Where do I even begin with these two – everything about them makes me smile. From their impeccable wedding-day style to their ceremony beneath the tree wrapped in blooms by Big Day Event Design + Styling to the tender moments between just the two of them so beautifully captured by Cecelina Photography, this is one for the books.
From the bride…Damian and I met just over six years ago, whilst I was visiting a good friend in Brighton. After two years long distance, I made the move and relocated from Newcastle Upon Tyne to Brighton on the South Coast. We truly have not looked back. Damian proposed on the May 3, 2015, on a beautiful private terrace overlooking Regent Street, at the Hotel Café Royal London over my favourite thing – afternoon tea! Our engagement was long because we really wanted to enjoy the moment and have lots of time to plan our most special day.
From the offset, we knew that we wanted a destination wedding in a location that was not too far for guests to travel. Whilst holidaying on the Cote D’Azur, we decided to visit a few potential locations. From the minute we stepped foot into the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, we knew that we had found the one. Although a hotel, it feels more like a palace. We immediately fell in love with its fresh and contemporary yet classic style. I had dreamed of a garden wedding yet Damian hoped for sea views, and this beauty ticked off all of our boxes whilst oozing a whole lot of old school French Rivera glamour. We knew our guests would love the glass funicular down to the Club Dauphin, too!
We agreed that our day should be intimate and meaningful, inviting just 35 of our immediate family and dearest friends. It was a priority for us that each and every guest felt incredibly important and special. Sundari, The Wedding Stylist, helped enormously with this. Each guest was welcomed to their hotel room with a beautiful welcome box full of French treats, curated to perfection by Sundari. She designed our crest and used this to make our day more personalised than I could have dreamed of, from stationery and gold foil napkins to water bottle labels and tissue pockets for our guests during the ceremony.
The luscious and pristinely manicured gardens provided the perfect ceremony backdrop. I had envisaged the ceremony under a beautiful tree decorated with florals. Big Day Design and Sundari certainly brought this vision to life – the florals truly took my breath away throughout the day. We had our friend, Becky, act as celebrant, since she was the reason we had met. We worked together to ensure that the ceremony was meaningful and special, and our guests were seated to almost encircle us, helping to create the intimate vibe.
The speeches were hilarious and warm-hearted, and followed the cocktail hour and music by the incredibly talented acoustic duo, Becky and Belha. We then lead our guests down to the Club Dauphin via the funicular. The table setting was beyond beautiful and made my heart skip a beat! As we sat down for dinner, each guest opened a personalised, hand-calligraphed letter from us – cue the tears! Dinner was superb, and the staff at the hotel were outstanding throughout our day. We then danced the night away under the stars, to the fabulous beats of Thomas Dusseune. Our day could not have been more perfect.
During the planning, I regretted not hiring a wedding planner; however I now feel immensely proud that I organised such a detailed and incredible day. I spent countless hours researching every single, tiny aspect, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. We are so very grateful that Cecelina Photography captured our day so perfectly to give us such precious memories.
Photography: Cecelina Photography | Cinematography: Ana Pastoria | Event Design + Styling: The Wedding Stylist | Floral Design: Big Day - Design Studio | Wedding Dress: Liz Martinez (by Kinsley James) | Cake: Wedding Cakes By Pamela | Invitations: The Social Page | Ceremony Venue: Grand Hotel St Jean Cap Ferrat - Four Seasons | Bride's Shoes: Kate Spade | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Essense of Australia | DJ: Thomas Dusseune | Groom's Attire: Huntsman Saville Row | Acoustic Duo: Becky And Belha | Bridal Boutique: The White Gallery | Bridesmaid Dress Boutique: Gemy Maalouf, Forever Bridal Finaghy | Celebrant's Skirt: Coast | Celebrant's Top: Revelry | Crest Design + Calligraphy: The Wedding Stylist | Crockery, Cutlery, Glassware: Duchess Butler | Earrings + Diamond Ring: Kellerwood | Gold Foil Napkins: The Whistle Press | Groom's Shoes: Magnanni | Hair Accessory: Deborah K Design | Linen: Northfields Linen | Reception Set Up: Riviera Organisation | Ring Box: The Mrs Box | Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar | Save The Dates: Minted | Welcome Box Seeds: Grace Alexander