English Garden Wedding with Mediterranean Accents

“English garden wedding.” Do these three words give you the same heart pitter-patters they give us? Then you’re all but sure to love Ayla and Feti’s wedding in the Cotswolds. Knot & Pop planned the couple’s big day with citrus accents aplenty plus ample olive leaves and branches from Vervain, giving us serious Mediterranean vibes. Thank you to M&J Photography for capturing the newlyweds!

From the bride, Ayla: Since the start of our wedding planning, we were confident that we wanted the venue to be located outside of London. The Cotswolds is an area that we have treasured ever since the first time we took a weekend break away there at the start of our relationship. We wanted a venue that we could hire exclusively, with multiple areas for us to use and make our own. We loved the impressive reception rooms, with their intricately carved oak panels, marble fireplaces, and ornately painted ceilings – it meant even if it poured on the day itself, we wouldn’t mind having to be inside. This was the first and last venue that we visited – the minute we saw Manor By The Lake we knew we had found the perfect spot for our wedding.

My dress was from Pronovias, Bond Street. The day I first tried it on, I didn’t want to take it off! I had seen a photo of my dress on Pinterest just after getting engaged but I had difficulty tracking it down because it was one of Pronovias’ older styles. Once I finally did find it, I knew that it was very special and the right dress for me. The dress has a stunning classic design, with a fitted lace bodice cascading down to a full tulle skirt and train with lace appliqués. My veil was also from Pronovias, cathedral length with delicate lace trim to match with my bridal gown. I wore gold lamé Jimmy Choo sandals and an antique pearl bracelet that was a gift from my Maid of Honour. I wanted my bridesmaids to feel comfortable in dresses that also suited their personalities. My Bridesmaids dresses were from ASOS and Monsoon. My Maid of Honour’s dress was from Ghost and my Flower Girl’s dress was from Etsy. They were all made with beautifully delicate fabric in subtle pastel colours to complement our elegant and luxurious Mediterranean theme.

There are so many memorable moments to chose from! One of the most memorable and emotional moments for us was when we first saw each other during the ceremony and then seeing everyone that we love all seated together in front of us – extremely overwhelming. Another very memorable moment from the day, was running outside the ballroom straight after our first dance so that we could secretly make our way behind the ballroom stage. During this time, I also changed into my second dress. Feti and I stood on either side of the stage, each with a gold confetti canon, so that as the curtains opened, Smooth Sailors began performing David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ and we then released confetti all over the dance floor – that really got the party started!

Any advice for couples planning their own weddings now? Plan everything as a couple & on the day you will both really appreciate all the finer details that you have both worked so hard on. Get creative – not everything needs to be purchased. And get help where you can. We brought Knot & Pop on board for styling and help with planning. They had so many ideas, and brought to life things that we could only previously imagine – except better! We also had a couple of great crafts day with Knot & Pop and our bridal party and families, where we put together the ribbon garlands and painted the fans. It was lovely bringing the families together to help in this way as it got everyone really excited for the day and they were all so happy to be involved.

View all images from this wedding in the gallery

From the wedding designers, Knot & Pop: We worked with our couple for over a year to plan and meticulously organise and style their wedding day. At an English manor house with lake and beautiful grounds, we centred the couple’s wedding theme on a lovely fresh and inviting Mediterranean feel, blending their Turkish Cypriot heritage. From water-coloured tiled Save the Dates, through to the olive and citrus inspired invitation suites, the style of the day was elegantly luxurious. A taste of the Med. was created through citrus fruit stylings, and all the goodness grown and found in these sun-drenched climates. Tones mixed citrus yellows, grapefruit pinks, olive green, whites and creams with peach for warmth. The ceremony took place outdoors, with olive leaves and branches adorning arches and aisle ends, finished with lemons. The pagoda was dressed in fabric and flowers by Vervain Flowers, with custom painted fans in the couple’s wedding colours placed out on every guests seat.

Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed the drinks reception in the manor house and grounds. Olive hearts were placed on love seats and garden swings to create a really romantic scene and setting for all to enjoy, with the grounds further dressed in, flowers and bespoke signage – including the Groom’s motto, ‘Happy Wife, Happy Life’. The table plan was created with bottles of limoncello and olive oil, sealed with a traditional Turkish charm – a lovely take home for all guests. Moving through to dinner, lemon bowls, olives, sumptuous flowers, terracotta candles and olive bowls were dressed onto table tops with beautiful charger plates and hero glasses. Menus and place cards by Made by Molu mirrored the stationery suite to complete table stylings. Garlands dressed pillars and mantelpieces, with custom made ribbon garlands fluttering overhead. Flowers were romantic and inviting – peach spray roses mixed with David Austin roses along with other garden varieties, such as toulouse lautrec and princess sakura. Beautiful café au lait dahlias combined with apricot Chinese asters, phlox, scabious, Chantilly snapdragons, Sweet peas and more. Come the evening fun, the couple surprised all the guests with confetti cannons, and the band was revealed behind the curtain – complete with hundreds of balloons, ribbon garlands and glitter to get the party started!

Photography: M&J Photography
Wedding Design, Styling, and Planning: Knot & Pop
Floral Design: Vervain
Venue: Manor by the Lake
Wedding Dress and Veil: Pronovias
Wedding Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Bridesmaid Dresses: ASOS, Monsoon, Ghost
Groom’s Attire: Hugo Boss, Zara, ASOS
Stationery: Made by Molu