{"id":306705,"date":"2021-12-15T07:00:49","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T07:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com\/?p=306705"},"modified":"2024-07-03T10:53:24","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T09:53:24","slug":"oxfordshire-pub-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/oxfordshire-pub-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"Joyful Family-Focused Colourful & Handmade Pub Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

WWW readers Hayley and James are with us to share their joyful Oxfordshire pub wedding<\/strong> which was not only relaxed and family-focused but filled with colour. It’s a dream!<\/p>\n

They were married in the summer and went all out to create a day that reflected them as a couple. I especially love all of the DIY homemade decor, it all looked incredible and has such heart. The confetti throw, speeches and dancing all looked so wonderful too.<\/p>\n

Look out for the prettiest florals, Hayley and James’ beautiful outfits and some delicious sweet treats.<\/p>\n

PhotoBart<\/a>, I can’t thank you enough for sharing with us these dreamy captures.<\/p>\n

I was a complete WWW addict during wedding planning and my pinterest was full of links to so many gorgeous featured weddings.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Oxfordshire\n

\"Bouquet \"Bride \"VW \"Dress<\/p>\n

Oxfordshire Pub Wedding<\/em><\/h2>\n

The Proposal<\/h3>\n

Having swiped right<\/strong> (yep, it does work) just over a year before, James completely surprised me with a proposal on my \u2018lockdown\u2019 birthday.<\/p>\n

After a morning of opening cards and presents, he told me he\u2019d found a little pond in the middle of Swinley Forest<\/strong> and wanted to head there on our daily dog walk so we could have a secret picnic. We settled down next to the water and he handed me my birthday card. As I got to the last sentence, I realised he was referring to a joke he\u2019d made about getting engaged and, after re-reading the same line a few times, I turned around to find him down on one knee, holding the most beautiful sapphire ring<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I was speechless for the first time in my life. It turns out he\u2019d stood on my parents\u2019 doorstep on his way home from work to ask for their permission because he wanted to make it a lockdown birthday to remember<\/strong>\/a great story to tell the grandkids\u2026 That explained why my mum had been so quiet in recent weeks\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Dress \"Dress<\/p>\n

The Vision<\/h3>\n

We wanted our day to reflect us as a couple <\/strong>– we love the outdoors, feasting on hearty food and being around our favourite people. We\u2019ve been to many weddings that look amazing but feel too manufactured so we were keen to create a relaxed, homemade day filled with colour<\/strong>, joy and personal touches.<\/p>\n

We knew it would probably be the first time everyone was back together again so we wanted it to be a happy, fun-filled experience for all. I was determined to make everything myself and, if not, I wanted to support small businesses<\/strong> as much as I could.<\/p>\n

Budget<\/h3>\n

\u00a315,000 – somehow we came in under budget!<\/p>\n

\"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Sign<\/p>\n

The Venue<\/h3>\n

The Crown Inn<\/strong>, Pishill, Oxon, is a truly magical venue, it\u2019s a real hidden gem. A former 16th century coaching inn with a stunning thatched barn in its grounds, it gave us the relaxed feel we wanted but with an added touch of sparkle.<\/p>\n

\"Wooden \"Wooden \"Flip \"Photo \"Guest \"Barn<\/p>\n

Your Outfits<\/h3>\n

I wore the Lenora Dress by Wtoo Watters<\/strong>. I knew I wanted something a little different and a dress that would enable me to move around\/dance with ease. I also knew I wasn\u2019t prepared to pay thousands for something I\u2019d wear for a matter of hours which is why I started looking for sample dresses.<\/p>\n

I visited \u2018& She Loves Bridal<\/strong>\u2019 in Wokingham and met the lovely Rochelle who was armed with an array of dresses. It turns out she\u2019d tracked down the exact dress I\u2019d sent her when she asked for my vision and I fell head over heels in love with it despite trying on lots of others.<\/p>\n

I paired it with a floor-length veil, some sparkly block heels from New Look (super comfy) and some vintage pearl earrings from Copper Lane Gift Co. The bridesmaids looked truly gorgeous in their knee length dresses from New Look (an absolute bargain).<\/p>\n

James was keen to wear a mismatched suit and despite having to order everything during lockdown, we managed to find grey herringbone blazers and slim navy slim suit trousers<\/strong> in Next (which then went into the sale so we saved over \u00a3400 by doing a quick return and re-order). The boys teamed these with a skinny navy polka dot tie, a sage floral pocket square and personalised tie pins. They looked very cool!<\/p>\n

\"Dress \"Chair \"Bouquet \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire<\/p>\n

The Ceremony & Music<\/h3>\n

We were lucky enough to have our family friend, Nicki, as our registrar<\/strong> which made our ceremony even more special. I walked down the aisle with my dad to the instrumental version of \u2018Isn\u2019t She Lovely<\/strong>\u2019 and somehow we both managed to hold back the tears.<\/p>\n

I have never felt as chilled as I did on the wedding morning which completely surprised us all because I\u2019m usually a bit of a worrier and I love a good cry! I loved seeing all our nearest and dearest gathered in the barn, it was truly special.<\/p>\n

Two of my oldest, dearest friends did a beautiful reading of The Giraffe and The Monkey<\/strong>. We wanted something light-hearted and genuine. We played the instrumental versions of \u2018Wildest Dreams<\/strong>\u2019 and \u2018All You Need is Love<\/strong>\u2019 whilst signing the register and walked back up the aisle to \u2018You Make My Dreams Come True<\/strong>\u2019. During our evening drinks, we had a saxophonist playing – a perfect way to enjoy the golden hours.<\/p>\n

Your Photographer & Filmmaker<\/h3>\n

PhotoBart was our photographer and he was truly magical<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

\"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Groom \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Confetti \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Wooden \"Place \"Table<\/p>\n

The Styling & Decor<\/h3>\n

We wanted to inject fun and colour into our d\u00e9cor<\/strong>. We handmade every single one of the decorations over the year leading up to the wedding – a welcome easel, pallet signs, personalised log slice place holders, a gin-themed table plan (thanks bridesmaids for all your drinking efforts over lockdown), yards of bunting, tissue paper pompoms, family pick n mix, a copper frame for the photobooth and all of our wedding stationery. It was so much fun and I would happily do it all again<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

We wanted our flowers<\/strong> to reflect the wild, colourful blooms growing outside the venue and we didn\u2019t want anything too structured and rigid so we enlisted the help of Skylark to fill our gin bottles with pops of colour and joy. They did not disappoint and their motto \u2018Grown not Flown\u2019 is a motto every florist should live by!<\/p>\n

Our best friend, Becci, baked our cakes and sweet treats<\/strong> and they were insanely good – they were all gone by the end of the night!\u2028 The venue provided our catering and we went for family favourites\/pub classics – bangers and mash followed by sticky toffee pudding – a massive hit with all of our guests.<\/p>\n

\"Table \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Oxfordshire \"Semi \"Oxfordshire<\/p>\n

The Honeymoon<\/h3>\n

We enjoyed a road trip around Cornwall<\/strong> filled with tasty food, far too many carbs and a whole lot of gin. It was incredible. We plan to go on a proper honeymoon when covid allows (what a way to drag out the wedding celebrations).<\/p>\n

Memorable Moments<\/h3>\n