Wedding at Upton Barn, Devon

Although they met as teenagers, it wasn’t until Lottie and Charlie matched on Tinder and then bonded during a lockdown walk along a canal that they became a couple. “After the walk I came home to my best friend who I was living with at the time and said: ‘I think I’ve just met my husband’ – and I moved into his house six months later!” she recalls.

On the second anniversary of their canal-side date, the couple were on the same walk when Charlie proposed. “Our parents were waiting for us behind the bridge a little further on with a bottle of champagne. It was perfect!” says Lottie.

Working in the wedding industry, Lottie knew – even before she met Charlie – that Upton Barn would be her wedding venue. They opted for a theme of “laidback and wintery with lots of green” for their December wedding, partly as a nod to Charlie’s career in forestry. Continuing the theme, the couple had mini wooden tree slices as place names for each guest and their tables, which were lined with candles and scented foliage, were named after trees.

Getting ready on the morning of the wedding with her eight bridesmaids, who she’s known since the age of 11, made the most wonderful start to the day for Lottie. “The Paddock at Upton Barn was amazing – a total must-book if you’re getting married there,” she says. “Plenty of prosecco, a Spotify playlist and getting to witness the most amazing sunrise was one of those ‘pinch me’ moments. Being with my childhood best friends for such a special day will make me forever smile.”

Flanked by her bridesmaids in green dresses and gypsophila flower crowns, Lottie made her entrance to the ceremony in a romantic lace gown, topped with a golden vine hairpiece made by her mum. “We were all nervous and giggling and it was just wonderful,” she reminisces.

The ceremony included readings by Lottie’s best friend Grace and brother-in-law Greg followed by heartfelt vows and a rather chilly confetti celebration. The guests then enjoyed the grounds with fizz in hand before speeches that were “so epic!” says Lottie. “They were so emotional, so funny and so ‘us’. My dad has had a double-lung transplant and before he did, we didn’t think he’d ever make it to be able to do a father of the bride speech, so he had everyone in tears, reflecting on that and appreciating it. The whole wedding really was ‘forget the small stuff and just have a bloody good time’, based around moments like this.”

A feast of sharing platters followed, including antipasti, roast and a “mega sharing dessert board of cookies, brownies, waffles and fruit”, she says.

The focal point of the ceremony, a linen banner with ‘You and Me, Always and Forever’ carried the lyrics of their first dance song by The Wannabes. “It’s ‘our song’ – and it starts off wonderfully slow so I knew it was a corker for when it all kicks off and our friends and family could join us on the dance floor,” says Lottie. After the cutting of the cake, the dancing continued long into the evening, punctuated only by a sparkler shot. “I had my heart set on this!” she reflects.