Charlotte + Ben

How did you meet?

Ben & I met at school, I was 14 & he was 15, we have been together now for 11 years, childhood sweethearts! We have grown up together and I am so lucky to have found my partner for life and to have already spent so much of my life with him.

When did you know they were the one?

I knew straight away, as soon as I saw Ben at school I would get that butterfly feeling and we just clicked straight away. we also spent a few years long distance and absence truly did make the heart grow fonder – it was meant to be and the rest is history!

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

Ben is so kind and has a heart of gold, everyone loves him, he is also so laid back and rarely gets stressed – he balances me out completely and is the only person who can make me feel completely calm, he is my safe place. He always has time for everyone and puts others before him.

Who proposed and how?

Ben proposed to me after 10 years of us being together, we were on a weekend away in a log cabin in Deer Park with some family & friends. Ben, (along with help from the other men who knew what was happening) decorated the main bedroom of the cabin with tea lights along with a photograph book of photos of all of our years together. I was told to go upstairs and that is where he proposed to me, we then celebrated all evening with everyone in the cabin getting drunk – it was so relaxed and exactly what I wanted!

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

I had seen Lola online and as soon as I saw her I knew she was the one, I always thought I wanted a lace wedding dress but after trying many on I just knew it wasn’t me, I wanted something modern and different but still in keeping with my everyday style. I fell in love with her before I saw her in person. I tried on many other MWL dresses and then finally tried on Lola and as soon as I put her on I just knew she was completely me, I also knew I wanted something to take her from day to night so when I also tried on the MWL overskirt it was absolutely perfect, the perfect day to party dress! I absolutely love corset style tops, so Lola was literally my absolute dream in a wedding dress!

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

Of course it was finally marrying Ben, but my other best moment was seeing all of our friends & family all together just having the best time, to have every single person we love all together in one room was just the most incredible feeling!

What were your favourite details?

I made sure to think about every small detail, and to think about details that made everyone feel special and thought about. I designed all of the stationary for our day myself so seeing all of this come to life and see my vision come together was amazing. We had the incredible Etiquette Events styled our venue and every detail was just perfect.

What advice would you tell other brides?

My main advice would just be to take in every single moment, and to take time just to look around you and take in how incredible the day is. The wedding breakfast is a great time to do this, I took a moment just to sit and watch everyone in the room as it’s something you will only see on your wedding day. Another piece of advice is to try not to let the pre-wedding nerves take over from the excitement, stay calm and remember that everyone there loves you and is there for you, so there is no need to feel nervous, as soon as I walked into the room and I saw Ben and all of our guest’s smiling faces all of the pre-wedding nerves just completely disappeared. Enjoy every single moment because it really does go so fast!

Any standout vendors?

All of our suppliers were absolutely incredible! Our absolutely INCREDIBLE photographer Tina, of The Vedrines Photo ( @thevedrinesphoto) has made all of my dreams come true with the shots we have received so far.

Our other incredible suppliers & venue were:

– @thepeartreepurton
– @weddingsbyar
– @acaciafloristry
– @katypheiffermakeupartist
– @cassiepermialhairx
– @etiquetteeventstyling
– @sweet_delights45
– @soraya_says
– @eventimate