Although Helen + Oli are currently land-locked Londoners, they both grew up near the coast and a lot of their special times together have involved the sea or a beach. Oli’s love of seafood is also particularly renowned so they were absolutely thrilled when they stumbled on a venue in the Kent seaside town close to where Helen grew up (that was not only a beautiful open space with lots of natural light + a beach side location), but was also called The Lobster Shack! :)

Their plans for the day quickly developed a seaside theme as that was such a natural fit for the setting. They also incorporated a few nods to Oli’s half French heritage – with a croquembouche (a traditional French wedding cake), wine sourced from the region that Oli’s family came from, and a French inspired menu. They wanted the day to be fun and relaxed, so they intentionally kept the ceremony readings quite light hearted and had an acoustic guitarist playing music with a happy Jack Johnson-esque vibe while people arrived, and during the drinks reception.

Congrats to Helen + Oli and thanks to McKinley Rodgers for the photos!

Processional: Pachelbel's Canon

Recessional: I’m Yours – Jason Mraz

First Dance: Ho Hey – The Lumineers

The wedding was really a wedding weekend rather than a day and one of the most special things for us was having all our favourite people together in a place that we are so fond of. The beach location was really important to us and as we were lucky to have glorious weather on the day seeing everyone make the most of the beach right into the evening was definitely a highlight.

Much of our wedding was DIY and it would not have been the same without the help and support of our brilliant friends and family. It really was a team effort in so many respects and we were really humbled by the effort that everyone went to for us.

Pinterest and wedding blogs are great for inspiration but don’t obsess too much about how other people did it – your ideas will come together in their own way. Go for suppliers who you trust but who you get on with as well – you’ll end up spending a lot of time speaking with or seeing them and it makes the whole experience a lot more fun if you enjoy their company.

photography: Pen and Cam of McKinley Rodgers // venue: The Lobster Shack at East Quay, Whitstable, Kent, England // floral design: Lotty’s Flowers, Faversham // wedding dress: Naomi Neoh, from Boa Broutique, Richmond // shoes: Next // bridesmaid dresses: Reiss // hair + makeup: Natalie Shirlaw and Frances Prescott // groom suit: Tailor Made // paper goods: Designed by us with help from my colleague James // catering: The People’s Food Company // cake: Creative Cakes // music: Acoustic guitar by Max Richards, Band was Penfold

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