Theatrical bride Anita Baker was every inch the leading lady in her own Restoration wedding drama. Her gold and silver gown was once worn by Caesar's wife in the Old Vic's production of the Restoration play All For Love.

"I like to be a bit different, so I didn't want to wear a conventional white wedding dress," she said.

The 1667 play is based on one of the greatest love stories of all time - Antony and Cleopatra.

So it was fitting that Anita's bridegroom, Michael Jackson, should don a costume worn by Antony himself.

The bride arrived at St Nicholas's Church, Ickford, in true style in a burgundy coach drawn by four horses.

The entire wedding party was dressed in 17th century costume by Betty and Sheila Robbins, who run a theatrical hire shop in Oxford.

Said Sheila: "We went to the first night of All For Love and bought these costumes when they came up for sale at auction."

Anita had managed to keep the theme of her wedding a secret from the rest of the congregation, but there were a few hitches along the way. "My side of the family said, 'No way'. But I got my dad into the shop for a fitting, which was a miracle, and they all thought it was brilliant," she said.

Anita, 33, a complementary therapist, met 39-year-old civil engineer Michael at their local pub, The Rising Sun in Ickford.

Her bridal dress featured a gold under-kirtle, with a silk overdress trimmed with silver lace and gold bows. She carried a spray of white lilies.

Michael was resplendent in a gold-trimmed, corded-velvet jacket, waistcoat, breeches and a hat trimmed with gold feathers.

The father-of-the-bride, Brian Baker, sported a dandy waistcoat with black breeches, while her mum Marina looked a picture in a floral gown. The groom's father, William Jackson, wore a dark blue velvet coat and breeches to complement the period costume worn by his mum, Marjorie.

Marjorie said: "I think everyone looks beautiful. Anita's idea came as quite a surprise at first, but it's lovely to have something so different."

The bridesmaids were Anita's daughter Tamsin, aged nine, her niece Laura Martin, four, and her friends' children Kirsty, 13, and Lisa Johnson, ten.

They looked the part in mobcaps and broderie anglaise dresses tied with ribbons over Indian silk underskirts in a periwinkle stripe.

The children carried floral hoops and baskets filled with sweet-smelling flowers such as lavender, daises and old-fashioned roses.

The best man, Trevor Johnson, donned a green and gold jacket with dark green breeches, while his wife Billie wore a gold and brown gown.

They are the owners of Pasture Farm in Boarstall, where a reception was held in a marquee for 100 guests followed by a "knees-up".

A boar's head was the traditional centrepiece of the cold buffet and the three-tiered wedding cake was decorated with nuts and fruit.

Anita added: "I thought everyone looked great, but especially the men in their swashbuckling costumes. It was a lovely day - despite the pouring rain!"

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