Join The Wedding Edition as we sit down with Boodles heiress Honour Wainwright, to discover the details of her engagement to Charlie Coleman, son of Annabel Croft, on the pretty Devon coastline.
The Story
Charlie and I have been together for eight years now. It all started when I was at Exeter University and my twin brother was at Edinburgh. During my first term, I went up to visit him, who also works at Boodles, and that’s when I met Charlie. My brother kept, saying, ‘out of all the hundreds of guys at Exeter, why did you have to go for one of my best mates all the way up in Edinburgh?’ And of course, his friends couldn’t resist giving him a hard time about it too, so it was a bit tricky navigating that at first. But fast forward to now, it’s honestly a dream, and the tables have turned. I’m now the perpetual third wheel to my brother and Charlie.
Dropping Hints
Being in the jewellery industry, my camera roll is a gallery of ring and jewellery photos — for work, of course. So if Charlie had any hopes of being a detective, he would have been very confused! I’d always known I wanted an Aswhoka cut diamond (a cut that is exclusive to Boodles in the UK — it has 62 facets, more than the 58 of an emerald cut), and I’d casually mentioned that before. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted, which is surprising considering I’m surrounded by diamonds daily, maybe too much choice. I narrowed it down to two different styles and shared those with my Dad (who is my ‘boss’ at Boodles) and my brother. I knew when the time came, Charlie would go straight to them for advice, which took the pressure off him. He absolutely nailed it. As for the proposal, we didn’t discuss it at all beforehand as that is definitely not my style, but it turned out to be everything I could have dreamed of and very me.
The Proposal
It all happened down in Thurlestone, Devon, where my family has been going for generations. It was the first day of our holiday, and Charlie had been pulling a classic double bluff — claiming he didn’t even know if he could come because of work, only to decide last minute to join. He had been planning to join the whole time. He had asked my Dad for permission the week before, and my brother was in on it because of the ring. My Dad informed my Mum, and my brother forewarned his girlfriend that the weekend might not be as relaxing as she had planned. So everyone in the house knew it was happening except for me.
All morning, Charlie tried to get me out for a walk, but I was perfectly happy sunbathing. In the afternoon, he suggested a swim, I was glued to the TV watching the pommel horse in the Olympics. My brother and his girlfriend had to step in to help convince me to join them for a swim and feeling the FOMO, I quickly threw on a swimming costume and an oversized shirt.
Even though my brother suddenly had emails to reply to and his girlfriend had to quickly call a friend last minute, I was still totally clueless. When Charlie wanted to head to a specific beach, I was being sassy, insisting on the closest one so I could quickly dash back after a cold dip in the British sea. Thankfully, he persuaded me, and we ended up on a cliff overlooking the sea, which was much more romantic than the beach I had in mind.
It turns out, Charlie had been carrying the ring in his pocket since 11 AM, but he didn’t manage to get his lazy girlfriend out the door until 5:30pm. I was not expecting it. There I was, completely unprepared; no makeup, messy hair that hadn’t seen a wash in a few days, and nails that were far from prepped. It was perfect because it felt totally like me. We celebrated that evening with all my extended family (the Boodles side, yes, we all work and go on holiday together), and the next day was a hungover affair filled with calls to all our friends to tell them the big news.
The Ring
Charlie proposed with an Ashoka cut diamond — the one with 62 facets exclusive to Boodles in the UK. My brother was an absolute lifesaver, guiding Charlie through the whole process. Since Charlie works just a street away from the shop I am based above, they had secret meetings in nearby coffee shops to pick the perfect stone, he didn’t want to risk running into me at the shop.
There were two designs I had my eye on: a classic 3-stone Ashoka and a more unique style. To be honest, I wasn’t sure which one I preferred until after Charlie proposed, and I felt confident enough to chat openly with him about it. I was wearing a beautiful 3-stone Ashoka (which my brother sneakily grabbed from the Boodles vault the evening before our holiday!) as a placeholder. But since it’s quite similar to my Mum’s engagement ring, I thought, why not go for something different. I wore the 3-stone Ashoka for a few weeks while my bespoke ring was being made — and loved it in the meantime! Charlie and I designed the final ring together, inspired by a Boodles piece we created a few years ago, which I was secretly gutted about when it sold. The ring has an Art Deco vibe, with the Ashoka diamond he proposed with at its centre and two hidden pink diamonds, which I absolutely adore.
I had never experienced the full “Boodles experience” before, being treated like a client with Champagne and all the works! Normally, I’m on the other side, so it was really special that the team made sure I got to enjoy it like a true Boodles client would. I wasn’t even told when the ring was ready. I just popped down to the shop after my colleague called, saying a delivery had arrived addressed to me. There was Charlie. It was such a lovely surprise, and I felt like a proper Boodles client. Let’s just say I didn’t get much work done that afternoon after heading back to my desk. The girls at the shop insisted Charlie get down on one knee again, teasing him that it would be bad luck if he didn’t. So now we have some hilarious photos of him proposing again with the final ring. Not quite as romantic this time, as everyone was there and finding it hysterical, Charlie and I included.
The Celebrations
We are hosting a very chilled engagement party the evening before my birthday. But to be honest, I’ve just loved celebrating individually with all my friends in smaller groups. It’s been so fun. I could get used to the constant flow of Champagne.
The Outfit
With absolutely no hints, I was in a swimming costume and an old shirt my lovely friend Theo left at my house about ten years ago. Theo had said ‘you can keep it, it’s not special’… Not exactly the dream engagement look! But looking back, it was more me. I am not one of those girls who was all prepped and looking perfect.
Wedding Plans So Far…
There is still so much to do and think about. My vision changes all the time, but Mum and I keep saying we want it to be more Kate Moss than Kate Middleton vibes. We’re planning a country wedding at home in Hampshire where I was brought up, with a church ceremony to start and a marquee in the garden. Day two will be a pool party with a BBQ — I’m just so excited to have all my favourite people together in one place.
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