Classic, Real Weddings

14.12.2011

Julie and Neil’s wedding has raised the glamour stakes… with their beautiful black tie, Library, literacy themed wedding in stunning Oxford.

They concentrated on their backgrounds in the US, incorporating UK traditions too. Using the library setting of their reception, with the literacy décor in perfect harmony. Lets face it with architecture as stunning as that, you don’t need to go overboard on the details.

A beautiful bride in a timeless dress and her coördinating groom in a dapper tux, they look simply gorgeous.

Thanks so much to the amazing London based wedding photographers, Green Olive Wedding Photography for sharing their images today:

 

Names…. Julie  and Neil

Wedding Date…. August 6th, 2011

The Proposal….Neil proposed to Julie on October 8th, 2010 on the bank of the Seine while the couple was vacationing in Paris during the Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival.

The Vision for the day…. We envisioned a day that was a mix of our own family traditions from Louisiana and North Carolina with a sense of local English traditions as well. We hired a classic New Orleans jazz band to accompany us as we walked from the church to the reception venue. It brought a touch of home to our beautiful day in Oxford surrounded by some of the oldest and most beautiful architecture. We wanted the day to feel created by us and what we love.

The Planning process….We started with small details and worked our way up. When we decided to have our dinner in the Bodleian Library, we put together ideas that were built on a library theme. We gave our guests classic hardcover books by Penguin and the table setting cards were printed on bookmarks. We also wanted to focus on the food, which is something we both love! We put a lot of attention into the details and worked closely with the caterer to bring our vision to life. It was a lot of fun to plan a “destination” wedding for our family and friends. We had many events in the days leading up to the wedding including a classic whiskey tasting at Merton College, a walking tour of Oxford and a lovely dinner the night before at Gee’s.

Budget…. We didn’t have a strict budget, but we wanted to keep it all under £30,000

The Venue… The festivities started on the evening of Friday, August 5th 2011 with a rehearsal dinner at Gee’s Restaurant & Bar. The wedding ceremony was held at 3:30PM on Saturday, August 6th 2011 at the Catholic Church of St Aloysius Gonzaga (The Oxford Oratory) and was followed by dinner and dancing at the Divinity School in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.

Dress + Accessories….. The dress was Jim Hjelm Blush and the lace veil was custom made with Italian tuile and French lace. I placed the comb of the veil on the edge rather than in the middle to create a classic look.

Finding the dress….Surprisingly the dress I ended up buying was the first dress I tried on. I didn’t know what I wanted except that I didn’t want strapless and I wanted an interesting back. So when I visited the Bridal Box in Oxford, I asked to try on many different styles. I really liked dress #1, but wanted to keep looking. I went to London and tried on what seemed like 30 dresses and I was still thinking about the first one back in Oxford. So I returned to try it back on, and I knew it was the one!

Groom’s attire…In the American wedding tradition, the groom wore a classically-styled dinner suit.

Beautiful bridesmaids….. The bridesmaids wore deep green dresses that they picked themselves. I wanted them to be comfortable and find something they may actually wear again.

The Flowers…The beautiful flowers were done by Joanna Carter of Wallingford. She customised my vision and created bouquets with stunning soft peach English garden roses also called David Austen roses.

The Cake… The cake was created by Ludmila Buzhenok of Oxford. It was vanilla and chocolate with vanilla icing. The icing was done in roses across the surface of the three tiered cake.

Your Photographer…. Pictures were another focus in our planning. We wanted quality images that we would cherish forever. When we found Ben and Slawek of GreenOliveWedding Photography, we knew they would be a great team to capture our day!

The Details + Décor….The details were created with a library theme in mind. The tables were decorated with vintage hardback books and everyone’s place setting card was a bookmark, designed and made by us. We also had our guests sign a block of Jenga– a game we both love and will now love to play even more now with special messages from our loved ones.

The Honeymoon….The couple spent visited various locations in Spain, including the La Tomatina Festival

Memorable moments…The couple and their guests were led through the streets of Oxford from the wedding ceremony to the reception venue by a four-piece New Orleans style brass band, an ode to the Bride’s family from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Advice for other couples… Just remember what the day is celebrating and why you are getting married. It’s easy to get caught up in the details but as long as you are both happy and ready to say your vows, the day will come together beautifully! Remember to stay true to yourselves and don’t try to make it feel like someone else’s day.

Credit where credit’s due.…

Rehearsal Dinner – Gee’s Restaurant & Bar (www.gees-restaurant.co.uk)
Reception Catering – Rick Simons Hospitality (www.ricksimons.co.uk)
Reception Band – Happy Daze (www.functioncentral.co.uk/acts/happy_daze)
Wedding Dress – The Bridal Box (www.thebridalbox-oxford.co.uk)
Bride’s Base of Operations – The Old Parsonage Hotel (www.oldparsonage-hotel.co.uk)
Cake – Ludmila Bozhenok
Flowers —  Joanna Carter (www.joannacarterflowers.co.uk)
Jazz Band —  Acoustic Jass (www.acousticjass.co.uk)
Band– Happy Daze

Video– I-wedding Visuals

Thanks so much to Julie and Neil for sharing their equisute wedding with us today, are you having a book themed wedding day? xoxo

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Tags: Black, classic, Real Weddings

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