OF YOUR SunshineLove

Anna and Dan’s August wedding was perfect in every way

Images courtesy of Chocolate Chip Photography

Anna and Dan knew each other from a young age, but didn’t start talking until years later. “Dan was in Australia, and I’d booked to go travelling there,” says Anna. “We got chatting over Facebook about where I needed to go and stay; before planning on meeting up – however, Dan came home from his travels early for a job. I travelled for six months while Dan was home, and throughout that time we spoke every day. He picked me up from the airport when I landed – and that was that!” Dan proposed after the couple had been together for four years. “It was at the beginning of December; my favourite time of year,” says the bride. “Dan took me away for the night to Alnwick, proposing at Alnwick Garden’s Treehouse Restaurant. It was a total surprise, as even though we’d spoken about getting married, we were busy renovating our house, so agreed that was our priority. Needless to say, I was delighted!”

The couple set the date of 11 August, 2022, choosing Barn on the Bay as their venue. Here, Anna tells us more about their incredible day… never wear white, so I loved how the dress had a nude underskirt. I also don’t like anything fussy, so the embroidered detail was perfect.

We wanted our wedding to be laidback; and Barn on the Bay totally fitted that brief. We also loved how close the venue was to the beach –one guest even went for a dip on the day!

To go with our bohemian theme, I wanted dried flowers which included pampas grass. The bouquets also featured subtle sprays of rose gold, just because I love the colour!

We made the table plan ourselves. We took ideas off Pinterest, did a bit of shopping for collage photo frames on eBay, and printed the table plans off.

Neither of us are cake lovers, and we know friends who gave out cake weeks after their wedding. We instead decided on a selection of chocolate brownies, which went down a treat.

The bouquets were used as centre pieces for the tables, with Barn on the Bay also discussing with us the type of colours and textures we wanted for the tables.

The wedding arch featured one of my own macramé pieces, which I do as a hobby in my spare time. It’s now available to hire via our florist, so I’m excited to see it at other weddings!

We asked a select number of friends and family to drive us in their cars. My godfather drove me, my dad and my sister, and it was extremely helpful having the usual family banter to calm my nerves.

We actually didn’t get legally married on our wedding day, choosing our close friend, Sonny, as our officiant. We chose our own vows and Sonny also included a poem which defined marriage.

Out of the two of us, it’s always me who blubbers at things like weddings, but Dan actually became quite emotional when we were saying our vows, which I didn’t expect.

I absolutely love green, so it was always going to be the colour theme for our day. I asked my bridesmaids to choose their own dress style as long as it was in… you guessed it… green!

Dan and his groomsmen wore lightweight beige linen suits, which perfectly complemented our bridesmaids’ dresses – and also kept them cool in the heat.

Food was always going to be a big part of our day, choosing Acropolis after being regular customers of theirs. It was exactly what we wanted; relaxed, informal and delicious!

We wanted live music rather than a playlist or a DJ. JustSO sang throughout our ceremony and reception drinks, creating the atmosphere we wanted while everyone mingled.

We also had the band Midnight Train perform for the evening. They got everyone up on their feet, including one of our caterers, who also happens to be a professional Greek dancer!

Make sure you steal each other away for a bit, leaving your guests to go and hide! We took a drink and plate of appetisers and sat with each other for 10 minutes with no one else around.

Photography, Chocolate Chip Photography https://chocolate-chip.co.uk | Venue, Barn on the Bay www.barnonthebay.com

Videography, www.tynedigital.co.uk | Anna’s dress, Elizabeth George Bridal https://elizabethgeorgebridal.co.uk | Suits, ASOS www.asos.com | Hair, Amari Bridal Hair Specialist by Gemma www.instagram.com/amari_bridalhairbygemma | Make-up, Make-up by Gabrielle www.instagram.com/makeupbygabrielle_x | Flowers, The Bloomin’ Gals www.instagram.com/bloomingalsgardencentre

Daytime catering, Acropolis Street Food https://acropolis-street-food.co.uk | Evening catering, KK Catering www.kkcatering.co.uk

Brownies, Big Boy Brownies https://bigboybrowniesbakery.co.uk | Rings, Old Eldon Jewellers www.old-eldon-jewellers.co.uk

Daytime entertainment, JustSO https://amvlivemusic.com/artists/justso | Evening entertainment, Midnight Train www.alivenetwork.com/bandpage.asp?bandname=Midnight%20Train