How does a bridal shop owner go about choosing her wedding dress? Faced with hundreds of beautiful gowns every working day, you’d expect that to be the most difficult decision of all. Not for the lovely Charlotte, however. ‘As corny as it sounds,’ she said, ‘my dress chose me.
‘It was a normal working day in the shop and a delivery of gowns arrived. I opened the box and there was the most beautiful Maggie Sottero gown I had ever seen staring at me. I squealed like a small animal as I realised it was my size and from that moment I knew it was the one.’
Charlotte, who owns The Bridal Lounge in Trowbridge, had her seamstress tweak a few details – like adding the lace high halter neck and shortening the train – for her wedding to handsome police officer Will at Charlton House.
The couple had been together for over three years when Will proposed – at the top of the Olympic ski run on a Christmas holiday in Meribel – and married last September.
Family and friends were delighted to help out with the arrangements. The bridesmaids’ dresses, by True Bride, were from Charlotte’s shop, Will’s Mum did all the flowers except for Charlotte’s bouquet, which she made herself from lace, brooches and old necklaces. The celebrant who conducted the very personal ceremony was a friend. And Charlotte and Will were taught their first dance by Charlotte’s best friend and bridesmaid, who just happens to have her own dance studios in Westbury!
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves… After the ceremony, guests had drinks in the gardens, the bouncy castle was inflated, a singer was in full swing and the caricaturist arrived to draw everyone. After a wonderful wedding breakfast and speeches, charlotte and Will found out their honeymoon destination.
‘We were lucky enough to be given some money for our honeymoon,’ said Charlotte, ‘and we decided to give it to my parents so they could book our honeymoon as a surprise destination. All we knew was that our bags were packed and we would be leaving the next day.
‘When we heard it was Mauritius, we were over the moon!’
An amazing croquembouche wedding cake and dancing until the early hours completed a perfect day.
Photos are by Nick Spratling, The Official Photographer. Charlotte said: ‘He documented everything perfectly and discreetly. He really made our day and our memories forever so special.’
