Rob proposed to Mel last year whilst she was drinking a cup of tea in her pyjamas. I love his sense of occasion. They had just come back from a romantic dinner date and it just felt right, he says. Good man!
Anyway, they decided they wanted a winter wedding so that didn’t give them too long to plan it. Deciding on a venue wasn’t too hard for the pair of them as they both love their food and had not long before spent some time at the Gallivant Hotel in Camber, East Sussex. A boutique, seaside, foodie hotel.
The date was set for January 25th, 2014, just six months away. The second half of 2013 whizzed by and suddenly the date was upon them. Eeek!
I was delighted to be given the chance to photograph the wedding. Mel & Rob put a lot of thought and effort into making the day a memorable one for all their guests as well as themselves. Little touches like pick and mix sweets for all the ladies, hot chocolate mix for all the gents, and colouring in books for all the little ladies and gents….these are the things that make a wedding that much sweeter.
Mel went through all the normal pre-wedding emotions of excitement, nervousness, madness amongst others, whilst Rob was mostly cool, apart from one brief moment when he told me he could do with a shot!
The ceremony was really lovely with some close relatives reciting some funny and sweet readings, before the marriage was made official and the three-piece band took to entertaining the guests.
Dinnertime was nigh and the food at the Gallivant Hotel did not disappoint – delicious food platters for sharing were passed out around the tables and everyone had their fill. A few speeches later, following the consumption of many slices of multiple tasty cakes, Mel & Rob hit the dance floor with a freestyle first dance. Before everyone else got into the dancing though, Mel’s sister had one little surprise planned. She had managed to get most of the wedding guests to (in advance) record themselves on film singing along to ‘All You Need Is Love’ by The Beatles, and then get a clever video editor to piece it all together. Needless to say Mel and Rob were surprised and loved every second of it.
The DJ then cranked up the music and provided the guests with a musical journey that can only be described as eclectic.
As if that wasn’t enough, at about 10.30pm some bacon butties appeared from nowhere and disappeared just as fast!
What a brilliant wedding. A seaside winter wedding – a different wedding to match a different marriage proposal. Congrats to Mel & Rob – all the best for your life together.
