Hey again! How are you? As I sit to blog today’s feature wedding I can remember the first time I saw Natalie and Gareth’s photos and I would love for you to share the whole experience with me… so if you fancy it, listen along to the soundtrack with me! Wedding photographer Tracy Morter got in touch and told me their first dance was to Jack Johnson’s ‘Better Together’ — a song I love to bits! So click on the song title to listen while you scroll through the photos and read Natalie and Gareth’s wedding report 
I’m listening as I type!
It’s another beautiful wedding too — with a stunning Amanda Wyatt dress, stationery by wedding blog favourites Artcadia and a focus on celebration, food, entertainment and dancing… just a perfect wedding! The venue is The Boatyard restaurant in Leigh On Sea (Essex) and all the images are by my friend and fab photographer Tracy Morter.
Huge thanks to gorgeous couple Natalie and Gareth for sharing their day and writing a wedding report for the English Wedding Blog, which is at the end of the feature. Thanks also Tracy for being lovely and submitting the wedding!
Enjoy!
Claire xxx
Natalie and Gareth’s gorgeous wedding by the sea with a striking blue and yellow theme
Wedding venue:
St Mary the Virgin Church, Benfleet, Essex
The Boatyard Restaurant, Leigh On Sea, Essex
Wedding photographer:
Tracy Morter Photography
How would you describe your wedding style?
Traditional with a modern relaxed feel. We had blue & yellow as our main colours with a by the sea theme.
Invitations and reception stationery:
by the Sea Letterpress range from Artcadia Stationery Co. We purchased our invitations, menu cards and table plan from Artcadia. Our place cards we made ourselves from luggage tags, an anchor & tied with a navy saddle stitch ribbon.
What did you both wear?
Bride (dress, shoes, accessories): Amanda Wyatt Cadiz wedding dress in Champagne, Diane Hassall, Pearl Drift wedding shoes, Liza headwear, Jon Richard Jewellery
Groom: Moss Bespoke
A little about the wedding ceremony:
Small picturesque church dating back to 8th Century. We had a traditional Church of England ceremony. Bride’s entrance music was Prince of Denmark’s march. Hymns were Jerusalem and Guide me O thou great redeemer. Exit music was supposed to be Mendelssohn’s Wedding March but the church had a power cut as we were leaving, not that we noticed!
Which readings did you choose?
Extract from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (1802–1885) & Creation of Woman from the book of Genesis
Tell us a little about your wedding venue styling and details:
We hired a Camper van as our wedding car for something different and to go with the seaside theme. We chose the Boatyard restaurant for its location and modern feel. We were attracted to the venue as everything was in one room & therefore in the evening those that didn’t want to dance but preferred to stand by the bar could still be a part of the party. So many venues today have the bar in a separate room.
Our focus for the wedding was the venue, food, drink and the evening party. We opted not to have seat covers and sashes to try and keep table and general decorations simple but elegant and let the venue speak for itself.
The tables had low level centre flowers (calla lilies tied with the navy saddle stick ribbon) in a fish bowl surrounded by votive candles. Rather than naming our tables we had free standing table numbers made from wood and painted blue. Instead of a long top table we had a round table.
Our table was number 13 (Gareth’s lucky number) as mentioned in his speech our wedding date was 13/04/13, I have 13 diamonds in my engagement ring and we had 113 guests (all very spooky).
Our wedding cake was a mixture of cup cakes, mini cakes, fondant cakes and kept to the seaside theme. Our cake maker decorated them with life rings, rope, anchors, shells and on our top cutting cake she copied the anchor design from our wedding invitation and piled lots of different shells on top. She also made our favours for us which were mini cup cakes.
Wedding music and entertainment:
DJ – Dreamwave Events. Ben Eve Music — Acoustic Guitarist during welcome drinks and dinner. Individually selected party bags for the children. First Dance – Jack Johnson ‘Better Together’ 2nd Dance – Mumford & Sons ‘Little Lion Man’. We gave the DJ a feel for the type of music we liked, they did an amazing job and kept the dance floor full.
Memorable wedding day moments:
There are too many memorable moments to mention, but some that spring to mind was the cheer from our friends when the vicar presented Mr & Mrs Lewis, my dad’s speech, our first dance, the party atmosphere and Gareth said one of his most memorable moments was being totally surprised by my dress.
Wedding day advice:
Plan your budget carefully and try to stick to it, its easy to get carried away with the small things and just remember its about the two of you getting married and enjoying the day with family and friends.
Recommended wedding suppliers:
Tracy Morter Photographer
Flowers by Sophie Wilson
Artcadia Stationery Co
Hadleigh Hats – Shoes and accessories
Grace & Lace – wedding dress
Birds Bridal — Dessy bridesmaid dresses
DipDubs – Wedding Camper Van Hire
A Spoonful of Sugar — Wedding Cakes & Favours
The post A wedding by the sea in blue and yellow — Natalie and Gareth appeared first on English Wedding Blog.