Italy Meets Oxford

However, if you were expecting classic and traditional wedding vibes from such a quintessentially English venue, think again. Today’s editorial focuses on how to incorporate Italian styling into an iconic British setting and offers oodles of inspiration from stylish bridal mini-dresses (and contemporary pearl accessories) to a destination wedding-esque palette of bright pastel blues and pinks. Okay, folks, do I have your attention? Great! Let’s take a closer look…

Suzy says…

Bodleian Libraries is steeped in history and elegance, and the Divinity School is an iconic building with unparalleled grandeur. It felt like the perfect location to bring luxury Italian styling to historic Oxford. I wanted to create a look and feel that would usually be found in the hills of Tuscany with a blue colour palette with a touch of pink.

For the bridal look, we wanted something in keeping with the Italian theme to go with the tablescape inside the library. The Bridal Box provided two stunning full-length dresses from their Pronovias Bridal collection. Asmara, a v-neck chiffon dress with a satin sash and detachable sleeves and the Bloom, a pretty blush tulle dress with a beaded strapless bodice, soft skirt and gorgeous detachable sleeves

I adore the trend for a short wedding dress and wanted something with a bow feature for portraits around Oxford. Dusanka heard the brief and designed the most beautiful dresses for the shoot. The Belle and The Mini are crafted from exquisite mikado fabric. The Mini is a stunning strapless dress with a sleek and stylish silhouette, accessorised with a handmade floral jacket worn over it to create a second look. The Belle dress featured a charming square neckline, graceful bell shaped skirt and a wide sash with a beautiful big bow adding the finishing touch. Both dresses are part of their couture collection.

Joanna Wilford and Fabulous Flowers created the most beautiful tablescape. It is the type of table you would see at a beautiful al fresco Italian wedding. Joanna followed the Italian theme and used blue charger plates, beautiful spiral glasses and diamond ocean blue tumblers on the long tables. To bring a pop of colour, she added pink knotted napkins, all set upon hemp tablecloths. The tables were full of colours and beautiful in design.

Ivy White provided the stationery. The Azalea collection is a masterclass in understated elegance, featuring delicate floral line illustrations that evoke a sense of timeless sophistication. Each piece of stationery is carefully crafted to exude classic refinement, with intricate details and subtle textures that add depth and dimension to the design. The result is an exquisite and romantic stationery suite.

The hand-painted watercolour-effect wedding cake by Terre et Lune had a beautiful ethereal feel, with a soft palette of dusky blue blending to pink. Translucent pastel wafer paper sails swirled up and around the design, lending movement and lightness, and the clear acrylic tier added a contemporary touch.

Matthew from Fabulous Flowers created a masterpiece in floral design. Inspired by heartwarming gatherings and outdoor celebrations, he was motivated by the unity and joy it created and wanted to make a similar feeling with this piece. He chose blue and white floaty flowers to give a simple garden meadow vibe, including Orleans, oxypetalum, Queen Anne’s lace, delphinium and cow parsley. Abundant flowers and candles finished the tablescape.

Smaller, more intimate weddings are becoming increasingly popular, and I wanted to show that you can still have a statement wedding breakfast table for a small group of people.