Lydia & Steve’s Elegant Cotswold Wedding at Hyde House

We have the dreamiest colour palette, delicate but wild florals, pink tulle, sweet hand-made details, candlelit dining and espresso martinis. I mean, what more could you want! That’s before we even mention the incredible setting of Hyde House, their beautiful blank-canvas barn, and stunning grounds with all the feather grass you could ask for! Obsessed.

Lydia says…

We chose Hyde House for several reasons, first because of its perfect location, we loved that it was situated in the picturesque town of Stow-on-the-Wold. Secondly, because of the beautiful manor house, it took our breath away when we first viewed it and meant everything was all in one place. Everything we could possibly need was onsite, so no one had to leave for anything. The place was ours to celebrate exclusively for the day with our loved ones, so it felt like the perfect fit for us.

I immediately felt like me but a million times better in everything I wore on the day. I felt comfortable and never felt self-conscious. I just felt like the best version of myself. My dress was different and unique, without being too ‘out-there’. My Loeffler Randall shoes and bag matched the dress perfectly, it was like they were made to go together! I wore pearl earrings that were originally my mums, and my sapphire and diamond necklace was passed down to me from my nan (which was the most perfect ‘old, borrowed and blue’ in one!)

I asked my bridesmaids to choose their own dresses to make them feel comfortable and confident in themselves on our wedding day. I asked them to choose the colour pink, as this was the colour of our flowers, and I think they all chose perfectly! I loved the mismatched colours / styles of their dresses but also how their personalities came out in their choices. It’s one of our favourite decisions.

Steve’s brother Neil is a hairdresser, so it felt right to ask him to do my hair on the day. Adrian our family friend did an incredible job of styling everyone else’s hair and I loved having my makeup done by Sasha.

Steve and the groomsmen’s suits were from Moss Bros, and we chose to accent the look with a pink tie which matched the bridesmaid’s dresses perfectly. Steve is known for his love of handkerchiefs; he never goes anywhere without one so these felt like very fitting favours for the groomsmen and our guests.

We loved that we didn’t need to go over the top and add lots of additional décor and flourishes as the barns’ modern finish was exactly what we were looking for. It was important to us that our day felt personal, romantic, and reflected us as a couple.

Our florist was Charlotte from Flowers by Charlotte Elizabeth who did an incredible job of capturing the romance of the day within our florals. We really wanted the barns to be full of beautiful florals but didn’t have a massive budget so Charlotte helped us to reuse them throughout the day so we could get the most impact possible for our budget. It was important to us that the colour palette was right too, we didn’t want to go down the route of pastels or bright colours, so the burgundy, pinks and whites felt like the perfect match for the exposed beans and bright interior of Hyde House. Bringing the right mix of colour and luxury into the barns so our styling didn’t feel too rustic.

We opted for sharing boards as we have been to way too many weddings now where we have come away either disappointed in the portion size or sat forever waiting to be served. Sharing boards just seemed to solve both these issues. The food was a great conversation starter between guests who hadn’t met before, and it gave everyone the opportunity to eat as much or as little as they wanted.

We’re not cake people at all, we nearly didn’t have a cake, so we knew we wanted to keep it simple. We chose a one tier raspberry and vanilla cake from a bakery local to Steve’s Mum which we served alongside a double chocolate traybake which kept out sweet, toothed guests happy.

We’re not showy and don’t particularly like being the centre of attention so we liked the idea of working with Scott as he is a family friend and is all about capturing the day as it unfolds. We liked that our couple portraits were kept to a minimum and felt as though we could relax around Scott which was a bonus. We kept traditional elements such as the cake cut and first dance very low key, the photos we’re more for our parents and the album than a key moment in the timeline.

Best part of the day

Everything about the day was absolute magic. From getting ready in the morning with my mum and bridesmaids, the speeches and first dance. Everything was perfection. I have to say, no one told me how emotional it would be when it was just my dad and I waiting outside of the ceremony ready to go in and marry the love of my life. My dad and I were just crying with all the emotions running through us and it’s something I’ll never forget.

Hearing our aisle song start playing on the String Quartet after so many months of planning was just so emotional. Walking down the aisle and seeing my future husband takes my breath away just thinking about it.

Hannah from Hannah Rachael Weddings was our on the day coordinator and our rock throughout the whole process. There were site visits, endless amounts of valuable advice (and support!) and her famous function sheets. Steve and I simply could not have had our most perfect day without her.

From one couple to another…

I don’t think they are words of wisdom, but everyone told me how quickly the day goes and to just enjoy it. It’s easy for that advice to sound repetitive and to shrug it off but I really wasn’t prepared for how quickly the day would go. Just savour every moment – you will literally have the time of your life!