Charlotte + Shane by Elena Popa

We wanted the day to feel like a local Italian celebration.

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

We love a party! That’s actually what first bonded us as a couple. We both really enjoy spending time with friends, dancing (to varying degrees), and having fun.

We live in South West London and have been together for 11 years. Last year, after many years of saving, we bought our own home. It’s a project house, which we’re working on very slowly.

Over the years, we’ve had many adventures together — from camping in Tanzania to hitchhiking in Patagonia. We love exploring new places and meeting new people along the way.

Outside of our shared interests, Charlotte loves photography and often shoots and develops her own film, while Shane runs marathons and plays a lot of tennis.

Though we have our separate interests, we’re both open to trying new things. When we first met, we thought we were total opposites, but we quickly discovered that we share similar values and a mutual outlook on life — and it’s these qualities that truly unite us.

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


We met as graduate trainees and, at first, were just friends. Charlotte thought Shane was fun but not looking for anything serious, and Shane thought the same about Charlotte.

We didn’t work directly together but would often run into each other at social events.

It wasn’t until we found ourselves living in the same part of London and spending time with the same friends that we really clicked. It felt different from any relationship we’d experienced before — very comfortable right from the start, and there was so much joy in getting to know each other.

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

A month into our relationship, Charlotte had planned a solo trip to Tanzania and asked if Shane wanted to join.

Knowing how intense travel can sometimes be, we agreed that if we needed space, we could go our separate ways during the trip and meet up to fly home. That didn’t happen. Instead, we had an adventure on packed buses, camping in the jungle, and staying in some very scenic spots.

We met an American couple and went on a safari with them. It was here that we both realised our relationship was something special, and we wanted to see where it would go.

When we got back to London, we accidentally ended up living together, and the rest is history.

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


Before we got engaged, we discussed our life goals and made a rough plan. In 2021, while we were on holiday in Sifnos, Shane proposed at dawn after hiking to a small church on the cliffs. There was no one around; it was understated yet perfectly us.

On the hike back to our hotel, we went for a dip in the sea. The water was glowing in the morning sun, and once again, we were alone. Back at the hotel, we celebrated with a champagne breakfast.

Later in London, we visited our friend Mario to design an engagement ring together. It was very special to create something to symbolise our engagement.

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

We always knew we wanted our wedding to be a fun, carefree party for our family and friends. After choosing our location, we wanted the day to feel like a local Italian celebration. Giusy, our planner, and her team were incredible at helping us bring this vision to life. They incorporated Italian traditions, like “confetti” sweets and local delicacies, which added a special touch to the day.

Since we were getting married in May, we had a lot of flowers to choose from, and we took full advantage of this. Our flowers were beyond what we could have imagined. They were so big and sumptuous that our planner had to have an assistant at the cathedral to keep an eye on them, as tourists kept coming to touch them to check if they were real!

Our stationery reflected our backgrounds — Irish, British & Turkish — with the venue and local pictures & signs painted by a friend, Nicky. Charlotte’s aunt kindly brought Turkish delight as wedding favours for our guests.

Music was important to us. We had a violinist and organist in the cathedral, an acoustic duo (Jetlag) during drinks, followed by a brilliant live band (Njoy) that had everyone on their feet and dancing after dinner. Later, DJ Simone Cisternino kept the party going late into the night, ensuring the energy never dipped!

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Guest experience was at the heart of our planning. It influenced everything from our choice of venue to the details that made our celebration special. A big part of that was the food and drink — from the rehearsal lunch at Restaurant 700 to the wedding favours. We put a lot of thought into selecting Rotondo Catering, and we still hear rave reviews about the “incredible food.” If anything upstaged us on the day, it was definitely that!


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

Charlotte – My dad stepped on my veil after walking me down the aisle, and much to his embarrassment, it promptly flew off. I absolutely love this moment! It made everyone laugh, and Romavera captured it perfectly in our wedding video.

A garter that a friend gave me also fell down while I was sitting during the ceremony, so I had to covertly retrieve it and hide it before the grand exit.

Shane – We started our wedding dance facing the wrong way, and it was too late to change, so we just went with it – it definitely got a few laughs!

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

Charlotte – The first dress I tried on at Vivienne Westwood was the one. The corset felt like a nice hug; I didn’t want to take it off! Before trying it on, I honestly thought it wouldn’t be my style, especially since I’d already fallen in love with so many other dresses by that point.

My mum bought a surprise silk horseshoe for me to hold with my bouquet. Knowing how much I love this tradition, it was a thoughtful addition to my outfit.

Shane – I bought loose bow ties for my groomsmen, thinking they’d manage, but I didn’t realise everyone needed to know how to tie their own! After a hot, humid morning of trying to get them just right, I was incredibly grateful that I had the foresight to buy some last-minute clip-on bow ties.

BRIDE Charlotte, @charlotte.ohh CEREMONY LOCATION Ostuni Cathedral RECEPTION LOCATION Masseria San Giovanni, @masseria.sangiovanni PHOTOGRAPHER Elena Popa, @elenapopaphoto PLANNER Giusy d’Ambrosio, @giusyweddings FLORIST La Mia Fioraia, @lamiafioraia ENTERTAINMENT Acoustic Duo – Jetlag; Band – NJOY Music, @njoylivemusic; DJ – Simone Cisternino, @simone_cisternino HIRE Studio GMC, @studio_gmc; Rotondo Catering, @rotondocatering MARQUE Vision Tents, @vision_stretch_tents; Centomani Lights, @centomani.light CATERING & CAKE Rotondo Catering, @rotondocatering STATIONERY Sweet Dates Prints, @sweetdatesprints; Nicky Pasterfield, @nickypasterfield ENGAGEMENT RING & WEDDING RINGS J Mario Jewellery, @jmariojewellery BRIDAL DRESS Welcome Party & Engagement Shoot – Acler, @acler; Wedding Day: Ceremony & Dinner – Vivienne Westwood, @viviennewestwood; Wedding Day: Party – Rasario, @rasario BRIDE’S SHOE Welcome Party & Engagement Shoot – Aquazzura, @aquazzura; Wedding Day: Ceremony & Dinner – Handmade; Wedding Day – Party – Loeffler Randall, @loefflerrandall ACCESSORIES Veil – Halfpenny London, @halfpennylondon; Earrings – Completed Works, @completedworks HAIR & MAKEUP Anna Vereta, @anna_vereta TUXEDO & SHOES Charles Tyrwhitt, @charlestyrwhitt BRIDESMAIDS DRESS Sisterhood Bridesmaids, @sisterhoodbridesmaids BRIDESMAIDS ACCESSORIES Bag – Handmade GROOMSMEN SUIT & SHOES Charles Tyrwhitt, @charlestyrwhitt