If you’re planning your wedding in the Cotswolds then make sure to get your copy of the 2016/17 edition of Cotswold Bride which is out now for the year.
A beautiful sunny late August bank holiday saw the wedding of Vikki and Dan at Cogges Manor Farm in 2015.
close up of dusty pink roses and wheat in bridal bouquet held by bride with groom
White wedding cake with filigree and dusty pink roses by Pretty Cake Company
Photography by Neil Hanson straw bales covered in pink and cream covers set for wedding ceremony complete with aisle, bunting and fairy lights in rustic barn
close up of flowers on top table of rustic rose barn wedding
pink potted plants, lavender and roses in wooden crates for floral seating plan
chalk board itinerary outside rustic barn wedding venue
Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns for weddings. This is a special location for the happy couple who are regular visitors to this local venue. Plus it was a perfect blank canvas for them to add loads of personalised details to the day with hessian, white lace, dusky pink ribbons and roses. This wonderful rustic rose pink barn wedding was captured by Neil Hanson Photography.
The bride and her attendants arrived in style in a white carriage pulled by two pristine white horses courtesy of Fabulous Occasions – what a way to make an entrance! The bride wore an exquisite low back white wedding dress which consisted of a figure hugging satin underdress with a lace overlay which had a beautiful V-neck as well as a breath taking deep V-back. This was purchased from Proposals in Witney and is by Essence of Australia. The bride searched for a long time to perfectly colour match the ribbon sash herself, in order to coordinate it with the colour scheme of the day, and then attached a lace appliqué to the new ribbon.
She carried a magnificent bouquet by Distinctive Petals which included peonies, David Austin roses, wheat, gypsophila (baby’s breath), astilbe (false goat’s beard) and amnesia roses. The wheat echoed the venue’s wheat barn heritage and featured in several of the displays during the day. The peonies were also a pleasant surprise for the bride – these are her favourite flower but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to get them out of season but the wonderful florist pulled it out of the bag on the day!
The wedding continued to wow as the bride entered the picturesque barns adorned with hand-made bunting in vintage floral material, fairy lights strewn over the beams from UBE Lighting and she walked down an aisle made of straw bales covered in the same coordinating pink and white fabric. Once the ceremony was over, the guests mingled around the courtyard of the farm and enjoyed the glorious sunshine. They were able to find their names on an ingenious floral seating plan with potted plants of hydrangeas, lavender and roses stood in a wooden crate pyramid.
The table names were named after the bride and groom’s favourite local walks (their own pet names for the walks rather than their official names). For example, Fields of Love was the name of the top table which is the name they gave to the field where they were walking their dogs when they said they loved each other for the first time! The guests all sat down to enjoy a picnic courtesy of local caterer, Abigail’s Kitchen. Tables had a rustic feel and flowers were displayed in clear glass jam jars and milk bottles decorated with twine and fabric and stood on wooden slices (all supplied by the florist).
All the stationery was put together by the bride using recycled card, tags and twine bought from Razzle Dazzle Rose (who also printed their invite cards). Another wonderful personal touch was the carrot seed favours which were a nod to their romantic proposal of carrots spelling out ‘Will you marry me’ in an allotment. Read more about how the groom spelt it out in this real life romantic proposal stories blog post.
Before their first dance, the happy couple cut the charming ivory four tier wedding cake, with hand piped filigree highlighted with pearl lustre and decorated with a selection of varying shades of dusty pink sugar roses, beautifully made by The Pretty Cake Company.
The guests enjoyed a succulent hog roast from The Oxfordshire Pig Company, then danced the night away whilst Mark Cortez sang and the sun set on an amazing and truly memorable wedding day!
sign posts in front of rustic wedding barns in Witney, Oxfordshire
chalk board itinerary outside rustic barn wedding venue
Photography by Neil Hanson straw bales covered in pink and cream covers set for wedding ceremony complete with aisle, bunting and fairy lights in rustic barn
baby's breath in glass vases on top table by old cart underneath bunting in a rustic barn for wedding reception
Photography by Neil Hanson pink and cream bunting with fairy lights dressing beautiful rustic wedding barn set for reception
glasses of champagne being poured at wedding reception
bride and groom taking the goat for a walk at a Cogges Manor Farm wedding
dusty pink roses in bouquets, bridesmaid dress and bow on lace wedding dress
dusty pink bow and back detail of lace wedding dress
close up of dusty pink roses and wheat in bridal bouquet held by bride with groom
dusty pink roses, baby's breath and wheat in beautiful bridal bouquet
baby's breath button hole tied with hessian on white table with wooden hearts
pink potted plants, lavender and roses in wooden crates for floral seating plan
pink potted plant seating plan
detail shot of potted plants in vintage floral print material covering glass jars acting as seating plan
white metal bird cage adorned with heart hessian bunting and pink roses for guests to post their wedding cards
engraved wooden hearts for wedding reception
Remember when, a doodle just for you, a wish upon a star icebreaker memory cards for guests to complete at wedding reception
Fields of Love table name wrapped around glass vase for wedding reception
close up of flowers on top table of rustic rose barn wedding
cream and pink roses along with wheat in vase covered with vintage floral print material stood on two wooden stands at wedding reception
baby's breath, pink and cream roses on table table at wedding reception
Astall Pastures table name wrapped around clear glass vases next to pink and cream roses on wooden stands at wedding reception
Baby's breath in glass vases wrapped in string alongside smaller vases containing roses stood on wooden stands on tables at wedding reception
Eat cake and be merry sign in white vintage frame in front of wedding cake with dusty pink sugar roses
White wedding cake with filigree and dusty pink roses by Pretty Cake Company
Dusty pink ribbon tied in a bow around a white wedding cake
close up of filigree and dusty pink sugar rose on wedding cake
detail shot of dusty pink sugar roses and ribbon on wedding cake
close up of top of white wedding cake with dusty pink roses and filigree
fairy lights and bunting decorating beams of rustic wedding barn
bride and groom by a metal gate in a beautiful embrace at sunset
As well as general wedding planning chat, there’s some #toptips as well. This week’s theme is ‘Things to carry in a wedding day survival kit’ #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 1: Buy cosmetic blotting paper to dab away any sweat or ‘shine’ on your face #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 2: Use chalk to cover up any scuff marks on a white wedding dress #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 3: Rescue Remedy is an amazing herbal drop to keep you calm on your big day #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 4: Use a drinking straw so your lipstick stays in tact (and not on your glass) whilst you sip your drink #UKWedLunch
TOP TIP 5: Keep a small bottle of water on hand to make sure you don’t get dehydrated or a dry mouth when saying your vows #UKWedLunch
Not disguises by the seaside but some lovely models are required for a bohemian styled bridal shoot with a literature theme.
The shoot will take place at a stunning venue by the River Windrush in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside this October half term.
This project is supporting and showcasing local, independent wedding businesses – everyone provides their services and products for free and in return gets some wonderful lifestyle shots to use at a later date. This is a collaboration of like minded people that create great things together though don’t have the budgets to produce this kind of work if they all worked independently.
The shoot will be approximately 2-3 hours in the afternoon of Tuesday 25th October (weather permitting) and will provide some fantastic lifestyle shots for your portfolio. One fitting prior to the date may be necessary. Own transport is required to Minster Lovell, Witney, OX29 0RN.
We are looking for models fitting the following description:
WAVES – Female with long blonde/brown wavy hair, approximately 20-30 years old, 170 cms tall, size 10-14
BEARDS – Male with dark hair and beard, taller than the bride, approximately 25-35 years old, 40” chest, 32” waist
If you’re available and would like to be involved in this fantastic styled bridal shoot then please email Hanami Dream
Once you’re over the hurdle of preparing your guest list and the headache of waiting (and chasing) for RSVPs, it will be time to decide where to seat your nearest and dearest for your wedding breakfast.
Take a look at our 10 point guide on how (and where) to seat your wedding guests to help you through what can be another tricky juggling act of keeping everyone happy. There’s etiquette, tradition, logistics, safety & practicalities to consider (as well as who Aunty Vera may have fallen out with) so that all can see and been seen by the bridal party.
1) size and shape
Firstly, establish what is possible at your venue. What could you fit in to the room? What is already available there? You need to think about the space, tables and chairs. Taking in to account the size, shape and style of these three elements. Count the number of tables and determine how many chairs can fit around the different shapes of table. This amount should accommodate your final guest numbers.
2) style of meal
How you lay out the tables can be dictated by the style of food that you will be serving. For example, if you’re having a casual meal or buffet then you may opt for guests to pick their own places when they’ve got their food rather than a formal sit down meal where everyone has an allocated place setting. To get guests to mix up, you could provide a bowl of numbers and people pick out their table number as they enter the reception.
3) structure
The formation of the tables will depend on their shape and the atmosphere you want to create. Family style sharing meals work well on rectangle banquet tables with benches on either side. Laying long tables in a horseshoe or T shape creates a focal point of the bridal party. Whilst round tables surrounded by chairs can cluster groups together for good interaction. Square tables give a great modern feel and don’t feel restricted to use a uniform type of table – mix and match shapes and sizes to suit your needs.
4) standard
Traditionally there is a head (or top) table containing at least the happy couple. In addition, etiquette suggests their parents, along with chief bridesmaid and groomsman join this long table facing the guests so that everyone can view the top table (eg Chief Bridesmaid, Groom’s Father, Bride’s Mother, Groom, Bride, Bride’s Father, Groom’s Mother, Best Man). Working away from this focal point, others from the wedding party are grouped near to the top table, followed by closest relatives, then friends, and finally colleagues.
5) substitutes
Let’s face it, you can have whoever you want on the top table (or no top table at all!) Nowadays there are many alternative schemes to factor in different family circumstances and partnerships. The top table could be round rather than rectangle so the wedding party get to chat too. The top table could just contain the two most important members of the day whilst the rest of the bridal party host their own family members on separate tables. Sometimes brides and grooms choose to sit at a different table for each course to mingle with all their guests.
6) special considerations
As well as knowing how many people you’re seating, you’ll need to factor in any accessibility requirements for any young, elderly or incapacitated guests such as incorporating requests for highchairs. People with any tasks to carry out during the meal or speeches should be able to get out of their place easily too. There’s always a temptation to match make with a singles table, though my advice would always be to keep people with people they already know (and like). Tradition suggests alternating men and women around a table.
7) system
How to plan who sits where is a fine and delicate art often thrown by last minute cancellations and feuds. There are lots of online planning tools, apps and software available to help solve this issue. However, nothing beats a large piece of paper containing the floor plan of your room with blank tables drawn in the right places. Then get some small coloured sticky tabs in perhaps three colours (for men, women and children). Write each guest’s name on the relevant coloured tab and stick these around the table templates until you’re happy with the seating combinations.
8) selecting tables
There are many options and ways to personalise your tables including the names you give each table or how you number them. One of my favourites at the moment is showing a picture of both of the happy couple at the age that the table number corresponds with.
9) seating plan
There a couple of options to ensure that guests get to the table you’ve allocated to them. Firstly, you can display a seating plans of the different tables listing which guests are sat at each table. Ideally have a couple of these plans to avoid everyone bunching around one and placing it outside of the room for people to view it ahead of time to avoid a rush on entry. Alternatively, escort cards can be displayed (perhaps alphabetically) which each contain the name of a guest along with the table name/number where they are to be seated. In both scenarios, place name cards on the table can show guests where to sit or they could pick their own seat.
10) seating at ceremonies
It’s not just the reception to consider but you may want to offer a modern take on where people sit at the ceremony too. Traditionally in a religious building, the Bride’s family sit on the left of the premises and the Groom’s sit on the right. However, many people are asking their guests to pick a seat not a side. Plus if the venue is less formal you can move away from rows of chairs and opt for a circle around the couple or even a spiral of chairs working inwards to the couple.
I’m delighted to be chosen by Andy Quinn as one of this week’s winners to be given the title of #QueenOf Wedding Inspiration. I will wear the crown with pride.
It’s great to network on Twitter and to add to my honoured collection of accolades with this one from The Royal Connection. It’s a competition that was started by Aqua Design Group to celebrate women in business with a weekly #QueenOf competition during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. Due to its popularity it still continues every Thursday 9am-9pm on Twitter (and now also includes a #KingOf competition every Tuesday 9am-9pm as well).
I’d love to hear from any fellow #QueenOf or #KingOf winners and look forward to connecting with them on #TheRoyalConnectionHour every Wednesday 9-10pm on Twitter.
I’m delighted to be supporting Cogges Manor Farm with their Wedding Open Day on Sunday 16th October 11am-3pm in Witney, Oxfordshire.
