Inside: An Effortlessly Romantic Barn Wedding at Tythe, Oxfordshire

From a chance meeting at a Halloween party at university to a surprise lakeside proposal in Somerset, step inside Catherine and Jack’s relaxed, joy-filled wedding at Tythe in the Oxfordshire countryside.

The story so far

We met in October 2016 at Birmingham University in our final year. Jack lived in the party house, and I was there for pre-drinks one evening and asked a friend to introduce us. It was Halloween and I was dressed as a dead Princess Jasmine to his clown. By December we were on our first date at a cocktail bar, and it was May 2023 when Jack proposed. We had a holiday booked to Mexico that August and I thought he might do it then, but he chose a weekend away to Somerset instead which was lovely and unexpected.

We were staying at The Shepherds Hut Retreat on a lake with a hot tub. He was behaving oddly, not eating the little picnic lunch we’d prepared. He wanted to take a picture of us and set up the phone on timer. The next thing I knew he was down on one knee and he’d recorded the whole thing.

The ring was from Queensmith in Hatton Garden, a gold band with an oval diamond. I’d sent him pictures about two years before of the exact ring I wanted for ‘when the time comes’. He did very well! I was too shocked to cry. We started telling everyone and then hopped in the hot tub with some Champagne.

Venue

Jack found our venue, Tythe, on Instagram and we loved it from the beginning. It had the relaxed vibe we wanted. I remember the first time we arrived to look around the estate, the sun was shining and everything looked so beautiful.

We’ve both got big families and good on-site accommodation was important to us. Tythe’s Farmhouse was where our immediate families shared a relaxed meal together – a big lasagna and chocolate brownies – the night before the wedding. I had six bridesmaids plus both mums and needed somewhere with plenty of space for us all to get ready together. Tythe has a huge bridal suite in the Farmhouse and a separate barn, The Nook, that’s dedicated to hair, make-up and styling so that was a huge factor in choosing it. Jack also had his own space, The Courtroom in the Farmhouse, although he was on the tennis court until about half an hour before he had to leave for church!

We loved the outdoor space too and the party barn looked so pretty with fairy lights strung through the rafters. We also wanted a venue where the party space and bar were in the same area. We’d been to weddings where it hadn’t been and guests end up separated. Tythe brilliantly ticked all our boxes.

I’m Catholic so we married at the Immaculate Conception Church in Bicester. My grandmother had passed away two years before the wedding, but our priest had met her so that felt like a lovely connection.

Fashion

I only visited two bridal boutiques. Satin Bow in St Albans because they stocked Pronovias and Ellie Sanderson in Beaconsfield. I tried on about 20 dresses in total including ones from Suzanne Neville, Jesus Peiro and Kyha Bride. In the end I chose the organza Lana dress from Champéry from Ellie Sanderson. I remember trying it on and a woman walked past the window, stopped and gave me a thumbs up. I felt quite emotional when I put it on, I literally loved it. I added one of Ellie’s cathedral length veils and white satin court heels from Linzi Bridal from Next.

Jewellery

My something borrowed was my late grandmother’s gold bracelet and my something blue was a teardrop charm I pinned to my bouquet. My mum had worn it on her wedding day and my sister after her. I added gold pearl drop earrings from Monica Vinader and my something new was a Cartier Love Bracelet that Jack gave me on our wedding day.

Bridal party

My six bridesmaids wore the same halterneck dress in a soft mint colour from Odd Muse and I was more than happy for mum to wear white from Hobbs. Jack wore black tie from Charles Tyrwhitt and his groomsmen’s suits were hired from Moss Bros.

Beauty

I had MediSkin facials for six months before the wedding to make my skin glow. I chose the Ultimate relaxation ones with LED. My makeup on the day was by Zoe Kennedy with hair by Timea Breban. I just wanted a slick, neat bun that was elegant. Timea was so thorough. The hair trial was three hours! She tried so many different versions on me. And I would have changed the wedding date to ensure I got Zoe for my make-up. She’s done friends’ weddings, so I knew how good she is. She gave me a perfect ethereal bridal look, and I still use the NARS foundation she introduced me to and the Charlotte Tilbury Dance Floor Princess lipstick.

Florals

My brother-in-law’s mum did our flowers. She’s called Adrienne’s Flowers and our brief was very simple, just lots of white garden roses. I wanted a big bouquet and then everything else minimal on our tables and the groomsmen’s buttonholes. We used lots of lanterns and candlelight to create a romantic atmosphere. We didn’t have anything in the church, it was beautiful as it was, and honestly, I saw it as an area where we could save money. I always wear black, brown or white, so the flowers needed to be classic and elegant. We bought black ribbon from Hobbycraft and Jack’s sister Rosie printed people’s names on them. We then attached them to wine glass stems at everyone’s place setting. With the white linens, it was very monochrome.

Food & drinks

I wanted the formality of a plated menu rather than sharing dishes and what Absolute Taste created for us was unbelievably good. We started with a cod and prawn Thai fish cake followed by cornfed chicken terrine with a chicken leg croquette. Dessert was chocolate brownie with caramelised banana, vanilla and crème fraiche. We decided against a wedding cake in favour of a Champagne tower which we served just before the meal to get the party started. My only regret is that I never stopped to eat any of the farm cooked pizzas later that evening. I was too busy living my best life on the dancefloor.

Entertainment

Singer Caity McHale performed during our sunny reception drinks, then we had a five-piece band called Apollo Anthems who played our first dance song, Lover by Taylor Swift, and then a DJ during their breaks.

Our wedding website was hosted at With Joy which linked to Prezola for our gift list. Our save-the-dates, signage and invitations, were designed by my friend Alex with a QR code that took people to the website for all the detailed information.

Honeymoon

We spent two weeks in Sri Lanka and the Maldives for our honeymoon where we had amazing experiences like a floating breakfast and dinner in an underwater restaurant, paid for by the wedding gift contributions. We stayed at the You and Me adults-only resort in the Raa Atoll. In Sri Lanka we started North of the island and travelled around a little, everything booked through Travel Bag. I had to be back teaching in September, so we travelled in December over Christmas and it was a lovely way of prolonging the excitement.

Advice

Don’t just focus on enjoying the wedding day, enjoy all of it, the lead up to it and the planning. Aim to be ready an hour before you need to be and remember to dry your flower stems before you hold them against your dress.
Make sure you set time aside to be alone as a couple after the ceremony and just pause to really soak in the moment.
Look to your own circle of friends for their skills. And buy a Tide stain removal pen from Amazon! I take one to every wedding now.