Charlotte + Sebastien by Caro Weiss - Together Journal

We wanted something with a mix of Scottish beachy, with some boho vibes, and a twist of country.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We live just outside of London with our dog Harvey and Seb’s daughter Olivia – some of our favourite things to do together is to go for a long walk in the park with a coffee (or a babycino in Olivia’s case!), listen to country music, cook delicious food, or work on our non-alcoholic drinks company (drink-elixir.co). When we aren’t in London, we can usually be found by the sea or in the mountains.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met in our first year at Glasgow University, both playing hockey and by second year our group of friends had moved into two flats in the same house – boys upstairs, girls downstairs.

As we began to spend a bit more time together, we went from neighbours to friends to best friends, but still ‘just friends’.

As we got to know each other in increasing depth, a connection began to manifest. Starting with trips to the library cafe for a quick study break and sending each other our favourite disco mixes to listen to while revising, leading to bigger outings to the bookstore and finding a reason to visit our favourite coffee shop in Glasgow (Black Pine). It wasn’t until we went on a Hockey tour in our 3rd year at uni that we realised quite how much we liked each other!

Shortly after returning from that hockey tour in Prague, Charlotte jetted off to Toronto for the summer and Seb was working in London. We said we wouldn’t really chat much because of the time difference, but that didn’t last long! Summer was typified by late nights and early starts, trying to eek out as many minutes as possible and before long, Charlotte changed her flights to come back to London instead of Scotland and pay Seb a visit before we went back to Uni.

Seb says one of the key contributors to this was when he sent me a single red rose, which my mother, Nicola, thought was extremely romantic. Now she knows better that hopeless romantic is more his modus operandi!

⁠When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

Seb: I think the time we started to realise it was something special was after a night out when Charlotte had shared a bed with her then best friend (and future maid of honour) in order to allow me to use her bed to stay at their flat after a night out. Upon leaving, I made her bed very tidily, and I think at that point, she knew that my kind, caring and considerate nature was something that didn’t come along every day.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

The proposal was on a beach which we have visited on pretty much every one of our anniversaries. On our 5 year anniversary, we were training for a triathlon and went down for an early morning swim in the sea, then to my shock Seb pulls out a ring from his wetsuit!

Usually, getting married is something that a couple discuss beforehand, either in detail or even a teeny tiny bit. Not with Seb, he ploughed on ahead and bought the ring he viewed as perfect, which made it all the more special.

⁠Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.

We had a very specific but eclectic vision in mind. We wanted something that represented us as a couple and that meant a mix of Scottish beachy with some boho vibes and a twist of country.

This felt like it might be impossible to create until we found The Machrie. After a glimpse of this online there was no doubts in our mind that it was where we would get married. It had the Scottish vibe we were after, but a modern decor and the Marquee which meant we could switch it up to country in the evening. As wild as this sounds, we think it turned out pretty well!

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

I am delighted that we splurged on getting the design company Gloam. The team was faultless, and we could never have pulled the vision together without them. Having someone on hand who was able to take everything in their stride and adapt as necessary, understanding the common pitfalls and how to navigate them, was invaluable.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

Overview: the groomsman and best man’s speeches were 45 minutes long. Each. This was not budgeted for, and left the band with 1h less than planned.

The marquee nearly caught fire when one of the candles fell over.

We were hosting a putting tournament on the Machrie’s 18-hole putting course, which Seb had completely disappeared for the set-up of. Turns out he was on his own in the sauna, which apparently was the most relaxing part of the entire weekend. How lovely for him!

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

Seb has adopted Charlotte’s mother Nicola’s pre-marital Fraser tartan; the Laing family tartan was vetoed because it is one of the less aesthetically pleasing tartans…

Charlotte has her dress hand crafted by Judy Mott in Tunbridge Wells, and it was the last wedding dress she ever made before retirement which felt very special.