real wedding: relaxed garden wedding {charlotte & ben}

Today’s pretty little real wedding is full of cute country details, like jam jar favours and potted table arrangements, with a relaxed blue colour scheme. Charlotte and Ben wanted a no-fuss wedding that reflected them as a couple, hopelessly in love with one another (can’t you just see from the images!) so they settled on a laid-back English garden wedding in a beautiful walled garden near their home with their closest family and friends.

With their love story being the focus of the day, it’s not surprising Charlotte and Ben choose Helen Cawte as their photographer, documenting their day in a candid, unobtrusive style. Based in the UK, Helen travels around the world capturing her client’s stories, her love of travel, and fun personality is evident at her own Ibiza wedding featured on Boho Weddings.

Ben and I met in Chichester in 2007. I was working at Goodwood Racecourse and had only moved there a year before, after growing up in Cheltenham. Things moved pretty quickly and we both knew we were meant for each other. The proposal was incredibly romantic. It was sunrise on a frosty and bright Sunday morning on a cliff top of the Isle of Wight. Ben had been carrying the ring with him for weeks waiting for the right time.

We got married at the Walled Garden at Cowdray Park in Midhurst. We really wanted to have our ceremony and reception at the same place and this fitted the bill. The gardens were amazing and we liked the rustic feel. We just wanted something ‘country’ with nice flowers and nothing too formal or polished. We didn’t have a concept or theme as it was really just about us getting married and having a lovely day. To us the ceremony was the most important part, but my wedding dress was made with lace from my mother’s wedding dress (from 1969!) which added a really special touch for me.

What was your first dance, and how did you choose the song?

We had Aerosmith ‘Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ A classic cheesy power ballad that made everyone chuckle. When we first met we were so besotted with each other that we didn’t want to be apart for a second, even to go to sleep. We joked that this would be our first dance if we ever got married so we sort of had to stick to it. We wanted to change it for something cooler, but in the end I think it was the perfect first dance with plenty of swinging around and power grabs.