A shared loved of the countryside and laid-back lifestyle helped cement the bond between Charlotte and James. They’d known each other for years and had been in the same friendship group since going to Kesgrave High School together. They kept in touch through mutual friends and met up socially, but it wasn’t until after Charlotte graduated from university and moved back to Suffolk, that they started dating. POPPING THE QUESTION Romance blossomed, they bought and renovated a house together, got their black Labrador puppy Rocco and just as James was thinking of popping the question, Covid threw a spanner in the works. He was then unexpectedly faced with the challenge of planning the proposal during lockdown, without Charlotte catching on. The magical moment happened while out on a romantic, snowy walk with Rocco in January 2021. “It was a complete surprise,” reveals Charlotte. “While I was trying to get a cute photo of Rocco in the snow, James decided it was the perfect time and place to get down on one knee!” He was obviously right because she said ‘yes’! THE TIME AND PLACE “Due to the many lockdowns and stories of other people having to cancel their wedding plans, we thought long and hard about the when, where and how we’d get married. In the end, we decided that we wanted an intimate, family affair anyway, to reflect our easy-going, outdoor-loving lifestyle,” explains Charlotte. She grew up in the small Suffolk village of Levington, where her parents still live in her childhood home. With strong links to the community, getting married in the village church, with its breathtaking views of the River Orwell, was a no-brainer. “We were fortunate enough to have family friends who owned a smallholding just opposite, which provided the perfect setting for our outdoor reception,” she adds. They tied the knot on 28th August 2021 and opted for a relaxed, boho-style country theme with bright floral, dahliainspired orange, pink, yellow and red hues with pops of cobalt blue. REAL WEDDING 37
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