Kat and Jim had a relaxed and alternative Brighton wedding which began at the old Town Hall in central Brighton, onwards to the Malmaison in Brighton Marina where they enjoyed an incredibly fun day! An old fashioned bus to the rustic wooden barn theme inside the Malmaison, no detail was spared helping create a very awesome wedding day.
First names: Jim & Kat
Ages: Jim 36, Kat 28
Wedding date: 11th june 2016
Venues: Brighton Town Hall and the Malmaison Hotel (previously the Seattle Hotel)
How did you guys meet, tell me all?
We met through a mutual friend at Easter in 2008. It was like Christmas and everyone seemed to have gone back to see their family. There was just a few of us down the pub and Jim was a friend of a friend. After a few drinks and Kat thinking that her friend had been talking to Jim for a little too long they hit it off. Pretty much since that day they have been inseparable and even when they tried to have the occasional Monday night apart they would end up seeing each other.
How did you get engaged, is there a cool story?
Unbeknownst to Kat, Jim had been planning to get engaged since Christmas. He went down the pub with her Dad to ask for her hand in marriage. Many pints later he had to be taken back to Brighton by her Mum! Jim had planned to make the proposal on Valentines day, which was also 30 years to the day that Kat’s parents got engaged. Our tradition for Valentines Day is to order takeway (usually a curry!) and watch horror films so this is all Kat was expecting, which meant when she was asked to model for a local clothes shop on that day she jumped at the chance. After having an amazing morning shooting for an advert she came home to a very tidy house to tell Jim all about her day. She knew something was planned but did not realise that this day was finally happening after 7 long years! That’s when Jim got down on one knee and started to say all of these wonderful things. Kat was so surprised (earlier that day when asked if she thought Jim was going to propose she had laughed out loud a resounding no!) that her facial expression was one of complete suspicion and total confusion. – for a second she thought there may be a Jack in the box instead of a ring! When she finally realised it was for real she burst into tears and accepted his proposal. He even bought her a stand in ring so she could chose her own (a wise choice). Jim had planned the whole day and gave her flowers and pink champagne. He booked a night at the Thistle Hotel (now the Waterfront Hotel) and they went ring shopping. Kat has never felt so special.
What made you choose your wedding venue, did you look at many?We chose Brighton town Hall as we loved the decor and the unique positioning of the seats in a horseshoe, meaning that family and friends would be surrounding us whilst we made out vows. We also wanted to keep the wedding small (a decision that later turned into a total pain in the arse!) and Brighton Town Hall has a maximum of 50 people so was perfect to create an intimate setting. It’s also next door to where we spent our first night as an engaged couple.
For the reception, the Malmaison is the perfect mix if being in the centre of Brighton, easy to get to, gorgeous outside space, in a calm environment. Also the hotel is such a nice place and Jim fell in love with the wood décor pieces! Kat had looked at a few and they all seemed to be in the basement and have no outdoor space. It seemed silly to wish for lovely weather and then spend the actually day in a room with no windows!
What was the inspiration/theme of your wedding?
Rustic wood barn. Essentially the idea is to try and turn the Malmaison Hotel into a barn. We would have loved to have the reception in a barn but wanted the convenience of central Brighton. Kat has been slaving away on so many DIY items from small wood slices as place names, to creating a photo table of family weddings, to designing their own table names by photo shopping their faces onto pairs of animals.
What is your first song and why?
Summer Wine by Lana Del Ray. We both really like this song. We were dancing one night in our sun room and this song came on and it felt perfect.
What would be your number one tip to other couples planning their wedding?
Kat: This whole process I have learnt so much and not just tutorials from Pinterest! First tip would be to get help with things. I had so many DIY things and didn’t quite fully appreciate how long they would take. I had a craft day in the end and got an amazing amount of help and creativity.
Jim: Don’t bother. – or do the next best thing and be so totally incompetent as to render your services useless during the whole planning stage. Leaving your future wife to do absolutely everything while freeing you up to maximize your potential as a slovenly drunk in a pair of dungarees, playing a banjo! – or whatever it is that floats your boat baby!
This stunning Brighton wedding was, relaxed, alternative and most importantly incredibly fun! Not only for Kat and Jim and their amazing guests, but I can honesty say i’ve not laughed as much during a ceremony and during speeches in a long time! Definitely not one that I will not forget in a hurry! Both Kat and Jim are extraordinary characters and are clearly made for each other. They compliment each other so well and helped create a wedding of fun and frolics, with the odd adult joke in for good measure. There was hardly a dry eye all day as this amazing pair kept their guests entertained throughout.
Kat and Jim, it was a real pleasure! Check out some of the best bits of this awesome wedding day.
In the spirit of this wedding, grab yourself a whiskey on ice and check out Kat and Jim’s relaxed and alternative Brighton wedding below.
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Wedding Suppliers
Hair & makeup artist: Mel Jenkinson
Website: http://www.meljenkinson.com/
Brides dress: Allure Bridal from Whyte Weddings
Website: http://www.allurebridals.com/ http://www.whyteweddings.com/
Bridesmaids dresses: JOY
Website: http://www.joythestore.com/
Suits: Eclectic mix – ASOS, Next, Marks & Spencers
Website:
Florist:Flowers Unlimited / Button holes made by Bride
Website: http://www.flowersunlimitedbrighton.co.uk/
Cake:Biggs Bakery
Website: https://www.facebook.com/BiggsBakery/
Caterers & Venue: Malmaison Brighton
Website: https://www.malmaison.com/
Decorators: Table runners, pom poms, chair covers, crate arrangement. Backdrop, photo table, sweet buffet, guest book, seating plan, table decorations, bunting, faux flowers as made & provided by Bride. Decorators arranged all of their’s a& brides items.
http://www.kcweddingsandevents.co.uk/
DJ: Sound Division
Website: http://www.sounddivision.co.uk/
Stationary: All designed by Bride including cards
Photobooth: Smiley Booth
Website: http://www.smileybooth.co.uk/
Videographer: Artistic Motion (Anna Carrington)
Website: http://www.artisticmotion.co.uk/
Transport: Southdown Historic Vehicles
Website: http://southdownhistoricvehicles.co.uk
Are you looking for a wedding photographer? Would you like someone who photographs it in an alternative, fun and natural way? Fancy seeing your wedding pictures on my Instagram and on other cool wedding blogs? Get in touch and let me know all about your day! I need to know the date, ceremony and reception details and most importantly all the ideas you have!
Let’s chat about your day!
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I am a Kent wedding photographer who has been featured within Your Kent Wedding Magazine, Rock n Roll Bride and Your Sussex Wedding Magazine, with images also published in the The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, The Independent, The News Of The World and many other large newspapers and magazines.
