When Charlie and Matt set eyes on each other during a night out in Brixton in 2016 they both knew they’d found something special. “Matt proposed halfway round a six-hour hike in the Lake District,” says Charlie. “It was perfect; no one else was around, just us and our puppy. Then he surprised me further by bringing out a whole bottle of gin, tonic and ice for a celebratory drink!”
Inspired by the wild Devonshire countryside where Charlie grew up, the couple chose a fresh palette of green and white for their wedding in the romantic rural setting of The Great Barn. “The venue was brilliant as we could have it for the full weekend and rent out the on-site cottages and houses,” says Matt. Kicking off the celebrations with a Friday evening dinner with their parents, bridesmaids and ushers gave the nearlyweds “a lovely chance to mingle and to hear additional speeches from the maid of honour and father of the groom”.
The next day, everyone gathered in Charlie’s childhood village of Dunchideock for the church ceremony. “The church looked beautiful and it was special to get married there. Seeing each other down the aisle and saying our vows together was one of the best parts of the day for us,” Charlie reflects. After the ceremony, the couple spilled out into the sunshine to a shower of confetti where a white taxi was waiting – a nod to London where the couple met and now live.
The taxi wove its way along the leafy lanes to The Great Barn where they joined guests for G&Ts in the gardens. Settling at tables in the spectacular barn, everyone tucked into a sharing feast of Devon dry-aged beef rump, braised beef shin, baked salmon and a series of sides with a dessert trio providing the sweet endnote.
As well as gorgeous arrangements of white florals and foliage, the tables were decorated with bottles of damson gin made by Matt’s parents and amusing table names. “We named the tables after items our pet puppy had eaten or destroyed – so people were sat at tables named Knickers, Toothbrush, Slippers, Socks and Wine Glass – but we didn’t tell anyone the meaning until my speech!” laughs Matt.
Post-dinner, the celebrations moved outside as guests gathered around a firepit and photo booth in the evening sun before an evening of live music began. “Neither of us like dancing and decided very late on that we were going to do a first dance,” says Charlie. “We were so glad that we did it. We were filled with so much joy and excitement of being married that we completely forgot our dislike of dancing and it was such a lovely moment to have together.”
A live set by The Zoots and stone-fired pizza kept guests partying until midnight. The next day, they gathered in the garden for a barbecue and lawn games, giving everyone the chance to reflect on a wonderful weekend of festivities. “It was lovely to get more time to see all our guests and hear stories from the night before,” reflects Matt.
The couple’s top tip for busily planning couples is to set some time aside for yourselves, just the two of you, in the week running up to the wedding and on the day itself. “This really helped us relax, forget all the details of planning and enjoy the day,” he says.
Photography Clare Kinchin Photography clarekinchinphotography.co.uk
Venue The Great Barn Devon thegreatbarndevon.co.uk
Dress Catherine Deane from Browns of Totnes brownsoftotnes.co.uk
Veil Browns of Totnes brownsoftotnes.co.uk
Alterations Mes Filles et Moi instagram.com/devonmesfillesetmoi
Suits Neal & Palmer nealandpalmer.com
Wedding bands JWF Unique Designs jwfuniquedesigns.co.uk
Hair The Wild Pins thewildpins.co.uk
Make-up Nicola Redman nicolaredmanmakeup.com
Catering The Great Barn Devon thegreatbarndevon.co.uk
M2 Catering m2catering.co.uk
Flowers From the Wild fromthewildflorist.com
Transport Little White Taxi littlewhitetaxi.co.uk
Entertainment Exe Valley String Quartet exevalleystringquartet.co.uk
The Zoots thezoots.com
Vintage Camper Booths vintagecamperbooths.co.uk
