Beachy Rustic Mint Wedding at Whitstable! Courtney & Zak

What springs to mind when you hear the term ‘Beach Wedding’? I’m assuming you think about jetting off somewhere tropical and sunny before getting married on the warm sand. Am I right? Well, in this blog post, Zak and Courtney prove that you don’t have to be abroad to have the perfect Beach Wedding.

In fact, you can have it right here in England. Zak and Courtney said ‘I do’ in The East Quay Venue in Whitstable and their wedding looks SO SWEET.

So, if you’re looking for the perfect beach wedding inspiration, but don’t want to jet off thousands of miles… look no further.

Words by Courtney. Images by Lucie Watson Photography.

I really wanted a low back on my dress so when I found this Serenal Bridal gown, I knew it was the one. For me, the back of the dress was just stunning – I loved the lace detail and train. I also wanted my veil to match the dress so went for the Spanish look – I think the veil was the cherry on the cake. My mum supplied my ‘something borrowed’, she lent me a bracelet and earrings in a pale mint to match the flower girl’s sashes.

I found the Bridesmaid’s dresses on Asos. I liked them because they were lacy and matched my dress as well as the flower girl’s dress. When I saw them, I thought they were quite unusual and I loved how different they were for a wedding. We had a plait theme going on for the hair and so added little flowers and gypsophila to create more of a beach feel. My maids wore shoes they already owned –  I just wanted them to be comfortable.

The first time I saw our wedding venue, I fell in love – it’s so lovely and unique. Zak and I adore Whitstable and always take our children there for weekend breaks. We didn’t feel the venue needed much decor wise, although, we did have a few pom poms hanging from the beams and spent the day before decorating the ceremony room with fresh green ivy.

Zak proposed on our first family holiday. We were on a beach in Rhodes and the kids had brought a bucket to collect rocks. Zak put the ring at the bottom of the bucket so when the kids asked me to look at the rocks they’d collected, I saw the ring. Zak got down on one knee with our two children and asked if I’d marry him and I, of course, said yes!

Lucie was the perfect wedding photographer, she was so relaxed throughout the whole process and knew exactly where to be to get the best shots. We really couldn’t be any happier with our photos – Lucie did an amazing job.

Zak met his best man at work, which is also where we met too – we are both really close to him, so there was no better choice really! Zak’s suit is from ‘Zara Men’ and his accessories are from ‘Next’.

We didn’t want anything too fancy for our wedding cake, just something with subtle touches to match the venue. I loved the rope going around the cake as it tied in with the beachy feel of the venue – the shells on the cake were actually shells my two children found on the Whitstable beach front.

I also wanted my bouquet to be subtle but beautiful, and that’s exactly what it was thanks to Helen our florist.  The bridesmaid’s bouquets and the groom’s party pins were gypsophila and the bridal party pins matched my bouquet.

Our first dance was magical. The band, ‘Herbie Duo’ played a slightly different version of the song ‘Angels’ by The XX. It was perfect – our children joined in halfway through and I felt totally complete in that moment.

Every time I hear that song I cry because the words ring so true for us.

See? The perfect beach wedding right here in good old blighty. Are you planning a beach-side wedding? Let us know!!

wedding credits / photographer: lucie watson photography / wedding venue: east quay venue / brides dress: serenal bride / grooms suit: zara men / bridesmaid dresses: asos / bridesmaid shoes: their own / hair: sarah / makeup: cheryl / florist: blue belle creative / wedding cake: julie / catering: east quay venue

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