Charlotte and Thomas met on Hinge and swiped right during lockdown in 2020. Charlotte found herself immediately attracted to Tom as he was always a man with a plan for each date, making it impossible for her to say “no.” He’d been looking to settle down and knew he’d found a “good one” in Charlottle when he got to date her and keep his Harlequins season ticket! Tom proposed in 2023. The jig was almost up when Charlottle bumped into him carrying a bouquet of flowers for her while she was out running. Not usually one for giving flowers, he had to think on his feet to dodge the inevitable quizzing, and explained they were a surprise for the hard work she’d been putting into to training for a marathon. Charlotte started to grow even more suspicious when her sister booked her a nail appointment as a treat, but she didn’t realise that the Saturday would be the day. She came home to find Tom on one knee in their kitchen with their neighbour’s cat there for moral support! “It was an easy ‘yes’ and we celebrated with drinks at The Shard,” Charlotte remembers. The couple planned to celebrate their wedding day in style with a big party and the church, and Southend Barns made this possible for them. St Thomas à Becket Church in Warblington is a rural place of worship close to Charlotte’s parent’s home and has a great many sentimental connections for her since her grandparents are buried there and various family members have married there. “It felt special to be able to share the day with loved ones who couldn’t be there in person,” Charlottle says. Southend Barns came highly recommended by a work colleague of the bride’s, and when the couple viewed it they were impressed by the team’s organisation and attention to detail – “The resident alpacas clinched it for us,” says Charlotte. “We also loved the flexibility the various spaces offered, allowing us to have different areas for each part of the day and the opportunity to incorporate special touches such as cocktail hour, fireworks and live music. You can tell the venue is a labour of love and we felt lucky to be able to use it for our day.” Read on as the bride gives us the lowdown on this all-important occasion… SETTING THE SCENE Having chosen a metallic disco theme, the couple picked salted caramel macarons monogrammed in gold for their wedding favours – a delicious treat for our guests to enjoy. They opted for a relatively plain table plan to mirror the layout of the long tables and keep the overall design minimalist and chic. Gold disco balls were embossed onto place cards along with a monogram design on guests’ menus for consistency. “Our stationer Laura was so patient with us,” Charlotte remembers. “She also produced our order of service with a sketch of the church making a lovely keepsake of the day.” The couple were thrilled with The Floral Artisan’s work. “Lucy did an amazing job with our flower displays and tables, bringing our vision to life with elegant and impactful arrangements,” Charlotte shares. “The flowers were important to us and Lucy was wonderful at taking our ideas and making them a reality.” The colour palette for the flowers featured orange, since Tom is half Dutch, with deep blues from the anemones, plus white with an abundance of greenery. Charlotte and Tom utilised a few different areas of the venue and wanted to make sure there was cohesion, detail and purpose to each. The drinks reception was held in the Dairy Barn, which they decorated with two large vases containing beautiful greenery, white calla lilies, birds of paradise and protea. As guests flowed from the Dairy Barn to the Threshing Barn, they were welcomed by a seating area featuring two large blue velvet chairs, a gold table, mirror and floral curtain against a gold wall backdrop. This also acted as the background for Polaroid shots, which were facilitated by a dressing up box. “This created some of the lasting memories of the day,” Charlotte remembers. The first time Charlotte caught sight of the main barn decked out in its finery, she cried. The décor included a further two large vases, along with a stunning moon gate adorned in white calla lilies, roses, green foliage and other deep purple blooms. There was also a flower meadow along the same vein, running along the “Where possible, use the venue’s recommended suppliers as they know the space really well.” 27 REAL WEDDING
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