Happy Wednesday! Mid-week we always need a perk don’t we? I absolutely adore sharing weddings where everyone looks like they are having the time of their lives and Philippa James has nailed this one perfectly, also I can’t go further without mentioning the couple’s daughter busting a move in her PJ’s, SO cute! Leanne, a teacher and Adam, an architect were married on the 14th of March at Cotswold House Hotel and Spa. Using lavender and the Cotswolds countryside as a starting point, the wedding is a great mixture of rustic and classic elegance.
“Having the wedding in the Cotswolds was an easy choice since Adam proposed there but choosing a venue was not as easy. As an architect Adam has a love of buildings, their detailing, style and character. Our wedding venue had to encompass all of the above! As soon as we saw Cotswold House we fell in love though, from the grand entrance hallway to the country gardens, Cotswold House felt like a really special place. It was also the perfect size for the intimate country wedding we had planned.”
Photography by Philippa James Photography
Leanne chose a beautiful polka dot tulle Jesus Peiro dress from The Bridal Boutique and kept her jewellery understated with a Tiffany & Co bracelet and earrings, both gifts from Adam. In her hair she wore a flower from Lily and Dot.
“It was my dream dress, I had tried similar styles but none of them made me feel like a princess the way this dress did.”
“I love the silk tulle skirt, it flowed beautifully and felt amazing. I had planned to wear my favourite Vera Wang perfume but forgot to put it on! My shoes were a high street purchase from Monsoon. I wanted a heel but I also wanted to be comfortable, I wore these shoes all day and all night!”
Leanne’s bridesmaids wore beautiful chiffon dresses from Kaliko at John Lewis with some gorgeous silver sparkly Converse and beaded headband from Etsy. The adorable little flower girls wore dresses from Next.
“Adam and I met through mutual friends who played a special part on our wedding day being Best Man and Bridesmaid. Adam proposed in the Cotswolds (naturally!), he had planned a surprise weekend at Dormy House Hotel for my birthday and popped the question over a romantic picnic. We got engaged in July and married the following March, I really wanted a spring wedding so we just jumped right into planning.”
“I walked down the aisle with both my mum and dad to ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri.”
Adam opted for a blue 3-piece, shirt and accessories from the Personal Tailoring range at Reiss and teamed them with a brown brogue from Next. The Groomsmen got their blue suits in Moss Bros.
“It was really important for us to include our daughter so we asked the registrar to include her name within the ceremony. She also got to give us our marriage certificate at the end which was really special too.”
“We found our wedding rings in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. I wanted an extra bit of sparkle to complement my engagement ring and Adam opted for a plain band.”
“We used hessian sashes on chiavari chairs, hessian bunting and a selection of decorated jars filled with dried lavender, all from Shropshire Petals. We also had giant LOVE letters from Electric Poppy which looked amazing.
I made all of the stationery myself using brown recycled card and luggage tags. For the table plan I purchased photo frames and heart hanging decorations and hung them from a pallet. For the ‘order of the day’ I distressed a pallet using wood stain and painted on the timings and events. It all took quite a while but was 100% worth it.”
Leanne and Adam used lavender as the inspiration for their theme (they planted a lavender hedge in their garden when they first moved in so it has special meaning). The Bay Tree at Campden combined white tulips to create the beautifully classic arrangements.
“My mother-in-law made our cake. She loves to bake and it was really important for us to have her involved. Adam’s favourite cake is a Victoria sponge, so we adapted this with a cream cheese and home-made strawberry and champagne jam filling. My only instruction was the more icing sugar on the top the better. She did a great job and also made our favours, kilner jars filled with the same jam as the cake. We used old apple crates to create a display and asked our guests to take one.”
The images by Philippa James are stunning but I especially love the joy on their guest’s faces when it was announced that Leanne was pregnant, such a precious moment to share.
“We met Philippa James at a friend’s wedding the previous year and loved her alternative style, not only is she just great fun but made the whole day easy and relaxed. She was able to capture the style, love and emotion of our day perfectly. We also had Philippa share some exciting news with our guests – for our main group photo she shouted ‘after me shout 1,2,3 Leanne’s pregnant!’ The shocked and excited faces made a fantastic photo and an epic memory of our big day!”
“We hired a two-piece band called The Runaways for the evening, they had the perfect set list to get our party started. We hired a DJ to finish off the dancing into the night.”
“Our first dance was to ‘Everything’ by Michael Bublé. I love the words of the song but convincing Adam wasn’t quite as easy. Having the band sing the song was the perfect compromise and they did an amazing job.
I think my favourite parts of the day were seeing Adam’s smiling face at the other end of the aisle and our little girl rocking the dance floor on the night.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Before I did any planning I decided on my theme and I think that’s the best piece of advice I could give. Having a really specific theme really helped to link everything together and made the planning much less stressful as it all came together a lot easier. Create a board on Pinterest to add ideas for colours, decorations, dresses etc.”
Congratulations to Leanne, Adam and their expanding family. It’s lovely to share a wedding where the kids look like they are having as much fun as the adults, thank you so much to Philippa for capturing those moments.
Love Caoimhe xx
Photographer – Philippa James Photography
Venue – Cotswold House Hotel and Spa, Chipping Campden
Wedding Dress – Jesus Peiro from The Bridal Boutique, Henley-in-Arden
Headpiece – Lily and Dot
Shoes – Monsoon
Accessories – Tiffany & Co
Groom – Reiss Personal Tailoring + Next Shoes
Bridesmaids – Kaliko @ John Lewis Dresses + Converse from Office + Etsy Hair Accessory
Flowergirls – Next
Florist – The Bay Tree at Campden
Cake – Made by the Groom’s Mother
Entertainment – The Runaways + Not Just a DJ
Rings – Gold Craft, Birmingham Jewellery Quarter
Stationery – The Bride
Light up Letters – Electric Poppy
Chair Hire – Shropshire Petals
Caoimhe Anderson View all Caoimhe's articles
Caoimhe will never tire of beautiful wedding dress and a blooming flower crown. When she's not lusting after a gorgeous wedding she will be trying new vegetarian recipes, knitting very slowly or capturing a pink sunset from behind a camera lens.
Hi,
How did you design your pallet?? Are those stickers? Or black chalk?
Thank you