley Barn where modern, personalised details make this wedding complete.
Hanging from one of the impressive beams is a large rustic wooden cartwheel from Oakwood Events, adorned with greenery along with stylish bulb cages around Edison type filaments, plus some added alliums (from Lark Rise Flowers).
The top table is awash with greenery running down the whole of the table and spilling off the ends to the floor, courtesy of Lark Rise Flowers. Plus, the fragrance of the foliage was a delight to the senses with hosta, hedera, honeysuckle, laurel and hebe. Along with gentle inclusion of white flowers in the form of campanula, astilbe, lady’s mantle, sweet william, viburnum, rambling rose, helleborus seedheads and valeriana.
The sturdy wooden table, along with vintage chairs from Linda’s Vintage Hire, is set simply with white crockery and silver cutlery, plus clear acrylic menus sit on green moss. Alongside each setting is a clear acrylic place name (with guest names paying homage to the character names from the book) attached to vintage keys, along with favours of charming wooden robins by Muffat Prague.
Guests are directed around the farm with stylish clear acrylic signage and find their places by referring to the reclaimed window pane table plan with white brush lettering thanks to The Paper Hare, completing the stationery suite of clear acrylic invitations and clear acrylic table number tubes.
In the garden, the couple relax and enjoy a smooth glass of brandy whilst listening to the gramophone and admiring the remarkable cake by Cotswold Baking, a reintroduction of a traditional wedding dessert. This impressive croquembouche plays on the trend of wedding cake alternatives and sits on top of a plain white cake. The choux balls are decorated with edible pearl balls of varying sizes.
The bride chicly carries a hoop bouquet by Lark Rise Flowers leaving a beautiful scent of jasmine wherever she sashays. She has strong smoky eyes, pinched cheek blush and barely-there pale lipstick reminiscent of the times and beautifully recreated by Blushing Brides.
Her hair is ornamented with a delicate pearl hair vine by Designed to Sparkle and gathered up to reveal the breathtaking backless dress.
She perfectly fits the glamourous, champagne coloured bridal gown, made from Lux Charmeuse, featuring a high neckline, flutter sleeves, low back, attached silver beaded waistline and godet train by Justin Alexander, provided by Proposals of Witney. This 1910s styling is teamed with a multi-strand bracelet and necklace by Designed to Sparkle, made with navette set Swarovski crystal stones and pearls, in creamrose light shade.
The suave, slicked-back groom suited the era with a blue three-piece suit made from a British fabric 100% wool, cut in a traditional style but more modern in shape from The Cotswold Tailor.
It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by the wonderful local suppliers who provided their time, services, venue and products for free. Together we have showcased the amazing talent that our part of the UK has to offer the wedding industry.
Take a look at the fabulous suppliers that were involved in this styled shoot – Keeping it local with suppliers for the Secret Garden shoot
And take a glimpse behind the scenes at the how the theme and designs came to life – Behind the scenes: Secret Garden shoot
And here’s the video from the shoot too – Video: Secret Garden Wedding
#keepitlocal
Planning & Design | Hanami Dream | www.hanamidream.co.uk
Location | Cogges Manor Farm | www.cogges.org.uk
Photographer | Squib Photography | http://www.squibphotography.co.uk/
Models | Úna and Daryl
Hair & Make up | Blushing Brides | http://www.blushingbrideshairandmakeup.com/
Bridal dress, shoes and veil | Proposals of Witney | http://www.proposalsbridalstudio.co.uk/
Groom clothing | The Cotswold Tailor | http://www.suitstailored.com/
Jewellery | Designed to Sparkle | http://www.designedtosparkle.co.uk/
Florist | Lark Rise Flowers | http://www.larkriseflowers.com/
Cake | Cotswold Baking | http://www.cotswoldbaking.co.uk/
Stationery | The Paper Hare | http://www.thepaperhare.com/
Lighting | Oakwood Events | http://www.oakwoodevents.co.uk/
Chairs, glasses & gramophone | Linda’s Vintage Hire | http://www.lindasvintagehire.co.uk/
Favours | Muffat Prague | www.muffatprague.com
Last October, Cogges Manor Farm hosted their first Wedding Open Day to showcase their wonderful barns and garden along with some highly talented, local suppliers who specialise in offering unique, bespoke and professional wedding services.
Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns for weddings. They are a perfect blank canvas where you can add loads of personalised details to make your special day complete.
At their Open Day, the Wheat Barn was dressed for an English country garden wedding, complete with beautiful pale pink accents and bird details, a hay bale aisle and framed ceremony focal point.
Photography by Hanami Dream
The barn was adorned with swashes of fairy lights (from Oakwood Events) across the beams giving the barn a warm romantic atmosphere.
Photography by Ric Mellis
The highly talented Paper Tree Design hung an impressive flower decorated heart (made from Tyvek) under the huge gilded frame, acting as a ceremony alter for the day. Wild rose paper garlands (printed with a pink gradient and threaded on to organza ribbon) hung behind the frame and were highlighted against the huge pink barn doors.
Photography by Paper Tree Design
A bird cage inspired seating plan was proudly displayed on a mirror, which reflected the soft light and guided people further in to the barn.
Photography by Paper Tree Design
Tables were decorated by Larkrise Flowers with an abundance of delicate and charming flowers, some sourced from the venue’s own walled garden, along with wheat (providing a nod to the venue’s wheat barn heritage).
Flowers on the top table (displayed in a terracotta urn) included:
There were also English hydrangea heads in aged terracotta pots and echeveria secunda glauca in white pots, as well as plants of mixed herbs (rosemary, oregano, marjoram, thyme) and bellis perennis (daisies) in more terracotta pots.
The addition of succulents brought this tablescape bang up to date with mixed sempervivens under glass domes, plus mixed baby gourds, birch slices, glass storm lanterns and glass tea light holders making the table feel extremely plentiful.
In front of the top table ran a stunning floor display of pink cactus dahlias, verbena bonariensis, hedera foliage, wheat, sedum spectabile, and 3 types of grasses (lagurus ovatus, panicum, and setaria).
Photography by Ric Mellis
Stationery from Paper Tree Design complimented the stunning floral displays. From their Tree of Hearts wedding stationery range, this included:
Photography by Hanami Dream
Vintage props were provided by Mabel and Rose including old suitcases, ladders, milk churns and barrels.
Accompanying food followed the rustic English country garden vibe, consisting of Yorkshire pudding and roast beef canapés, a ‘cheese’ cake and ice creams provided by Abigail’s Kitchen, Wates & Co Delicatessen and Mag’s & Tim’s Ice Cream Trike, respectively.
The whole effect gave an example of one direction you could take to make this venue your own – a real abundance of local, natural products with a feeling of bringing the outside inside.
Venue | Cogges Manor Farm | Witney, Oxfordshire | http://www.cogges.org.uk/
Photography | Ric Mellis
Catering, cutlery & crockery | Abigail’s Kitchen | 07771616415 | abipritcher@yahoo.com
‘Cheese’ cake | Wates & Co Delicatessen | https://www.facebook.com/Wates-Co-Delicatessen-1668555833361530/
Flowers | Lark Rise Flowers | http://larkriseflowers.com
Hay bales | sourced by venue
Ice cream | Mag’s & Tim’s Ice Cream Trike | https://www.facebook.com/magsxtimsicecreamtrike
Lighting | Oakwood Events | http://www.oakwoodevents.co.uk/
Prop hire | Mabel & Rose | http://www.mabelandrose.com/vintage-hire/
Stationery | Paper Tree Design | https://www.papertreedesign.co.uk/
By the way – get Sunday 17th September in your diary. It is this year’s Wedding Open Day at Cogges. So go along to see this venue in all it’s glory or contact them in the meantime for an earlier look round.
A beautiful Saturday in April 2015 saw the wedding of Erica and Ruby at Cogges Manor Farm.
Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns for weddings. They were a perfect blank canvas to add loads of personalised details to the day with vintage books, afternoon tea, lots of handmade touches and accents of yellow. This wonderful vintage literary wedding was captured by a number of professional photographers (who are also close friends of the couple) who each had a different section to cover throughout the day.
The couple hadn’t heard about this wonderful venue until Erica’s sister sent them a link to Cogges’s website. They instantly fell in love with the barns when they went to see them and booked their wedding date on the spot! And from there, they produced a beautiful, creative, DIY budget rustic barn wedding. It came complete with hay bales, bunting (kindly loaned from friends & family) and the Cogges chickens running around.
Most things were either handmade, collected or sourced by the couple or their family and friends. They even held a craft session at a local pub and invited their friends and family to stamp out thousands of cat and tea pot shaped confetti from old books. They hand made photo bunting from photographs of themselves over the 5 years they’d been together, as well as hand made centrepieces of brown ale bottles (with brown string wrapped around the necks adorned with buttons), and beautiful handmade paper flowers (again from old book pages) that they held as alternative bouquets too.
The brides both made a great entrance in to the barn. Not only were their outfits stunning, with Erica’s wedding outfit (of trousers & waistcoat) handmade from design to finished garment by the amazing local Oxfordshire wedding dressmaker, Geraldine Jarell of Oxford Frocks. But they also both walked into the barn from opposite large barn doors. They were escorted by their respective fathers and walked a mesmerising figure of 8 around their 100 guests seated on hay bales. The couple met in the middle of the barn, surrounded by all their friends and family, and had an enchanting ceremony complete with the lighting of a candle.
There were lots of personal touches to decorate the barn, such as a stack of Beatrix Potter books that Erica was given as a child by her aunt (who sadly couldn’t make it from Canada on the day). There was also an old gramophone that belongs to Ruby’s dad which played records of Eva Cassidy and the like during the reception drinks in the walled garden.
Photography by Tom Weller
Afterwards, the guests were treated with a ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ themed wedding favour. As they came back in to the barn, they helped themselves to a surprise book. These were a job lot of paperback books bought from eBay and each wrapped in a brown paper parcel and stacked on a table. This gave people something to chat about at their tables before and during their afternoon tea. Many people told the couple after the wedding that the book they chose was perfect for them!
Afternoon tea has featured in this couple’s story for a while as Erica proposed to Ruby at Jane’s Enchanted Tea Garden in Oxfordshire on 29th March 2014 (the day that gay marriage was legalised). So it is fitting that afternoon tea was also the theme of their wedding day, utilising vintage mismatched china that they had collected over a year. They visited numerous charity shops and car boot sales accumulating enough tea sets to host afternoon tea for 100 guests. The afternoon tea was served inside the Wheat Barn on rustic picnic benches (Ruby wanted to avoid white table cloths at all costs!) And now all of this china is used to serve loose leaf teas and hot chocolate in their own pottery cafe, Busy Brush Café in Wallingford. Delicious sandwiches, scones and cakes accompanied their afternoon tea.
Guests were encouraged to leave a finger print on an alternative guest book tree picture, plus write a personal message to the couple on vintage postcards left in a vintage suitcase.
A beautiful ‘Thank You Tree’ was displayed in the barn with luggage tags carrying messages to thank family & friends that had helped them – from solo singing during the ceremony, to loaning fairy lights that made the barns twinkle, to taking photos at the wedding, the endless search for China teapots etc. They borrowed the tree itself from their friend Anita who owns Country Collections shop in Wheatley.
In the evening, the guests were spoilt with some of the ‘best jacket potatoes you’ve ever tasted’, cooked in an old Victorian Oven out on the veranda. Plus, the wedding cake was actually a 1.5m high cake stand stacked full of jars of retro sweets that people could nibble on throughout the evening.
Then came a brilliant spectacle as the couple’s first dance was a flash mob dance where Erica and Ruby started dancing alone to Happy by Pharrel Williams. Then 5 friends, one by one, jumped into a well learnt dance routine. Mid way through the song lots of other guests got up and joined in too. What a wonderful way to take the pressure off everyone looking at the couple and so much fun!
After this the happy couple didn’t leave the dance floor and enjoyed the songs of a local Witney band, Vinyl Daze, well into the night.
This vintage literary afternoon tea wedding proves that with some personal touches, great friends, time and creativity, a beautiful barn wedding can be produced without breaking the bank.
Venue | Cogges Manor Farm | Witney, Oxfordshire | www.cogges.org.uk
Photography | Nick Bradbury | Mark Carroll | Alan Glasspool | Thomas Phillips | Robin Smith | Tom Weller
Bride’s outfit | trousers & waistcoat | made by Geraldine Jarell | Oxford Frocks
Flowers | handmade
Hay bales | provided by venue
Thank you tree | Country Collections , Wheatley | https://www.facebook.com/Country-Collections-762549283781067
Band | Vinyl Daze | www.vinyldaze.co.uk
Photography by Thomas Phillips
“Cogges began working with Hanami Dream earlier this year on its first wedding open day, promoting both Cogges as a venue and recommended local suppliers.
Nicola offered helpful and friendly advice, with invaluable support to help plan the day. She has a wonderful eye for those details that make a wedding day truly unique, and an ability to bring a little bit of magic into any bride’s big day.
It was a great pleasure to work with Nicola and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Hanami Dream to anyone who wants practical help and inspiration along their wedding journey.”
Kim, Cogges Manor Farm – October 2016
