Charlotte and Jack met at high school. "We were always good friends, but as the years went by we started to get closer," says Charlotte. "Jack finally plucked up the courage to ask me out, and we've been inseparable ever since. He makes me laugh and is my best friend." Jack popped the question on their 10th anniversary. "He had lots of little surprises planned for me," shares the bride. "He created a memory book of our relationship and made little notes of things he'd planned for us to do throughout the day.
We went to the cinema, and afterwards, he gave me a note that told me to be ready at 5:30pm for a meal. On the way, he gave me another note that said ‘put this blindfold on’. At this point, I thought he was taking me to a restaurant that I’d never been to before. After feeling disorientated by the journey, the car stopped, and Jack led me on the longest walk ever. Finally, once he removed the blindfold, I saw we were back at our high school in our old classroom. Jack was down on one knee and had decorated the space with rose petals, balloons and candles. We were very emotional, and I was in complete shock. Even though I’d waited so long for the proposal, I still couldn’t believe it! We went for a meal at our favourite restaurant to celebrate.”
"We always wanted a church wedding, and St Wilfrid's is a stunning venue," explains Charlotte. "For our reception venue, we wanted something local, and as soon as we saw the Blazer Suite at The Wrightington Hotel, we knew it was the place for us. It's also where Jack's parents had their wedding. It has a modern décor with a relaxed atmosphere which was exactly what we wanted."
The lovebirds decided to give their guests chocolate hearts as favours. "Each one was wrapped in pink foil," shares the bride. "We love sweet treats, so we thought these were a great idea."
For their tables, they decided to go with a holiday theme. "We chose destinations that we'd visited over the years," explains Charlotte. "The top table was our high school to represent where we met."
The couple's big-day bake was made by The Black Rod Cake Company. "Being big chocolate lovers, we chose a three-tiered creation made up of Maltesers, Oreos and double chocolate," shares Charlotte. "The company designed a personalised wooden log slice with a J and C engraved into the bottom tier. As a surprise, Jack ordered a cake topper which replicated an old picture of us holding hands on our last day of school."
Charlotte and Jack decided to have beautiful autumnalflowers. "We selected seasonal blooms and placed them inrustic wooden boxes with fairylights," says the bride. "Weloved the colours, and the finished result looked great.""We hired lights from Big Wow Events along with rusticletters that we placed on the dancefloor," reveals Charlotte."We also had a wishing well for all of our gifts and acountdown calendar which we used to display picturesof us."
To transport the happy couple, they booked a traditionalvehicle from Horgans Wedding Cars.
Credit: Flowing veil
Charlotte wore a Stella York gown called Mia from Emma Louise Bridal. "It was everything I'd ever dreamed of," says Charlotte. "I accessorised with a hairpiece, veil, tear-drop earrings and a necklace that Jack gave me as a gift."
Credit: Couple walking away from church
Jack chose a blue three-piece suit from SG Menswear. "He finished the look with a burgundy dickie bow and dark brown shoes," explains the bride. "The groomsmen wore the same but with different buttonholes."
"The bridesmaids opted for floor-length burgundy dresses from Next," shares Charlotte. "They were multi-way so the girls could wear them however they wanted."
"At the wedding breakfast, we had Maxine Molin Harpist play, which was a nice touch," shares Charlotte. "As a surprise for Jack, I booked Jason Rea Magic. He was fantastic, everyone commented on how great he was, and he entertained our guests into the evening."
"On the morning of the wedding, Jack was nervous, especially waiting for me to walk down the aisle," Charlotte shares. "It was a happy but emotional day. We enjoyed every minute and couldn't believe how lucky we were to have a blue sky in October! My favourite memory was when we saw eachother at the end of the aisle. We also got to spend some time together outside the church while we had our photos taken."
The couple's nearest and dearest made their nuptials perfect. "Jack's grandad and nephew did impromptu speeches that were lovely," adds the bride. "Our wedding coordinator, David, made every effort to make sure everything ran smoothly. Creative Camera Photography brought sparklers for us to use when it started to get dark. Not only did this create amazing shots for our videos and pictures, but it was one of our favourite memories of the day."
"We went to Florida for 11 nights," reveals Charlotte. "I'm a big Disney fan, and Jack loves roller coasters, so it was the perfect place for us. Each day was jam-packed, and we made so many amazing memories. We flew with Virgin Atlantic, and were greeted with a glass of prosecco which made us feel emotional at the thought of finally being married!"
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