This Lakeside Wedding Under an Oak Tree in Surrey Was All About Effortless Elegance
Publicist Tori Cook and DJ and event producer Hugo Heathcote first met through Tori’s brother James in 2009. Ten years later, they got engaged at home on their farm while on a rainy December walk with their two daughters.
Hugo had planned a trip to West Wittering beach, where Tori had spent a lot of her childhood, to propose with his great grandmother’s ring—a deco style with a blue sapphire and diamonds—on a specific bench. “All plans went out the window when I refused to go to the beach as it was driving wind and rain!” Tori says. “Hugo was slightly panic-stricken and started suggesting random things to do. He was going away the next day for work so it had to be done that day, adding extra pressure. Finally, when the weather broke, he managed to coax me out of the house for a walk, and then, he proposed, and of course, I immediately said ‘yes!’ Our girls were elated until Harley, still five years old, stormed off—as she wanted a ring as well.”
Due to the pandemic, the planning process was a long one. “It was three years,” Tori says. “There were lots of different plans during COVID, which was all very time-consuming. Just six weeks out from our wedding in June of 2020 at the Macakizi Hotel in Turkey, we realized we were going to have to postpone until 2021. Then that got postponed again. So with the ongoing travel restrictions, we ultimately decided to do the wedding in the U.K. The actual week before the wedding, when all of the different teams moved on to our farm to start work, it became like a festival. We had amazing weather in the build-up, which made it all the more fun.”
Tori and Hugo decided to forgo working with a wedding planner—instead, producing the wedding weekend was a team effort carried out by the couple, Serena Mattar of Saucy Cow, Hugo’s company Hotdog Productions, and At Home Catering.
Tori also kept her wedding weekend fashion “in the family,” so to speak, turning to Savannah Miller—who just happens to be her best friend and “mate of honor” Sienna Miller’s sister—for her looks. “Savannah makes the best wedding dresses, so I didn’t even have to think about it!” she says. “We designed one for the original wedding in Turkey and then made a few tweaks to it so it suited a British Woodland wedding. Her bespoke service is incredible, and the entire process was a dream.”
The bride wanted an effortless, elegant, bohemian vibe for her dress, which matches up well with the designer’s overall aesthetic, and added the Marlowe star cape, also by Savannah Miller. She also wore a headband from Jennifer Behr. Earrings borrowed from Savannah, as well as a simple diamond bracelet gifted to the bride by her mother, were the final touches. (Meanwhile, Hugo wore head-to-toe Gucci—even his sunglasses were by the brand.) Finally, for her beauty, Tori enlisted the help of friends again, with Wendy Rowe for makeup and Earl Simms for hair. “They are both geniuses at what they do, and I was so happy with what they did,” she says.
During the wedding weekend, guests stayed onsite in a glamping village provided by Woodville Project. “The tents were comfy and amazing, and it was amazing to have most people stay on site,” Tori says. “We also had the most glorious weather which of course helped a lot.”
The ceremony was a beautiful lakeside blessing under an oak tree in Surrey. JJ Middleway was the officiant, and Tori’s “mate of honor” Sienna Miller did a reading. “We used Hugo’s grandmother and grandfather’s wedding bands for the ceremony,” Tori says. “The rings were tied onto the little knitted bride and groom mice in one of the pictures.” Afterwards, everyone sang “It Must Be Love” by Madness. “We felt elated,” Tori says. “We loved every second!”
When the ceremony was over, guests walked through the woodlands to have drinks by the lake, before heading up the hill to the marquee for dinner. After the meal, Tori changed into an Alice Temperley jumpsuit and Jimmy Choo trainers for the late-night celebration. Buses took everyone to the party barn, which had been decked out with red velvet and palm trees. “We had the Jones Gang Band playing with special guest Mike Rutherford and my dad Nick Cook on the percussion,” Tori says. “Plus, a brilliant lineup of DJs.”
The party didn’t end until sunrise with everyone dancing until 5 a.m. The next morning, the newlyweds hosted an all-day brunch in their garden that went until the evening with a coffee truck, Bloody Mary station, ice cream van, lobster rolls, and pizza, plus DJs and a steel band—a fun, festive way to end the weekend.
Photo: Charlie Wheeler1/54Hugo and I got legally married the week before our main wedding at Chelsea Old Town Hall.
Photo: Charlie Wheeler2/54Our daughters Lola and Harley wore Self Portrait dresses, and my suit was from the tailor Casely Hayford. Hugo wore Oliver Brown.
