Wedding at Moreton House, Devon

Meeting at work nine years ago, Chloe and Adam's friendship led to romance and, ultimately, a proposal that was supposed to happen on a surprise trip to North Devon. 'Adam had booked for us to stay at Tawstock Castle, but lockdown hit and the trip was cancelled. He held off for a little while as none of us knew how long lockdown would last for and he wanted to wait for another good opportunity,' explains Chloe. 'We ended up buying a new house and moving in July and he chose to do it on the same day. We were in the garden, drinking champagne, eating fish and chips, and the sky was bright pink. It was perfect!'

The couple began to plan a wedding in Bordeaux; however, with travel restrictions and more lockdown uncertainty looming, they had to cancel. 'We didn't want to delay things, so we planned a last-minute trip down to Devon to view venues,' says Chloe. 'Moreton House was the best by far and we fell in love! We booked it for the same date as our original weddingâ€¦ which was eight weeks away!'

It was the first wedding at the lovingly restored Georgian country house, located close to the North Devon coast. 'Moreton House reminded us of the 'Bridgerton' series, so we tried to include some nods to that on the day,' says Chloe. 'We had a string quartet playing current pop music, which was really cool, and the colour scheme was fresh sage green, white and eucalyptus.'

The wedding began with an emotional and highly personal ceremony held beneath the venue's stunning portico entrance dressed beautifully with a flower arch. 'We'd already had our legal civil ceremony, so we asked Adam's dad Nigel to conduct the symbolic wedding ceremony. It was so lovely to have such personal wedding vows. He absolutely smashed it and it meant a lot to us to have him involved,' says Chloe.

'The most important thing for us was being able to have the ceremony outside, which we managed to do before it started raining on and off. It was beautiful. A string quartet played our ceremony music, as well as a pianist who was a friend of the band. That part was incredible and so fun!'

Staying outside for drinks and photos, the newly-weds and their guests then enjoyed speeches in front of a French chateau tapestry before a sumptuous four-course menu featuring mains of beef or butternut squash wellington, and ' as a little nod to the original plans ' wedding favours from France: a mini bottle of French cognac, made in Bordeaux. 'They went down a treat!'

Keeping appetites sated with an indulgent wedding cake made by a chocolatier chef and burgers from a vintage van, it was then time to 'party until midnight, finishing the night off with a surprise party around the firepit in the secret garden. Our guests loved it!'

Reflecting on her favourite moment, Chloe remembers taking in the ceremony and its aftermath as a particular highlight. 'It has to be the moment we walked back down the aisle as husband and wife. It was an incredible feeling... with confetti everywhere!'

And as for her top tip, Chloe recommends trying to enjoy the planning process. 'Ours was particularly stressful and rushed towards the end, but the day goes by in a flash and before you know it, you're back to everyday reality!' she says. 'Enjoy every moment ' everything about the day is worth every little bit of stress in the planning. Plus, I would highly recommend getting a videographer.' And just to top off their perfect dayâ€¦ the couple found out it had rained all day in Bordeaux!