Wedding of the Week: Charlotte Dobson and Thomas Crease

A DIY wedding in Dorset bursting with colour and character were the key ingredients for Charlotte Dobson and Thomas Crease's big day

The venue

Ever since I was little, I always wanted to get married at the seaside whether it was on a boat, in a hut or on a pier. We chose a venue that had the charm of a grand beachside hotel but also contained pretty gardens and easy access to a sandy beach - the Royal Bath Hotel in Bournemouth.

The theme

We love the aesthetic of 1950s vintage, and felt a beach theme which echoed our childhood trips to the seaside paired perfectly. We are a quirky couple so we wanted our day to reflect our personalities with as much vibrancy. Details included: pier style LOVE lights, pin-up halterneck dresses for the bridesmaids, a Polaroid camera guestbook, a confectionary filled ferris wheel, a 3D scanned cake topper of ourselves, and an ice cream cart that came from Tom’s parents’ favourite retro parlour from their younger days.

The dress

My maid of honour and I had a lot of fun trying on dresses in specialist charity shops so this helped me rule out certain styles. After ASOS Bridal launched, I saw the online brand Chi Chi London and fell for the label's Flora dress with lace sleeves. I wanted my overall look to go with our theme so chose pin curls and a classic red lip. 

The flowers

I chose foam roses that matched each of my bridesmaids' dresses and fashioned them into bouquets myself as a DIY project.

The suits

Tom preferred the traditional top and tails route and went to Moss Bros to hire his outfit. I got all the men matching lavender cravats, silk pocket squares and white boutonnieres which matched with the father of the groom and father of the bride. I wore a sash of the same colour to tie in with my groom. To further complement, Tom had Vivienne Westwood Orb cufflinks to harmonise with my accessories.

The bridesmaids' dresses

The bridesmaids wore brightly coloured Dolly and Dotty Penny Dresses with sashes to match each colour and petticoats from eBay.

The memories

The most memorable part of the day was seeing Tom’s wobbling lip as I was walking down the aisle, as it was hard for me not to get emotional. I walked into The Piano Guys - A Thousand Years and waited to enter until the rise in the music which, in hindsight, was a little mean as I made everyone wait.

The first dance

For our first dance we danced to the Baz Luhrman’s Strictly Ballroom version of Time After Time – we had been rehearsing for three weeks straight and were both nervous to put every step right.

The cake

The cake was a Marks & Spencer custom four tier cake with pillars. Our 3D scan customised cake topper from TwinMe London was the cherry on top. 

Top tip for other brides:

I wish I’d known not to stress about the weather as the forecast kept changing by the hour for our day and although we had a plan B to hold the ceremony indoors, the rain - however - did hold off just enough for our photos.

Steal their style:

Photography & Videography: Gulab Chaggar at Creative Planets, https://www.creativeplanets.com/
Venue: The Royal Bath Hotel, Bournemouth, www.britanniahotels.com/hotels/the-royal-bath-hotel-bournemouth
Dress: Chi Chi London, Flora, House of Fraser, www.chichiclothing.com
Shoes: Karl Lagerfeld + Melissa Incence shoes, www.ebay.com
Wedding rings: Pandora, Hearts of Pandora ring, www.pandora.net and custom cast Claddagh ring, www.jewelleryrepaircentre.co.uk
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Dolly and Dotty Penny Dresses, www.dollyanddotty.co.uk (petticoats from eBay)
Hair & Make-up: Bridal Treats, www.bridaltreats.co.uk
Groom’s outfit: Moss Bros Hire, www.moss.co.uk
Stationery: Save the dates, Vista Print (invitations and orders of service were handmade by a family friend and place cards were from eBay)
Flowers: Handmade by the bride, using materials from eBay
Cake: Marks & Spencer, www.marksandspencer.com
Cake topper: TwinMe London, http://twinme.co.uk
DJ, lighting, postbox, chocolate fountain and ferris wheel: Charlotte Louise Events, http://weddingindustryexperts.com/company/charlotte-louise-events/

For more real wedding inspiration, pick up the latest edition of Bride magazine.