Black Tie Winter Wedding

A year later than planned, in a different venue to where they originally planned, with a different vibe to what they’d originally planned… Charlotte and Matt finally said I do on a cold and wet day last December… While the weather might not have been ideal, it was what was happening inside that really mattered and their sophisticated and romantic black tie winter wedding was just the tonic everyone needed to blow the winter blues away.

How did you meet?

We initially met almost 18 years ago in a classy club where your feet would stick to the carpet as you walked. But 4 years later Matt slid into my DMs to ask me out for dinner. I took him up on the offer and now we are almost 14 years down the line.

Tell me your proposal story!

To celebrate my 30th birthday I was meeting Matt down in London- he was already down there for work. I got off the train at St Pancras and we made our way to get a glass of champagne. Before we got there, under the lovers statue, Matt asked me to marry him producing a gorgeous sapphire and diamond ring from his wallet. He told me later he planned to do it when we went for dinner that evening but he got too nervous! We celebrated with lots of champagne… then 7 days later we found out I was pregnant with our second baby!

Why did you choose Warwick House for your wedding venue?

After a false start at a different venue we found Warwick House. We had a black tie, classic wedding theme and the venue fitted this perfectly. We wanted an all in one venue where our closest friends and family could stay over the night of the wedding. As soon as we walked in we knew it was right for us, then by chance the only date they had left to book that year was the date we wanted… it was meant to be!

Classic black tie wedding inspiration

WHAT WAS IT ABOUT YOUR OUTFITS AND ACCESSORIES THAT MADE YOU CHOOSE THEM?

I had decided that I wanted a sleeved, not backless, a line dress without sparkles. I ended up with a sleeveless, backless a line dress with a sparkly belt! It was the second dress I tried on at Icon Bridal, I continued to try more on, but just compared the rest of them to dress number two- that’s why I knew it was the one. My shoes were one of my favourite things about my outfit. They were Charlotte Mills, Meghan in glitter, they have your something old, something new, something blue and a silver sixpence in them and were SUPER comfy.

Matt went for a Ted Baker tux which fitted like a glove. Really, he didn’t have much other option with our theme!

TELL ME ABOUT THE VISION YOU HAD FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY?

I had a really clear vision of classic black tie, simple, clean styling. I didn’t want colour and didn’t want anything too OTT but wanted the small things to be noticeable. I worked with the fantastic Amelia at Millie Stone for all our stationery which really set the tone for the rest of the wedding. I wanted more foliage than flowers in my bouquet and had gypsophila around the candelabras which looked so romantic in the evening.

I loved our favours which were pin badges for Cynthia Spencer Hospice in memory of Matt’s Dad. It was such a lovely way to include him in our day.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DANCE AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE IT?

We chose Frank Sinatra I love you baby. It took us a long time to decide what to have as our first dance, but it fitted with our theme, it said what we wanted to say and it got everyone dancing and singing ready for a night on the dance floor.

WHAT WERE THE BEST PARTS OF THE DAY FOR YOU?

Oh my, what a question. Every step of the day was full of wonderful but I loved our speeches and seeing everyone laughing and smiling. Being on the dance floor with everyone was brilliant though- it felt even more special after years of not being able to do that because of Covid.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HANNAH HALL PHOTOGRAPHY AS YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER, AS WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY ON THE DAY?

I had been stalking Hannah on Instagram way before choosing a photographer. Choosing our wedding photographer was the easiest part of wedding planning because we knew we didn’t want anyone else. When our venue changed we agreed we would only go for one that Hannah could make the date for.

We love her natural photos and how she captures the energy of the moment so incredibly. On the day Hannah was more than brilliant, which everyone commented on. I completely trusted her vision and everyone was at ease when she was around. Hannah knows what she is doing and you need someone with her confidence on your day- keeping everything moving and making sure we get all the shots we need. We were lucky enough to get a surprise visit from Rhys too who is also all kinds of wonderful. They are a dream team, if I had my time again, I’d have them both there all day.

WHAT WOULD YOUR BEST PIECE OF ADVICE BE FOR OTHERS PLANNING THEIR WEDDING?

Don’t try to please anyone else but you two. You can never keep everyone happy, so don’t bother trying.

If you have young children, arrange for your childminder to come in the evening for bed time. Game changer.

Charlotte + Matt’s Black Tie Winter Wedding happened with the help of the following suppliers…

MUA Alison Tye / Hair Stacy James Presents Style / Dress Ronald Joyce from Icon Bridal / Florist Suzanne Evett

Groom Moss Bros / Bridesmaids ASOS / Shoes Charlotte Mills / Venue Warwick House

Are winter weddings your vibe? Get in touch to chat about your wedding.