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A Colorful Wedding Amongst the Costwolds Countryside

A Colorful Wedding Amongst the Costwolds Countryside

A playful celebration, from a surprise en plein air welcome dinner to divine custom couture

Evelyne and Miles' wedding was nothing short of a storybook come to life. Their weekend began with a surprise welcome dinner in a picturesque field. Elegant floral arrangements by our member Fine Stems, beautiful table settings, and an open sky framed an unforgettable start to the festivities. The main event took place at the stunning Cornwell Manor, nestled in the heart of the English countryside. Reflecting the couple’s own style – traditional and timeless yet effortlessly playful – the day unfolded as an intimate celebration rooted in their love of food and family. As Evelyne stepped into the sun-drenched aisle, a live string quartet serenaded her walk, adding to the magic of the moment. Wearing a custom-made couture gown that fit like a second skin, she radiated elegance and joy, embodying every bit of the romance that surrounded them. A breathtaking wedding beauty lies just behind the horizon, waiting to unfold in all its magnificence through the lens of Phoebe Piper.

A Colorful Wedding Amongst the Costwolds Countryside

Our Welcome Dinner

^{Décor & Ambience}

We surprised our bridal party and parents with a beautifully set dinner table in the middle of a field, complete with custom tableware from my brand, Dinier. We began the evening by welcoming everyone at the Manor House with a glass of champagne and advised them to wear comfortable shoes for walking, while still dressing in cocktail attire. Once everyone had arrived, we walked together with a roaming band to a vast field where our dinner table awaited.

I designed a woven tablecloth specifically to match the style of this occasion. To avoid using generators, we opted for a beautiful spread of food, featuring a variety of salads, quiches, scotch eggs, cheeses, and more. We had such a wonderful time catching up with everyone—our dog ran freely in the field, the roaming band played around the table, and the atmosphere felt chic yet intimate. It was the perfect way to welcome our closest friends and family to the English countryside.

A Colorful Wedding Amongst the Costwolds Countryside

^{Our Style}

For the welcome dinner, I wore a simple yellow silk dress by Anna Quan as a nod to my yellow engagement ring, along with a pearl necklace from my grandmother to complement my Simone Rocha pearl cake bag and yellow satin Jimmy Choo kitten heels.

Our Love Story

^{The Day We Met}

We met 14 years ago, in 2010, the day before New Year's Eve in a snowy Swiss mountain village. I was there on a girls' trip and borrowed some sleds from our chalet to get into the village and head to a bar that evening. At the time, Miles was working as a ski guide before starting his master’s degree, and we happened to bump into each other at a ski bar. Instantly mesmerized by one another, we took one of the sleds and left everyone behind, sledding under the stars at midnight, talking and laughing, both knowing this was something special. After that night, we did long distance between the UK and Switzerland for about eight months, until Miles moved to Switzerland to continue his studies in Bern. There were no games, no questions; with the distance, it was either committing fully or not at all, and we both knew exactly what we wanted.

^{The Proposal}

Twelve years later, I planned a long weekend getaway to Vitznau, Switzerland, a beautiful lake district, for Miles’ birthday. On the first day, we went on a hike to a breathtaking viewpoint overlooking the lake. It was completely silent and private when Miles suddenly offered two closed fists for me to choose from – a long-running joke in our relationship that usually ends with one of us revealing a silly stone found along the trail. But this time, when I chose a hand, he opened it to reveal an engagement ring. It was completely unexpected – there I was, in gym clothes, with no makeup or special hairdo – and it felt perfectly like us, relaxed and fun.

^{The Engagement Ring}

Miles started the process of creating the engagement ring with a mutual friend, a jeweler in Zurich, six months before the proposal. It featured a fancy yellow, cushion-cut diamond in a golden, low setting – a timeless, warm classic. The ring fit perfectly in the moment of the proposal, as our fingers were swollen from the hike up the mountain, but when we got back down, we realized it was actually a size too big!

Our Wedding

^{The Vision}

We wanted our wedding to reflect us as a couple. I’m a culinary creative director with a supper club, and Miles is a corporate banker, so we wanted a balance between both worlds: traditional and timeless, yet playful, intimate, and food-focused. Ultimately, we envisioned a wedding that looked chic but felt personal and inviting. We achieved this perfectly by hiring a highly organized, well-connected wedding planner who left plenty of room for me to bring my creative vision to life. Another key factor was choosing a traditional and elegant location that provided ample space to incorporate the playful elements we had planned.

^{Our Team of Vendors}

We had an incredible caterer who was very flexible and collaborated with us on recipes I suggested. They demonstrated real talent, sourcing ingredients locally and presenting each dish in a way that perfectly suited the tavolata style. The dinner felt even more personalized thanks to the events manager from the catering team, who truly hosted our evening. Also don’t be afraid to look beyond the usual list of recommended vendors. This approach led us to an amazing florist who completely understood our vision for the day and sourced the most gorgeous flowers; her work truly took our breath away. Our wedding planner introduced us to several photographers, but the one we chose had a remarkable ability to capture genuine moments with a soulful, editorial style that perfectly reflected the chic yet intimate atmosphere we wanted for our wedding.

^{The Location}

We were deciding between Italy and the UK. During that time, we noticed so many weddings taking place in Italy that we wanted something a bit more unique to us, somewhere most of our guests wouldn’t normally travel to, providing them with a new experience. Since Miles is English and had moved to Switzerland for me, we decided to take this special occasion back to the UK, in the cozy Cotswolds.

We had spent a lot of time there during the winter months and already loved it, even in less-than-ideal weather. We felt that if it was this beautiful in January and October, then in July it would be even more stunning. We visited several venues and ultimately rented Cornwell Manor, an old manor house with a beautiful garden and enough rooms for our bridal party and us to stay in over three days.

^{The Ceremony}

The weather on our wedding day was the most challenging factor. It added an extra layer of unpredictability but also made the day truly iconic. We got ready in the morning amid pouring rain. Yet, as our guests arrived, the sun broke through, and my bridesmaids and I walked down the aisle in full sunshine to live string quartet music. The moment I reached the altar and the ceremony began, it started to rain again; we got married in the rain and then exited the ceremony to full sunshine once more.

The timing was magical and made the day feel even more special. Since we had decided to exchange our vows privately after the ceremony, we asked Miles’s father and my mother to each read a poem they had chosen, which we hadn’t seen beforehand, to make the ceremony feel more personal. It was beautiful and gave another role to loved ones who otherwise wouldn’t have had an official speaking part in the day.

^{The Reception}

Due to the dynamic weather, our reception took place both inside and outside the estate, which created a fun flow of movement between guests. We had a jazzy bossa nova band with vocals playing in the background, a champagne tower poured with Deutz Blanc de Blanc champagne from the year we met, and various food stations with rotating canapés. Throughout the reception, there were short rain showers, and we saw our guests popping in and out with umbrellas that my parents had provided as a funny surprise, reading "The Chadwyss Wetting" – another personal and humorous touch in the chic setting.

^{The Special Touches}

We tried to incorporate as many personal "eye-twinkle" details throughout the day to make the black-tie event feel more "soulful." One great example was the stationery I designed, where I personalized the name cards for the dinner table with guests' nicknames instead of their formal names. When guests arrived, they all had a laugh, and at the same time, it conveyed who they were to us and what they meant to us.

We felt that it made our guests feel more welcome and introduced the sit-down dinner as a fun chapter. During the dinner, we introduced all the wines that my father had carefully sourced to complement our family-style tavolata. The floral arrangements were playful and edible, which made the dinner feel more relaxed and fun than usual! Another special touch was that for the ceremony, we had extra flowers from my dress made into decorations to fasten to the chairs, adding another personal connection to the dress.

^{Our Favorite Moment}

Right after the ceremony, we exited the aisle and went into a living room with a crackling fire to read our vows to each other privately with a glass of champagne. No videographer, no photographer... and it was a wonderful way to speak honestly from the heart, right after getting married. We shared big laughs and a few tears, which grounded us again after taking this big step together.

Our Style

^{The Bridal Looks}

For the wedding, I wore a custom-made couture gown that I designed in collaboration with Edwin Oudshoorn in the Netherlands, as I wanted a connection to my mother’s Dutch heritage. The idea was to create a floral-focused gown, as we envisioned an English garden wedding. I wanted the dress to have an edge while still feeling timeless and unique. Since I spend a lot of time at food and flower markets for my work, the concept was that the dress began at the décolleté as a paper-wrapped flower bouquet, which unraveled into the larger gown, with the flowers spilling out of the paper and cascading down onto the train.

Not gonna lie, it was an intense process, as it took five trips to Holland, but it gave me the opportunity to visit my Dutch side of the family and made the lead-up to the wedding very family-oriented. We paired the dress with classic satin white Aquazurra heels, which were surprisingly comfortable, and my mother’s Pommellato earrings. Inside the dress, my mother sewed in a horseshoe-shaped pin that she wore on her own wedding dress in 1986 for good luck. For the second wedding look, I chose a shimmering sequin dress with an open back by Emilia Wickstead, paired with transparent Amina Muaddi heels.

^{The Groom Looks}

For the wedding day, Miles wore a custom-made tuxedo with black trousers paired with a cream jacket made from Loro Piana fabric, and patent leather derby shoes by Dolce & Gabbana.

^{Our Bridesmaid’s & Groomsmen's Looks}

I asked my bridesmaids to choose from a color spectrum between yellow and pink, selecting any shape, form, and material they liked, all under the umbrella of black tie. They all looked wonderful, each in their own way. As a small gift, I had extra flowers from my dress made into corsages for the bridesmaids to wear on their wrists or in their hair. My Man of Honor had the same flowers made in black and sewn onto his tuxedo to show a closer connection.

Our groomsmen all wore tuxedos in black tie style, and the best man wore a black double-breasted jacket, like the groom, who also wore one in white.

A Colorful Wedding Amongst the Costwolds Countryside

Our Advice

^{For The Planning Process}

Don’t rely on Pinterest – create your own vision based on who you are as a couple, and the results will be uniquely yours. We’d also suggest inspiring your vendors to bring out their most creative ideas by giving them a "carte blanche" within the framework of your style. And one more thing: definitely get the videographer.

^{For On The Day}

Remember, only you and the vendors know all the details you've envisioned, so whatever happens will feel intentional. If something doesn’t go as planned, no one will notice! We had a few hiccups, like vendors not showing up and receiving the wrong orders, but in the end, none of it mattered. Just lean into the moment, focus on each other and your loved ones. If you're having a great time, your guests will too!

If you have a planner, make sure they know your top priority. For us, it was having dinner outside, no matter what. Our planner nailed it—despite all the rain showers and advice to move indoors, she had everything set up outside anyway and covered the entire setup with plastic to protect against the rain. Of course, the sun came out again just as we were ready for dinner, and because of this, we were able to enjoy our dream dinner outdoors. Absolute class!

^{For Post-Wedding}

If you can, take the week after off. Relax, reminisce about the beautiful moments you shared, and start opening all the cards you've received. It's such a joy to "swim" in the lovely messages from your guests. We’d also advise asking your guests and vendors not to post anything on social media for at least 1-2 weeks. This will give you time to catch up with your own wedding and enjoy those moments privately before everyone else has access to them. That way, you won’t feel pressured to share before you're ready.