We are upping the style stakes today with Mathieu and Lucy’s super beautiful boho country wedding, which was held on the 8th June 2019 at Oxleaze Barn, Gloucestershire in the gorgeous Cotswolds countryside. It was important to the both of them to incorporate both French and English traditions as as Mathieu is French and Lucy is English. Their day was beautifully relaxed and they were keen to avoid anything too formal. The result was a perfectly personal celebration with all of their loved ones surrounding them.
Onto the outfits as they are just so on trend. Mathieu wore a pink jacket, blue shirt, bow tie and waistcoat for a really cool yet smart look. Lucy meanwhile looked just stunning in her floral appliqué and tulle gown by Marylise, with a delicate hair vine in her half up half down hair do. I also really love the vibrant pink and blue florals which really tied together all of the outfits, including the bridesmaids’ pretty pink frocks. Do look out for oodles of bunting, a floral adorned cake and a wonderful sparkler send off come evening.
Kit Myers Photography, I cannot thank you enough for sharing with us your sensational shots today, what a pleasure it is.
The Proposal
In July 2017, we had spent 10 days exploring the beautiful island of Crete. On the final day, we went to a stunning beach called Balos. We had been walking out to sea in the shallow water. Mathieu put his arms out, I ran towards him as I assumed he wanted a hug. As we neared each other, he went down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was a wonderful and very memorable day.
The Vision
When we talked about our wedding day, we found that we had really similar ideas! We wanted a relaxed wedding with nothing too formal. We both liked the idea of a barn setting with lots of space around. As Mathieu is French and Lucy English, we wanted to combine traditions from French and English Weddings.
The Planning Process
The planning process went relatively smoothly, thanks to the help of some wonderful suppliers and family and friends. Especially nearer the day, family and friends were incredible, so we had a real team effort!
Beauty
Similarly to when looking for a dress, when choosing a hair stylist we really wanted to find somebody who specialised in loose, relaxed styles. When looking for ‘boho’ hair, we came across Kasia Fortuna and Kristina Gasperas. We were so fortunate as Kasia and Inga (who did my makeup) were available on our day. They are both so talented and were a joy to spend the wedding morning with. The browband and clips came from Debbie Carlisle, who handmakes beautiful hair vines and accessories.
Your Outfits & Accessories
Lucy – For my dress I knew that I wanted a style which was quite relaxed and slightly boho. When looking round I was looking for something that was loose, yet fitted and with pretty details. I came across Marylise dresses as I loved their boho style. I was lucky enough to find it for sale in The Ivory Chapter in Melbourne, Derbyshire and went with my mum. The ladies there were amazing, and Rachel and Abi altered it to fit beautifully.
Mathieu – For my suit I also wanted to veer away from a traditional black suit and opt for something which fit the ‘relaxed’ style we were going for for the whole day. I found my jacket, trousers and waistcoat first, then added the shirt and accessories later. We were so pleased with the colours as it went so well with the flowers and really stood out in the photos.
The Venue
When looking for our venue, we only visited the one we chose! From their website, we could tell that Oxleaze was exactly what we were looking for. It was a beautiful barn with outbuildings set on a real farm. The addition of animals wandering around and gorgeous scenery made it feel so relaxing. As the barn was pretty in its own right, we knew we wouldn’t need to add too much in terms of decoration to make it look great on the day. The staff there are incredibly kind, and really go above and beyond to make you feel welcome. Kath was brilliant on the day, and coordinated everything so that it all ran smoothly, despite running a bit behind schedule!
The Readings & Music
Throughout the day, our fantastic friend and groomsman Stephen introduced everything. Being fluent in both languages, he did this in both French and English! He was wonderful and everyone commented on what a great job he did.
Our mums did a reading each, with Catherine reading in French and Wendy reading hers in English. The third reading was read by the two of us. We didn’t write our vows ourselves as we liked the traditional wording, but in doing a reading we were able to say these words to one another, in front of our family and friends.
Mathieu’s dad introduced the meal, with Lucy’s dad doing the father’s speech and Jacquot, Mathieu’s best man and then Mathieu himself, following. The speeches were great – very funny and highly memorable!
The Cake
The cake was from Barefoot in Jericho, Oxford. We have saved the top layer to enjoy later (maybe on an anniversary, if it lasts that long!)
The Flowers
The stunning flowers were from Oops a Daisy, based in Cirencester. Theresa was wonderful to work with. She saw pictures of Mathieu’s suit and the dresses and was able to come up with ideas which would compliment both.
The Details & Décor
For the décor, we decided to do this ourselves and we really enjoyed coming up with ideas! The two of us sat together and sketched out what we wanted to create. The day before the wedding, family and friends kindly helped us assemble everything (80m of bunting was a lot!) and we were so pleased with how it looked. It was important to us to add really personal touches which were about us as a couple.
Your Photographer
Our fabulous photos were taken by Kit Myers. As Mathieu is also a wedding photographer, choosing our photographer was a tough decision! When we came across Kit’s website, we were so happy! He has a really relaxed style, and brilliantly captures moments which take place in a split second. He did a fab job organising the 110 guests so that we could take photos of everyone with sparklers and exciting the ceremony with confetti. Kit was fantastic on the day and made everyone feel entirely at ease. We are delighted with the photos and look forward to making an album.
The Honeymoon
Our honeymoon is later this summer and we are very excited to go!
Memorable Moments
Some of the most memorable moments are the French traditions we added in. Instead of throwing the bouquet of flowers, Lucy stood in the middle with the flowers which had 10 coloured ribbons attached. Each ribbon was held by a lady, and they all walked in a circle as Lucy tried to cut 1 ribbon at a time! The last lady holding a ribbon won the flowers!
During and after the meal, as in France, we added some games. These were such fun and everyone really enjoyed them! The last game in particular, got pretty competitive!
Advice For Other Couples
Our main advice is to enjoy every moment. The day flies by, so take in as much as you can!
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Photographer
Kit Myers Photography
Venue
Oxleaze Barn
Cake
Barefoot Oxford
Flowers
Oops A Daisy
Dress
Marylise from The Ivory Chapter
Accessories
Debbie Carlisle
Music & Sound
Visually Sound
Make Up
Inga from Kristina Gasperas Academy
Hair
Kasia from Kristina Gasperas Academy
Catering
Hey Pesto
How wonderful! I do love a boho wedding!
Thanks ever so much to Mathieu and Lucy for sharing their utterly fabulous wedding story with us xo Lou