Charlene & Richie
From their wedding décor, coastal venue or honeymoon adventures, Charlene and Richie like to walk on the wild side…
PHOTOGRAPHY MARTIN PHILLIPS
martinphillipsstudio.com
Charlene and Richie tied the knot on the very beach where they shared their first date – weddings don’t come more romantic than that!
After maintaining that he wouldn’t propose on her birthday, this groom gave his bride the ultimate surprise by popping the question the very next day. “We hired a small boat on the Brecon canals and it was then that Richie asked me to marry him. The antique platinum ring featured three diamonds and was in the most beautiful antique pill box,” Charlene gushes.
“I loved the elegance of my lace over Dolce satin Stella York dress. The fit was perfect thanks to the corseted back which made it ultra figure-hugging.” The design also featured pretty scalloped lace along both the hemline and neckline and came from Laura May Bridal, Cardiff. Complementing the lace on the bride’s gown were the bride’s ballerina shoes, which she swapped into from peep-toe heels, with both designs from Rachel Simpson.
“Practise walking in your dress on different surfaces – it will feel different on wood to carpet, for example.”
A two-piece navy suit from Moss Bros paired with a lavender Tweed waistcoat from Antony Formalwear allowed Richie to make a stylish statement with his groomswear. “He also wore personalised cufflinks which featured the time, date and coordinates of our church ceremony venue.”
Having decided that happy bridesmaids were her priority, Charlene let go of the reins when it came to bridesmaid dress shopping. “I asked my two best girls to choose their own and happily they both looked perfect and chose similar colours, with one dress mid-length and the other flowing right to the floor.”
Brideology, a local company, were on hand for both the bride’s hair and makeup, using the MAC products Charlene had fallen in love with for their immaculate finishes.
“I stayed very close to the church the night before our Welsh wedding, so I actually arrived a few minutes early! This allowed me to listen to the final choir song before my entrance and enjoy the feeling that this really was the moment! It’s such a beautiful memory.” The bride’s best friend gave her away, with readings of ‘To Love Is Not To Possess’, ‘Your Laughter’ and an excerpt from Corinthians making the ceremony particularly special.
The couple served afternoon tea to guests following the ceremony, choosing a tempting selection of sandwiches, cakes and scones.
“The theme for our Welsh wedding was inspired by the things we love, so it became quite rustic and embraced our love of the outdoors. We named the tables after our favourite locations to visit.”
Bunting, hessian, lace and woollen blankets added textural details to complement antique vases, wooden crates and steel planters. Paper pompoms fluttered prettily, adding a whimsical touch, too.
“We wanted country style flowers, enlisting the help of Arlene’s Florist to bring our vision to life, also adding dried moss wreaths, birch vases and wooden lanterns to the tabletops. I sourced the vases, milk churns and tea lights from The Wedding of My Dreams, and friends gifted us the log slices. I absolutely loved Wedding Ideas, it was full of so many achievable ideas.”
SHOP Charlene’s wedding table decor at Wedding Ideas!
Get your log slice centre pieces, milk churn vases and dried moss to create this pretty and rustic look.
Another friend also stepped in to create their three-tier wedding cake complete with delicate iced flowers. With vanilla and lemon, chocolate and Nutella and salted caramel tiers, the cake tasted just as good as it looked.
1940s ladies band Midnight Martini kept guests entertained during the wedding breakfast, with fun-filled laser tag and garden games keeping the party going. In the evening Wild Nights, hired through Function Central, took over.
“We chose two first dance songs.”
The first was Colbie Caillat’s ‘What Means the Most’ with the second choice, ‘I Went Crazy’ by Hunter Hayes.
One week after the wedding, this adventurous couple embarked on a three-week trip, beginning with three days in New York. Charlene and Richie then flew on to Costa Rica, where they hiked around volcanoes, trekked through national parks and took the sky tram overlooking the forest of clouds. But the adventure doesn’t end there, because the bride has gifted her new husband a further three-week trip to New Zealand’s South Island.
SUPPLIERS
CEREMONY St Cattwgs, Port Eynon
RECEPTION VENUE Port Eynon Village Hall
DRESS Stella York at Laura May Bridal, Cardiff
GROOM Moss Bros and Antony Formalwear
SHOES Rachel Simpson
HAIR AND MAKEUP Brideology, Swansea
FLOWERS Arlene’s Florist
DÉCOR The Wedding of My Dreams and Paper Pom Poms
ENTERTAINMENT Celtic Laser, Midnight Martini and Wild Nights at Function Central
VIDEOGRAPHER Clic Productions
