Alex and Anneka are the coolest! They chose East Quay Whitstable as their venue and focused their wedding planning on food, alcohol and music… because “these are the main things that make a great wedding and that your guests will remember!” It’s a brilliant June wedding with a neutral palette and simple, elegant styling touches and florals. We’ve featured East Quay weddings on the blog before now, and it’s a venue which always has that boho beach drifter, cool and quirky vibe. It’s definitely a favourite for English Wedding, and I just know you’ll adore Alex & Anneka’s day!

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://michellecordnerphotography.com/index.html

How did you choose your photographer?

We found our photographer via the East Quay Venue Instagram page. As soon as we met Michelle and saw more of her work, the decision was easy.

Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!

We’re so pleased we chose Michelle as our photographer! Our photos were ready quicker than expected and they’re fantastic. Michelle captured our day perfectly and the photos bring back such happy memories each time we look at them. We can’t thank Michelle enough – she was brilliant on the day, we didn’t feel rushed, but she still managed to capture everything we wanted (and more), there were even times when we didn’t realise she was there. We’re over the moon with our gorgeous photos.

Tell us about the moment you saw your wedding photos for the first time?

We had a ‘sneak peek’ of our photos a few days after our wedding, while we were on our honeymoon… and we couldn’t wait to see more!
Michelle then got in touch to let us know that our photos were finished and that she’d uploaded them to an online gallery for us to view. We took Michelle’s advice and sat down together on the sofa with a glass of wine and relived our wedding day, watching our gorgeous photos slide by on the TV.

 

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

BEST DAY EVER – personal, fun, relaxed, understated, happy, windy

Your wedding style or theme:

Understated, but pretty – think fairy lights, hints of lace and white and green foliage. The venue is so quirky that we wanted to let it speak for itself.

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

Mostly recommendations from East Quay Venue.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Spreadsheets! Once you’ve done your sums, push yourselves to put a set amount of money into a dedicated ‘wedding’ account every payday and don’t be tempted to use it for anything else.
Also, don’t overspend on the little things, it’s easy to get carried away and it all builds up.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

Food, alcohol and music… These are the main things that make a great wedding and that your guests will remember!
We had a live guitarist in the day to keep everyone entertained and had a DJ in the evening for us all to dance the night away.

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

Etsy

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

Most people will tell you that the dress they choose isn’t anything like what they’d initially imagined for themselves – and I was no different. I’m so indecisive that I questioned my decision for a while, especially as my dress was one of the first few I tried on, but on the day and looking back now, I absolutely love it. I think the style suits me and the overall vibe of our wedding.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

WED2B

Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!

With a combination of our wedding being set on a pebble beach and me being renowned for dancing all night, I decided early on that I wanted comfortable shoes so opted for personalised white bridal converse with pearl toe. I paired this with a pretty pair of Beaver Brooks climber earrings and found a simple Thomas Sabo bracelet that complimented the look perfectly.

And what did the groom wear?

A three piece suit and white dress shirt from TM Lewin with a dusky pink bow tie from ASOS. Not forgetting the personalised cufflinks from Not On The Highstreet.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

Bandeau mesh maxi dresses in dusky mauve from ASOS.

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

DIY – I chose to do my own make up as I wanted a natural look and my hair was a team effort of curling and clipping by my wonderful bridesmaids.

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

A hand tied bouquet of white gypsophilia with dried lavender, freesia and soft pink veronica threaded through and eucalyptus around the outside.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

East Quay Venue speaks for itself.

Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?

For the table center pieces we collected glass jars and decorated them ourselves with an assortment of lace and hessian ribbons.

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

We had a three tier confetti wedding cake made by the mother of the bride. (vanilla sponge, chocolate and lemon drizzle)

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

Gary Nock performed an acoustic guitar set after the ceremony which complimented the venue beautifully and kept our guests entertained, the traditional ice cream tricycle went down a treat and I couldn’t recommend our DJ enough, Jordan was helpful every step of the way and kept the party going until the end.

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

You’ll bicker a little when planning – just know that it’s normal and remember the reason you’re both doing it.
Also, allow yourselves a few minutes minutes alone after the ceremony, it’s an emotional experience so take it all in.

What’s the best thing about being married?

Calling each other husband/wife!

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

Michelle Cordner of course! https://michellecordnerphotography.com/index.html