Billie & Jon

Before we begin I need to tell you that yes, Billie and Jon are a real-life couple and yes, Foxhill Manor is a real-life wedding venue. All three are so outrageously stunning you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a Bridal Editorial shoot... We just knew we had to feature Billie and Jon's wedding in full, as when we shared a sneak peak on our Instagram feed the response was massive - a universal swoon was had by all over Billie's Stewart Parvin dress (bought at the fabulous Carina Baverstock Couture I hasten to add, one of our absolute favourite boutiques). We also knew that Billie was a girl after our own hearts when she told us that she found her band via our recommended supplier directory, The List. It's home to a host of talented suppliers, covering every aspect of your wedding day, so you can make your dream day a reality, just like Billie and Jon. Right, prepare yourselves, as this one is almost too perfect for words...

The Bride

Billie The Bride: I never knew exactly what dress I wanted, I went with an open mind but because of the person I am this was the most exciting part for me. So when it was finally time to look for the dress I had booked several appointments around London and the South West. I’d never felt so overwhelmed by how many types of dresses there were and was also so disappointed by the experiences I had, I either looked hideous, the cost was extremely high and way over budget or the service wasn’t fantastic which didn’t give me much confidence. My mum called me one day and said she had found a beautiful shop which wasn’t too far away from my home town and told me to book an appointment, I instantly thought ‘ok let’s give this a go but I bet I’ll feel like I did before’. I was completely wrong! As soon as I stepped foot into Carina's store I felt so excited and was amazed by how beautiful the shop is. I was greeted by Carina and her team and from then everything flowed so smoothly; I was given the best advice and was shown the most beautiful dresses that actually suited me. I instantly knew when I found the one when my mum was crying in the corner! I can’t thank Carina and her team enough for the help and support they had given me. I think the advice I would give to future brides would be to have look and see what dresses you actually like, have an idea before you go openly minded that way you will feel happy you’ve actually tried them and can try others if needed because if you are like me and love all sorts of dresses, you could be really disheartened and feel like you aren’t getting anywhere! As for my accessories, I’m a complete shoe addict so I wanted to treat myself to some shoes that I could also wear again. I finally found the ones at the Sergio Rossi store in London Knightsbridge. Once I had found my dress and had the idea of my look I was aiming for, I could then search for some jewellery. My dress was quite a statement so I was looking for some simple elegant pieces to accent the dress but not too fussy. I bought the ‘skinny short bar bracelet’ in rose gold as this was part of the theme of the wedding. The earrings were also Monica Vinader and they were called ‘Skinny bud long diamond bar earrings’.

The Groom

Jon the Groom: I always knew I wanted classic and traditional look but as modern as possible. I knew I wanted to wear black but I was not sure on which style of suit or what material would be best. I searched in shops and online and tried to find some inspiration but so many suits I found were either not a good cut for me or did not seem very special and looked too much like something I would wear to work. I kept searching online and visited lots of bespoke tailoring options but I still couldn’t find a clear direction or tailor. Finding my suit was really actually really random, I was shopping with Billie and she suggested looking in Givenchy, and I noticed a really nice midnight/black coloured suit with a nice material. After trying it on it just felt perfect and I knew this ticked all my boxes. As with most suits, I had the trouser length slightly altered for the tailored fit. The shirt I wore was a white bib front style shirt also from Givenchy and had small round silver screws for buttons which I thought added a really nice and unique detail. 
From the very start I loved the bow tie look for a groom, and in fact I had all my groomsmen in bow ties as well! I think a black bow tie took the look from smart to special. The bow tie I went for was from Moss Bros as it was reasonably priced and I couldn’t see much difference in quality between that and a Givenchy one. For my shoes, I wanted to keep the ‘classic’ and feel and Church’s, in my opinion, are one of the best. The quality of their shoes is amazing and I just had to find the right pair to match my suit. After trying on many black pairs, there was one pair of Church’s Oxford style shoes. Keeping things ‘classic’ I had a simple white silk pocket square and my late father’s watch as a personal touch for the special occasion. I think the simplicity of the look I went for certainly worked and matched our wedding theme and venue.

The Venue

Oh the Venue! An elegant and contemporary style wedding set in the heart of the Cotswolds in the beautiful town of Broadway. The venue is called Foxhill Manor and is a stunning private manor which is brand new to the wedding scene. Foxhill Manor, since being available, has won awards for its uniqueness and quality. We found most weddings followed a rustic theme and we wanted to keep things traditional, simple but with a modern twist. When we first viewed the venue we knew it was a very special place. We knew we wanted a manor but to have it exclusively and it certainly ticked all the boxes!

The Decor

We decided to pick the theme and colours of the wedding once we had booked our venue purely because we had no idea on the style of the venue we wanted. Foxhill Manor was already decorated beautifully and had so many candles and votives, fresh flower arrangements and decorative homewares; we hardly had to decorate. We opted for neutral, soft blush tones and kept everything very traditional for the day.

The Flowers

I found my florist Christiane at the wedding fayre in the Cotswolds and fell in love with her beautiful arrangements. I can’t recommend her enough! Her knowledge and advice on flowers were incredible and she knew exactly how I wanted it, I felt so relaxed because I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed and in fact, it literally made my day (as well as marrying Jon of course). My flowers were a range of blush peonies, White Hydrangeas, David Austin Roses, Cream Spray roses, wax flower and coral tones of Foxglove and peonies. Splashes of the coral were in the main arrangements and this inspiration came from John Legend and Chrissy Teigens wedding. Christiane also offers a wide range of props that you can hire for your day; I was able to pick the beautiful rose gold hanging frame seating plan and coconut shy for the gardens.

The Wedding Party

I was very lucky to have found the bridesmaids dresses so early on whilst planning my wedding. I happened to walk past the shop Ghost in an outlet store one Saturday and saw these beautiful silk gowns in all colours and styles so I managed to arrange to meet with my bridesmaids and try on all the styles and decided on three black in the same style and three oyster colour in the same style. I am so pleased I bought them and for amazing discounted prices! The shoes were New Look premium suede ‘barely there’ heels worn by black dresses and the rose gold shoes worn by oyster dresses were from Missguided. Accessories bought from Accessorize.

The Entertainment

During the ceremony and drinks reception we had chosen the Vyne Strings Quartet I found them whilst searching online; their repertoire was perfect for our wedding and it was a bonus they were local. I have already recommended them to so many people already. It was definitely something we will remember forever and so will the guests. I was adamant that I wanted a band for the evening as I’m pretty picky with music and especially with the music at my wedding. I didn’t want your typical wedding band and the same songs that are played constantly. I wanted a band that were great singers but were unique and that will stand out in the evening. I actually found the band on Rock My Wedding; they are called The Chaps. They were absolutely amazing and the guests did not stop dancing and nor did I, I was so disappointed when their time was up. I’m certainly booking them again for my birthday!

The Food

Our food was provided through Foxhill Manor as they have a chef and kitchen on site. We had a variety of food, wines and canapés to choose from and it was very hard as it was all incredible. We wanted a simple elegant cake for our wedding and we didn’t want to spend a huge amount of money on a cake either. We were lucky to have found Kate through Jon’s sister as she had her for her wedding day and the cake was perfect. Kate is extremely talented and makes the most incredible cakes; she gives you many flavours to try and will make any cake or flavours you desire. She was very local to me as well so again that was a bonus for us. We had a 4 tier cake which had 3 different flavours, Red Velvet, toffee and vanilla. Our favours on the tables were Lavolio Boutique Confectionary which were personalised for our day. Little flower print tin boxes with oyster ribbon and inside had the most delicious fruit, nuts and jellies coated in chocolate and sugar shells. The team were incredible and so helpful, definitely check them out!

The Photography

I found my photographer Oxana through a small wedding boutique website and fell in love with her photographs straight away. I love black and white photographs and she had lots of them for weddings; they were so natural but captured great moments of the day and that was what I was looking for. Oxana offered us a free engagement shoot as well which was surprisingly helpful to us; both Jon and I were so embarrassed at the beginning but by the end we felt so comfortable which of course helped on our wedding day. We were so pleased with our photographs when we received them after our honeymoon! I can’t recommend her enough!

The Videography

If you would like a 5* movie of your wedding then I recommend Will Warr. He has worked with so many celebrities and professional businesses and brands; he is truly the best videographer I’ve seen. Will arrived at Foxhill Manor and we all immediately felt comfortable with him; he was like a friend you’ve known for ages with the professional touch.