Real Wedding | Mel + Charlie

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Me and Charlie met in art class in sixth form college. I fancied him straight away and 14 years on, I still fancy him. We share a love of adventures, our chihuahua Minnie and have the same sense of humour. 

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We got engaged whilst skiing at the end of 2019. People can’t believe it but to me it was a total shock (even though we’d been together 9 years). We were saving for our first home at the time, so I never thought it would even be in the question.

When Covid hit, our focus really was just on getting our own place and it wasn’t till summer of 2021 that we had our 30 person (Covid-restricted) engagement party. Me and Charlie both are the most indecisive people you will ever meet, and we toyed with loads of ideas for our wedding but nothing felt quite authentic to us.

In Summer 2022 I saw a video of a couple’s Vegas elopement and it just sparked something in me! I remember texting Charlie straight away and just knowing that it would be perfect for us. Charlie’s only reservation was not having Minnie at the wedding, and that’s when we decided we would have a pre-wedding celebration at home too. Luckily for us my best friend’s Dad (known for his amazing garden soirees!) offered to host our pre-wedding celebration and 9 months later the vision came to life! 

How many guests did you have?

At our pre-wedding party we had around 90 guests. I never fully counted as I was worried we’d invited too many for the size of the garden! In Vegas it was just me and Charlie, and our lovely photographer Katy Durn and her partner. 

What was your budget?

Our pre-wedding party cost around £4,000 including a cocktail bar and vegan curry served from one of our fave local Indian restaurants. A lot of it was DIY including the signage, champagne tower and decorations. We picked up a huge bunch of babys breath from a local florist to decorate the apple tree and make bouquets.

For our Vegas wedding we had a bigger budget for our entire three week trip. I’d say the day itself cost around £5,000 for the ceremony, car hire, rings, outfits, accommodation, lunch and evening meals, as well as hair and makeup.

Tell us about your outfits.

Bride - As soon as we were planning the garden party, I had the Bec + Bridge Moondance dress on my vision board! I just love how timeless it is. For the elopement I was originally going to go with something a little more daring in pink but changed my mind last minute and ordered the Erika velvet maxi dress from Meshki, as it felt fun but feminine. This dress had to come from Australia to the UK, and it wasn’t looking likely that it would arrive in time, but I’m a big believer in lucky girl syndrome and it arrived early in the post just 3 days before our flight! 

Groom - Charlie wanted relaxed suits that he could wear with trainers but still look put together and stylish in. For the garden party he wore a cream suit from Zara with his trusty Converse, and for the Vegas wedding he wore a black suit from Jack & Jones, paired with a green pair of Adidas sambas.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

Absolutely no stress. I organised the garden party as I love vision boarding, whereas Charlie is amazing at planning itineraries, so he planned the Vegas elopement, our travels around the National Parks, and our honeymoon!

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

Fun, adventure and quality time. We have always loved travelling and have seen so much of the world together. One place we had never been together was North America, so we took our wedding as an opportunity to travel around the national parks like the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park, hiking and exploring, before honeymooning in Aruba.

Whilst we wanted the wedding day to just be us, it was really special for us to be able to celebrate with our family, friends, bridal party and our baby Minnie before we went. We will treasure those memories and photographs forever! 

Any tips for couples getting married?

Just do exactly what you want to do. People who are important to you will understand. It’s your day (or days!), and there is no rule book! 

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

I have to talk about our photographer Katy Durn Photographics. Just wow. I actually cried when I saw the previews for the home party. She is the most talented person I know and I trusted her wholeheartedly. As soon as you are with Katy you can’t help but feel relaxed and inspired. Having her photograph both our wedding in the UK and Vegas was so special. 

Wally, our officiant from the Little White Chapel in Vegas gave us the most intimate and beautiful ceremony we could have wished for. I hope he’s still working there in 10 years when we go back to renew our vows! 

Las Vegas Elopement: Photography: Katy Durn Photographics @katydurnphotographics | Venue: A Little White Chapel @alittlewhiteweddingchapel | Getting Ready Accommodation: The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort @palazzovegas | Mel’s Dress: Meshki @meshki | Shoes: ASOS @asos | Charlie’s Suit: Jack the & Jones @jackandjones | Shoes: Adidas @Adidas | Earrings + Necklace: MANGO  @mango | Bag: ZARA @zara | HMUA: Andie Piazza @andiep.artistry | Wedding Rings: Victoria James Jewellery @victoriajamesdecojewellery + Marlow’s Diamonds @marlows_diamonds | Dinner Venue: Yukon Pizza @yukonpizza 

Wedding Party: Photography: Katy Durn Photographics @katydurnphotographics | Venue: Best friend's backyard | HMU: by the Bride | Mel’s Dress: BEC + BRIDGE @becandbridge | Charlie’s Suit:  ZARA @zara | Shoes: Converse @converse | Florist: Flowers in the City | Decorations: DIY bows, lanterns, fans, balloons from Amazon @amazon | Signage: By the Bride | Cake: Crumbles And Cream @crumbles_and_cream | Cocktail Bar: Mobile Flower Bar @mobileflowerbar | Curry Dinner: Penn Tandoori  | DJ: Tashan The DJ @tashanthedj