Stylish seaside wedding in Sussex - The Couple

Photographer; David Jones

The Couple

Talk about fate! Tovah and Simon were born in the same hospital five days apart but didn’t meet formerly until they were 17. “Although we had mutual friends we never got on that well! However, we both had a short spell at home after uni and ended up spending more time together. And the rest, as they say, is history,” says Tovah.

Stylish seaside wedding in Sussex - The Venue

The Venue

The couple chose the modernist De La Warr Pavillion in their hometown of Bexhill on Sea to host their wedding. “We’ve always separately held great affection for the building - both our grandfathers had connections with it and it’s visible from my mum’s sitting room,” says Tovah.

“We never considered anywhere else, and ended up being only the second couple ever to marry there!”

Stylish seaside wedding in Sussex - The Style

Tovah and Simon decided to let the striking building do the talking on their wedding day – “we wanted it to lead the look and style of the day, and to keep everything as relaxed and as intimate as possible,” says Tovah. “The building is a working theatre and very large, so we used 950 tea lights and candles to create a romantic feel.”

Stylish seaside wedding in Sussex - The Outfits

The Outfits

Tovah wore a stunning ivory dress from Vera Wang with a customised back and Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes. She accessorised these with a vintage velvet flower in her hair and some very special diamond earrings – “Simon had they made from a diamond ring I inherited from my grandmother - I have small fingers and the ring was too big I could never wear it,” says Tovah.

Simon’s sister Fiona was chief bridesmaid and wore a simple chocolate strapless dress from Coast - while flowergirls nine-year-old Martha and Emily, aged seven, wowed the guests in pink and cream dresses made by Tovah’s mum.  

Stylish seaside wedding in Sussex -The Groom

The Groom

Simon wore a simple navy suit made by a local tailor in Hackney, London, with a narrow navy tie and white shirt – and his choice of footwear was the talk of the wedding – a pair of purple patent Lanvin shoes.

Stylish seaside wedding in Sussex - The Flowers

The Flowers

Like Tovah and Simon’s whole day, the stunning flowers by Hastings florist Shimizu Flowers were kept simple and stylish. Tovah’s hand-tied shower bouquet contained lisianthus, astrantia and jasmine trails.

“For the ceremony we had four tall glass cylinder vases filled with white gyp - plus some small fishbowls accessorised with white gypsophila for the tables,” says Tovah.

Stylish seaside wedding in Sussex - The Reception

The Reception

After the ceremony, guests were led up to the pavilion’s sun-drenched rooftop for a drinks reception, followed by a wedding breakfast of fish pie with seasonal vegetables and rocket salad, and Tovah’s favourite dessert, syrup sponge and ice cream.

“Simon spent a long time making personal badges for each guest, and they worked as great icebreakers,” adds Tovah. Their simple fruit wedding cake was made by Tovah’s mum and decorated with two sequined silver birds - in homage to the couple’s married name - and a garland of gypsophila.

Stylish seaside wedding in Sussex - The Evening

In the evening, Simon arranged for a projector to beam photos of the couple, their family and friends on to an outside wall and swing band Five Star Swing got everyone in the dancing mood. “It was by the far the best day of our lives. I still can’t really believe how lucky we were,” says Tovah.