DOWN ON the farm

Laura and Joe enjoyed a festival-inspired tipi setting as the backdrop for their big day

Images courtesy of David Bostock Photography and Joe met in a pub in the same village where they ended up getting married in. “I was there with my mum and auntie for a charity bingo night and it was Joe’s local so he was also in there,” Laura tells us. “He didn’t participate in the bingo but he noticed me. My younger cousin, who was 12 years of age at the time and Joe’s sister, who was also 12, were best friends. Joe must have mentioned something about me to his sister who then

Laura told my cousin because they ended up matchmaking!”

The couple discussed becoming engaged and decided to go for it. “We were in lockdown during March 2021 so we couldn’t go out to look for our engagement and wedding rings but we ordered them online.”

Here, Laura tells us all about their tipi wedding reception in the countryside that was decorated with a white, olive and gold colour theme.

We chose St Mary’s Church Adderbury in which to get married which was so beautiful.

One of our friends has a Jaguar car so he very kindly drove my dad and me to the church and then Joe and I travelled from the ceremony to the reception in it.

I was so nervous in the church that I couldn’t look around because I didn’t want to see all of our guests looking at us. When it was time to exchange the rings, I got muddled with my left and right hands!

We arrived at our farm where the tipi reception was being held, and were announced as Mr and Mrs for the first time while being driven in Joe’s JCB digger bucket by his dad, with our bridesmaids on either side!

We were lucky to have the land for the tipi to sit in such beautiful surroundings. There was also a wood full of cow parsley that provided an amazing backdrop for our photographs

I made our table plan using the same paper and font that we used to create our wedding invitations with. The details for each table were pegged to a wooden frame that my brother made using chicken wire – it looked great! We used table numbers which worked well.

Our centrepieces were antique gold candlesticks with green candles to tie in with our colour theme. I filled milk bottles and other small glass bottles with cow parsley that we picked from our woods to go with them.

We mainly had white roses, eucalyptus and gypsophila - I wanted simple, pretty flowers so we stuck with the colours of green and white. I knew that I wanted plenty of eucalyptus so the year we became engaged, I planted 12 eucalyptus trees for free foliage to use at our wedding. Our talented florist then used what she could from our garden and sourced what she couldn’t locally.

I met the owner of Annabel’s Patisserie at a Christmas market and as soon as I tried her chocolates, I knew I wanted them for our wedding favours. We sampled plenty of flavours to pick the perfect combination of two chocolates in an olive-green colour with gold specks. We asked Annabel to colour-match them to our theme and they were wrapped in small boxes sealed with a personalised gold wax stamp on the top handmade by my dad. We also made our place names with the names printed on brown gift tags with a dried flower glued to the corner of each one.

My dress was by Justin Alexander dress. I had no idea what style of gown I wanted but when I tried this off-the-shoulder one on, I just knew it was the one, I looked at more but kept going back to this. Because it was a very detailed dress, I kept the accessories to a minimum with a simple veil and a tiny gold necklace.

I wore a pair of shimmery heels with personalised soles.

We had a statement four-tier cake which looked so elegant and tasted delicious!

We created a festival vibe with two food stations outside serving different dishes which then changed for the evening reception.

The groomsmen wore blue suits with white Liberty-print ties and white shirts teamed with brown shoes – they matched Joe and all looked great! Our beautiful bridesmaids wore long lilac dresses with detailed tops and pleated skirts.

Joe wanted a tweed suit but soon realised this would be too hot! He looked great in his trousers, waistcoat and shirt.

We had a family friend entertain our guests with his disco into the early hours of the morning! We created a playlist containing a wide variety of songs – he said it was the best playlist he had ever had.

The Dream Team

Ceremony, St Mary’s Church Adderbury, www.adderbury-stmarys.com | Photographer, David Bostock Photography, www.davidbostockphotography.co.uk | Tipi hire, Amazing Tipis, www.amazingtipis.co.uk | Dresses, Silver Sixpence Bridal Boutique, https://silversixpencebridal.co.uk | Jewellery, accessories and wedding rings, Watermans Goldsmiths, www.watermansgoldsmiths. co.uk | Hair, The Salon Ladies & Gents, www.facebook.com/thesalonbanbury | Make-up artist, Features by Courtney Jayne, www.instagram.com/features_bycourtneyjayne | Suits, Henry’s of Banbury, www.henrysofbanbury.com | Flowers, Flora & Fauna, www.instagram.com/floraandfaunaflorals | Catering, British Event Catering, www.britisheventcatering.co.uk | Chocolate favours, Annabel’s Patisserie and Chocolaterie, www.annabelspatisserie.co.uk

Our grand turreted exterior provides a fairytale backdrop for your special day. Step into the hotel and feel the old English charm from the open log fires and the stunning ornate oak staircase. If an idyllic outdoor ceremony is your dream, then our grounds offer the perfect location. The beautiful, landscaped gardens and secluded woodland area also provide a magical backdrop for your wedding photos. If you are looking for a smaller, more intimate wedding then our Library Suite is a classic choice. This room features an original fireplace and is full of character and charm. For larger celebrations, our Windsor & Eton Suite is a perfect fit for up to 220 of your friends and family to create lasting memories together.

01506 815140 www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/berystede specialevents.berystede@macdonald-hotels.co.uk