Elise and Rajiv’s Caswell House wedding is perfect: elegant styling and classy touches make their day wonderfully pretty and perfect for the 15th century manor house. They make the most gorgeous couple, don’t you think? This is ever so beautiful and I know you’ll love it. Huge thanks to our lovely sponsor Carol Elizabeth Photography and to the stunning bride and groom for their words of wisdom and advice!

“We had a holiday theme with an asian twist. All our tables were named after South East Asian Islands and we also had Asian lounge music in the background. The reason for that was because we met in Malaysia and the start of our relationship was spent travelling in different places in South East Asia.

Wedding photographer’s website:

www.carol-elizabeth-photography.co.uk

We chose through searching on the internet for photographers in the Oxfordshire region. We found that Carol’s photos were absolutely beautiful and were reasonably priced compared to other photographers! We found Carol to be very efficient and quick to respond to any of our queries. From first point of contact, Carol was very sympathetic and explained everything thoroughly. Service is absolutely brilliant as she will always have her full attention and ensure we are fully satisfied with the service she provides. Carol is highly professional and knows exactly how to proceed with photographs on a wedding day. Her experience is second to none and if you really want someone who captures the best moments of your day, she is definitely the one to choose. After the family photographs, it was hard to even notice Carol because she is so discreet! This is exactly what we wanted for our beautiful wedding day! Thank you!

Carol sent us the pictures in the morning, however we waited for the evening so we could look at them together. We couldn’t believe how many pictures there were! We loved every single photo! We were very emotional looking at them and looking at the pictures, it felt like re living the whole wedding! It will always feel that way for the rest of our lives.

Contact & Bookings: Carol Elizabeth Photography

www.carol-elizabeth-photography.co.uk
Instagram.com/carol_elizabeth_photography
Facebook.com/carol.elizabeth.photography.uk
Twitter.com/CarolEliz_Photo
Pinterest.com/carolelizphotos/

Wedding venue:

Caswell House, Brize Norton, Oxfordshire

Wedding month:

August

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

Our wedding was the most special day of our lives.

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

I found all my suppliers from the Caswell House Open Day. I find that it is a great way to showcase your services.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Ermmm, I don’t! For the wedding, we went for the best! I would say, the only way we probably saved money is from inviting only special people for our wedding who we truly care about. We didn’t want to invite people who we had only met once or twice because we find that a wedding is meant to be spent with close friends and family only just because of how special the moment is to us.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

We spent a lot on the cake because we wanted it to be perfect and yummy! I am sure people spend the same amount of money though on a cake, but £600 just felt like quite a bit! I would say my Kenneth Winston dress was worth the money as well as my husband’s full Hugo Boss attire and tuxedo!

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

We absolutely loved what Louisa Faulkner did with her stationery. We met her at Caswell House Open Day and there was no way I was going to say no. I loved her personality and it was so easy to discuss our requirements! She even told us we were one of her easiest customers!

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

YES! I must have tried about 8 and as soon as I put this one on, I knew straight away that I was going to wear this dress on my wedding day! My mum was with me and she was blown away by it as well!

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

The wedding dress designer is Kenneth Winston and the bridal boutique is Mae Bridal in Witney, Oxfordshire.

Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!

My mum had bought me Swarovski earrings before the wedding which I had fallen in love with. As for my diamond pendant, it was given to me by my mother in law before the wedding. I was blown away by it as you can imagine! I bought my Benjamin Adams wedding shoes online and fitted me perfectly! As for the wedding rings, we went together to choose them at Birmingham Jewellery Quarter at the Diamond Heaven shop. My hair accessory which was a hair vine was beautiful. I bought it at the bridal shop and though it would go well at the back of my head with a nice water fountain braide.

And what did the groom wear?

He wore a full Hugo Boss outfit from top to bottom with a really nice Tuxedo. He looked so handsome!

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

My little flower girl wore a headband made by Casic Flowers and wore a beautiful little white dress which was bought by my mother.

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

I hired a professional named Lucy who works independently and is absolutely brilliant. With her experience in doing makeup and hair for models and lots of different brides in the past, she really knew how I wanted my makeup and hair.

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

We chose Classic Flowers from Witney to do our flowers just because of the experience they had doing Caswell House weddings and they had gorgeous designs as well. I was in contact with Alison and I am pretty sure she arranged our flowers for us.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

I don’t think it did! It is a gorgeous venue, what is there not to like! I did notice that there were flowers indoors as well and we had the beautiful canopy lights which made it even more beautiful!

Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?

What I love was when they took a bit of my dress material which I had given them and they tied it up around my bouquet… I didn’t know you could do that and that was so special to me.

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

We chose a holiday – beach themed cake just because we were going on holiday after that to Crete and we simply love hot sandy beaches! It gives everyone a bit of a holiday feel which is what we wanted to showcase.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We decided to choose DJ live entertainment for the evening dancing which was fantastic! They really took into account which songs we wanted to be played from start to finish. They even played a lovely song for my granddad who had sadly passed away a few months before the wedding.
As for the reception, we had a lovely accordionist play for us whilst pictures were taken and guests were playing lawn games.

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

I would say support each other and trust each other. If you follow these two main principles, you will have a beautiful life together. Your partner is your soulmate, your lover, always cherish them.

What’s the best thing about being married?

The best thing about being married is that you have reaffirmed the love you have for each other in principle and in writing and shown everyone how much you love each other. It is also the step you take when you are sure you want to live the rest of your life with your partner and start a family together. It’s the most exciting moment of your life.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

I would say my favorite suppliers would be Carol Elizabeth Photography and Mae Bridal boutique.