dreamscape come true
Avalon & Matt
Reconnecting years after their shared childhood in Bermuda, Avalon and Matt fell in love in London between trips to the English countryside. There, in the new hometown they made together, the couple hosted a weekend-long wedding at Barnsley House in the Cotswolds. Read on for Avalon's description of her dream-come-true.
Photography by Lauren Knuckey
"Matt and I knew each other from growing up in Bermuda and reconnected when we both moved to London in 2016. We fell in love with the English countryside right away, visiting the Cotswolds once or twice a year, and when it came time to plan our wedding, we knew it needed to be in the area! We wanted a small and intimate celebration with space for our loved ones to stay for a long weekend. Barnsley House was the first venue we saw, and we were sold."
"While I chose a green and white color palette for the weekend, I had an incredibly vivid dream after I got engaged about a wedding dinner that featured deep red accents. I knew that I wanted to include the red hints throughout the day. Even if no one else noticed them, they would be there for me. When I saw the Camellia in red, I knew it was the perfect accent to match the red silk ribbon around my bouquet and the red velvet ribbon at my place settings. My private dreamscape came to life! I loved wearing them — elegant, fun, and most importantly, comfortable!"
"The process of finding the dress was easy — I knew that I wanted a satin A-line dress and went from there. I loved the pearl drop earrings that I wore which were a present from my Maid of Honor (my twin sister) and my bridesmaids."
"Matt and I designed the ceremony ourselves to reflect our ideas and aspirations about love. My brother led the ceremony and I think that some of his words capture the essence of what the ceremony meant to us:
‘Two souls on parallel paths of self-discovery who have come together to create a vibrant life. Our ceremony today celebrates their loving partnership and also honors ancient rituals of unity… as you can see, the seats are arranged in a circle divided into quadrants which represents the four elements that are within us and make up the world around us – Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. According to ancient wisdom across culture and time – Earth is grounding and nurturing, Air is inspiring and creative, Fire is passion and warmth, Water is fluidity and acceptance. These elements are building blocks that both create and sustain us… Today, we are here to honor the presence of these elements within Matt and Avalon as divine reflections of the universe.’"
"My private dreamscape came to life!"
"Sitting with Matt at dinner looking out at our friends and family that had traveled from so far to come celebrate with us was incredibly special. I knew it was a risk to have an al-fresco dinner without a solid plan B if it rained (yikes!) but the weather was perfect, and I could not have asked for a dreamier evening!"
