Inside: An Elegant Barn Wedding At Tythe, Oxfordshire

From a medical school romance that began in shared halls to a windswept proposal on the Isle of Skye, step inside Mila and Adam’s elegant, heritage-filled wedding celebration at Tythe in the Oxfordshire countryside.

The story so far

‘We met at medical school in 2016. We were on the same corridor in the same halls and had our first proper date to London Zoo. Adam was so easy to talk to. I felt like myself when I was with him. It was seven years later, in 2024, when he proposed on a trip to Scotland.

We hiked to the summit of the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye. Adam’s plan was to propose at the top, but it was too windy, so he kept the ring in his pocket until we were halfway back down. I knew he’d propose, but I didn’t have a clue it would be then. It was perfect; there was no one around and it was very fitting for us to be outside in nature. The ring had a delicate gold band with pavé diamonds inset, a round-cut solitaire diamond in a simple claw setting, exactly as I’d said I liked but with an even bigger diamond! He designed it himself at Bond Jewellery in Birmingham.

Venue

The following year we married at Tythe in Oxfordshire because we loved the classic English countryside setting. Tythe’s historic converted barns just blew us away; it’s all so beautifully done and high quality, gorgeous from every angle and the incredible antique crystal chandeliers suspended from the Thatched Barn ceiling convinced me. Plus, the family Farmhouse where our close friends and family stayed on our wedding night before we hosted brunch the following morning and a shopping trip to nearby Bicester Village.

We married at St Mary’s Church at around 12.30pm and then walked through to Tythe’s Thatched Barn and the courtyard, where we had a cellist playing – a brilliant find from Music Students for Hire. We served traditional Sri Lankan sweets like Mung Kavum (golden treacle cakes) and Thala Guli (sesame and palm sugar rolls). We decorated them with native coconut flowers as part of our brass oil lamp ceremony. I’m half Sri Lankan, half Italian, so this was a great way of incorporating my heritage. We lit the lamp’s wicks together to welcome positive energy and prosperity into our marriage. Our traditional Sri Lankan dancers lead the wedding party into the reception. It made the day feel so personal to us.

Fashion

My dress was by far the most difficult part of my planning. It started easily enough with a beautiful lace gown from Gigi & Olive that I wore for getting ready. But dress shopping was a nightmare. Originally, I bought a dress in a sample sale from a local shop because I felt pressured into having it. It was my first appointment, and I shouldn’t have bought it. I hoped my next appointment would confirm I’d made the right choice, but it had the opposite effect. The first shop eventually exchanged the sample dress for a new one that I sold, but for 50 per cent of what I paid for it.

I visited five boutiques in total, trying on around twenty-five dresses before I bought the ivory Lana Rae dress from the Lottie & Meg collection at Wedding Belles of Four Oaks. It’s sleeveless with a deep V neckline and back, hand-beaded with 3D textured lace and a Chantilly lace underlay. I needed a dress that wouldn’t swamp me. It has a train, and, for added drama, I had a cathedral-length veil from Richard Designs. It worked perfectly with Adam’s custom-made velvet tuxedo from Clements + Church, a wedding gift from his sister. He added our initials and wedding date to the jacket lining and shirt cuffs. His three best men all rented tuxes from Kevin Paul, while our young usher had his first suit from Next.

Bridal party

My bridesmaids chose their own dresses in the same sage green satin. I wanted them to feel comfortable with their choices from Bec + Bridge and Azazie. My maid of honour originally intended to rent, then bought a dress that arrived the morning of the wedding, which I was unaware of at the time! My flowergirl wore white from Lilly and Bo.

Jewellery

My jewellery was very simple to let the dress shine. I kept my neck bare but added a dainty gold chain bracelet from Mejuri, and my bridesmaid Priya’s gold diamond stud earrings were my something borrowed. The blue cloth Jimmy Choo shoe bags were my ‘something blue’. I chose the Saeda style with a 3.9-inch heel. I also had white open-toe mules from Pretty Little Thing that I wore to get ready.

After the first dance I changed into my Scarlett beaded mini dress from Trish Pang at The Ivory Edit. It had a fun feathered hem that I had weighted to sit properly on me. I think it’s fair to say I blew the dress budget! But I loved making an entrance in that dress with our Colin the cat cutout props. He couldn’t be at the wedding, so it was our way of including him.

Florals

Florals were by Augusta Florals, a subtle mix of cream and apricot roses, some blush, green and soft whites. She was brilliant at focusing our budget where we needed it most and repurposing the flowers throughout the day. Two floral columns outside the church entrance were later moved to sit behind us during the wedding breakfast, while two large floral pedestals from the church altar also decorated the walled garden for our reception. We filled the farm bicycle basket with flowers, and those pictures were among some of our favourites from the day.

Food & drinks

We served a choice of three starters, main courses and desserts, including a delicious cod and prawn fishcake, roasted lamb rump and vanilla crème brûlée, followed by our three-tier (two passionfruit, one coffee) wedding cake. That kept everyone going until 9.30pm when we fired up the farm’s pizza oven.

Colin, our cat, also had a cocktail choice, a passionfruit martini, on our cocktail wall alongside Adam’s espresso martini and my spicy margarita. Our stationer, Emma Louise Castle, did a beautiful menu to accompany it, depicting Colin, of course. We didn’t have invitations, as all the information was on our wedding website, at With Joy, but Emma also did an illustration of the church for our Order of Service.

Entertainment

Our DJ, booked through Gigz Management, played a brilliant mix of dance anthems and guest requests plus our first dance, Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You by Frankie Valli and yes, we did have a few lessons in advance!

Beauty regime

I leant into the pre-wedding pampering and had Hydra Facials every six weeks for ten months leading up to the wedding with Clinica Skin & Laser. I even got Adam to have a couple.

I had Faye Neil for my makeup and Lauren Goslin for hair, who did a very simple knot for the day and then looser waves for the evening, two styles that felt very me. Initially I wanted my make-up quite bronzed but changed it on the day to something fresher with more pink tones on my lips and cheeks. I was nervous about the false eyelashes but loved the effect they created.

Honeymoon

We had two nights at Wolf Wood Treehouses in Devon after the wedding, and in July, we’ll travel to Kenya for a four-night safari at Base Camp Maasai Mara and then Kinondo Kwetu at Diani Beach for six nights with one more at Chale Island, all booked through Nemo Travel. We had a honeymoon fund instead of a traditional gift list, managed through With Joy with our own payment links. It was such a great decision. We’ll make memories for a lifetime on this trip.

Advice

Start the planning process early; everything takes longer than you think.
People will say to you, ‘Don’t stress and enjoy the process,’ and you’ll think, how? Now I give that advice to everyone. Also, make time for just the two of you together on the day.
Take your time choosing the dress. Visit as many shops as you like and be consistent with who you take to avoid conflicting opinions. People will say yes to things that suit their style, but it may not be yours.