A Festival Inspired Wedding at Elmore Court with a Bride in Jenny Packham

I do love a relaxed country house party wedding, especially when that country house manages to be magnificent and steeped in history, but also warm, friendly and inviting.

Little Book member Elmore Court in Gloucestershire is just that kind of place, and I’m so pleased to be sharing this lovely, festival inspired springtime wedding, which took place there.

This is the wedding of Mr and Mrs Cook, who were wed at Elmore Court on the 17 May 2019. Mrs Cook is a Director for an estate agent, Mr Cook is a Plumber, and the couple first met through mutual friends who thought they would be a good match for each other.

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“We wanted a traditional yet relaxed feel for our wedding, and as soon as we stepped into the grounds of Elmore Court, we knew it would provide us with exactly this. It took our breath away!”

There to capture all of the joy was Oobaloos Photography, who did a brilliant job from start to finish; “Sheryl’s photographs are just fantastic, and we couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. Our videographer was Mrs Mashup, who were recommended by Elmore Court. We loved the look of their videography style, and we so excited to get our video back to relive the day again!”

Mrs Cook’s spectacular dress was Jenny Packham’s ‘Destiny’ design, which she discovered at boutique Coco + Kate in Hatton Shopping Village. Jenny Packham is the queen of era inspired embellishment, and ‘Destiny’ is no exception, with its beautiful and intricate crystal detailing across the bodice, complete with a Peter Pan style collar.

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“I would definitely recommend this bridal shop. The interior was so beautiful, the staff were really lovely and I felt like I had a proper wedding dress shopping experience – being provided with Prosecco on arrival! It was the first and only bridal shop I went to try on dresses, and I knew right away that I was going to find ‘The One’ in there.”

“I had tried on a lot of traditional fitting dresses, and as much as I loved them I just didn’t feel like me. The ‘Destiny’ dress was one of the last ones that I tried it on, and I knew as soon as I put it on.
Its true what they say about you getting ‘the feeling’ when you find the right one. I loved everything about it!”

For a finishing touch, the bride wore perfume by Jo Malone – Nectarine Blossom and Honey (one of the first perfumes bought for her by Mr Cook), and added a veil by Joyce Jackson, which she chose at The Bridal Room, Bristol.

Radiantly elegant make-up was by make-up artist Jessica Mills, and Mrs Cook wore her hair in a chignon with soft, romantic waves by Leanne from South West Bridal Hair and Make-up, adorned with brightly coloured fresh flowers.

Mrs Cook’s vibrant bouquet of spring flowers was made for her by her friend, Holly Wright, and I just love how the colour palette is in perfect harmony with the beautiful, dusky purple wisteria flowering in May; a gorgeous array of lilac scabiosa, purple carnations, bright blue cornflowers and anemones, contrasting with apricot roses and eucalyptus.

“I wanted to use my friend Holly as I like to support friends’ businesses. She made them with her cousin and I couldn’t have been happier with what they did. I decided to go for different colours and bright tones, as it was a spring wedding. I thought it was also a good way to tie in the festival style we were going for, as it also as it gave it a more relaxed feel.”

Matching sparkly shoes were also by Jenny Packham, and a pair of silver star earrings from Aluna Mae.

The venue flowers, including a lovely floral arch filled with colourful delights like peonies, dahlias and roses, was created by Sorori Design.

“Sorori Design were one Elmore Court’s supplier recommendations, but Maria had already done my sister’s flowers at her wedding a few years prior, so I trusted her completely. I didn’t want the flowers to look perfectly placed together, and both florists that I used really understood what I wanted.”

The bride and her father walked down the aisle together to Kodaline’s song, The One, where Mr Cook waited, wearing a smart navy blue suit from Marks & Spencer, along with a green printed pocket square made for him by his mum.

“We decided to book a summer holiday in July 2017 to Palma. A couple of nights in to the holiday we went for a lovely stroll past the Cathedral and Bill got down on one knee and popped the question! We were engaged for 1 year and 10 months before the wedding.”

Surrounded by family and friends seated in Elmore Court’s elegant Hall, the couple exchanged their heartfelt vows to one another, and gave each other rings as a symbol of their commitment.

“We both got our wedding bands from Nicholas Wylde in Clifton Village. Recommended by my sister and brother-in-law, as they had really good service from there with their own rings a few years prior.”

The newly married Mr and Mrs Cook were showered in dried petal confetti on the steps of Elmore Court before taking some time for group photos with their wedding party, as well as just the two of them. What a magical backdrop the Court’s enthusiastically flowering wisteria was!

The bridesmaids wore a lovely array of pale blue and dove grey embellished dresses from ASOS and Monsoon, paired with their own choice of footwear and accessories.

The couple held their reception in the venue’s contemporary, purpose built party space – Gillyflower, which was styled to perfection by Lauren Grey.

“Lauren provided the most gorgeous dreamcatchers, and she really got my vision. I trusted her completely.”

Mrs Cook sourced a botanical inspired table plan from Etsy shop The Vow Wedding Stationers Ltd., whilst menus were from Sendables, and place cards were by calligrapher The Write Girl.

“We both knew that we wanted quite a traditional wedding but with a relaxed feel. We both love music, which is why we wanted to try have a festival style to it. My dad is from Cyprus, so we both wanted to incorporate this heritage, which is why we provided Mythos beer during our drinks reception and Bill’s dad made the sloe ouzo for our wedding favours, which he has famously named ‘Slouzo’.”

Long runners were placed on the rustic dining tables, and then decorated with candlesticks and posies of colourful flowers, along with the ‘Slouzo’ guest favours.

“Bill’s Uncle Dave is in a band, so they played for us during our drinks deception. They surprised us by playing Zorba the Greek, and a group of Bill’s friends and family had also learnt Zorba’s Greek dancing to dance along to it! We were so surprised, especially when they told us they had been practicing it for two months leading up to the wedding!”

Elmore Court cooked and served an incredible feast that included spiced lamb koftas, chickpea falafels, roast sirloin of beef for sharing, and cauliflower filo parcels, both served with roast potatoes and vegetables, followed by chocolate torte with orange puree or white chocolate and hibiscus cheesecake.

The beautiful three-tier, semi-naked cake, adorned with fresh flowers and a bespoke topper was made by Earthcake.

“I’m vegan, and we really wanted to make sure I could enjoy the wedding cake with all our guests, so we had it made by a company called Earthcake in Bedminster (Bristol) and they are 100% plant based.”

“The evening caterers were Meat and Greek food van, who provided delicious Souvlaki kebabs (also fantastic vegan options). Again, we wanted to incorporate my Greek heritage, and who doesn’t love a cheeky kebab at the end of the night?!”

After the cutting of the cake, the evening celebrations began with the couple’s first dance together, and the chose the song, How Long Will I Love You.

“It was originally sung by Ellie Goulding, but we chose the Jon Boden, Sam Sweeney and Ben Coleman version, which is played in our favourite film called About Time. Phill from Celebration Roadshow was our Master of Ceremony and evening DJ.”

“It was our perfect day, but if we had to pick a favourite part it would be having good old party with our friends and family in the evening.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Our advice would be that it’s your day, so try not to let other people influence your decisions. Also try to enjoy the planning process!”

Mr and Mrs Cook, thank you so much and very best wishes to you both. Readers, I do hope you’ve enjoyed this lovely, vibrant, wisteria filled day! Many thanks to Oobaloos Photography for capturing it all so magnificently.

With love,

Laura