We chatted to the gorgeous Kathryn and Jamie about their stunning Chateau wedding in France and their unforgettable honeymoon exploring Italy.
True childhood sweethearts, they’ve already been together for 16 years. The pair met at school when they were seven (sweet!) and got together when they were just twelve and thirteen. How’s that for a slow burn romance… They now live in Clapham Common, both work in marketing and share a love of travelling, as well as a healthy Netflix habit.
What a sweet story. So, how did you get engaged?
We got engaged on a trip to the West Coast over August and September 2016. Jamie proposed on a beach in Santa Barbara, California and we had the most amazing engagement tour up the coast from LA to San Fransisco.
Did you have an idea of the kind of wedding you wanted?
We wanted a really relaxed, inclusive and non-‘traditional’ day. Everyone there was there for us both, we had no sides for the ceremony and really tried to stay away from having ‘because you think you should’ attendees – everyone meant so much to the both of us and ensured it was an intimate occasion yet more than enough to have a big party! We always wanted it to be abroad, either France or Italy, to ensure we had a full weekend of celebrations, not just an afternoon – and that everyone could get to know each other and become friends, independent of us. We also had sharing food for all courses, and no ‘set’ three course meal to ensure that relaxed, sharing, friendly and actually quite informal, family vibe.
Sounds perfect. Did you have a first dance?
Our first dance was ‘You Are the Best Thing’ by Ray LaMontagne, under the lights in the courtyard of the Chateau.
If you had to pick one thing – what stands out for you?
Honestly, it’s so hard to pick! The whole weekend was amazing – we had an incredible Friday Night Dinner the evening before which helped everyone relax and get to know each other which really kicked off the whole weekend… On the day itself, we’d probably say either dinner, not just because we love food (hence the Italian honeymoon!) but because of being able to sit and watch all our favourite people together, there for us, which we’ll never get again. OR the dancing and party afterward, it was amazing to be literally dancing in the moonlight, to Dancing in the Moonlight!
We also had the most amazing suppliers. Our videographer (who also edited our honeymoon video below), and our incredible photographer really stand out. The whole team at Chateau de Lartigolle were amazing and also provided our brilliant wedding planner.
Why did you decide to set up a honeymoon fund with Patchwork?
We chose Patchwork as it was really important for us that people felt they’d bought us ‘something’ and not just given money for us to go away. The last thing we wanted was for people to feel they paid for the trip itself, but instead they bought us activities and things to do while we were there – which we physically did. We were able to take the live Patchwork link (and PDF) and make sure to send each person a photo each time we experienced their present while we were away. It made it a really personal thing for everyone that was kind enough to contribute, that they could see how special they’d made our honeymoon.
People commented how nice it was to be able to browse through the options (and different price points) we added, as well as leaving personalised messages for us alongside their present. It was so much fun experiencing everything and getting to send personal photos to people which showed their presents coming to life! Everyone said it was very user-friendly and super easy to use.
Would you recommend your trip to other honeymooners?
I could not recommend our honeymoon more highly (not just because I planned it) – but it was just perfect for what we wanted and what we love as a couple. We started in Venice, then to Lake Garda, onto Florence (and other Tuscan cities), down to Umbria (and staying near Orvieto), then to Rome, and finally Sorrento and Amalfi on the coast. It was all utterly amazing. Everyone will want different things so one bit of advice I’d give is don’t feel you have to do the stereotypical ‘honeymoon’ – do what works for you, and focus on what you enjoy doing when you’re away together, that way you’ll have the more perfect and unforgettable time wherever you end up. For us it was exploring beautiful cobbled streets and towns, whilst having a mix of coastal relaxing, eating amazing food and drinking insane wine – so Italy was a no brainer.
What a beautiful honeymoon video! Thank you so much Kathryn and Jamie for sharing your gorgeous patchwork story with us all.
If this has inspired you to make your own patchwork, just customise one of our readymade patchworks or create one from scratch.
Here are some of the suppliers that made Kathryn & Jamie’s day amazing:
Videographer: Andrew Kelly
Photographer: Darek Smietana
Venue: Chateau de Lartigolle
Wedding Planner: Award Weddings
Hair and Make-Up: Sarah Fekir
Dress: by Enzoani at Surrey Brides
P.s Listen to Kathryn & Jamie’s first dance song in our Spotify playlist, made up of lots of our Patchwork Couple’s first dances.