There was an instant spark when Charlotte and Max met online 10 years ago. Seven years after meeting for a beach walk first date, Max organised a romantic festive proposal during their first Christmas in their new home. “Max planned a present trail and the last clue led me back to a plant pot by our Christmas tree. Whilst I was leaning to reach the final clue, he got down on one knee in front of the tree. It really was the best Christmas!” she reflects.
Harefield Barn also made an instant impression on the couple. “The views are absolutely stunning; people still comment on how beautiful it was on our wedding day,” says Charlotte. “We loved that we could add our own touches to the venue, making it even more personal.” The couple opted for minimal colour and rustic design with small touches of duck egg blue carried in the bridesmaid’s dress and the ties and pocket squares of the groom’s party, with the arrangements of summer flowers providing the rest of the colour.
Charlotte walked down the aisle with her dad to an instrumental version of The Cure’s Friday I’m In Love. “Max and I would request this song every Friday at the pub when we lived in London,” she explains. The heartfelt ceremony took place beneath the clock tower, surrounded by wildflowers and a daisy field, ending with the newlyweds walking back down the aisle to The Hogwarts March. “Max and I are big Harry Potter fans, so we had to incorporate it into our day!”
Guests savoured the sunshine, playing garden games with Pimm’s in hand. “It was lovely to look over and see everyone enjoying themselves in the sun,” says Charlotte. “We chose to have a sweetheart table for our wedding breakfast, which gave us more time as a couple to talk about the day and see everyone chatting away!” The ‘pick your own’ barbecue feast featured Chinese pork, local beef burgers and sausages, barbecued chicken, roast potatoes, salads and sides, followed by homemade lemon meringue pie and chocolate torte.
As day turned to night, the couple had their first dance to Royal Blood’s All We Have Is Now. “It has some meaningful lyrics about enjoying what you have at this moment, which fitted in with the feel of our day,” says Charlotte.
French fancies and homemade biscuits fuelled a night of dancing to ‘80s band Ashes to Ashes. “The band played Saturday Night by Whigfield, which led to the dancefloor being filled with us and our friends doing the dance; it’s definitely something I’ll remember!”
“Do not stress about the small things!” she affirms, when asked for her planning advice. “On the day, make sure you take timeout just the two of you, have a walk or sit away from everyone else. Everyone is there to celebrate both of you, and it’s a wonderful feeling.”
“We loved how relaxed our day felt for everyone, which is what we wanted it to be from the beginning!” she reflects. “Our favourite moment was dancing and singing along with the band surrounded by our friends and family under the fairy light canopy! It was the perfect end to an incredible day.”
Photography Hannah Barnes hannahbarnesphotography.com
Videography Focused Memory Productions fmpvideos.co.uk
Venue Harefield Barn harefieldbarn.co.uk
Dresses Richard Designs from La Boutique laboutique.org.uk ASOS asos.com
Hair Corinna Lane Hair instagram.com/corinnalanehair
Make-up Liza Hayward instagram.com/_makeup_by_liza_
Flowers Hartwood Flowers hartwood-flowers.com
Catering South Devon Hog Roast southdevonhogroast.co.uk
Tableware LAP Food and Bars lapfoodandbars.co.uk
Entertainment Ashes to Ashes ashestoashestheband.com
