Park view suite wedding photography Southend

My second wedding to take place in 2017 was the marriage of Andrea and Robert. They tied the knot at The Rayleigh Windmill followed by their wedding reception taking place at Chalkwell Park View Suites. I had met them in Autumn last year to complete their engagement shoot at Old Leigh. We managed to get some really lovely images, and I knew photographing them on the wedding day would be a blast. Below you can find out a little bit more about their day, what went into planning it and also view a few of their wedding images.
Park view suite wedding photography Southend

How did you meet?

We met on line, Andrea’s best friend was leaving the country and Andrea was looking for new people to meet. Our first meeting was to the v&a museum and friendship quickly became more.
Park view suite wedding photography Southend

How did the he propose?

We were on holiday visiting a friend in Zurich. We had some time alone and Robert popped the question while visiting the botanical gardens. Down on one knee, engagement ring prepared and everything.
Park view suite wedding photography Southend

What Wedding Venue/s did you choose and why?

We wanted something cute and unique for a small wedding, we didn’t want a big ceremony, just our closest family. The Rayleigh windmill was beautiful and we felt it was right for us.  The Chalkwell Park rooms ticked all our boxes for size and location for the reception. What tipped it was the staff, they’re all so friendly and helpful, full of advice and really calming when we were panicking.
Park view suite wedding photography Southend

Did you have a theme or colour scheme for your wedding?

Colourful, people who asked what to wear were told to make it colourful. We also had several different colours in the flowers.  Andrea made butonnieres and brooches for everyone who attended the ceremony.
Park view suite wedding photography Southend

What source did you use for wedding inspiration?

We did a lot ourselves and just went with whatever seemed to be “us”. A princess-style fairytale wedding would not have felt right to us. The bouquets were made of buttons, the cake was from a local cafe, the cake stand was made out of wood slices and broom sticks and even the dress was Andrea’s handy work.
Park view suite wedding photography Southend

If you could turn back the clock before planning started, what advise would you give yourself?

Start with a good list and slowly work your way through it in priority order. Getting stuff ticked off helps you relax. We used Trello, but took it us a while to get into it.
 Park view suite wedding photography Southend

What was your favourite photograph from the day?

It is so difficult to choose as there are so many great pictures, but maybe one of these 2
Park view suite wedding photography Southend

What song did you choose for your 1st dance?

Glenn Miller – boogie woogie – classic 1930’s big band swing song
Park view suite wedding photography Southend

Was “Gary Derbridge Photography” the right photographer for you?

We narrowed it down to 2 photographers, both of whom had excellent portfolios, and picked Gary for one reason: he is such a friendly guy and he made us feel relaxed and comfortable. You are working with the photographer all day, you have to get along with them, we’re really glad we picked Gary.
Park view suite wedding photography Southend

Your Suppliers?

Venue: Rayleigh windmill for the wedding, Chalkwell Park rooms for the reception
Wedding Dress: homemade – fabric and supplies from Walthamstow Market and Minerva Craft. The shawl was from Andrea’s grandmother, who had hand-knitted it when she was young
Men’s suits: Burton
Florist: Amy’s Florist (https://www.facebook.com/amysflorist2017/?fref=ts)
Cake: Anke’s tea and coffee lounge (https://www.facebook.com/AnkesTeaAndCoffeeLounge/)
Hair: Andrea’s friend Heidi – she has been my hairdresser ever since I have had hair
Make-up: Andrea’s friends
Videographer: buddies with mobile phones
Others: Dj Superstore for sound equipment, Southend Guest House and air b&b hotels for friends and family. AC taxis moved our guests around pretty much constantly

Park view suite wedding photography Southend