This Gorgeous Babington House Wedding Included a Brazilian Welcome BBQ, Bespoke Gown and a Very Cute Puppy

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"In January 2013, a friend from high school, Dan, reached out to me about a party he was hosting at his Manhattan apartment", recalls Sara Jetty, strategy director for live music company Live Nation, as she tells us the story of how her and her now-husband, Brenno Drummond Valerio, who is a VP at Treasure Data. "He said he was inviting a group of alums from our small high school in Indianapolis who had all relocated to New York City, for an unofficial reunion of sorts. Little did I realize that the party wouldn’t just be a nostalgic trip down memory lane but also where I would meet Brenno—Dan’s best friend from university—for the first time.

"That night, Brenno and I bonded over drinks at Dan’s kitchen table about our mutual love for music and reminisced about our (separate) experiences seeing Oasis live many moons prior. Over the next several months, our friendship deepened as we sent songs we were discovering and listening to back and forth through the (now-defunct) Spotify messaging tool. In May, we went on our first date and closed down the Victorian bar in Union Square where we grabbed late-night drinks.

"In the summer of 2021, Brenno proposed in a quiet corner of the gardens of Villa Melzi during a trip to Lake Como (the destination of one of our very first vacations together). We spent the afternoon cruising the lake, making stops for wine and pasta, and closed out a perfect day with champagne on our hotel room’s balcony, just the two of us. We waited to share the news with friends and family so we could soak in every second together without distractions."

"It became abundantly clear after we got engaged that we had no idea where we wanted to get married. We had spent the majority of our eight-plus-year relationship in New York City, but after visiting a number of venues around the city, nothing felt quite right.

"We both adore the UK and have spent a lot of time there, separately (I have family in London and Birmingham, and studied and worked in London during university) as well as together (cue the eye rolls, but going to Glastonbury together was truly one of the best weeks of our lives). We were staying at Babington House for a long weekend trip for Brenno’s birthday in January 2023 when we both looked around and thought, This is what we’ve been searching for."

"The property and house are stunning, whilst also being comfortable and cosy. It felt like our home away from home, and everyone who worked there immediately was like family. With our guests coming from all around the world, we knew Babington would be the dreamiest adult getaway, replete with activities (tennis, padel, scenic walks to the local pub), amenities (gorgeous pools, a spa and a cinema) and delicious, locally sourced food. Once we realised that we could literally keep the party going all night, thanks to Babington’s remote location and lack of curfew, we were sold."

"The festivities began the night before the wedding with a welcome BBQ for all our guests in Babington’s walled garden. Brenno grew up in Brazil, so the night celebrated his Brazilian roots: lots of Casa Verdes (Soho House’s twist on the traditional caipirinha), live Brazilian music and yellow florals."

"As a nod to the location we had chosen, I was intentional about dressing in as many British-designed pieces as possible throughout the weekend. I stumbled upon my House of CB dress for the welcome party while shopping at Selfridges with my mom."

"I paired it with a long organza neck scarf from The Own Studio, a small beaded handbag from Shrimps and sculptural pearl earrings from Completedworks for an extra pop of elegance.

"I loved how the floral pattern mirrored the garden location for the evening and that it was relaxed enough that I could see myself re-wearing it time and again."

"I picked out a cream double-breasted suit from Reiss for Brenno, which fit him impeccably and is probably one of my favourite looks on him ever!"

"We opted to skip a bridal party, so instead, I invited my mom and all my close friends to get ready with me in my room and get their hair and makeup done if they wished—all completely optional. It was a super relaxed vibe: Everyone came in and out as they pleased, and we kept a steady stream of food, coffee, champagne and rosé flowing all day. In line with keeping things comfortable and stress-free, I wore a simple slip dress from Bec & Bridge and Loeffler Randall ballet flats."

"Abi Constanza (hairstylist) and Saskia Wright (makeup artist) were the best additions to our crew—not only were they insanely talented and made us all look our best, but they were also so relaxed, chatting and laughing along with our stories all day."

"For my makeup, I was aiming for a glowy, natural look. I wanted Brenno to recognise me as me when I walked down the aisle, and I wanted to look back at my photos and recognise myself too! I came across Saskia on Instagram and immediately knew she was the perfect choice. She delivered on makeup that truly looked like my natural, everyday self… just miles more flawless."

"My planner recommended Abi to me as a hairstylist, and it couldn’t have been a better choice. I wanted my hair swept back so it wouldn’t distract from the twisted neckline or voluminous sleeves of my dress. However, I almost always wear my hair down, so an ‘updo’ was a complete departure for me. Abi landed the ideal in-between look: a perfect low bun, with bits of the front of my hair still framing my face so it didn’t feel too ‘up’ or structured."

"Oh, the dress! It was quite a journey to settle on, but I think we knocked it out of the park in the end. I worked as a fashion buyer for over seven years, so silly me, I assumed that this part of wedding planning would be a breeze, and it ended up being anything but. After trying on hundreds of dresses, I realised I had quite a specific vision for what I was looking for and needed to find someone to help me bring it to life."

"During a trip to London, I dropped by The Own Studio, which was only a few blocks from where we were staying, on a whim. After trying on a few designs from their collection that had the lightweight fabrics and drop-waist silhouettes I was looking for, I knew I wanted to work with them to create a bespoke gown. Jess, one of the founders, who I worked closely with throughout the process, is amazingly talented and thoughtful, and despite our collaborating on the process across the Atlantic Ocean, she fully understood what I was looking for. Though my everyday style is quite modern, casual and even a bit androgynous, I was looking to go in a completely different direction for the wedding day, with a dress that was soft and feminine, with a vintage feel—a dress that mirrored the romance of the Georgian manor setting.

"Together, we landed on a drop-waist silk bodice, statement puff sleeves and layers of floaty organza for the skirt. It felt like an absolute fairytale to wear, and it took Brenno completely by surprise!

"My veil was from Harriette Gordon and adorned with scattered delicate beaded stars. I fell in love with the dreaminess of it the moment I laid eyes on it. My shoes were silver sandals from Nodaleto with a unique, sculptural heel. I wanted heels that I would be comfortable in all day (and wouldn’t sink into the grass, as most of the celebration was outdoors), and they suited me perfectly. For jewellery, I had planned to wear a new set of earrings on the day but made a spontaneous choice to instead borrow a pair of diamond studs from my mom. It felt more special to incorporate something sentimental, and I think they were a classic touch."

"Luckily, Brenno’s outfit decisions were much more straightforward. One of our close friends, Vanessa, who works at Prada, helped him pick out a classic black Prada suit, which he paired with Ferragamo loafers and a Cartier watch. He looked absolutely timeless and handsome."

"We wanted the wedding to be beautiful, but also unfussy, eclectic, and playful—nothing too staid or serious. We didn’t have a colour scheme or theme for the day and instead prioritised incorporating details that felt authentic to who we are as a couple. For florals, we opted for local, seasonal spring flowers in a mix of colours and vessels, which were lovely while maintaining a relaxed tone and not overshadowing the natural beauty of Babington’s grounds."

"Our ceremony took place overlooking the lake at Babington, a naturally beautiful bit of the grounds that needed little outside decoration."

"Like the rest of the day, we wanted the ceremony to feel uniquely us. Music being an integral part of our love story, we spent (probably too much!) time selecting some of our favourite songs for the string quartet to cover. Brenno entered a rendition of 'Digital Love' by Daft Punk, I walked down the aisle to the 2013 Glastonbury version of Arctic Monkeys' 'Mardy Bum,' and we exited to 'Bittersweet Symphony' by The Verve. We even capped off the ceremony with a singalong to 'All You Need Is Love' by the Beatles, the lyrics of which were printed on the back of our programs."

"My mother is from the Philippines, so it was important for us to incorporate elements from that side of my background into the ceremony as well. We did a traditional candle ritual, and my brother Julian and sister-in-law Lauren wrapped us in a unity veil and cord, another Filipino tradition. Brenno’s family is Seventh-Day Adventist, so we chose to have a short blessing read by his uncle in honour of his faith."

"I don’t enjoy being the centre of attention, so the walk down the aisle and the ceremony were the two bits of the day that I was most anxious about. However, having both my parents walk me down the aisle helped soothe my nerves, and as soon as I saw Brenno burst into tears, I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. It was too sweet and quintessentially Brenno; he always wears his heart on his sleeve."

"Having our 3-year-old mini schnauzer, Wolf, as part of the ceremony also broke the tension. We brought him over to the UK on his first international trip, as neither of us could fathom celebrating our big day without him. As our ring bearer, we knew he’d be the cutest feature of the ceremony, but he also ended up being the most hilarious. After following Brenno down the aisle off-leash, he was supposed to be secured throughout the ceremony, but there was a bit of a mix-up. Instead, he proceeded to cause chaos: jumping all over my dress, chasing after staff members on the lawn, and disappearing into the woods (our friend had to retrieve him) before deciding my veil was a comfy bed and curling up on the train for a nap during the balance of the ceremony. His antics broke up the seriousness with moments of pure laughter and joy that we will always remember."

"We're both passionate about art, so we were thrilled to work with so many UK-based artists across the wedding, including Natalia Bagniewska, who designed all the on-the-day stationery for the event. I reached out to her a bit last-minute, as we were running slightly behind on wedding planning in the lead-up to the event, and we couldn’t feel lucky enough that she agreed to fit us into her busy schedule. We adored the way she infused joyfulness, celebration and escapism into all of her designs for the day, from the ceremony programs to the G&T bar signage, dinner menus and escort cards."

"We sipped the champagne just the two of us at the bar while our guests lined up for our petal-toss entrance. It was such a special moment being able to take a deep breath, just the two of us, and celebrate what we had just done!"

"We also snuck out for a few minutes at the tail end of cocktail hour to snap a few couples portraits with our photographer, Louise, from Taylor & Porter. Working with Louise was amazing: She has such a calming and positive presence, and her camera never feels like it gets in the way of the celebrations. We were adamant about not wanting to miss any of the party, but she was lovely about very speedily capturing some of our favourite images from the day. Her style of shooting on film also lends such a romantic, ethereal quality to the photographs."

"As soon as we started to think about our vision for the reception, I quickly realised that I wanted dinner under a sailcloth marquee: a very classic English garden party, while also serving as a practical backup in case of rain. Babington doesn’t typically allow marquees for weddings, but they were beyond accommodating to my desires and pulled it off in epic fashion."

"The marquee was decorated with greenery and hanging rattan lampshades, while our tablescape featured more colourful spring flowers, tall amber candles in vintage-style candlesticks, plus tons of scattered tealights and our favourite mini Diptyque candles.

"As another nod to our joint love of music and my job in the industry, we decided to gift everyone with custom tambourines, hand-painted by yet another incredible local artist, Cathy-Ann of Thistle Paper Co, with each guest’s name (or nickname) and used as place cards on the tables."

"Probably our favourite part of the entire day was entering the marquee to Franz Ferdinand’s 'Take Me Out.' Everyone went wild shaking their tambourines, getting on top of their chairs, and jumping up and down. It was so joyful and celebratory, and the moment Brenno and I thought maybe we had nailed the wedding planning thing after all!"

"One of our favourite aspects about Babington from our first visit was the food: It’s all locally sourced (including from the walled gardens within the grounds) and incredibly fresh. We wanted to tell the story behind all of the dishes so guests could appreciate the amazing work of Chef Dionas and the rest of the staff, so Natalia designed beautiful fold-out food menus that described where all the ingredients were sourced from. Just a few menu highlights: Isle of Wight tomatoes, tuna sashimi, chalk stream trout, beef rib, radicchio and gorgonzola risotto… and of course a classic Eton mess and chocolate and salted caramel tart. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth normally, but I still dream of those desserts!"

"We’re probably biased, but we are of the steadfast opinion that we had the best wedding speeches of all time. My best friend from childhood, Meg, and Brenno’s best friend from university, Dan (the one whose party brought us together in the first place), both delivered speeches that were equal parts hilarious and heartfelt. They got rousing ovations (accompanied by more tambourine-shaking, of course). After dinner, as the sun set and the marquee filled with the most luminous warm candlelight, my dad also said a few words, and it’s safe to say there wasn’t a dry eye in the entire marquee."

"After dinner, we moved from the marquee inside to the Orangery, which we had transformed into what we dubbed ‘Club S&B.’ On the way into the party, we had 120 espresso martinis ready so guests could each grab one to keep their energy up—I’ve truly never seen so many espresso martinis in one place in my life!

"Midway through the band, I ran upstairs to do a world record–breaking fast costume change into my second look: a glittery, backless silver gown from Galvan London. I fell head over heels in love with it as soon as I tried it on and adored how it matched the dozens of mirrorballs hanging in the room perfectly. I felt like a walking and dancing mirrorball all night! I paired it with chunky silver Staud platforms that gave me height while still being comfortable enough to dance in. I didn’t take them off until 7 a.m.!"

"In contrast to the rest of the day, we wanted the space to feel like a vintage disco club, so we had dozens of mirrorballs of various sizes hung from the ceiling to make the entire room sparkle. Natalia’s stationery again was a brilliant complement: She designed black bar menus, matches and coasters, all with the ‘Club S&B’ branding. We did our first dances quickly, then let our party band, The Fellas, take over with an amazing set, enjoyed by all but especially by my 3-year-old nephew, who was breakdancing all over the room."

"After the band finished, we moved yet again into Babington’s main bar for an epic set by DJ Nige—and Brenno and I achieved our dream for the night of dancing on top of the bar. DJ Nige finished around 2 a.m., at which point our friend Kam crushed the DJ duties until the early hours. Our goal for the day was always for everyone to feel at home in the venue, and we realised we had accomplished it when our friends started sneaking upstairs to their rooms to change into pyjamas and sweatpants at 2 or 3 a.m. before coming back down to rejoin the dance party. A group of us stayed up dancing until sunrise… I won’t share the messy 7 a.m. photo here, but it was definitely the most unreal house party we’ve ever thrown!"

Bride: @sarajetty
Photographer: @taylorandporter
Videographer: @sobyfilms
Planner: @weddingsbylaurenalway
Venue Planner: @sophieelainefrost
Makeup Artist: Saskia Makeup
Hairstylist: @abigailconstanzahair
Florist: @flowersbypassion
Celebrant: @thissarahpowel
String Quartet (for Ceremony & Drinks Reception): @thebristolstringquartet
Party Band: @wearethefellas
DJ: @stylishentertainment
Tableware: @duchessbutler
Custom Tambourines (used as dinner place cards): @thistlepaperco
Marquee: @abbasmarquees1
Catering & Cake: @sohohouse
Save the Date Design: @sarajetty
Invitation Design: @frances_glory_costelloe
On-the-Day Stationery: @natalia.bagniewska.art
Filipino Unity Veil & Cord (for ceremony): @sinta_co
Lighting & Party Décor: @stylishentertainment
Photo Booth: @flashfoxbooth
Custom Matches: @frances_glory_costelloe and @natalia.bagniewska.art
Custom Tote Bags: @frances_glory_costelloe