Olivia & Dylan's glorious countryside wedding took place in early October at Tythe Barn at Priston Mill, Bath. The licensed venue allowed the couple to host their entire day at one location, with the ceremony and reception taking place in the stunning stone barn. The feel of the day was laid-back and relaxed, with romantic candles adding cosiness to the Autumnal evening.
Olivia wore a custom outfit from Jesus Peiro, which she created by combining elements she loved from a number of different styles. Starting with the simple 268 dress with spaghetti straps, Olivia added a custom top, which was a combination of 2205 and 217, made from beautiful sushi taffeta. To style her look, Olivia kept her accessories simple and classic, opting for pearl drop earrings and a half up do adorned with fresh flowers in keeping with the rustic, countryside venue.
Read on to find out more about the day and Olivia's dress in her own words.
A Jesus Peiro wedding dress
I chose the Jesus Peiro strappy dress - number 268 - which I wore with a Jesus Peiro bespoke cropped top. The top was a combination of Jesus Peiro 2205 and 217. I absolutely loved the fabric and neckline of 2205, but I was really drawn to the unusual back of 217, and how it had a boxier cut to it.
With the help of Emma's creativity and skill, we decided to do a hybrid of the two. The result was a beautiful high-neck top, with a dramatic open back. It created the perfect halter-style shape at the front, which curved in toward the neckline, which was exactly what I hoped for. I opted for the Sushi Rice taffeta for the fabric - the texture of it added some detailing to an otherwise minimal look, which I think worked really well.
The thing I keep coming back to is that I felt absolutely like myself in it, just an elevated version. In the moments after the ceremony, as we shared a quiet moment together to soak it all in, Dylan commented that his first thought when he saw me was how very ‘me’ the dress was. And this was something that actually came up a lot from guests at the wedding too.
In the lead-up to the wedding, I had been nervous about having some of my back on show on the day, due to some old scarring. As it was, on the day I didn’t give it a moment's thought. I felt comfortable and content in the dress the whole day.
The strappy dress was something I never would have imagined opting for initially. In the end, I loved how flattering the shape was, and felt like the raised detailing on the waist gave a really sleek and elegant look.
I promise I’m not being dramatic when I say that I loved everything about my outfit. It was so comfortable and easy to move around in, which was so important to me. I had initially planned to take the top off for the evening and dance the night away in just the dress. But in the end, I was so happy with the whole look that I kept it on all night!
Dress Shopping
What was your favourite part of the dress shopping experience? Seeing my vision come to life! When I chose the ultimate design of the top especially, it felt so abstract. I felt really nervous going into the styling appointment to see it for the first time. What if it wasn’t how I imagined? But it absolutely was, and more!
I also loved working on the small details for the dress - like deciding to add buttons down the back and changing the button on the top to match those on the dress. At the time they felt like such small things, but they made a huge difference to the overall look. Talking through all the details with Ben, and getting his expertise, was so reassuring and I loved getting to be so hands-on. I mentioned, for example, that I felt the top stuck out slightly too much at the bottom. Ben had the brilliant idea to add dress weights to the hem, to bring the shape more in line with what I wanted. I had so much fun telling people at the wedding about how the dress came to be.
Wearing a wedding dress that I’d seen evolve and change felt incredibly special. I felt like I was wearing something unique and very, very memorable.
Styling
One of the things I loved most about my dress and top was the simplicity of it.
As a result, I chose to keep the styling very minimal and pared back. I opted not to have a veil because I knew that ultimately while I love the look of veils, I was aware it would annoy me throughout the day. This was the same reason I chose to not have a train and go for just a slightly longer hem at the back instead. I wanted to be able to move around as easily as possible.
What I did choose to do though was to add some detailing in my hair instead. I felt very inspired by the beautiful nature and countryside around the venue, so wanted to incorporate flowers in my hair. I kept it mostly green and opted for small white flowers that complimented my bouquet and Dylan’s buttonhole.
Naomi (who did my hair and make-up) and I went through the flowers (provided by the brilliant team at Flowers of Bath) on the morning of. We selected what we felt suited the overall look best, and she placed them in my hair right before I left for the ceremony.
For my shoes, my top priority was comfort. I knew I was going to be walking on the grass at various points, so opted for a block-heeled sandal in a neutral shade to prevent me sinking in. At one point during the process, I wanted to go for bright, colourful shoes. But after a bit of trial and error, I realised it just wasn’t me. My style is very minimal and laid back. I wanted the shoes to sort of blend in and fade into the background, to let the dress be the showstopper. I think it worked really well - and the ones I ended up with were so much more comfortable and affordable than so many others I tried!
About the Day
We got married at Priston Mill in Bath. We met at university in Bath 10 years ago (almost to the date of our wedding!) and it felt so special to us to get married right near where we met. We wanted a laid-back environment, and the Tythe Barn at Priston Mill was absolutely perfect. It looked incredible in the autumn sunshine! We have a lot of friends and family from many different countries, so it felt the ideal place to give them a taste of the quintessentially English countryside.
We ultimately chose Priston Mill because it is a licensed venue, so we could have our civil ceremony and reception all in one place. It felt so special to have all our loved ones right there with us for the important legal bits.
Given we were getting married in a barn in the countryside, I really wanted to keep that rustic and countryside feel going for the styling. We had guests from all over the world and we loved the idea of them all sitting together, mixing up family from both sides with our friends. So, we decided to go for long trestle tables, put together into two main rows. We left them bare and without tablecloths, to keep the more rustic look going.
As it was October, I knew that it would be getting dark during the meal so wanted to make the space feel cosy and inviting. We chose to go for mixed antique brass candlesticks, with white tapered candles. These were one of my favourite design choices we made! They looked magical in the dark and during the speeches. During the dancing, the tables were moved to the side with the candles at one end, and the lighting looked beautiful. Great for autumn!
We also went heavy on greenery and flowers. I loved the look of the barn so we decided to keep the colours very minimal - we went for predominantly greenery with all white flowers, and blue thistles for a pop of colour. It allowed the warmth of all the wooden beams and floor to really shine.
The best bits
Dylan and I love, love to dance so I think that was my favourite part. We had a DJ and then a silent disco to round out the evening. Everyone was sceptical about the silent disco, but everyone ended up really getting into it! It meant everyone could listen to the music that best fitted their taste. Watching our parents, friends, and family all seeking out the other people on the dancefloor who were on the same music channel as them was so fun!
The other thing we did, which I cannot recommend enough, was Dylan and I ate our pudding separately. We went off for our couple’s photos during the dessert (another huge highlight of the day!), and we asked the Priston Mill team to keep ours aside. We took around 10 minutes just to ourselves, to sit and enjoy it. We got to talk about the day and laugh together, having time to soak it all in. Having a quiet moment together meant so much. It also meant we got to work through our nerves over the first dance together. While we love to dance, being in the spotlight in front of all our nearest and dearest was a bit daunting!
Olivia's Advice
My first bit of advice would be to find suppliers you love. People who you truly get on with. We had such a blast with all our suppliers - from Naomi who did my hair and make-up, to our incredibly talented videographer, Arran and our photographer, Angela - we laughed with them throughout. It was just like having extra friends there with us on the day to share those moments with.
Beyond that, I know this will sound trite and overdone but, stick to your guns! Do what feels right for you as a couple. No one will thank you for not holding true to what you want. There may be tough moments along the way, and people may disagree, but do what makes you happy.
The day flies by in the blink of an eye - try not to let anyone else’s opinions make those fleeting moments be anything less than you truly want them to be.
Suppliers
Photographer: Angela Ward-Brown
Videographer: Arran Kenny Films
Venue (and catering): Priston Mill
Hair and make up: Naomi Spurr
Florist: Flowers of Bath
Prop hire: Belgray Weddings & Events
Macarons: Anna Cake Couture
Vegan macarons: Butterwicks Cakes
Tables: Richardson Event Hires
Bridesmaids dresses: Monsoon & Rewritten (in Bluebell)
Wedding stationery: Papier
Shoes: Anna Field, from Zalando
Earrings: Pandora