Chloe and India grew their romance writing letters to one another, learning about one another deeper than either lover had ever imagined. Their long-distance love story would eventually find them living together, although that wasn’t without challenges. After a romantic proposal, Chloe and India’s wedding plans came to a halt when COVID lockdowns happened across the UK. However, they still decided to go ahead with the legal bits. They celebrated their union with this incredible boho meets vintage styled shoot, captured by Jacqulyn Hamilton.
THE LOVE STORY
Words by Chloe
When I first met India, I had no idea she was going to be the love of my life. I believe you are never aware of that when you meet someone new.
I remember how she was standing there in the vintage dress during a moon circle, a mutual friend arranged. We started talking soon after the event took place. It was a lovely evening with a full moon. I remember that we spoke of our lives instantly. Speaking about our past like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The thing I loved from day one about India is that she is so honest and raw and yet so brave. That is what I thought the moment she said that she was going for a quick swim because she felt like the sea was calling her. I think I fell in love with her that night. For both of us, those few hours together are one of our fondest memories.
Soon after we met, we decided to go for a couple of dates together. It did not take long for me to realize that she was going to be an essential part of my life. Though I would never have imagined she was going to become my wife. At the time, she always described herself as a free spirit, and she was not sure she was going to stay in Brighton. India is like that, without roots, a traveler at heart. My heart sank when she said she was going to go to India, and then maybe New Zealand. I thought I was never going to see her again.
I honestly felt that she was someone worth waiting for, and to this day, I know I am not wrong. She left for India, and I stayed in Brighton.
The distance was tough on us; I kept wondering how it was possible for me to be so in love with someone I only just met. However, I must say that, if it wasn’t for her departure, I do not think we would have stayed together. The time apart allowed us to get to know each other in such a special way. We used to write letters to each other, sharing our stories in ways I thought was not possible to share with anyone else. We even invented a language of our own. And, we still write each other letters when we believe we are going through a rough patch. India is a fantastic writer, and she continually corrects my punctuation.
Eventually, she decided to come back from India six months earlier than she was supposed to. I was so excited to see her. I went to Heathrow airport to pick her up, I had a bunch of flowers in my hands, and my heart was beating off my chest. She walked out of the arrival doors, and she had such a big smile on her face. I was so happy to have her with me finally.
We started renting a place together, even though it was quite tricky, switching from not seeing each other for eight months to seeing each other every single day. I think we can both agree that living together was what initially put our relationship at stake. We had to work out our issues and spaces; we both needed space and time alone, so we struggled with sharing a place. I think we learned that communication is such a key element in a relationship; we keep on working on it as we go along.
The day I decided to propose to her was the most life-changing day of my life. I took her to a restaurant and then we went to Brighton beach, in the exact spot where we first met. I do not think she was expecting to see me falling on one knee. We talked about getting married before, but it was never something we planned. When I popped the question, she started crying, saying that she would have done it if I hadn’t proposed.
We spent so much time imagining our wedding day, and we were expecting to have a small ceremony but a big reception. When COVID started spreading, we decided to have a small service, to get married with just our closest family and friends around. We are still waiting for restrictions to change so that we can have a big reception. We got married just before the lockdown started, and we would not change a thing.
Seeing each other in a wedding dress was such a magical experience.
India is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I know she thinks the same of me. We are currently working on our writing careers, and India is planning to go back to India when it’s safe. And, although we know life might throw all sorts of challenges at us, but we are such a strong couple we are convinced we can get through anything.
We are not sure whether or not we are going to stay in Brighton, but we are planning on going around Europe, traveling in a camper van as soon as we can afford it.
I still cannot believe how lucky I am to have met someone like her, she shows me colors every day, and I could not imagine my life without her.
THE STYLED SHOOT
Words by photographer, Jacqulyn Hamilton
Chloe and India are both are gorgeously enigmatic and exude absolute love and affection for each other. We ran through their ideas on how they would like to look in their photos and came up with a mood board and ‘look and feel.’
We had some help from the amazing Hope and Harlequin. They provided us with the most stunning made to order boho-inspired dresses for the day. The dresses’ quality and styling are absolutely gorgeous, and the fabrics are a joy to photograph.
Our day was supposed to be raining heavily, so we decided to take the photographs at an indoor location. Our team are all Brighton and Hove locals, so between us, we found the perfect boho-chic meets eclectic Brighton flat. Without giving too much away about its location, we were lucky enough to use a stunning early Victorian mansion house adjacent to the seafront. The light was beautiful with ceiling to floor windows and designer furniture and trinkets from all over the world.
Our stylist, Hair and Makeup Artist Cara McDaniel, accessorized the lovers to perfection with a delicate headdress from Victoria Louise Accessories and stunning floral designs from Lydie Dalton. Cara’s makeup is soft and delicate, while Chloe’s lips had an eye-catching pop of red.
Lydie used deep, blackcurrant flower accents to add contrast to the bouquets – also Stachys, Ecuadorian roses, Quicksand roses, Spray roses, purple symphony, Eucalyptus, and the most beautiful smelling flowering mint!
