Natural & Vibrant Oxford Marquee Wedding with Foliage Hoops

Pure joy today with this stunning opening image from today’s real wedding feature. I am so honoured to share Kelsey and Tom’s The Perch Inn wedding held in Oxford on the 17th August 2019. It was the most beautiful summers day and sailing down the Thames to their reception must have been so special. What a memorable addition to their day.

Following their church ceremony and river cruise, the couple celebrated with their loved ones with a breathtaking marquee reception. The tent was decked in fairy lights and pretty foliage hoops hanging from the ceiling. Long trestle tables were adorned with hessian and lace table runners, flowers in bottles plus sweet succulent favours. Let’s not forget the stylish attire too, with Kelsey donning a low back gown by Lorafolk while Tom was suited and booted in Clements and Church. Didn’t they look just wonderful?

Many thanks goes to Captured By Katrina for sharing with us these delightful and emotive images. Wow!

The Proposal

Tom proposed in Port Meadow in Oxford, one of Kelsey’s favourite places in the world and right across the field from The Perch where we had lunch the same day and later got married.

The Readings & Music

Tom and Kelsey selected two biblical readings and a couple of special hymns. Our favourite was Morning Has Broken (also a favourite Cat Stevens song!). For the reception, we started with an Irish band who played acoustic in the garden over canapés. Then we had a chilled Spotify dinner playlist and finally for the evening we had an amazingly fun band, Ear Candy.

The Vision

The vision for our wedding was to have fun, delicious food and enjoy beautiful countryside with lots of flowers and plants. Kelsey is from the US and Tom from the UK and so we wanted a wedding where everyone could get to know each other and sharing a special day with us. Most importantly, we wanted the day to reflect what was important to us: our family, friends, food and foliage!

The Planning Process

Planning started 15 months out. We worked with the wonderful team led by Deirdre at The Perch, our lovely Priest, and our unbelievably creative florist and photographer to develop a plan for the day. We also started sourcing and growing plants for table settings and seating charts. To maximise the fun, we also planned a drinks night at a pub the night before and a BBQ on the River Thames the day after.

The Venue

The Perch Inn, Binsey, Oxford

The Cake

Colin the caterpillar from M&S! Followed by an evening hog roast prepared by The Perch.

The Flowers

The Allotment Florist from London did all of our flowers, including giant hoops of foliage suspended from the ceiling. We also had dozens of succulents from Shannon’s Garden Centre in Forest Hill. For our table plans, we grew our own herbs in planter boxes in which we displayed our table plan crafted by Clare Hughes (calligraphybyclare) and Tom’s sister, Siobhan.

Your Photographer

The wonderful, Katrina Bartlam. Katrina captured the whole day beautifully.

Your Outfits

Kelsey wore a silk and lace, open back dress from Lorafolk, a Paris-based designer with a simply stunning collection. Tom wore a classic tailor-made suit from Clements and Church in Oxford. Continuing the French theme, Kelsey’s bridesmaid wore a flowing green dress from Sezane and Tom’s groomsmen all wore blue suits and floral ties.

Beauty

Kelsey’s hair, along with her mom’s and bridesmaid’s, was styled at Popham in Summertown by a stylist who executed her vision flawlessly. All make up and nails were done independently.

The Honeymoon

Tom and Kelsey are currently enjoying 6 months of travel across Africa and Asia (a sort of extended honeymoon!). Immediately after the wedding, we spent a few days on the Isle of Ramsay before spending time with friends and family in Alamo, California (Kelsey’s hometown).

Memorable Moments

• Walking into the church and seeing all of our loved ones … and then walking out and getting to greet them all.
• Sailing down the Thames with a bottle of champagne and all our guests enjoying their boats.
• Touching speeches from Kelsey’s Dad, our bridesmaid and best man and a surprise toast from Tom’s grandad.
• Dancing till the end of the evening!

Advice To Other Couples

I think we’d say that it’s most important to stay true to your vision and what matters to you on the day. There will be lots of people offering help to you on the day and so don’t be afraid to take them up on it.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Just gorgeous! I do love a marquee wedding reception.

Huge thanks goes to Kelsey and Tom for sharing their beautiful wedding day with us xo Lou