An Elegant Otaduy Bride and her Intimate English Wedding

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside! This song definitely rings true as the weather heats up here in the land of Oz – summer has hit us hard (whilst the BBC news tells me you lovelies are all currently fa-reeeeeezing in the UK).

So when I first laid eyes on these most gorgeous shots of the lovely bride and groom by Zara Clarke Photography, I immediately felt the cool sea breeze. Charlotte, who is a model and model agency director at Blink Promotions, tied the knot with Mark, director of tennis at Wickwoods Country Club, on the 17^th of June 2017.

In the planning stages, Charlotte’s Pinterest was overflowing with wedding dresses by Grace Loves Lace, Anna Campbell and Otaduy. She chose the most divine Otaduy gown from Leonie Claire Bridal – members of our Little Book for Brides directory – for its simplicity and elegance.

They chose the stunning Angel House – a beautiful and unique Grade 1 regency townhouse in Hove, East Sussex for their intimate nuptials by the sea.

Photography by  Zara Clarke

“We wanted a small, intimate, English wedding in my home town. We kept things elegant, classic graceful; in keeping with the neutral tones of our venue Angel House with its picturesque seafront location.”The beautiful bride added a pair of L.K. Bennett via Selfridges heels, a diamond tennis bracelet and necklace from an antique jewellers on Fifth Avenue New York – and finished off with the clean, fresh scent of summer with a spritz of ‘White Jasmine and Mint’ by Jo Malone. Charlotte’s gorgeous hairstyle, with pretty flowers by her florist Florian, was by Stephanie Marie Bespoke Hair, whilst her make-up was by her best friend Sabrina O’Sullivan.

The pretty flower girl, Charlotte’s daughter Sophie, was dressed in attire from Monsoon and Zara Kids, flowers for her hair by the florist, and a personalised bracelet by Bloom Boutique.

Mark donned a smart bespoke tailored suit in blue, paired with John White shoes and a Rolex Datejust stainless steel watch.

“I met Mark at my tennis country club in Sussex – having a passion for tennis I instantly fell for Mark, the talented and gorgeous tennis coach. After a year of dating and falling head over heels for each other, Mark proposed to me on our trip to New York on 1st September 2016 on a rainy day in Central Park.”

“My daughter Sophie and our flower girl walked down the aisle first, with myself and my father following, to Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D’ played by harpist Alexandra King. We had one reading – ‘Somewhere’, adapted from a poem by Linda Harnett:

Oh to be standing on a beach somewhere,
With sand in our toes, and the wind in our hair…
And only the sound of the seagulls on high.
On a beach somewhere, under a sunny blue sky.
The gentle caress of the waves on the shore.
And you there beside us.. could we ask for more?
A long pebbled beach, that goes on forever.
Us all and a beach, so happy together…”

“Our rings were from an independent antique jeweller in Brighton, Laines. My ring was understated, but pretty, with floating diamonds, whilst Mark chose a simple and classically understated ring.”

The bride and groom were very impressed by the work of their photographer Zara Clarke and I can see why – I adore these light-filled, happy images.

“Zara captured the story of our day perfectly. She genuinely cares and she went out of her way to ensure we enjoyed the whole experience. It’s clear that she loves her job and she is hugely talented. We love Zara’s beautiful fine art inspired style and she captured such natural images that we will treasure forever!”

 

Elizabeth Caton Food & Wine made a range of delicious cuisine for the guests and also provided the layers of tasty cheese, decorated with pretty white flowers and eucalyptus. The cheese was served in the evening along with crackers and a selection of fruit.

“I decided to go for eucalyptus-inspired flower arrangements by Florian, our florist. You don’t need anything too extravagant to take away from the beauty of the building which has been lovingly restored to its original features.”

“I designed the stationery myself with inspiration from Pinterest.”

Acoustic duo Earcandy played funky tunes to entertain all – and the couple danced their first dance to the sweet tune ‘I Wasn’t Expecting That’ by Jamie Lawson.

“We loved every single minute of our wedding day!”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Enjoy it and stay calm. Make a scrap book of all the little things you love while you’re planning your big day – every time I look at it I smile.”

“Make sure you have a wonderful photographer that not only captures the story of your day perfectly but one who cares.

Always go to sleep on a kiss, never an argument.”

I’ve loved bringing you Charlotte and Mark’s breathtakingly beautiful wedding – and if you’ve fallen for the gorgeous bride’s gown, be sure to take a peek at these Otaduy styles from our LMD archives. Thank you also to Zara for capturing such special moments of the couple’s big day – you took me right back to the stunning East Sussex location and loads of happy memories of my time living in Brighton by the sea.

Love Jo -xo-