Guides for Brides' wedding expert Nikita tied the knot to her childhood sweetheart, Matt, in October 2023 after 10 years together. They chose a picturesque Cotswold boutique hotel and pub wedding venue, a hearty pub grub menu and an elegant olive green and white colour scheme with hues of autumnal pinks, yellows and blues to reflect the season. The day was perfectly captured by Laura Shaw Photography and complete with plenty of personal touches, a sensational wedding band and some magical entertainment. Read on to get inspired by their big day and read Nikita's top tips for planning!
Childhood Friends to Husband and Wife
Nikita and Matt met and have been friends since they were around 8 years old. They met at primary school and went to the same secondary school too, sharing a lot of classes and catching the same bus. They got together while in Sixth Form in October 2013. The couple officially tied the knot on their 10 year anniversary! Nikita described how Matthew proposed in Season 4, Episode 1 of Guides for Brides - The Wedding Podcast.
A Cotswold Pub Wedding Venue
Having decided that the best location to host their wedding day would be The Cotswolds, the couple chose Wild Thyme & Honey near Cirencester as their wedding venue. Known for fantastic food, a relaxed atmosphere and peaceful surroundings, this picturesque Cotswold pub and boutique hotel ticked a lot of boxes for the wedding celebration they wanted to create.
Nikita's biggest tip for couples searching for wedding venues is to read reviews to get an idea of what other couples really appreciated about that venue and how their service is...
From the bride
Flowers & Decor
Nikita and Matt chose Oxfordshire based florist, Natural Creations. Sophie and her team created a beautiful array of bouquets and floral displays for the big day that featured a variety of white flowers including roses, chrysanthemums and small, daisy-like blooms. As Nikita is from South Africa, she requested some proteas or protea-like flowers. Sophie added these flowers which were really eye-catching and a beautiful addition to the overall look and feel of the day.
From the bride
Flowers made up the vast majority of the wedding decor, so the couple ensured they ordered a variety of arrangements that could be reused throughout the day during different moments. For example, the flowers that were placed down the aisle for the ceremony were used to decorate the tables for the wedding breakfast. The additional decor included green tall candles and tea lights as well as uplighters which were hired from THAT Event Company and wedding stationery which was beautifully designed and created by Libby Turner of Punky Pencil, Matt's cousin.
The Fashion
The wedding party outfits all worked together seamlessly. Purchased from a mixture of specialist outlets and online stores, Nikita and Matt managed to achieve a really cohesive look for the entire wedding party.
The Wedding Dress & Bride's Accessories
Nikita found her wedding dress at TDR Bridal in Birmingham. She chose "Rasia" from Morilee by Madeline Gardiner's Blu collection. This ivory gown is a sheath silhouette and features stunning applique frosted lace details, beaded spaghetti straps and a low back. She was initially attracted to the stunning lace train and low back of the dress. It was actually the first dress she tried on in the boutique and no other gown compared!
Nikita completed her look with pearl jewellery and accessories. For the shoes and veil, she turned to Rainbow Club. She chose the Avalanche veil and Clara wedding shoes thanks to their pearl features. For the jewellery, she chose a simple pearl pendant necklace from Lily & Roo and her "something borrowed" was a pair of pearl drop earrings lent to her by Matt's mum. They were his Grandmother's and a lovely nod towards her on their wedding day.
Hair & Makeup
For her bridal hairstyle, Nikita opted for a chic and elegant low bun with curled strands that frame her face. She wore delicate porcelain rose shaped pins which were handmade for her and her bridesmaids by her dad. Suzanne Hale skilfully created the look and also did the hair for Nikita's bridesmaids and mum.
Nikita chose Jessica Ava to create the makeup looks for the day. She wanted a natural and clean look with a touch of shimmer on her eyes. For the 4 bridesmaids, Jessica created a look that suited all of the women using Nikita's favourite colour palette, Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk. Jessica also created the makeup looks for the Mother of the Bride and gave the flower girl a touch of glamour with lip gloss and shimmery eyeshadow.
The Groom's Outfit & Wedding Party Suits
For his wedding suit, Matt chose the Tailored Fit Navy Black Check Suit from Moss. He had his suit tailored bespoke so he could personalise the details like the buttons, stitching and lining. He even had the wedding date embroidered inside the suit jacket. He paired the suit with an ivory shirt, dark brown shoes, heirloom cufflinks and an olive green tie and pocket square. To help complete the suave look, Matt's mum surprised him with a ride to the venue in an Aston Martin provided by Premier Carriage.
From the bride
Thankfully, the suit Matt purchased from Moss was also part of their wedding hire collection. So, the groomsmen were all able to hire the same suit but with different details, helping to make the look cohesive and keep the groom's suit more unique. The Father of the Bride, Steve, also had his suit tailored for the occasion to personalise it. They all completed their looks with the same olive green ties, pocket squares and dark brown shoes.
Bridesmaids Outfits
For the bridesmaids, Nikita opted for multiway bridesmaid dresses. She loved that these gowns could be styled in so many ways allowing each bridesmaid to have the same dress with a different look. The dresses were purchased from Victoria Lou Bridal in Olive Green. The bridesmaids' outfits were completed with a pair of star drop huggie earrings (gifted to them by the bride) and white heels.
Mother of the Bride & Groom Outfits
Nikita's mum, Heidi, found her Mother of the Bride look at Nigel Rayment Boutique in London. She opted for a John Charles dress and jacket combination in ivory and navy blue. The dress featured navy, silver and white floral embroidery which reflected the lace appliques on Nikita's wedding dress. She paired her look with a navy blue hatinator from Hobbs, a navy blue clutch bag from John Lewis and navy kitten heels from Quiz.
Matt's mum, Linda, found her Mother of the Groom outfit from Hobbs. She wore a navy shift dress with blush and green floral design and a navy blue jacket. Her outfit perfectly complemented the groomsmen's suits. She completed her look with a blush pink hatinator, and a suede clutch bag and stilettos from the same shop.
The Ceremony
The couple had a civil ceremony led by Gloucestershire Registrars in the Wild Thyme & Honey Suite. Crimson & Keys from Boujee Music sang as guests arrived and throughout the ceremony. The bridal party entered to an acoustic piano version of Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer; one of Nikita's favourite songs. The bride's younger cousins Ishbel and Dax were the flower girl and page boy. Ishbel scattered white and green petals down the aisle for Nikita to walk on. Dax transported the rings down the aisle dressed as "ring security", carrying them in a brief case which made everyone giggle!
The couple did a ring exchange during their wedding ceremony which was extra special as they had made their wedding rings themselves with the help of Rosie from Quicksilver Jewellery. Rosie is Nikita's cousin and so the family connection also felt extra personal.
They had two readings during the ceremony, You Are The Bubbles by Rachel Bright and Friendship by Judy Bielicki. Both readings had very touching messages that aligned with the couple's relationship and love story. Crimson & Keys performed You're My Best Friend by Queen when the couple exited the room as husband and wife.
From the bride
Immediately after the ceremony, the guests gathered to create a confetti tunnel. The couple opted for sustainable dried petal confetti supplied by Shropshire Petals. They chose the colour, Autumn Fall, which featured deep reds, pinks and yellows and added some wonderful autumnal colours to the day.
Canapés and The Wedding Breakfast
For the food, the couple chose to have canapés during their drinks reception and then a two course meal for the wedding breakfast. These were prepared by Wild Thyme & Honey's inhouse catering team. The canapés included beef tartare profiteroles, goats cheese and beetroot flatbreads and pork with crackling. Then for the main meal, the couple served a hearty chicken, leek and ham hock pie with mashed potato, seasonal vegetables and gravy. Vegetarian guests were served a vegetable wellington. For pudding, the couple chose a warm and sweet sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream. All of the guests raved about the food!
The couple opted to have the speeches before the wedding breakfast was served to allow everyone giving a speech to feel like they could relax while eating. The Father of the Bride, the Groom and both of the Best Men gave speeches. Keen to have women featured in the line-up, the bride also gave a speech and so did her Maid of Honour, Emilie.
Evening Wedding Reception Entertainment, Food and Celebrations
The couple wanted to ensure that all of their evening guests had as good an experience as their day guests and so ensured that the evening entertainment was top level! To keep the energy up between the wedding breakfast and evening reception and to help break the ice with arriving evening guests, they hired Ben Smith Magician. He was a huge hit and really got guests talking!
To kick off the evening reception, the couple had a cake cutting. They chose to have a cheese wedding cake which was supplied by Godminster and decorated by Guides for Brides' very own Alison Hargreaves! The couple then served the cheese cake within their evening buffet which featured crackers and chutneys to go with the cheese, flatbreads, a sweetie table and a selection of brownies and blondies for those with a sweet tooth!
Then it was time for the dancing and celebrations. One of the couple's top priorities was to have a brilliant wedding band performing during their reception. The couple chose Uptown Showdown from Boujee Music. Nikita had seen them perform a number of times at wedding shows and industry events, so knew they would deliver the vibe they wanted on the big day. The couple's first dance was Let's Stay Together by Al Green which the band learnt and flawlessly performed live for the big day. They then immediately went into a set full of pop and Motown classics to get the party going! During set breaks, Boujee Music also provided a professional DJ to help keep the vibes going.
From the bride
Newlywed Plans
Nikita and Matt both had the most amazing day at their wedding. The couple are heading on a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon to Finland in January where they hope to see the Northern Lights and enjoy a very cosy and romantic atmosphere. The trip was planned for them by Tredwell Travel and weddings guests were able to contribute to the honeymoon on their Prezola gift list.
Venue and Supplier Credits:
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