{"id":330566,"date":"2022-12-02T07:00:40","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T07:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com\/?p=330566"},"modified":"2023-09-04T11:49:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T10:49:42","slug":"rousham-house-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/rousham-house-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun & Summery English Garden Rustic Marquee Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to WWW readers Esm\u00e9 and Neil’s Rousham House & Gardens<\/a> wedding in the gorgeous Cotswolds<\/a>. Their day was pretty as a picture, with the English garden setting and pole tent marquee prooving perfect for their summery nuptials.<\/p>\n

Their day was quite simply glorious with hot summer weather, divine white wedding flowers<\/a>, sensational outfits and a lot of fun and games. Rustic touches included wooden pallets, hessian table runners<\/a> and a semi-naked cake of dreams. I defy you not to fall head over heels today.<\/p>\n

Wyldbee Photography<\/a>, I can’t thank you enough for sharing these sun-drenched and beautiful captures with us.<\/p>\n

Esm\u00e9 and Neil on WWW<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

We loved looking through the real life weddings on WWW Instagram page whilst planning our own wedding. Our venue was a \u2018dry hire\u2019 venue meaning we could choose all the elements ourselves, therefore using WWW was a great source of inspiration.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Rousham \"Bride<\/p>\n

Rousham House Wedding<\/em><\/h2>\n

The Proposal<\/h3>\n

Neil proposed as a surprise at the end of our 18 month venture of living in New Zealand<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

He booked us a surprise log cabin<\/strong> for the weekend by our favourite surf spot in Muriwai and he popped the question on the sand dunes during a sunset stroll. We frequently surfed there so it was already special to us and it later became the name of the top table at our wedding.<\/p>\n

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

The Vision<\/h3>\n

We initially dreamed of getting married abroad in Portugal or Italy, as being sun worshippers we hoped for guaranteed sunshine on the day. Due to the possibility of covid restrictions we changed our ideas<\/strong> to closer to home.<\/p>\n

Neil lived in a small village in Oxfordshire for the first 6 years of his teaching career, so the beauty of the Cotswolds<\/strong> was an obvious choice. We loved the idea of an open-sided marquee, to get as much of an outdoor vibe as possible. Our wedding turned out to be on one of the hottest days of the year so we felt very lucky with our decision.<\/p>\n

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

Budget<\/h3>\n

Our initial budget was \u00a330,000 however we did not want to compromise with several elements and were lucky to be able to extend this up to \u00a335,000<\/strong> to have the special day we created.<\/p>\n

\"Rousham \"Rousham \"Rousham<\/p>\n

The Ceremony & Music<\/h3>\n

Choosing our musician was easy, we had the incredible Michael Moore (Piano Animal). We had heard him play at a friend’s wedding in 2018 and having him play was a non-negotiable for us! He truly is a musical magician and knows over 1000 songs in his head. He even learnt our first dance song for us \u201cIn The Air\u201d by L.A.B<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The traditional ceremony was in the onsite 12th-century church of St Leonard & St James\u2019, I walked down the aisle to Carnival of the Animals; The Swan<\/strong>, played by Michael on the cello. Our hymns included the iconic Jerusalem<\/strong> which everyone belted out. One of my bridesmaids sang Songbird, Eva Cassidy<\/strong> which was enchanting.<\/p>\n

\"Rousham \"Rousham \"Rousham \"Rousham \"Confetti \"Rousham<\/p>\n

The Venue<\/h3>\n

Rousham House & Gardens<\/strong> is in the tiny village of Rousham in Oxfordshire. It was the second venue we viewed and we were an instant yes without hesitation.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a private flower garden and offered us the opportunity of having our ceremony in the beautiful church of St Leonard & St James\u2019 on site so our guests didn\u2019t have to drive between the ceremony and reception.<\/p>\n

The journey from the church, through the walled flower gardens and finally to the marquee on the front lawn meant that guests were able to see the full beauty of the gardens throughout the day.<\/p>\n

\"Rousham \"Rousham \"Bouquet \"Rousham \"Groom \"Groom<\/p>\n

Your Outfits<\/h3>\n

Esme \u2013 Normandie, by Enzoani<\/strong>. From Couture and Tiaras Bridal Shop<\/strong>, Burgess Hill.<\/p>\n

I was very indecisive with my dress (I\u2019m usually very decisive about everything so this was unheard of for me!) and must have tried on over 50! When I found this one I knew it was the one, I particularly loved the summery ethereal look, the open back and long train. My veil was a single tier cathedral length veil handmade for me by a fantastic lady that I found on Etsy.<\/p>\n

Neil \u2013 chose a 3-piece textured charcoal grey suit from Charles Tyrwhitt<\/strong>. His main criteria was that he didn\u2019t want blue or navy! He wore a double cuffed white shirt from Stenstr\u00f6ms with a champagne tie.<\/p>\n

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

Your Photographer & Filmmaker<\/h3>\n

Sophie – Wyldbee Photography<\/p>\n

Second shooter \u2013 Michael Walton Photography<\/p>\n

\"Marquee \"Wooden \"Pole \"Place \"Table<\/p>\n

The Styling & Decor<\/h3>\n

Neil\u2019s sister Kara is a graphic designer so designed our order of service<\/strong>. She hand-painted the wedding schedule and seating plan<\/strong> on wooden pallets.<\/p>\n

For the name places<\/a>, we wanted to keep a simple rustic feel so we used luggage tags with rubber stamps and lavender (DIY). Our table names<\/a> were photos of our favourite places in New Zealand, we had trestle tables as wanted the meal time to be as sociable as possible.<\/p>\n

We had a semi-naked buttercream wedding cake<\/a>, designed by CakesByEm with real flowers.<\/p>\n

Our flowers<\/strong> were all designed by the wonderful Elizabeth Baker, she got married at the venue herself so it’s close to her heart. We had a neutral palette with VIP Brut and ivory roses to mirror the colours of the bridesmaids. Using Ammi Graceland and populus helped create the summery vision, with flower rings and jam jars in the marquee.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth and our wedding coordinator<\/strong> Ann worked fabulously together to help create the vision.<\/p>\n

\"Long \"Place \"Long \"Long \"Long \"Pole \"Drink \"Semi<\/p>\n

The Honeymoon<\/h3>\n

We spent 17 days hopping around the Saronic islands (Greece)<\/strong>. Beginning in Athens then Aegina, Poros and Hydra.<\/p>\n

\"Bronze \"Bride \"Dress \"Groom \"Mother \"Rousham \"Rousham \"Rousham \"Rousham<\/p>\n

Memorable Moments<\/h3>\n