A contemporary barn venue overlooking the stunning Cheshire countryside provides the enviable setting for today’s real wedding. The Oak Tree of Peover was the only place Kim and Robbie viewed during their wedding venue search and they knew instantly it was the one. And we can see why.
We just love what this couple did with the space – decorating it with plush green foliage, festoon lighting, lanterns and candles. Truly divine. A dreamy lavender grey colour scheme works exquisitely with their rustic theme; perfectly offset by pops of orange and purple blooms – just wait until you see the bride’s bouquet and the sublime three-tiered cake!
The perfection doesn’t stop there though. Little jam jars of gin make for an original wedding favour and we just love the bride’s mode of transport – a Land Rover. And – what could be a Brides Up North first – a converted horsebox as a vintage style photo booth! Needless to say, there are lots of pretty details and unconventional twists to gush over today (afternoon tea and Spanish tapas, anyone?) so ladies let’s get scrolling!
With images by Jess Yarwood.
kim says
: We got engaged at my favourite place: Center Parcs in Sherwood Forest on the 3rd December 2016. We were there with two other couples and go every year around the same time. We had been out that night for tea followed by bowling and a few drinks, so everyone was in very high spirits. We headed back to our lodge on our bikes and Robbie took me on a scenic route, to this little walkway that was all lit up with Christmas lights. It was beautiful and that’s where he proposed. Safe to say, I was over the moon after being together for six years.We tied the knot on 12th May 2018. We chose this date as we knew we wanted a spring wedding as I love the flowers at this time of year and we always tend to have a nice spring here in the UK. It was also the only Saturday our venue had available, so it all worked out perfectly.
We got married at St Michael and All Angels Church – the church where I was christened, located in my hometown of Middlewich. We then held our reception at The Oak Tree of Peover. We were looking for a barn wedding and came across The Oak Tree and fell in love with it straightaway; we never looked at any other venue and it didn’t disappoint on the day.
We went for a rustic theme with a lavender grey colour scheme. I love purple, so this was a great take on that, but just a bit more of a seasonal hue. It went fabulously with the orange in my flowers.
I had a tight fitted dress with a cowl neck and a very low back, made by Ellis Bridals and bought from Sarah’s Wedding Boutique in Northwich. I fell in love with the gown as soon as I tried it on – it felt amazing. This wasn’t the style I expected I would get, but I felt amazing on the day and it really suited my figure.
My hair and makeup was done my Harry Jon in Middlewich. She came to my mum’s house, where we all got ready while enjoying croissants and Bucks Fizz. We had matching pyjamas too – it was such a lovely morning.
The groom and groomsmen’s suits were all from Jeff Banks.
My bridesmaids – Jo, my maid of honour and my sister-in-laws, Laura and Amy – wore long lavender grey ruffle wrap dresses from Monsoon. It was meant to be, as when I walked in the shop, there was just three left on the rail in the three sizes I needed. I couldn’t put them down. My flower girl was my niece and her ivory dress was from Next. She looked perfect and danced the night away in it.
My transport was fantastic – I travelled in a cream Land Rover, hired from Love Machine Cars. It was a nice day so we had the top down – it was a great laugh. My dad is keen on Land Rovers; they’re a big part of our family so they suited us well!
Jess Yarwood captured our day. She was fantastic, and I would highly recommend her. We love every single picture and can’t wait to display them all over our house. She was so professional and relaxed, and the guests commented on how amazing she was on the day. We got some fabulous pictures, which came on a personalised USB stick.
Our flower arrangements were supplied by Flowers on the Cobbles in Sandbach. They were the most amazing flowers I have ever seen. I asked for wild flowers and I wanted a shade that was opposite to the lavender grey and she picked orange which was just amazing.
Flosses in Winsford did our venue dressing. She made the venue look even more beautiful and had lots of great ideas. I had lanterns in the middle of the tables with flowers pouring out of them. The chair covers were decorated with greenery and the fireplace was covered in candles and flowers.
For our favours, we had gin and tonic, with pink gin for the ladies and regular gin for the men, presented in little jam jars. They went down very well, plus gin is Robbie’s favourite!
We had a naked cake, made by Lois Cake Company in Sandbach. The bottom layer was passion fruit, with the middle tier strawberry and champagne, and then a top layer of toffee fudge. It was delicious.
As something a little different, we had afternoon-tea-themed canapés, consisting of sausage rolls, chicken sewers, sandwiches and small cakes, alongside a tea and coffee stand.
For our wedding breakfast, we served Spanish tapas – our favourite food. This included bread and meat, Spanish omelette, meatballs and wedges followed by beef stroganoff and vegetable paella. To finish we had sticky toffee pudding, lemon tart and coffee profiteroles. We then served pizza in the evening.
For our entertainment, we booked DJ Matt James – he was absolutely fantastic and also combined his set with live singing. He sang our first dance song, which was just amazing. I would highly recommend him – he played great classics that everyone knew.
We has festoon lighting too, installed all-round the decking area outside, supplied by Hip Swing and they looked fab. I did have light up letters too which were provided by the Word is Love. I also had a photo booth – converted from a horsebox – supplied by Horse Box Photo Booth. It looked fantastic against the old barn, and the vintage props, which included real guitars and flower headpieces, were brilliant. We had a lot of fun in there and got some fabulous pictures which came on a personalised USB stick.
Following our wedding, I would definitely recommend The Oak Tree of Peover – it was such a beautiful venue, set in a country landscape. We fell in love with it as soon as we saw it.
My favourite part of the day was when I stood at the end of the church with my dad in hand and I saw Robbie at the altar. I also loved it when my dad put a song on later that night and we had a chance to dance together while everyone was stood in a circle. The song was I Loved Her First. Everybody was crying with love, it was such a special moment that I will treasure forever.
For our honeymoon, we went to the South of France. We like to see a lot of places when going on holiday, so we arrived in Nice where we stayed for two nights before travelling on to the Gorges du Verdon. From here, we made our way to Provence where we got to experience some local food. We then rounded off the trip with a visit to Marseille before heading home. We rented a classic Mustang car, which was a fantastic day out; we took a picnic with us and it was just perfect.
My top tip for other Brides Up North would be, enjoy yourself! It’s a truly amazing day and the memories you create will last a lifetime.