Our wedding day: a recap
Where to begin? It’s been over a month since Oliver and I made our vows and tied the knot during our wedding ceremony in the Cotswolds. I’m finally getting round to sharing all of the finer details of our big day, and today I’m going to walk you through a recap of the day itself, and how we planned for it.
First things first
Oliver and I got engaged in August 2018, and started planning for the big day almost immediately. I’ve never been the kind of girl who’s always known what she wants her wedding to be like, but as soon as we were engaged, I just knew that I wanted a barn wedding in the English countryside. At first, I thought I wanted to have the wedding ceremony in London before travelling to an evening reception somewhere else outside the city, but when this didn’t seem viable, we settled on having the entire day outside of London, which worked perfectly.
As Oliver’s parents are based in the Cotswolds, and it is in my opinion, one of the most beautiful parts of England, it naturally made sense for us to choose it as the location of our wedding - specifically Burford, which is your quintessential honey-coloured Cotswolds town, and where my in-laws live. We knew we’d be able to have our wedding ceremony at St John the Baptist Church in the centre of Burford, as that’s where Oliver’s parents are regular church-goers. Once we had the location nailed, it was time to find a date and a wedding venue.
My dad was the one who found the venue: he quite literally Googled ‘Cotswolds wedding venues’, and Cripps Barn was the first to pop up. As soon as we visited it, we knew it was the one. We visited one other venue after that, but we’d already made up our minds at this point: the barn is a stunning conversion, that retains many of its original and rustic features. It had exactly the aesthetic we desired: dark wooden beams, lots of foliage, and acres of beautiful land.
We knew that we wanted to get married on a Saturday (to avoid our guests having to take a day off work), and Cripps had only one available date left in 2019: 28th September. Neither of us felt very strongly about having a summer or autumn wedding: as this was on the cusp of two seasons, it seemed to be the perfect date. We booked the venue, paid the deposit, and started sending out our ‘Save The Dates’ - everything seemed to be falling in place!
Wedding Planner?
It was at this stage that we decided that we didn’t want a wedding planner for our big day. Being somewhat of a control freak, and also a big fan of planning events (I was on a number of event committees at uni), I wanted to shoulder the majority of the wedding planning. In hindsight, this probably wasn’t the best idea (in the last few months leading up to the wedding, I was definitely stressed beyond belief, having to juggle two full-time jobs and a house move on top), but I wouldn’t have wanted to do it any differently. Every detail of the wedding was meticulously thought out by Oliver and myself, and it meant that every moment during the day was incredibly personal to us: from the menus and orders of service designed by Oliver, to the friends we asked to contribute to the day in small ways.
For those of you planning a wedding, I’d advise doing whatever your budget and bandwidth will allow you to do; for instance, if you’re stretched with work (or other) responsibilities, I’d recommend hiring a wedding planner - or even just a day planner. If this isn’t a financial option, then loop in family and friends to assist - just make sure you pick organised people who are happy to help out! Both of our parents were incredibly helpful and involved throughout the entire process, accompanying us to tastings and meetings, and keen to share their opinion without dominating the conversation. Alternatively, take a couple of days off before your wedding so that you can focus on the last-minute, finer details (I only took off one day before the wedding, which was cutting it very fine!).
The Night Before
The day before the wedding, my family and I drove up to Burford for our rehearsal ceremony. My bridesmaids and I stayed in a gorgeous rental property called The Brewery in the centre of town just five minutes’ walk from the church, which was perfect in so many respects: the open-plan kitchen had amazing natural light where we were able to do our makeup the next morning, and I had a bedroom that was slightly removed from the others so I could get a good night’s sleep; although I barely slept that night!
Timeline of the Big Day
9:30am Although I’d been a ball of nerves in the days leading up to the wedding, on the big day itself, I woke up excited and full of adrenaline. My bridesmaids and I all ate a leisurely breakfast together (I couldn’t really stomach anything), before everyone started arriving at The Brewery: the hair stylist, the makeup artist, the florist (to drop off our bouquets), and the photographer.
10:30am I’d had a hair and makeup trial ahead of the wedding, and the look that I finally went for was an elevated version of my everyday makeup and hair. The aesthetic of the wedding was contemporary and much like a woodland fairytale, and I wanted my entire appearance to fit with this: I always knew that I wanted glowing skin with an emphasis on my eyes, and my hair to be loose (as I’m not a fan of tightly-curled updos!). I ended up having a subtle smoky eye, and my hair curled in long waves, with a simple gypsophila flower crown framing my face.
12pm The hours seemed to pass super quickly, and we had some time for group photos before everyone grabbed their bouquets, and it was time to head to the church to get married!
12:45pm Oliver and his ushers were already waiting there to greet guests as they arrived. We had cars to take my bridesmaids and mum to the church, and my dad and I left last of all in a vintage white Morris Minor (which I’d always known I wanted for my wedding!). I remember feeling excited and terrified at the same time, as I clutched onto my dad’s hand. It was pretty surreal to drive down Burford’s high street and towards the church where I knew my husband-to-be was waiting for me.
1pm Our marriage ceremony was led by Rico, the pastor at my parents’ church, and someone I’ve known for the majority of my childhood. Being Christian, it was extremely important for both Oliver and I that we get married in a church, and by someone who had a personal connection to us. We also chose close friends and family to lead the music, readings, and prayers throughout the ceremony.
2pm After the service, everyone headed over to the Warwick Hall, which is a modern hall in the church grounds, for our champagne and canapé reception. We had lots of different canapés, made by a local caterer called Mrs Bumbles, including beef and horseradish crostini, gruyere cheese puffs, and smoked salmon blinis. Mini lemon and raspberry cupcakes were also supplied by the Vanilla Pod Bakery, who had baked our wedding cake.
When people tell you that your wedding day flies by, they really do mean it. The drinks reception passed in a heady rush of hugs, kisses, and snatched conversations, and I barely had time to have a drink before it was time for Oliver and me to head to our couple’s photo shoot near our evening venue.
4pm Oliver and I were cheered off with confetti before heading to Cripps Barn in the white Morris Minor. The ride over was a chance for us to catch our breath, and it was pretty special for us to see our venue in all of its splendour before the rest of the guests started arriving. In line with the minimal and contemporary aesthetic we wanted throughout the wedding day, the barn was decorated with lots of dark green foliage, fairy lights, and simple white flowers. All of the signage, including menus, place cards, and the seating plan had been designed by Oliver, and had a distinctly modern feel.
5:30pm Guests started arriving at the venue, and were greeted with more drinks. There was the chance for them to explore the beautiful grounds before sitting down to dinner. We’d thought meticulously about the seating plan, placing guests next to both familiar and new faces that we thought they’d get on with, and the three-course dinner was all served sharing-style to encourage guests to interact with one another and spark conversation.
For starters, there was cured beef and a goat’s cheese and beetroot salad, and the main course was essentially the equivalent of a Sunday roast, featuring rotisserie chicken and all of the usual trimmings. This was followed by apple crumble and custard for dessert: we were keen to choose crowd-pleaser dishes, and overall had a very British meal, as it seemed fitting for the rustic venue and Cotswolds location.
8:30pm During dessert, we started the speeches. My dad spoke first, followed by Oliver, myself, and Oliver’s two brothers (his best men). We also had a classic yam seng toast led by my uncle, which is traditional in Malaysian-Singaporean culture, and requires everyone lifting their glass and yelling ‘yaaaaaam seng’ at the top of their lungs along with the toast master: the louder and longer the toast, the happier and longer the marriage is supposed to last!
9pm Following this, we had the cake cutting: our cake was a rustic, semi-naked tiered cake, covered in berries and flowers, with alternating tiers of Victoria Sponge and salted caramel. Next up was the first dance; as Oliver hates dancing, we’d agreed to have a ‘joke’ first dance, which was a mash-up rendition of Outkast’s ‘Ms Jackson’ and Bruno Mars’ ‘Treasure,’ where all of the ushers and bridesmaids joined us at the chorus. The rest of the evening was spent on the dance floor, where I’d specifically requested that the DJ play non-stop classics to keep people moving all night long.
Oliver and I left the party at 11:30pm to head to the nearby Artist Residence Oxfordshire to spend our wedding night, and we had coaches take guests back to Burford and Oxford from around midnight. We chose the Artist Residence as we’d stayed in one of their beautiful barn suites before, and are a huge fan of the hotel brand for their quirky and comfortable interiors.
I can honestly say that my wedding day was the happiest day of my life. Having all of my closest friends and family cheering me on and celebrating my marriage with the love of my life was such a special moment that will stay with me forever - everyone seemed to be having a great time, and that’s all that really mattered to me. In the days leading up to the big day, I was certainly a big ball of nerves and emotions, but on the day itself, I somehow felt incredibly relaxed and excited for this new chapter in my life. I really couldn’t have wished it to have gone any other way than it did.
Next week I’ll be sharing all of the suppliers and details we chose for the wedding eg. where I found my dress, who contributed to our big day, and much more!
