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When YouTube star Jim Chapman and model Sarah Tarleton met for their first date, neither of them were looking for anything serious. "In fact, Jim was extremely jet lagged from a flight the evening before and nearly fell asleep," the couple tells Brides. "But, as they say, love comes when you’re not looking!"
The couple was clearly smitten and got engaged July 2020 while vacationing at the Cap Rocat resort in Mallorca. Not only was Spain the country where Sarah would say "yes" to marrying Jim, it also would be the place where she said, "I do." The bride shares, "When I thought about where I wanted to get married, I wanted it to be where I felt at home. Spain was always the place the family came and spent time together so it was my happy place. When we started looking at venues in the region of Andalucia, we saw pictures of Villa Luisa and it looked perfect."
The couple hired local Seville-based planners Patricia and Isa from Weddings With Love to help bring their dream wedding to life. The couple's vision for the celebration? "Low key, relaxed, and a bit bohemian. Seville is famous for its oranges so we’ve incorporated that into a few elements—orange-colored flowers and an orange scent," they share. "The most important thing for us is that everyone enjoys themselves and has a good time. We didn’t want anything too formal or stuffy. It’s just about us and everyone we love, being together and having a lovely time."
While wedding planning can normally bring its own challenges, doing so during a pandemic makes things even trickier. "Trying to sort the logistics out in the thick of COVID was really difficult," the couple shares. "We kept emailing our planners saying, ‘We think we might be able to fly out next month.’ Then the month would pass and flights would still be restricted. We did most of the planning via Zoom, or we just trusted the vision that the planners had and their gut!" The couple even balanced planning with raising their baby Margot, who was born just a year before their wedding date.
One thing that relieved some stress for Sarah and Jim for their wedding day? They were legally married almost six months earlier! "We actually eloped in March 2022 at Santa Barbara Courthouse while we were in California. We knew that we wouldn’t be able to legally get married in Spain and we thought eloping in California would be a fun story to tell," say the newlyweds. "So our ‘official’ ceremony happened on a rainy day in March at Santa Barbara Courthouse with just two witnesses. We celebrated that evening in L.A. with some family and friends at a restaurant named Margot (which is also our daughter’s name)."
So on September 1, 2022, Jim and Sarah Chapman came together for one more wedding ceremony. This time, they would celebrate their love and new family in front of 60 of their nearest and dearest. Read ahead to see all the details planned by Weddings With Love and photographed by Benjamin Wheeler and Ben Higgins.
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Sarah got her day started with her sister-in-law, makeup artist Nicola Chapman, who did her bridal beauty. "I never really had a strong vision for how I wanted to look other than to keep it natural and to still look and feel like myself," shares Sarah. "I count myself as extremely lucky that my husband’s sisters are both professional makeup artists who both offered to do my makeup on the day. I trusted that whatever my sister-in-law did would look lovely, so I left it up to her to work her magic!"
"She kindly suggested we do makeup outside ‘for the light,’ but actually it was just to have a quiet moment away from the chaos! It was really special to have that time with her and she did such a lovely look for me," notes the bride.
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Sarah's wedding gown was one of a kind, as she worked with British designer Savannah Miller to create her dream dress. "I tried on one of Savannah’s dresses and I knew she was the designer I wanted. I bespoke designed this dress with Savannah and her team, working from an initial Pinterest board where I showed images of different dresses and the aspects of them I liked and then we built it out from there with different sketches."
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
"The final dress had a corseted top covered in lace, but with visible boning which I loved. Savannah added in a delicate peplum at the last minute in one of the fittings and it was perfect," says the bride. "I also found out on the day when I put my dress on that Savannah had stitched my wedding date and initials into the dress in a blue stitch as a surprise, so that was my something blue! The whole bespoke experience was magical. Being able to see all the work that goes into designing and making a wedding dress was so special."
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Sarah's something borrowed was especially meaningful for the bride. "Sadly, my grandmother couldn’t make the wedding as she had fallen unwell close to the day. My sister was given some pearls that belonged to my grandmother to wear on her wedding day and she very sweetly brought them to Seville for me to borrow so that our grandma could be with us on the day," shares Sarah. "I had a moment when my dad helped me put them on and I had a little tear thinking of how I missed her, but how happy she would’ve been to have had her granddaughters wearing her pearls."
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
For the rest of her wedding day beauty, Sarah had her nails done at DryBy salon in London. "I went for a really simple pale pink with a feature nail on my ring finger that had our initials on," she says. For her skincare, she stayed true to a regimen of Kate Somerville products. "I’ve loved Kate Somerville’s UncompliKated SPF for awhile now, so I decided to add more items from the line into my skin prep. I used the Goat Milk Cleanser, Liquid ExfoliKate, Goat Milk Moisturizer, and KateCeuticals Resurfacing Overnight Peel."
The bride always imagined herself wearing her hair in loose bohemian waves with a braid as she walked down the aisle. "Unfortunately, I had a job about six months before the wedding where they cut a lot of my hair off! Fortunately, my lovely hairdresser put some extensions in for me and then we used a lot of the Kerastase treatments to really nourish it and encourage my natural hair growth," she says.
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Sarah wore Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf as a final touch. Not only did the bride wear the perfume, but the aroma also wafted through Villa Luisa. "[The brand] sent some ahead to our planners so the venue was lightly fragranced, too," she shares.
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Sarah's cute nieces served as flower girls for the day. "I had their dresses bespoke made to reflect a dress I wore when I was their age," notes the bride. "I grew up loving a hand-painted silk dress that I wore on special occasions, so I had dresses made up for the girls which my mum’s friend hand-painted for me. We picked flowers which reflected the flowers and oranges of Seville. The girls then had sandals from Donsje Amsterdam. I wanted to keep the relaxed feel, but also [give] something they could continue to wear after the wedding."
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Jim looked sharp in a P Johnson bespoke suit with a Turnbull & Asser silk shirt and Ralph Lauren shoes. However, the groom only had to shop his closet to find the perfect wedding day outfit. "It was all incredibly easy. I decided to rewear a suit I’ve had for a few years rather than have another made," he says. "I know it fits perfectly so there would be no surprises, but also, in the interest of sustainability and budget, it just didn’t seem necessary."
For his grooming, he also kept it simple. "Sometimes, the occasion can get the better of you and you feel pressured to do things or add steps you wouldn’t usually and it can add stress. So, I decided not to overthink it," Jim explains. "Darren Fowler found me early in the day and gave me a little trim, so my hair was sorted. All that I had to do was hop in the shower and put on my suit (and some SPF, because Seville is hot!)."
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
While Jim kept his grooming light, he did put a quite bit of thought into his fragrance choice. "More than my suit, even," he shares. "I was going to be up close and personal with a lot of people—all that hugging and congratulating. I didn’t want to overpower them with a huge, heavy scent, but it also had to last."
"I wore the new Armani Code. It incorporates a lot of my favorite notes with a woody base (if it has cedar wood, I usually like it!), a fresh top of bergamot (again, a go-to), and a slightly more sensitive heart of Resinoid Iris. I’m not usually a big fan of floral notes, but it’s balanced with Clary Sage and the overall fragrance is just really beautiful".
"I’m friendly with the Armani team, so they gave me a sample before it was released. When they told me the concept behind it, it just seemed even more fitting. I know it’s hard for a scent to tell a story, but inspiration behind it is all about moving forward and rewriting what masculinity is. Getting married to Sarah (and being a dad to Margot), I hope that I can be a man that empowers my family."
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
The ceremony décor was modern, minimal, and punctuated with florals. The couple shares, "Our planners did most of the decor themselves which was a big bonus as that gave us one less thing to worry about and we knew we could leave it in their reliable hands! We wanted to incorporate parts of Seville into the design so there was lots of orange features—the flowers by Leboyerd featured pops of orange and we had a stand with fans for guests."
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Sarah's father Gary walked her down the aisle to her Jim. Seeing the bride was the groom's number one favorite moment of the day. "Our nieces lead the way and Sarah just looked so beautiful," he gushes.
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
While Jim's twin brother (and best friend) was his best man, his other best friend James Stewart officiated the ceremony. "We figured we’d get a friend to do it for us and make it fun! He’s a very talented radio and TV host, so we were in the safest of hands," says the groom.
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
"We had already done the legal part in America, so we had free rein with the ceremony. It was actually really good, fun, and very relaxed. Sometimes the actual marriage part of the wedding can be a little stiff, but I feel like ours cut out a lot of the dry stuff and focused solely on the joy," reminisces Jim.
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
The couple was all smiles while their guests tossed flower petals as they walked hand-in-hand back up the aisle.
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
After saying "I do," the couple took some stunning photos across the grounds of Villa Luisa.
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Sarah and Jim's daughter Margot, who had her first birthday over the wedding weekend, joined her parents for an adorable family portrait, too.
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler and Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler and Ben Higgins
The reception tables were set up on the property with warm-toned fabric runners, stunning floral centerpieces, and woven lanterns overhead. "The table settings were chosen when we met the caterer. They used plates handmade in Seville which was a nice touch to use locally sourced ceramics and china," says Sarah. "I caught my mum mid speeches taking a photo on her phone of the bottom of the plates to find out where she could source them!"
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
"We knew we were having large portion of the wedding as a ‘cocktail hour’ with infinite trays of snacks, a big jamon being sliced to order, and various other Spanish tapas, all whilst there was Spanish-inspired musicians playing in the background. So, it felt right to have a cocktail moment and a signature drink at this stage of the evening," explain the couple. "We worked with Franck from St-Germain’s team to create our own wedding cocktail and we decided on going with a St-Germain Spritz—dry sparkling wine, soda water, and St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur. We wanted something that was still really refreshing as it’s so hot!"
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler and Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler and Ben Higgins
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler and Ben Higgins
The celebrations went into the night with speeches and a long dinner into the night. "We knew food was one of the most important parts of our wedding and that it was really heavily influenced by Spain and Seville," the newlyweds explain. "When it came to the seated meal, we kept it light with a fish main. Dessert was a version of torrija." As for the cake? "We kept it really simple with notes of orange."
Photo by Benjamin Wheeler and Ben Higgins
"A real highlight for me was actually the following morning," reflects Jim. "I saw my family and Sarah’s all eating breakfast together. They weren’t waiting for us or anything—they just got on really well and were sharing stories from the night before. It was lovely to see how well everyone got on, and how lucky Sarah and I are to have such great people in our lives."
Bridal Gown Designer Savannah Miller Bespoke
Hair Darren Fowler at Fowler35
Flower Girl Attire Handmade by Jess Innes Attelier
Invitations and Paper Products Hannah Sykes at Hann Drawn London
Photography Benjamin Wheeler & Ben Higgins
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