Beloved children's book inspires couple's big day

A children's book became the unlikely inspiration for the theme of a couple's wedding, thanks to their young son.

Sarah and Warren Oliveira, who tied the knot at Oaty and Joey's Playbarn on Les Gigands in Guernsey in October, designed elements of their big day around Julia Donaldson's The Scarecrows' Wedding.

The story, which is illustrated by Axel Scheffler, revolves around scarecrows Betty O'Barley and Harry O'Hay who get engaged and try to plan their perfect wedding.

Sarah said she had initially wanted a Mediterranean-themed wedding, but the couple's four-year-old son Isaac had other ideas having watched the book's TV adaptation on BBC One at Christmas.

"We got engaged in the new year and his only reference to a wedding was Julia Donaldson's The Scarecrows' Wedding which he watched on Christmas Day," Sarah said.

"It was about the same time that the owners of Oaty and Joey's joked about having our wedding there, so gone was the traditional Mediterranean wedding I'd been planning for years and in came the scarecrows' wedding."

Among the items which made an appearance at the wedding were a necklace of shells, pink flowers and a dress of white feathers, which all feature in the story.

The book's publishers also sent the couple gifts and stationary which could be used during the ceremony.

Sarah said: "I think any avid Scarecrows' Wedding fans probably won't catch us out on anything. If it's in the story, it was at our wedding as well."

The couple said the idea was met with surprise by a lot of their friends and family, but everyone got behind the theme and had a wonderful day.

"I think some of them thought we were joking when we told them," Sarah added.

"We had so many questions about whether or not they needed to dress up as scarecrows."

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