Wedding | Stephie & Ollie

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met through mutual friends in 2016 and have been inseparable ever since. Based in the UK, we’ve built a life around our shared love of the outdoors, running and discovering new places.

Ollie proposed in 2022 during a hike in Volcán Arenal National Park in Costa Rica, while Stephie was on sabbatical from her PR agency role. It was a moment that felt perfectly us — adventurous, joyful and natural.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We wanted to get married somewhere that felt meaningful to us, a place we could return to and relive the memories for years to come.

Stephie lived in Paris as a young child and spent her summers in Corrèze, France after her family moved back to the UK. Since meeting, we’ve continued the tradition of visiting to spend time with my parents and it has always felt like a second home. Life moves more slowly in this part of France and we wanted our guests to feel that same sense of ease and understand why we love it so much.

We discovered Le Manoir du Bout du Pont in the neighbouring Lot-et-Garonne, a department with the same sense of calm, beauty and understated charm. From the moment we arrived at the venue, we completely fell in love. It was perfectly sized for our guest list and offered a mix of characterful spaces that naturally lent themselves to different moments across the weekend.

We also knew we wanted most of the celebration to take place outdoors, something that felt far less certain in the UK where the weather is famously unpredictable. As it turned out, we were married during a heatwave, with temperatures reaching a very sweaty 38 degrees.

How many guests did you have?

We had 48 guests which felt just right for the kind of day we wanted, intimate, authentic and completely non-performative. It struck the perfect balance, with all our favourite people together, without ever feeling overwhelming.

What was your budget?

We didn’t have a set budget, but from the start we knew where we were happy to spend and where we could be more mindful with our money. To keep things manageable, we opted for a day-of coordinator rather than a full planner, which still ensured everything ran smoothly.

Most importantly, we stayed involved in every decision, making sure the wedding truly reflected us. We’d always been drawn to the idea of a micro-wedding and keeping the celebration small was another way to stay true to our vision without stretching the budget.

Tell us about your outfits.

When I first started looking for my wedding dress, I knew straight away I wanted to visit The Own Studio and The Fall Bride in London. With my mum and sister in tow, I squeezed both appointments into a single day. I fell in love with about five dresses, but once the excitement settled, the Paola gown from Lola Varma felt the most me.

Before ordering, my sister suggested checking Still White to see if any Lola Varma pieces were available pre-loved. As luck would have it, there was a Paola gown listed in my exact size. It felt meant to be and I loved giving the dress a second life. It was significantly cheaper, in perfect condition and had only been worn for two hours by its previous owner.

I took the gown to Bride And Alter for alterations and after searching high and low for the right veil, I found my dream two-tier voluminous design there too.

I kept my jewellery meaningful. When looking for my wedding ring, Ollie and I made several trips to Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. I had initially thought I wanted a baguette diamond band to mirror the geometric lines of my engagement ring, but it felt overpowering. Instead, I resized my grandpa’s chunky gold wedding band, creating a mixed-metal stack that was both beautiful and deeply sentimental.

On the day, I also wore my mum’s gold zigzag earrings with a drop pearl, my gran’s vintage Omega watch gifted to me on my 30th birthday and wore a spritz of Coriander by DS & Durga as my wedding scent.

For dinner, I removed the veil and slipped on the Lola Varma Polly Gloves sourced from The Fall Bride. For shoes, I wanted something classic with an elongated silhouette and opted for a kitten heel pair from Stella McCartney.

I kept my makeup fresh and my hair simple. One of my oldest friends and hairdresser of over ten years, generously gifted my hair styling as a wedding present.

For my evening dress, I reimagined a family heirloom — a beautiful lace gown over 100 years old, originally worn by my great-great-aunt Hilda in 1923. After decades tucked away in my parents’ garage, it was a miracle it survived at all. When my mum suggested restoring it for my wedding, it was an instant yes.

By the time we rescued it, the sleeves had detached and the neckline was ripped, but aside from a few small holes, the dress was in remarkable condition. Working with Bride And Alter, we carefully brought it back to life, reshaping the neckline into a flattering V, realigning the ruffles and lowering the back while preserving the original structure. I even wore the same slip as my great-great-aunt Hilda, complete with her “something blue” ribbon still stitched inside.

I kept styling simple for this look — a dark red lip, a hair scarf made from the spare lace of one of the original dress sleeves, my mum’s gold necklace and earrings, a bag from Clio Peppiatt and velvet block heels borrowed from my sister. Restoring this gown was such an honour and truly became a family affair.

Ollie chose a classic Reiss suit and wore a vintage Omega, complementing the day perfectly.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

The most important thing for us was creating a day that felt authentic and intentional, from start to finish. We wanted every detail, from the venue and décor to the schedule of the weekend, to reflect who we are as a couple and the life we’ve built together. It was about crafting moments we could truly savour with our loved ones rather than trying to meet anyone else’s expectations.

Planning a destination wedding while juggling two full-time jobs isn’t for the fainthearted, so a huge shout out to our family who stepped in and helped every step of the way.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

Creating a wedding weekend that truly felt like a holiday was important to us, which is why hosting as many people as possible on-site felt essential. From strolling into the local village on Friday night for a street food and live music evening, to starting Sunday with a grounding yoga session followed by a relaxed BBQ and pool party, the setting allowed the celebration to unfold over the entire weekend.

The full weekend gave us plenty of quality time to really connect with our guests. Being introverts, the relaxed extended weekend gave us the space to enjoy the celebration at our own pace

Any tips for couples getting married?

The biggest tip we can give is to stay true to what feels right for you as a couple. It’s so easy to get caught up in expectations, traditions or what other people think a wedding should look like. Focus on the moments that genuinely matter to you, whether that’s sharing long conversations with your guests, spending time outdoors or simply enjoying the food and music you love.

Plan your day around how you want to feel, not how it’s “supposed” to be. Small, intentional choices will make the celebration feel authentic and memorable. And remember, it’s perfectly okay to let go of anything that doesn’t serve that vision.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

All of our vendors were amazing. Marine Arborio, our photographer, captured everything beautifully. We wanted a photographer who worked in both film and digital. Her editorial documentary style, with a focus on authentic emotion and the small, meaningful details, was exactly what we were looking for. We only stepped away for two quick portrait sessions, one of which was a first look, meaning we could fully enjoy the cocktail hour with our guests.

We had a very specific vision for the dinner. We wanted the tablescape to feel in harmony with the Manoir’s natural surroundings while still delivering a real wow moment. From the moment we saw Joanna at La Bicyclette’s floral styling, we knew she would understand the assignment. We trusted her vision so completely that we didn’t feel the need to work with a separate stylist or venue dresser. The florals took centre stage, with any unnecessary distractions stripped away.

Novelle Traiteur did an incredible job with the food, bar and cocktails, making the day feel effortless and stress-free. We chose family-style dining and long tables to maintain an intimate atmosphere where conversation could flow naturally. Seeing it all come together exactly as we had imagined was such a joy.

Photographer: Marine Arborio @marinearboriowedding | Planning: Perfect Day By Karen @perfect

daybykaren | Day-Of Coordinator: Mya B Events @mya_b_events | Flora: La Bicyclette Studio

@labicyclette.studio | Ceremony & Reception Location: Le Manoir du Bout du Pont @lemanoir.dubout

dupont | Celebrant: Wild Heart Celebrant @wildheartcelebrant | Hire: Le Petit Pichet @lepetitpichet

dordogne & Souchon Reception @souchonreception | HMUA: Arrowki Hair @arrowkihair & Francesco Group Eccleshall @francescohair.eccleshall | Catering & Beverages: Novelle Traiteur @novelle_traiteur | Cake: Wooden Spoon @woodenspoonbycoralee | Stationery: Designed by couple, printed by Printed.

Com @printedcom | Entertainment: Toulouse Gypsy Jazz Band @toulousegypsyjazz band | Ceremony Dress: Lola Varma @lola.varma from Still White @stillwhite | Reception Dress: 1920’s Lace Wedding Dress, reworked by Bride & Alter @brideandalter | Veil: Bride & Alter @brideandalter | Suit: Reiss @reiss | Gloves: Lola Varma sourced via The Fall Bride @thefallbride | Engagement Ring: Taylor & Hart 

@taylorandhart | Wedding Rings: (Bride)Grandpa’s Antique & (Groom) Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter @jqpromos | Shoes: Stella McCartney @stellamccartney | Evening Bag: Clio Peppiatt @clio

peppiatt | Accessories: vintage Omega watch, pearl earrings & vintage polaroid sunglasses