Natalia & Tom

The lovely Lucy Davenport sent us this classic real wedding with the message "Pinch me - dream wedding alert!" And we're so grateful she did, as it truly is heavenly. From the wonderful Cornwell Manor wedding venue to the adorable bride and groom, not forgetting all of Lucy's heartfelt images perfectly encapsulating the essence of this day. They held their ceremony in nearby Kingham - known for The Wild Rabbit next door, then took their celebrations to a fabulous marquee reception (that lining) decked out in greenery, flower stems in jars and some of the prettiest signs I ever did see, all planned by talented Raspberry Rhubarb, and all here for your swooning and pinning pleasure. Enjoy.

Wedding

Natalia the Bride: June 10th 2017 was one of the most special days of our lives, made all the more beautiful by the stunning backdrop of Cornwell Manor and the team there that made it all possible. As the house is privately owned, you really feel like it's yours for the days before and after the wedding. When we first visited the house, Charlotte, the events manager showed us around and we immediately knew it was the perfect spot for us from the manicured lawns, the swimming pool to the wood burning fire and four-poster beds. From then onwards, Charlotte was a tremendous help in the planning process, recommending Ross & Ross for the catering, who tailored a delicious menu for us as well as our incredibly talented photographer, Lucy Davenport. We were also very lucky to have a brilliant wedding co-ordinator, Amy from Raspberry and Rhubarb, who was such a big help in pointing out things we had not even thought about, as we didn't have a wedding planner.

Dresses

As we live in London, I bought my dress from this small boutique in Pimlico called Ingrida Bridal. Lara was incredibly understanding of my situation as I decided to change my wedding dress 7 weeks before the big day and fortunately for me, they were able to accommodate my requests in a short time frame - they are a dream team. The bridesmaids were easier to dress, as they all loved this long, flowy, pale pink dress from ASOS. Tom was also more prepared than I, having his morning suit and the Groomsmen's gifts (a pair of blue socks with our wedding date on them) ready months before the actual day.

Decor

When it came to the décor, we decided we wanted to do as much of it ourselves as possible. We found this wonderful florist called Rachel from Green and Gorgeous, where you can go and pick your own flowers from her beautiful nursery. She offered a service called Buckets and Bouquets, where she provides your tied bouquets and buttonholes, then buckets of flowers (chosen by you) for the tables and the church. We, the bridesmaids and family members, were busy on the Friday, arranging the table flowers in the marquee, 4 long tables for 125 guests, tying the pew ends together, decanting Limoncello into small bottles for the place names and handwriting and decorating the table plan. It was so much fun seeing our vision finally come together, not without its hiccups or lots of last minute dashes into town.

Ceremony

The wedding day was such a whirlwind; I was ready to get into my dress at 11am and was desperate to walk down the aisle to see Tom. When the time finally came, it was 2:45pm and we were just about to leave the house to head to the church, but walking down the stairs to see my Dad was a reaction that caught me off guard - I forgot in that moment in time that they were giving away their daughter. Lucy caught this moment so perfectly, as well as our videographer, Matt from Moon & Back. Walking into the church and seeing all the people you care about the most in one room is overwhelming, let alone seeing Tom. Our vicar, David, is the nicest, warmest and funniest person, he immediately connected with all our guests and gave a wonderful sermon. The readings and hymns were specifically chosen by Tom and I, however the most special part was having my cousin sing two incredible covers whilst we signed the registry and having the wedding captured on film meant that I could finally see what the congregation saw too.

Special Moments

Then the real party began, as we left the church through the confetti tunnel, we headed back to Cornwell Manor where we quickly did all the photos with family and our couples shoot as the guests started to arrive. We walked through a field to this small bridge over a stream, the pictures were worth dodging the sheep for. The reflection from the water and the backdrop of green fields were just stunning. Meanwhile, our guests were standing in a beautiful garden enjoying Champagne and canapés, the giant sausage roll was a clear favourite. Instead of a guestbook we asked everyone to sign a champagne cork and write a short message, which are in a beautiful jar that we have at home. After the drinks reception we wandered down the main steps of the house where everyone stopped for a fantastic group photo and then on to the bouquet toss before going into the marquee.

Catering

From the delicious sharing boards and main course and the wedding cake made by one of my bridesmaids to the live music from Charlie Miller and the Soul Agents, the evening was so much fun! Even my 95 year old grandmother was dancing the night away until the early hours. One of the best moments was during the dancing, taking a step back and seeing all your friends and family having a brilliant time and all our planning over the past year all paid off. One thing I did do was over order on alcohol, not the worst things as I was so nervous of running dry. We had plenty of wine and leftover bottles of gin from our elderflower gimlet - we are still making our way through them 4 months later, however they are brilliant memorabilia from our special day. Although the wedding was over and we had been back from our honeymoon for a few weeks, receiving the beautiful pictures of our day in both colour and black and white along with the video took us right back to the Cotswolds to relive it all over again.

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