Charlotte and Sean’s colourful retro wedding was held at The Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, with their ceremony at Forde Abbey in Chard. Their theme was a vintage street party and having the day in two places meant the bridal party got a ride in a stretch Chevy limo midway through, complete with retro jukebox pumping out some old school tunes!
“I really wanted the day to sum up the sort of people we are”, began the bride. “We got a lot of inspiration from wedding blogs but we also tried to put our own stamp on what was to be our unique celebration. The Marine Theatre was the perfect setting for this as it was a bit run down (like us) but with bags of character and a warm heart!”
“I guess the 1950s focus made the day pretty Rock n Roll”. she continued. “The Chevy stretch limo, the circle bridesmaids and flowergirl dresses, the victory rolls and other vintage up-dos, and the bunting made everything all the more authentic. Not forgetting of course my original 1950s wedding dress which I bought from Elizabeth Avey! I was also pleased we had managed to print some old black and white photographs of our parents’ and grandparents’ wedding days. Most of our grandparents are sadly no longer with us, but just having them up on the wall watching over made it feel like they were able to join in the celebrations.”
“One of my best moments was the ceremony. It was incredibly emotional and there was not a dry eye in the house after our promises to one another. Even the Registrar went which was a first apparently! The love from all our friends and family as I walked down the aisle with my dear dad was something I wish I could bottle. Also the effort that both of us put in to our promises and saying things that were personal to us. Sean’s final line ‘til death or zombies do us part’ was very fitting given our obsession with The Walking Dead and everyone was in tears as I choked my way through my own!”
The couple splashed out on the food and drink, wanting everyone to have a great time. But they got really lucky on their venue which was, in Charlotte’s own words, “cheap as fish n chips!”
“The food was a big part of the budget but was worth every penny”, she explained. “We really wanted our guests, most of whom had travelled some distance in terrible Bank Holiday traffic, to have a really good feed! Pam and Gerald’s hog roast and award winning pies were a hit – although I don’t know what happened to them because they were gone before I could even get a look in!”
“The venue was amazing and the team there were brilliant in giving us the freedom to pretty much do whatever we wanted. Being a drama and dance teacher I could think of nowhere more fitting than a theatre to celebrate our special day.”
