Inside: An Elegant Countryside Wedding At Tythe, Oxfordshire

From an office interview that sparked an unexpected connection to a breathtaking proposal at a cliffside lighthouse on the Italian island of Ischia, step inside Phoebe Persey and James Nally’s sun-dappled summer wedding at Tythe, Oxfordshire.

The story so far

James and I met at work. He interviewed me for my first job with a recruitment firm in Surrey. When I got the job, it made James my boss’s boss. We worked together for about a year before going on our first date and obviously that went well! Shortly after that I resigned. Being romantically involved with James felt like quite a distraction at work. I was young and wanted to make a good impression and it complicated that. Four years later he proposed after secretly spending a year planning it.

In June 2024 he booked a surprise holiday for my 26th birthday. I didn’t know where we were going until the week before. He took me to the Italian island of Ischia, about an hour’s ferry ride from Naples. He’d booked a beautiful lighthouse that had been converted into a five-star hotel with only four bedrooms called Faro Punta Imperatore. You take a taxi up the mountains then walk down about 200 steps across the cliff edge, while your bags are sent ahead on a zip line. We’d spent the afternoon sunbathing, drinking Aperol then he asked me to get ready for dinner by seven o’clock so we could look at the sunset. That’s when I had a hunch something was going on. He got down on one knee and it was incredibly romantic, the whole thing filmed by someone too. Only afterwards did I discover James had flown to Dubai the month before (after telling me he was in France for work) to collect the engagement ring from a jeweller there. It’s a silver 1.5 carat Princess cut diamond ring with more diamonds set around the band. I was very happy with his choice. Fourteen months later it was our wedding day.

The Venue

We aren’t overly formal people, so a barn wedding felt like a less traditional choice for us. Tythe was the second venue we visited, and we cancelled all the others after seeing it. We’d fallen in love with the setting. James adores tennis so the fact they have a court was a huge sell for us. He spent the wedding morning playing with all his groomsmen. We were only considering a one-night wedding, but after seeing the family farmhouse there was no way we couldn’t book two nights. Staying also meant we didn’t have any extra transport costs. There were 19 of us round the farmhouse table for dinner the evening before, a delicious fish pie with garlic bread, veggies and a giant passionfruit pavlova for dessert.

A soul singer performed until about nine o’clock. All our bridesmaids and groomsmen and their partners joined us for drinks, there were probably about 30 of us. By 10.30pm we were all tucked up in bed. James and I spent our wedding eve together in the Apple Loft bedroom. On our wedding morning we had a nice cup of tea in bed together, which was a relaxing way to start the day. I got ready in the Nook, a separate pampering barn and James and his groomsmen had free run of the farmhouse.

Food & Drinks

We got married at two o’clock in the 14^th century thatched barn under the glow of five antique crystal chandeliers. Guests were served pink prosecco or elderflower fizz from the back of a vintage Land Rover as our violinist played. It was a scorching hot day, and we were so grateful for the shade of the pretty gardens. The wedding breakfast was at 4pm, a hearty menu of fish cakes, roast chicken with dauphinoise potatoes and sticky toffee pudding. We all tucked into pizzas from the Cowshed pizza oven later which really hit the spot.

Fashion

I loved the idea of buying my dress from an independent bridal boutique like Lauren Francis Bridal in Dorset. It was the first and only shop I visited. I arrived convinced I’d buy the Grayson dress, by Made With Love bridal, a full length, halter neck crepe gown with an additional crepe overskirt. I loved the neckline, but something wasn’t quite right. So, I tried the same dress in lace, called Hallie. It was the last dress I tried on and I fell in love with it. They didn’t offer the overskirt in a lace, so I had it made bespoke. My shoes were plain satin and open toed from ASOS with a manageable four-inch heel.

Pearls felt too traditional, so I got my diamante earrings and veil from Lace & Favour. I wore three bracelets, all silver and gifted from my mum, mother-in-law and my sister. That little touch of glamour worked well with the barn setting. My something blue were the PJs my bridesmaids wore on the wedding morning.

Bridal Party

I had two maids of honour and four bridesmaids while James had nine groomsmen. The girls all wore the same style oyster-coloured dress from Six Stories – with one exception who had a cowl neck design after a last-minute change to a style that fitted her better. All the groomsmen’s suits were from ASOS too. We bought them for £130 each, about what you would pay to hire a suit and this way they could all wear them again. They were a linen/wool blend in beige and suited the day perfectly. My dad’s and James’s suits came from Suit Supply in Westfield where they tailored them to fit perfectly. You can create a suit from scratch, and they have an vast range of fabrics.

Tablescape

Our colour scheme was very neutral with pops of natural green which worked brilliantly with the farm setting. Joanna Carter Flowers was phenomenal and so patient as we changed our minds repeatedly. She arranged lots of candles and glass bud vases along the banquet stye tables and managed to reuse all the bridesmaids and my bouquet which helped stretch the budget and gave us a great mix of hydrangeas, garden roses and wax flowers. We added our own white tablecloths to prevent the overall look being too rustic. At every place setting we had a handwritten, personalised letter to each guest and signed from Mr and Mrs Nally which felt like a special touch with edible favours from Biscuit Boutique.

Beauty & Wellness

I didn’t spend a fortune on facials and treatments, I just made sure I was consistent with my cleansing and moisturizing routine in the six months beforehand. My skin is very sensitive, I didn’t want to overload it with new products. The one mistake I made was getting sunburnt the week before which I was so disappointed about. I can see t-shirt lines in some of our photos even though I’d had a spray tan to cover it.

Entertainment

Our violinist played before and during the ceremony and reception drinks. We had a playlist of our favourite classics during the meal and then we had a saxophonist for the evening drinks until 8pm before a soul and Motown band played us into the evening. Their version of Pink Pony Club and Robbie Williams’ Angels were real floor fillers. Our first dance was to Heaven Must Have Sent You by The Elgins.

Gifts

We didn’t have a traditional gift list, but asked for a contribution towards our honeymoon, which was hosted through Prezola. That paid for us to travel around Indonesia and to Borneo to see the orangutans and then Bali, staying at the incredible The Kempinski for two weeks. It was never going to be a fly and flop kind of honeymoon! We got married on the Friday and we flew on the Sunday.

Advice

If you can, take your honeymoon straight away because it keeps the momentum going. James was looking forward to diving straight into an adventure together.
If you’re feeling really stressed, you’ve taken on too much. Wedding planning should be fun and providing you’ve given yourself enough time, there should be periods where you don’t have to do anything. If it’s getting on top of you, ask whether you’re focusing your energy in the right places.
Make sure the people involved in your wedding feel comfortable and find a venue that values that too. You can get so caught up with what the flowers look like, how the bridesmaids look in their dresses, but the main thing is everyone has a good time.