Wedding | Chloe & James

Tell us a little about yourselves! 

We’re James and Chloe! We just tied the knot in our 8th year together and about to begin our biggest adventure yet! 

Firstly, we met in Manchester UK and were friends for a short while until Chloe moved into a new apartment above James’ office. After “bumping into each other” a few times a week for a couple of months, we finally went on their first date. 

After building a life together in Manchester, we moved on to London where we have lived for the last 5 years. James proposed in 2023 on one of our annual trips to Windermere and ideas for what our wedding could be started straight away. 6 months out from the wedding, we decided to take an opportunity that meant a move to the other side of the world - Singapore. This changed the type of wedding that we wanted. However, we made one thing very clear to our guests!! We reinforced the message that “This is a wedding, not a goodbye party!” 

Now that the wedding is over and we are planning and packing for our move to Singapore - our wedding holds even more emotional significance and those memories with our most loved ones will be the things we look back on days when we might be missing home.

Why did you decide to get married where you did? 

Our journey to deciding where we wanted to get married was a long one. It took us nearly a year to decide where in the world it would be! There were so many places of significance to us and we began planning various versions of a wedding in; Spain, Italy and Malaysia but each of them came with their own pros and cons which ultimately meant it didn't feel right for what we wanted. 

One weekend last August we were at the peak of our stresses in finding a wedding venue. We had just come back from an unsuccessful trip looking at venues in Amalfi and flew back just in time for our friends wedding in the Cotswolds. It was the next morning when we were driving back to London that we wanted to stop for some lunch and looked for the nearest restaurant on Google Maps. It took us to Worton Kitchen Garden and within a few minutes of being there we both knew it was perfect for the wedding day we wanted. It was so peaceful and calm and to be there put us both at ease immediately. It was a very quick realisation that after months of planning feeling stressful and overwhelming, we now knew that having our closest friends and family join us for dinner in the gardens of Worton was the relaxed celebration we had been aiming for. We just didn’t know how to picture it until we saw the venue for the first time.

How many guests did you have? 

In total we had 44 guests which included 1 MOH, 4 bridesmaids , 2 best men and 3 groomsmen ,16 relatives and 18 friends.

What was your budget? 

£25k.

Tell us about your outfits. 

For our relaxed “garden”style wedding, James wanted a relaxed suit to match. One of his favourite brands Percival have a great suit range in relaxed and linen styles - perfect for the vibe of the day. His groomsmen also wore Percival in a lighter blue. 

Chloe had a difficult start to wedding dress shopping and wasn’t finding anything that felt right. After my trip to The Fall, everything got better. They understood what my style was and what the vibe of Worton needed. We wanted to carry on the “English Garden” style that is found throughout Worton Kitchen Garden. The simple Kamperett dress was a nod to what felt authentically “me” and the AM Faulkner daisy veil as the focal piece elevates the look to the garden style of the venue.

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

With us moving abroad very soon, it was important to us that the wedding didnt feel like a “leaving do” and was still about celebrating our marriage. We wanted the celebration to be relaxed and sentimental with our closest people and Worton provided the perfect environment for that. 

We were able to create time and space throughout the day for people to connect in all the different spaces of Worton Kitchen Garden. We made sure whilst planning and during site visits with the family who own and run the business to picture each part of the day in multiple spaces, until we locked into our eventual split of the day. 

Ceremony - Entry way on the stone path leading up to the front of the space, surrounded by their rows of wild flowers. Cocktail hour - Took place in their apple orchard, where we originally came up for the idea of this wedding when getting breakfast there a year earlier Wedding Breakfast - One long table, along the path surrounded by greenery and wild flowers - The first time they’d ever utilised this space

Party - Utilised the greenhouse space, with full DJ / lighting setup, with outdoor bar/ fire pits. 

That planning in the months running up to it meant the flow of the day was exactly as we envisioned and something we hear Worton will be suggesting to future weddings they plan to host. 

One other element that we appreciated once we got our photos back was how well this came across visually too, which wasn’t something we had planned for originally, but now makes total sense - by not just using one space we ended up with a much more interesting set of photos to look back on for years to come!

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

We wanted to incorporate speeches into the ceremony that involved our families, with both of our aunties stepping up to each do a short personal reading. James’s auntie talked through her and her husband's unique experience of a loving marriage, whilst Chloe’s auntie read a poem on love, which we chose from a poetry book she had previously had published. 

These personal touches brought to life that part of the day, whilst another really important part of our day was the food and drink, which Worton is becoming so well known for. 

The cocktails on offer in the cocktail hour were two of our favourites. James - Hugo Spritz, Chloe - Spicy Marg. The food itself was sharing style, all items we’d chosen at a tasting previously with Steve the owner and head chef at Worton, bringing everyone together on the table in a way that felt extra special on the day.

Any tips for couples getting married? 

Don’t be afraid to go it alone, we spoke to multiple wedding planners at the start and the costs didn’t add up for us. If you give yourself enough time and utilise your friends and family to help, you’ll find the journey so much more worthwhile, once it’s all completed!

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

Our photographer Sarah Joy Landon was the best decision we could have made. She understood the type of day we wanted to create and how we wanted it to be remembered through photos. Every wedding needs a Sarah and I can’t recommend her enough. 

In a similar theme, I have so much love for The Fall. In the beginning, my journey to find a wedding dress felt more like an obligation than a privilege and the looks I was trying on weren’t making me happy. After working with The Fall Bride I instantly felt as though I could trust these women with my life!! Their understanding of my vision, their patience with my indecision and their ability to move mountains to make things work are things I will remember them for.

Photographer:  Sarah Joy Landon @sarahjoylandon | Planning: by the couple | Flora: Eden Flowers 

@edenburford | Videographer: Everjoy Wedding Films @everjoyweddingfilms | Getting Ready Location & Jeep Transfer: Bull Burford @bullburford | Ceremony & Reception Location: Worton Kitchen Garden @wortonkitchengarden | Celebrant: Chloe’s cousin | Catering, Beverages & Cake: Worton Kitchen Garden @wortonkitchengarden | Makeup: by Chloe | Hair Stylist: Anna Jones Bridal @annajonesbridal  | Stationery: Studio Flow @studio.flo.w | Dresses: Kamperett @kamperett & Lola Varma @lola.varma from The Fall Bride @thefallbride | Veil: A.M. Faulkner @am_faulkner | Suit: Percival @percival_menswear | Engagement Ring: David M Robinson @dmr_jewellery