Inside a charming wedding in the English countryside
Cleo Brock-Abraham and James Talbot met during their college years. “I met James in Oxford, while studying abroad in college. We struck up a conversation at a bar and he promised to be my tour guide, but then didn’t text for two weeks,” Brock-Abraham told . As the story follows, the couple eventually had a first date, and saw each other casually for the next few months. But life got in the way, with Brock-Abraham heading back to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville to finish her studies, and Talbot remained in Oxford to finish his masters in Chemistry.
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Two and a half years went by, complete with an unanswered love letter, but when Brock-Abraham eventually moved back to London in 2008, the stars aligned. They reconnected, Talbot had her over for a Sunday roast, and the lovers have been together ever since.
In 2010, the couple moved to New York. It was some five years on that Talbot finally popped the question: “It was a Friday night and we were just going to have a low-key dinner in our Carroll Gardens neighbourhood when I got a text message that said “There’s a car coming to collect you at 7:45. Pack an overnight bag and wear something nice,” Brock-Abraham told Vogue. She burst into tears, but quickly got herself together and packed a bag. “The car dropped me off near our apartment in Brooklyn Bridge Park. James was waiting on a bench where he proposed with a custom Grace Lee ring that he helped design,” Brock-Abraham said, before adding, “It was truly magical.”
Planning the wedding came naturally as the pair had already envisioned their special day. “I wanted the wedding to be really classic and English, but still feel very us. We kept saying we were doing an American wedding in England in terms of timing, as we wanted an afternoon ceremony and an evening reception,” Brock-Abraham told Vogue. The search for a venue though, proved painful. “Figuring out where wasn’t an easy choice, but after some back and forth, we found Sibton Park in Suffolk and it couldn’t have been more ideal for us,” Brock-Abraham said.
The wedding was a memorable affair, with events occurring before and after the actual nuptials to celebrate the joining of the families. “Since people were travelling from such faraway places as California and India, we really wanted it to be easy once they got there. Minimal transportation and the ability for most guests to be able to stay on the property was important to us. As well as being able to party until the wee hours of the morning without the threat of noise complaints!” Brock-Abraham explained.
The end result was a beautiful day, touching on all the soft spots of their American and English roots. Read on for the details, and every charming detail that came out of the big day.
The bride’s Houghton NYC wedding gown.
“I had the brilliant Snowden Hill do my hair,” Brock-Abraham told
The quaint country setting proved the perfect backdrop.
The bride’s shoes by Manolo Blahnik.
You may kiss the bride!
The reception venue.
The floral arrangements were by Swallows and Damsons.
The 14th Century church the couple were married in.
“It was all so memorable! Walking down the aisle with my father was a beautiful moment, and seeing James for the first time surrounded by all our family and friends felt very surreal.”
“It [the wedding] goes so fast and you want to soak up every last minute of it!”
“I have a lot of very close friends so I didn’t have bridesmaids because I didn’t want a large bridal party. I just had one of my oldest friends, Anna Heinrich, as my maid of honour and my two sisters, Mae and Zella, as my flower girls.”
The incredible cake was by Norfolk catering team.
The beautiful bride and groom.
“James’ best man also did a perfect job of giving him a little bit of a hard time but also backing it up with a lot of love,” the bride said.
Take your seat!
The couple’s first dance.
“A huge surprise was that during James’ speech, he had done the math and figured out that we had met on the same day in October 2005. I had no idea!”
A toast to the newlyweds!
“I felt a mixture of huge relief and also a bit sad when it was over. Relief that everything went so well and sad that we would never get to experience the most perfect night of our lives again!”
Family and friends coming together for the reception.
The table placement and decorations for reception.