Where the River Thames meets the Cotswolds. That’s how The Trout Inn describes it’s location. As you can imagine, it’s pretty idyllic. Which is exactly why today’s gorgeous couple chose it as their wedding venue.
They hired an amazing vintage marquee, set it up between the pub and the river and jitterbugged the night away. Throw in family, friends and homemade cake and you’re on to a winner.
The images were captured by the lovely Cotton Candy Photography ladies – make sure you click through to the gallery and have a look at some of their shots using vintage and toy cameras. Very dreamy indeed.
Rustic Countryside Charm
Natasha The Bride: The wedding ceremony and reception were at The Trout Inn at Tadpole Bridge in Buckland Marsh, Oxfordshire. After getting engaged in May 2012 in London we travelled to Oxfordshire to spend the weekend at a romantic retreat, The Dovecote, in Oxfordshire. We stumbled upon The Trout Inn at Tadpole Bridge after an epic walk in Oxfordshire countryside and immediately were taken aback by its idyllic location by the Thames and its rustic countryside charm. After having a couple of drinks in the sun, we decided to stay for dinner and ended leaving when it got dark. Little did we know that exactly a year to the date of our first visit (I still have the receipt!) to The Trout Inn we would be getting married there.
We chose this venue because it embodied everything that we were looking for – tranquil location, laidback atmosphere, delicious food and drink. Plus we love to spend an evening in a good pub! We could also decorate the venue as we wanted thus make the occasion more personal.
We hired a vintage military marquee from LPM Bohemia to be used for speeches and dancing. We used the pub’s picnic benches inside the marquee for guests to take a seat during speeches and to rest after a good dance session!
Reflecting The Location
I did not start with a particular theme or look in mind – rather, everything fell into place once the venue was decided so we got more of an idea of what would be fitting for the location and general ‘feel’ of the place. My hairstyle had to be appropriate for the dress (or two, rather) and was beautifully done by my hair stylist.
Make-up – I did my own make-up as I think you know your own face better than others. I had, however, been for a Bridal Make-up Lesson with MAC. The make-up artist created a look that accentuated my eyes whilst keeping the lip colour nude. I practised recreating this look a couple of times before the wedding day. I am glad I chose MAC as the products were fantastic and lasted well throughout the day.
I made sure I had a Gelish manicure and pedicure in pale pink – it lasts for weeks and we were jetting off on our honeymoon the day after the wedding. You don’t want chipped nail varnish ruining your honeymoon look!
Simple Yet Elegant
My wedding dress is an original 1970s Vintage dress which I got from the Vintage Wedding Dress Company (now Charlie Brear). I also had a vintage original headpiece bought at the same shop as my dress. When I saw my future dress at a Bridal event I immediately knew that this was The One – it fitted perfectly with our countryside wedding theme, it was simple yet elegant. The Dress Number Two that I wore for our Jitterbug first dance was by Malene Birger from Net-a-Porter.
I had two pairs of shoes: the Rosette-Embellished Satin Sandals for the ceremony and the reception; the Charlotte Olympia Kitty satin flats for dancing. The sandals were from Net-a-Porter by Giuseppe Zanotti. The Kitty flats are also a tribute to our two cats, Lilly and Anya. They obviously could not be taken with us to the wedding (although I would have loved to) but I was reminded of them every time I looked down at my feet!
Multi Coloured And Floral
I had one Head Bridesmaid and three Bridesmaids; Philip had two Best Men and two Groomsmen. We didn’t want anything ‘bridesmaidy’ so the girls were free to choose what they would be happy wearing as long as there was some unity by colour or style. The Head Bridesmaid wore a dress by Ted Baker but the Bridesmaids had their dresses were from Reiss. All the girls, however, wore the same pair of shoes by LK Bennett as the flower pattern and the multitude of colours suited the countryside theme and were in contrast with the pale mint dresses.
The Groomsmen’s ties were a great find as they complemented the Bridesmaids’ shoes and the Groom’s tie. They were from The Savile Row Company and the Groom’s tie was by Paul Smith.
Countryside Fair
The theme was Countryside Fair which we tried to reflect through decorative items like vintage paper pompoms, hessian table cloths, giant balloons, mason jars and porcelain jugs. The colour scheme came about spontaneously – white/pale mint. Essentially, we just picked out the colours and items we liked, such as the wedding car, bridesmaids’ dresses and groomsmen’s ties. To complete the theme we asked one of the venue staff to serve ice cream in a summer straw hat; cloudy lemonade in vintage milk bottles was provided to the guests during the reception as well as giant Jenga and quoits.
The Smell Of Herbs
The flowers were roses, baby breath and some green foliage (to keep with white/green scheme). These were provided Wild About florist. For the table centrepieces I planted rosemary, sage and thyme into wooden planters which were then draped in hessian and lace.
The Most Important Part
We felt that a ceremony should symbolise our wish to be together which is the most important part. The length, however, was less important so we wanted it short to keep the attention of the audience and to fit with the overall concept of the wedding: light-hearted and party oriented. We therefore had simple vows with no readings. We loved the way the rain stopped and sun came out briefly during our vows.
High Energy
The wedding dance was a track from a similar dance: Lucy Does the Jitterbug. We had a couple of lessons with a very patient dance teacher Stuart McGee from the Lyndy Hop and Swing Dance Club. It was fun to dance and our guests enjoyed the high energy and originality. We had a very good DJ who asked us to compile various lists of songs. He blended them into a very good party mix keeping people on the dance floor throughout.
From Russia With Love
The menu was provided by the venue and both chicken and vegetarian options were very tasty according to comments we received from our guests. Both chocolate/cherry and fruit cakes were created by Phil’s mother – Vera. The wedding was due to finish after 1am so we had a hog to provide our guests with much needed energy for the dancing.
As a thank you to our family, we gave picture frames with our names and wedding date engraved. With a nod to our Russian background our best men, ushers and bridesmaids received a glass jug and cup set in the form of a Russian doll while other guests received measuring cups in the form of Russian dolls.
Pale Pink, Green And Hessian
The stationery was very important as it set the tone for the wedding. We printed invitations, order of service and thank you cards in pale pink and green through a boutique San Francisco design studio Hello! Lucky. I bound the order of service sheets with hessian string – again, keeping with the rustic countryside theme.
I made the seating plan myself with handmade cards and rubber alphabet stamps. The table numbers were simply numbered with vintage rubber number stamps.
Go With The Flow
Although the task of organising a wedding may seem daunting, it is also ultimately enjoyable to see all your hard work eventually pay off. Don’t stress too much about everything going perfectly on the day – just go with the flow and enjoy the most memorable day in your life.
Click here & view all images from this wedding
Venue – The Trout Inn
Bride’s Gown – The Vintage Wedding Dress Co. and Malene Birger at Net-A-Porter
Bride’s Shoes – Charlotte Olympia and Giuseppe Zanotti at Net-A-Porter
Bridesmaid’s Dresses – Ted Baker and Reiss
Shoes – LK Bennett
Florist – Wild About
Car Hire – Cotswold 500
Stationery – Hello! Lucky
Photography – Cotton Candy Photography
I’m a sucker for herbs as centrepieces – the smell must be delicious.
Natasha’s hair looks gorgeous too. Yet another head piece I need in my life!
Hope you’re all loving the tweed suit and flat cap too! Phil looks like a true gent.
Lots of love,
Fern x