The Costello’s.
Tucked away in a romantic English village outside of Winchester, Zoe and Antoine celebrated their love story in the most meaningful way.
Blending English and French influences to celebrate their shared culture, Avington Park played host to an incredibly personal weekend where Zoe and Antoine hosted friends and family from across the world.
With a quintessentially British welcome to the countryside, the couple greeted their guests at the estates own pub, The Chestnut Horse, where cocktails and conversation flowed ahead of the big day itself. Zoe and Antoine stayed at separate cottages on the estate with their nearest and dearest - one huge perk of exclusively hiring a venue with a range of accommodations.
We woke up to beautiful blue skies and got to work preparing!
Zoe and Antoine worked with me to partially plan their big day, and had designed their own stationary and decor, and trusted me to pull their vision together on the day. It was a delight to set up their designs in the Orangery at Avington Park. Framed by two stunning conservatories, and bathed in natural light, this is the perfect setting for not only your wedding breakfast, but also any personal touches.
We styled stunning banquet tables with a minimalist emerald, sage and cream theme. Bud vases dotted down the length of each table allowing guests to freely chat across the tables. Each place setting had a personalised candle (an apt favour for our bride and groom, who met through their respective careers in fragrance!) with Antoine’s scent designed for the male guests, and Zoe’s the women. On top of monogrammed napkins lay dutifully designed menus that enlightened guests into each course to come - a fabulous feast from the creative mind of Peter at Vaughan’s Kitchen - and it’s wine pairing. With Antoine being a sommelier (and hailing from the nation of wine itself) we had an impressive list of 11 wines for guests to indulge in, personally tested and selected by Antoine and Zoe in the lead up to their big day!
We utilised one of the conservatories to host the main bar - the gorgeous crisp white Babs Bar from House of Furn - as well as two display units for personal touches. This haven of guest activity was home to a display of wedding pictures from every couple attending the wedding; watching the surprise on guests faces as they spotted their wedding photo was really special. On the opposite side of the room we displayed Zoe and Antoine’s creative guest book… a set of 5 wine bottles from momentous dates and days in their love story, ready to be written on by guests and drunk at milestone anniversaries.
With a swift outfit change for Zoe into a chic beyond belief satin number, the evening celebrations were underway. Marking the official merging of their families, Zoe and Antoine danced with their parents, before spinning into their first dance which left few dry eyes in the room. Before long the party was underway in the library at Avington Park, and as the sun began to set the tunes started in earnest.
With huge thanks to a fabulous team of suppliers…
Venue - Avington Park
Planning & Coordination - Alice Hudson Events
Catering - Vaughan’s Events
Wine Bar - The Grange
Photgraphy - Colby Campbell
Floristry - Little & Bloom
Hair and Makeup - Olivia Marshall
Furniture - House of Furn