Anne & Archie

Come with us and escape to the gorgeous Oxforshire countryside for a late Spring wedding at Soho Farmhouse, because believe us you won't regret it. After travelling a short distance by horse and carriage, the bridal party arrive for a delightful barn ceremony with hay bales seats and cosy hanging light installations, It is then swiftly followed by a stunning PapaKata Sperry tent reception, all adorned with the lush greenery foliage and white florals. Bride Anne looks heavenly in a Mira Zwillinger gown with delicate embroidery that glimmers beautifully in the light, and the pale mint shade of her bridesmaids Ghost gowns couldn't be more perfect for the theme. Marianne Taylor Photography really has captured the essence of this gorgeous day. So make yourself comfortable and enjoy.

{Watch The Film}

Beauty

Anne the Bride: I stayed the night at Soho Farmhouse the Wednesday before the wedding and awoke in the Play Cabin to birds chirping and classical music on the radio. It was a beautiful day, around 23 degrees, warm but with a light breeze. My bridesmaids joined me from 11AM onwards, and the wonderful team from Gemma Sutton including Melissa Clare who looked after my make-up and hair, as well as Beckie and Michelle who did makeup and hair on my bridesmaids. To stay in keeping with the vibe of the venue I opted for natural makeup, and softly waved hair. I requested a fresh look for the bridesmaids and different hair styles for each. They all wore Ghost in different styles to best suit them.

Dress

My dress was from Mira Zwillinger at Browns Bride. I bought it exactly a year before on the day – I knew instantly that it was the one. It was structured in places but incredibly lightweight so I managed to dance in it all night. We drank Laurent Perrier Rose, had a delicious salad lunch delivered from the farmhouse and danced to smooth R&B whilst getting ready. The bridesmaids robes were included in all the rooms, and my one was from La Perla.

Groomsmen

We took out all the rooms at Soho Farmhouse for our guests, so Archie was on site as well getting ready at the cottage his family was staying at. Him and his groomsmen wore white tie from Gieves and Hawkes which is more traditional attire for the wedding party in Norway. He invited the rest of his ushers for gin tonics and beers up on the balcony by Fancy Farm around 2PM.

Ceremony

The ceremony was at 4PM at the Haybarn. We had tall flower instalments along the sides and the aisle was strewn with white rose petals. I wanted a green and white colour scheme with lots of foliage and candle light. The string quartet played modern music, opening up with ‘Tale as Old as Time’. The fantastic team at Soho Farmhouse including Kelly and Hannah coordinated the bridesmaid and my personal arrival perfectly. The carriage took the girls up to the barn, picked up my father who then escorted me to the ceremony. Archie’s uncle is ordained and held the wedding blessing. He advised Archie strongly not to look back at me until I stood next to him which was quite emotional. The song I walked down the aisle to was ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri. The dress code was formal with black tie as we were a mixed congregation of Norwegians, Dutch, English and Americans. One of the English wedding traditions I love the most is the confetti toss so we were super pleased the weather allowed for this.

Food & Drink

We had signature Soho House cocktails including the Eastern Standard, Picante De La Casa and Soho Mule, alongside the usual suspects. I am all about canapes (sadly I only got to try one! All brides should remind their bridesmaids to steal a plate) – and we had about 10 including Buttermilk fried chicken with spicy mayo, cherry vine tomato & basil tarts, fish & chips with tartare sauce, honey & beer mustard sausages, cured salmon, avocado on crostini, whipped goats cheese on parmesan shortbread, welsh rarebit with summer truffle and quail eggs. For main we served Butts farm beef fillet with hispi cabbage and bacon and pea & broad bean gnocchi with wild garlic pesto with Cotes Du Rhone red wine from Cellier Chartreux France. Pudding was a dark chocolate tart with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream We had several speeches as the norm in Norway is about 10-15, but we tried to balance it with English tradition and had eight, including both fathers, myself and my husband, my sister and Archie’s brother, the bridesmaids and Archie’s groomsman. Our wedding cake was made by Soho Farmhouse and was a delicious lemon drizzle with buttercream frosting.

Bridesmaids

My bridesmaids had baby gyp woven through their hair and in their bouquet. Two of them are my best childhood friends, two are Archie’s sisters and my own sister was my maid of honour.

Photographs

Marianne Taylor Photography had scouted out a few spots for photographs ahead of time, but it ended up being quite spontaneous. Walking in a field, by the boathouse and in the orangery. The whole place is so spectacular that any backdrop would make for a beautiful image.

Entertainment

If you want to ensure the absolute best wedding atmosphere I would book the London Essentials. These guys are absolutely brilliant. I saw them at a wedding two years prior and I know they were a must have. They completely sense the vibe and need no guidance on what to play. Everyone was dancing and filming already before the wedding breakfast. We danced our first dance to Stevie Wonder ‘for once in my life’ in between sparklers out on the terrace. Then we boogied to The Modern Way – also an amazing band that split the crowd and got us to do a dance battle. 500 miles in particular got everyone singing at the top of their voices. We finished the evening by walking through the candlelit path to the Mill Room, a cute little pub on site where we had the Wedding Smasher playing until 4AM. At this point all inhibition was abandoned and guests were dancing on tables and sofas until dawn. It was the perfect day & night.

Decor

I know it’s such a tiny thing but I really struggled with the table seating plan. I didn’t want it to look pinteresty with a frame, nor did I want it to look too formal and have a big print out. We settled on a wild flower assortment alongside table and name cards.

Flowers

I love a romantic, country side atmosphere so I asked for green green green foliage and lots and lots of candles. Soho Farmhouse accepted the challenge and strung garlands from the fabulous Papakata tent alongside festoon lights, planted two large trees in the centre, decorated the tables with gold candle sticks and white blooms.

Traditions

We have a bunch of odd traditions in Norway at weddings, and our toast master Herman had them illustrated and printed out. This includes the bridal couple standing on the table and kissing when glasses are clinked, kissing under the table when the guests stamp their feet. Also when the bride or groom vacate the tent for the first time, all men or women of the opposite sex should go up and kiss his or her cheek. The thought is that it will be last kiss from another man or woman - it is quite fun and everyone got involved. The starter was Cornish crab, avocado, fennel & apple with lemon dressing and Oxford Burrata with heritage tomatoes served with Gavi di Gavi white wine from Broglia, Italy.