Champagne Towers and Blooming Peonies - Nicky and James

We found The Oaks using a quick google search! I’d never seen it before and loved the idea of getting married somewhere in the countryside. Having everything together in one place to make it super easy to organise was an important factor.

We booked a viewing with Julie not that long after we got engaged. We were just trying to get some ideas but fell in love with it straight away! I had butterflies and it felt so emotional being there. We did look at a couple of other venues but none of them gave me the butterflies that the Oaks did!

Another thing I remember is the smell! It may sound a bit odd but that smell of freshly cut wood in the log barn and ceremony room smells so natural and fresh and really gives the place a wow factor! That was a big sell for me too.

I think we attended every wedding fayre at the Oaks leading up to our wedding! I was always so desperate to go and view it again and get more ideas for how I wanted my big day. I’m SO glad we did as that’s where we met the amazing florist Beth from Wildlings and Aster. She is so talented and put so much effort in to our big day. I also walked in to one of the wedding fayres when the Sekine Quartet were playing. I started crying and just knew I needed to have them for our wedding! Our Photo Booth supplier ‘That Prop Guy’ also wowed us with the beautiful mirror at a wedding fayre, our guests loved this on our wedding day!

We wanted to go with a rustic, green, natural theme with a spring feel! This was to suit both the venue and our preferences as a couple! I’m a biiigggg fan of flowers. My grandad was a Gardener and my mum was always so passionate about flowers before she passed away. I find them so beautiful and being surrounded by flowers and greenery was an absolute must! We chose the colour green for the bridesmaids and men’s suits to fit with that idea. Being sustainable was really important to me so I knew I wanted to keep things as natural as possible. We opted for seasonal flowers, no single use plastic or throw away decorations. We actually made a lot of the decorations ourselves or got them second hand. We had flower names for each table, little logs for table settings and wooden boards for the signs which suited the venue perfectly.

The candle package and the seasonal arch was a must! They made such a difference and it took some of the pressure off us in terms of decorations. They were stunning.

We opted for Buck’s Fizz as an arrival drink and I’m so glad we did! They looked beautiful and didn’t blow the budget.

I have so many memorable moments from our special day!

It sounds cliché but walking down the aisle was definitely my most memorable part of the day!!

I saw my Labrador Winston in his little bow tie before I saw anyone else and that was enough to set me off! Then to see James face as I walked towards him was so nice. The nerves instantly disappeared and I just felt so emotional and excited to marry him. It’s also so, so special to have all your friends and family there with you. I will never forget that moment.

My other favourite memories include seeing my grandad there as he is poorly and wasn’t sure if he would feel up to it and also my dad seeing me for the first time. My two flower girls busting some moves and getting everyone on the dance floor really got the party started and my 85 year old nan boogying ALL night will also be a fave memory!

We had the Sekine quartet for 2 hours- pre ceremony, during the ceremony and after the ceremony. I can’t recommend them enough!!! They have a massive choice of music and we chose a lot of songs that are really special to us. They made the ceremony even more emotional and were so beautiful during the drinks reception. As we had these, we decided against live music in the evening. We chose our own playlist as background music during the meal and then another playlist before the DJ started just to increase the atmosphere a bit more. I was a bit sceptical about this as I thought people may be reluctant to dance straight away. Luckily this wasn’t the case at all. As soon as our amazing DJ started at 7pm people were dancing!

Thank you to the oaks for being the best, most organised hosts and helping to make my dreams come true!