Veronique & Matthew

It always makes us really happy to read things like this from real brides 'Planning the wedding from so far away had it’s challenges, but all I can say is thank goodness for RMW to help find inspiration, local vendors and resources – I found most of our vendors this way!' Connecting you lovely lot with fabulous wedding suppliers is our favourite thing - so much so that we have a wedding directory, filled with RMW approved wedding vendors who are all super talented and creative. And if it means you have a wedding day as beautiful and full of love as Veronique and Matthew's then I think you better head over there sharpish ;) Our gorgeous couple chose Jason Mark Harris to document their day, we have the film from Harris Films too - so get comfy and enjoy, the blooms are out of this world and there's a stunner of a dress too!!!

Our Story

Veronique The Bride: I am Canadian and my husband is British and we met in 2010 while I was living in London. Lucky for me he agreed to move back to Vancouver, Canada with me in 2014. One year after moving back we bought our first house together and on the day we got the keys, Matthew proposed to me as we walked into the house for the first time! I was 100% surprised and was so overwhelmed and excited that I said YES before he could even finish asking me! ☺ Matthew left it to me to decide on the wedding location and I immediately knew that I wanted to return to the UK to get married, since it’s where we met and I wanted all of our friends and family there to be able to celebrate with us. We also wanted all of our Canadian friends and family to experience a quintessential British wedding, so what better location than the beautiful countryside of the Cotswolds! Planning the wedding from so far away had it’s challenges, but all I can say is thank goodness for sites like RMW to help find inspiration, local vendors and resources – I found most of our vendors this way!

The Photography

Friends of ours recommended Jason to us and after seeing his stunning and unique portfolio we knew we wanted to work with him. It was the best decision we made! Jason was an absolute dream, from initial contact through to the wedding day and delivery of our wedding photographs. We were blown away by his artistic talent, professionalism and overall positive and calm presence throughout the day. We hardly remember a camera being anywhere near us most of the day, yet he captured so many incredible moments and memories for us.

The Venue

Choosing a venue from Canada was by far the hardest decision for the wedding. We knew that we wanted a true Cotswolds experience in an elegant but relaxed setting with amazing food and wine. Stone Barn delivered on all fronts. We decided to book it without seeing it in person but the risk paid off big time. The photos do not do this place justice, the staff were amazingly helpful and our guests are still talking about the food to this day.

The Bride

I wore Rue De Seine purchased from Union Bridal in Vancouver, BC. I fell in love with this dress for it’s unique bohemian style and special detailing while having a classic silhouette. I felt so good and so comfortable in it, I just wish I got to wear it more than once! Hair was by Tabitha James Kraan Salon in Stow-on-the-Wold. Such a great team, very happy with their service both for my trial, wedding hair and bridesmaids hair. Clare Bryce of Pure Pampering did our make up. Clare was friendly, easy to communicate with and I was very happy with her classic and natural wedding makeup.

The Wedding Party

I gave the girls a general colour scheme of different shades of nude and pale pink and they all sourced their own dresses. I wanted them to wear something that was their style and be comfortable...two of them were pregnant so flexibility with their dresses was especially important! They looked gorgeous and the muted tones of their dresses fit so well with the venue and style of the day. Matthew wore a Reiss suit he already owned, and a bow tie in the perfect dusty pink from Mrs Bow Tie. The Groomsmen wore their own navy blue suits and Matthew bought them matching pink ties from Mrs Bow Tie and pink socks from Liberty.

The Ceremony

We are not religious so chose to have a celebrant perform our wedding. We had a very clear idea of how we wanted our ceremony to feel, so I decided to write it myself! In hindsight, we should have asked a good friend or family member marry us, as it would have made it just that much more personal. Despite that, it was a truly magical ceremony surrounded by all of our loved ones. Once I started walking down that aisle my only focus was on Matthew and everything else was a blur!

The Décor

The stone barn does not need much dressing up as it’s beautiful and charming as it is. We kept the décor simple with the main focus being on the flowers. The only other major décor item was the bunting that we hung in the dining room. I ordered it from a local Etsy maker in Sussex, and it was so beautiful and worked so well in the space! I brought it back to Canada and have since leant it to friends for two more weddings and a baby shower. (Norma Cook of Dollyblue Bunting on Etsy)

The Flowers

Beth was absolutely amazing – we had a few email exchanges, I sent her my Pinterest inspiration board and the result completely exceeded my expectations!. When she delivered our bouquets on the morning of the wedding I was happy and relieved to see that she totally got my vision for the flowers, but when I walked into the venue I was floored. Everything was gorgeous but my favourite element had to be the hanging wreath in the stone barn – a work of art!

The Music

Tony Diavolo Band – we saw them play in a pub in London on New Years Eve and they were so much fun that we chatted to Tony after their set and he agreed to come play at our wedding!

{Watch The Film}