THE DREAM TEAM Photographer, Imogen Eve Photography, www.imogenevephotography.co.uk | Venue, Matara, 01453 861 050, https://matara.co.uk | Dresses, The Bridal Room Broadway, 01386 859 070, www.thebridalroombroadway.co.uk | Hair, Leah Wilmer, www.instagram.com/leah.wilmer | Make-up artist, Leanne O’Neill Makeup Artist, 07572 494 316, www.leanneoneill.com | Cake, Tasha’s Sugar Art, 07506 194 006, www.tashassugarart.co.uk | Flowers, Thistle By Nature, https://thistlebynature.com | Stationery, Papier, www.papier.com | DJ, The Only Ginge DJ, https://instagram.com/theonlygingedj | Suits, Moss Bros (Oxford store), 01865 202 051, www.moss.co.uk | Groom’s shoes, Loake (Oxford store), 01865 243 956, www.loake.com | Waistcoats, Favourbrook, https://favourbrook.com Kayleigh and Tom visited four venues before they viewed Matara. “We met the owner, Geoffrey who showed us around the popular Asian-inspired, exclusive-use venue and its vast gardens,” Kayleigh tells us. “As soon as we arrived, I welled up with tears and just knew that it was the place for us to get married, it was beautiful. Geoffrey has worked hard to make it a relaxing and peaceful environment with oriental influences from his travels. We loved the rose garden and wild meadows - we had wanted something a bit different and this venue offered it.” The couple chose a natural theme using neutral colours with the flowers being the main focal point of their décor. “The area where our wedding breakfast was held has a beautiful dome in the centre and I knew that a flower cloud would look stunning suspended from it,” Kayleigh tells us. “I found a local florist, Emma from Thistle by Nature who understood the look that I was trying to achieve and her work was outstanding. I wanted a mix of dried flowers and grasses so that I could keep them afterwards. There are now several vases around our home displaying the flowers which is a wonderful reminder of our special day. Emma also created three meadow boxes that framed the ceremony beautifully in the courtyard.” For their tables, Kayleigh and Tom wanted to keep the design simple by draping fabric runners topped with a mix of candles and foliage running down the centre. “I chose the fabric from a local shop and spent a week making the table runners and the napkins with my mother-in-law-to-be,” Emma tells us. “It was wonderful to spend some quality time together and the result was better than we expected! Each table was named after our favourite places and each place name was attached to a menu.” The food and wine were really important to the couple. “We both love cooking and going out for dinner and I spent 10 years working for Laithwaites, the wine company so we sourced and paired the wine ourselves opting for a Portuguese red variety and a delightful Picpoul de Pinet. The food by the kitchen team at Matara was outstanding and all of the produce was locally sourced and organic. Our guests had three choices of scallops, arancini balls and ginger panna cotta.” Kayleigh and Tom chose a three-tier wedding cake. “Two of the tiers had a light coconut sponge with a zesty lime buttercream,” Kayleigh tells us. “Our son chose the chocolate middle tier and the result tasted delicious.” Kayleigh chose a strapless dress with a soft lining and an ivory lace overlay by the designer Justin Alexander. “It was similar to the Berta designer wedding dresses I had been lusting over and my bridesmaids loved it!” Kayleigh explains. “It was being discontinued the following month and we were also going back into lockdown so I made a quick decision to purchase it. I also purchased a mini shift dress decorated with sequins that I could change into for the evening and can wear to parties in the future.” Tom wore a pale-green suit teamed with a natural-coloured waistcoat featuring mother-of-pearl buttons and a silk lining. “Our son wore the same suit with a similar colour waistcoat and they looked very handsome together!” Kayleigh says. “Tom’s handmade English shoes added the final finishing touch. I wanted the groomsmen to wear a contrasting suit to Tom’s so we decided on the same style in grey with neutral-coloured waistcoats. I wanted to ensure that the groomsmen had a suit they could wear again in future.” The couple’s two bridesmaids, Susie and Rhian and their maid-ofhonour, Rachel choose dresses that they loved in the chosen colour theme. “The result was gorgeous, each one looked stunning and the colours worked perfectly,” Kayleigh says. A summer wedding Images courtesy of Imogen Eve Photography Kayleigh Buck and Thomas (Tom) Davies married on 23rd August 2021 at Matara near Tetbury in Gloucestershire. REAL WEDDINGS 33
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