Wedding at The Oak Barn, Devon

Chloe and Joe were introduced on a night out by his sister, who Chloe worked with at the time. “Little did I know he had already seen a video of me dancing with maracas at his sister’s house the night before!” she laughs. Some years later, Joe orchestrated a magical proposal during the run-up to Christmas 2021. “As our one-year-old Ralph added the star to the top of the tree, he brought down a box with a glass bauble in and the ring was inside. It was such a beautiful moment at home with our little family,” reflects Chloe.

Choosing the idyllic rural setting of The Oak Barn for their late summer wedding, the couple set about planning a festival-style celebration with a colour scheme of warm autumnal peach and white. “We had festival wristbands as our invitations and sourced rustic cotton reels, ladders and lanterns to give an outdoor festival feel,” explains Chloe.

After weeks of wet weather, the wedding day dawned with glorious sunshine. After getting ready with her bridesmaids, mum and two sons in the bridal suite, Chloe walked down the aisle to her friend Katy singing Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.

Getting married under the oak tree, the breeze meant “my veil had a few big moments!” laughs Chloe. “As soon as we said our I dos and kissed, our three-year-old burst out crying, which gave everyone a good laugh. It all felt very intimate and relaxed which is exactly how we planned it to be. We just couldn’t keep the smiles off our faces.”

Singer Daisy Aldridge performed as guests mingled over drinks and cream tea canapés – served “the Devon way!” – before heading into the barn for the speeches and wedding feast. “We had little maracas on our tables as a memento of the first time we met,” says Chloe, who styled the tables peach linens, brass candlesticks and vases of peach and pink flowers. Guests tucked into beef macaroni before heading back into the gardens for ice creams and a few games of welly wanging!

“It was such a beautiful evening and very relaxed with everyone enjoying the venue,” says Chloe. “We had golden hour photos in the fields; we were on such a high and it was nice to have a moment with each other.”

The evening celebrations began with the newlyweds’ first dance to Toploader’s Dancing in the Moonlight before live band Mafia 4 performed a dance floor-filling soundtrack. The wedding cake made by Chloe’s mum, chocolate brownies and pizza served from a pizza van ensured guests were fuelled for a night of dancing, while sparklers and a glitter bar proved party highlights. “My dad strolling across the dance floor with tassels round his neck and glitter all over his face was just hilarious,” laughs Chloe.

Looking back, she has some practical advice for others who are planning their own weddings. “Always start planning or making anything much earlier than you think; those last few weeks before can be so busy, with lots of fittings and trials so you want to feel organised and ready to go in good time,” she advises. “And on the day, take a minute to stand back, soak up the atmosphere and really absorb every detail. Most importantly, relax, go with the flow and take it all in together.”