Beth & Liam: A Slice of Summer in the Cotswolds

As soon as we walked into Oxleaze Barn, we both felt it was the right place. Obviously, it’s beautiful, but we loved the barn itself, the surroundings and the farm. More than anything, we noticed how relaxed we felt at Oxleaze. It was exactly how we hoped to feel on our wedding day — and how we wanted our guests to feel too.

We wanted the colours of summer mixed with some traditional touches, bringing together the softness of a country wedding with a little formality.

Pastels formed the basis of our colour palette, but rather than settling on a single shade for the bridal party, we chose the same dress for each bridesmaid in a different pastel colour. The varied tones looked beautiful together and gave the day a fresh, summery feel.

Those colours continued throughout the flowers, from the bouquets, buttonholes and wrist corsages to the bud vases arranged across the tables. Milk churns filled with flowers framed the ceremony before we moved them behind the top table and later placed them at the entrance to welcome our evening guests.

Set against Oxleaze’s natural stone walls and rustic barn, the result was colourful, soft and just really pretty!

Food was an important part of the celebration, with Ross & Ross Events creating a generous menu that began with canapés including Korean fried chicken with chipotle mayonnaise, smoked salmon blinis, courgette and feta fritters, black bean tacos and piggy toast.

Guests then sat down to a three-course wedding breakfast, with a choice of confit duck, smoked bacon potato cake or sweet potato and pea pakoras to begin.

For the main course, guests chose roasted pork belly with pork and fennel croquettes, slow-roasted blade of beef, or a butternut squash, spinach and feta pithivier, all accompanied by sharing bowls of seasonal vegetables.

Dessert brought another difficult decision: lemon tart with fresh raspberries, sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream, or an orange and chocolate torte!

We chose a tiered cheesecake made entirely from cheese for our ‘wedding cake’ and served it later in the evening alongside caramelised onion and goat’s cheese pizzas, and chorizo, beef and chilli pizzas.

Choosing one favourite moment is almost impossible, but the ceremony entrance held particular meaning for us.

For me, it was the moment I walked into the barn and saw everything we had planned come together: the flowers in place, the room filled with people we loved and Liam waiting for me at the end of the aisle.

For Liam, it was turning around and seeing me walking towards him for the first time.

Behind the scenes, Rosie had carefully coordinated the entrance of all five bridesmaids, followed by me and my dad, so that everyone walked perfectly in time to a violin arrangement of To Build a Home. It created the dramatic, emotional entrance I had hoped for — although the long build-up apparently left a few guests wondering whether I was ever going to appear!

Trust the process! All your hard work will pay off when you see your vision come to life. Soak up every second of your day because it’s over in the blink of an eye.