Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We are based in London and met here 10 years ago. Kate is a teacher and Martin is a trader. We spend as much time as we can travelling, mainly to escape the house we have been renovating for the past 5 years… We love food and this was something we wanted to incorporate.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met in 2012 on a night out in the infamous Clapham nightclub Infernos. Shortly after we met Kate left to study abroad for a year but we kept in touch. After exchanging messages for a few weeks we realised that we had a lot in common and met up again in London 6 months later.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
We’ve tried not to see marriage as a new chapter in our lives but as a continuation of a committed happy relationship. We are lucky that we have very similar values and support each other and work as a team, whilst also maintaining our independence.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Marriage has always been an open conversation between us and it was important to us both that we made the decision together so there was no proposal. During lockdown we spent time looking into what we’d like to do for our wedding (really we just wanted an excuse for a big party with all our closest friends!) and found the perfect venue in Chateau Engalin so it felt like the right time to put the wheels in motion.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
We always wanted our wedding to be very relaxed and simple in amazing surroundings. We love France so that felt like the perfect choice for us. It has the benefit of beautiful countryside and golden sunsets paired with delicious food and wine. Having a wedding abroad was a great excuse to extend the celebrations over a few days, and we loved the post wedding BBQ we had the next day just as much as our wedding day. We kept it to 50 guests who were our closest friends and immediate family which meant it felt really intimate and that we properly got to spend time with everyone there over the weekend.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
The venue. Two things really stood out for us. First, the chapel ruins were so beautiful and completely unique that we couldn’t imagine anywhere more memorable and meaningful to say our vows. Secondly, Chateau Engalin focused on food and drink much more than other wedding venues we looked at, and that really appealed to us. So many of our guests said that it was the best wedding food they’d had. We were lucky enough to visit the venue twice before the wedding including for a food and wine tasting which was a really special experience.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
K – I was very nervous on the morning of the wedding, which I hadn’t anticipated. Marwan, the owner of the venue, managed to source me a secret pre-ceremony espresso martini to ease the nerves!
M – Naively we both thought we would find time on the wedding day to finish writing our speech. Thankfully they went really well and our audience didn’t seem to mind that we winged it a bit!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
K – I visited a few bridal shops in London but the quality of the fabrics at Andrea Hawkes really stood out. I also loved how understated yet elegant and modern her designs were.
M – As someone who works from home, I only owned a basic suit for the odd special occasion. I was keen to take the opportunity to get a new tailored suit but after visiting a number of high-street stores became quite overwhelmed by the range of options. Edit Suits however provided an excellent personalised service, guiding me through the various style choices and advising what suited me. It was a great experience and left me wanting to get all my clothes tailored!
Ceremony + reception location and catering: Chateau Engalin, @chateau.engalin / Photographer: Victoria Somerset-How Photography, @victoriasomersethowphotography / Celebrant: Jacqueline Cale, @ceremonies_by_jacqueline_cale / Styling and planning: French Bague Ette, @french_bague_ette / Flora: Jungle Utopia, @jungleutopia / Stationery: Papier, @papier / Wedding assistants: Beyond The pines Weddings, @baisers.s / Kates attire: Andrea Hawkes, @andrea_hawkes_bridal / Martins attire: Edit Suits, @editsuits / Ring/s: Taylor and Hart, @taylorandhart / Kates Shoes: Bobbies, @bobbies / Earrings: Lua Studios, @lua_studios_ / Makeup: Marine Sicard, @marine_sicard / Hair: Dominic Swift, @dominicswift_hairatelier / Fragrance: Oud Palao by Diptyque, @diptyque
