REAL WEDDING KATE & LIAM
Kate and Liam had their wedding in July 2021 at Spanish City, Whitley Bay. They are both such fun happy people and their day was a total reflection of this with smiles, lots of laughter and happiness all day long. Here Kate, very eloquently, reflects on their day…
The Proposal
It’s safe to say I didn’t make it easy for him. We were on holiday in Rhodes and he took me on a boat trip to Lindos. I was horrendously sea sick all the way there; we almost got run over by a heard of donkeys; it was 38 degrees and he made me hike to the top of the acropolis.
When we got to the summit he asked what my stress level was. I replied very sharply with “NINE!” So he didn’t do it there where he had planned. Instead he waited until we got back to our hotel balcony at sunset. He got down on one knee and proposed. I was so shocked that I leaped up and knocked over a table sending about 7 glass bottles flying over the balcony where they smashed 3 floors down, all over the restaurant roof. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Perfectly ridiculous, just like us.
The Venue
We picked the Spanish City in Whitley Bay. It’s an iconic venue that I’ve grown up with. After the wedding breakfast, we boarded double decker red busses to ride along the coast to Cullercoats Crescent Club – a local social club for a good old party.
The Morning
Liam got ready with his groomsmen at our house in Cullercoats. He had many friends staying from his hometown in Devon. My bridal party and I crammed ourselves into adjoining rooms and the Premier Inn next to the Spanish City.
The Ceremony
We chose a simple ceremony by North Tyneside Registrars.
Drinks & Photographs
Drinks were held under the stunningly restored dome on the upper level of the Spanish City and in their champagne bar. We had minimal photos of all of our guests because we wanted everyone to enjoy the day. We did manage to steel some time after the wedding breakfast to head onto the roof to take some beautiful photographs. The photography was absolutely stunning. Ed did an amazing job at blending in with our guests and capturing every special moment. We couldn’t be happier with our final images.
Dining & Speeches
The meal was simply beautiful. We chose local cod and haddock fish cakes, confit lamb shoulder with sun lush tomatoes and crushed potatoes followed by the most amazing creme brûlée. Our speeches were a laugh a minute. We had beautiful words from the best man Alex who had flown in from Spain especially and from my bridesman and long time friend Robb. The grooms speech was delivered via PowerPoint presentation including photographs of loved ones and witty tales of how we met. My mother is quite a character and her speech was like a comedy roast of everyone in attendance.
Cake
The mother of the groom baked a traditional fruit cake decorated in our colours with images of our miniature schnauzer Toby.
First Dance
We love dancing around the kitchen together so the music was very important. Our first dance song was Fleetwood Mac Landslide. It always makes me cry happy tears when I hear it.
Entertainment
Our families and friends love a good party and the music was vital. We chose to hire a band ‘The Elevation.’ They played well into the night and the dance floor was never empty.
Special Touches
Our flowers were beautiful wildflowers from an Alnwick supplier: Floral Gift. They only do a small number of weddings a year and use hand pick blooms from their flower fields. Our hairdresser was a family friend: Ross Downs. It was amazing to have him with us for the preparation and excitement of the morning. Simple, clean make up was all I asked Mink Studios for. I wanted to look like myself and I loved what they did. Our favours were pennies for seaside 2p machines. It’s a fond memory of one of our first holidays together and a nod to the history of the Spanish City itself.
Favourite Moments
My dad is a man of few words and didn’t want to make a speech so when he clinked his glass and stood up, my heart almost stopped. He had found out from Liam some days before that I had refused to walk down the aisle to Local Hero. So, as a fellow Toon Fan, he presented my now husband with his own NUFC scarf and surprised everyone by asking one of our guests Max to play us a song on the saxophone. It was Local Hero and it was perfect.
Top Tips For Future Couples
Honestly, just relax! Having postponed twice because of covid, it really makes you consider what’s important and what’s not. The finer details that couples get stressed about: the exact colour of chair sashes; the right weight of paper for invites or the perfect calligraphy font for your place cards doesn’t matter as much as you think! Take a step back and remember why you’re doing this, the rest will fall into place.
Outfits
I wore a customised version of Delores by House of Mooshki. It was stunning and worked perfectly with my Irregular Choice heels (I picked them first). Liam wore a blue suit from Moss Bross with a contrasting waistcoat and some brand new Dr Marten shoes (a decision he now regrets as, stylish as they were, he refused to listen to his fiancée and break them in first!).
Those who helped
Photography | Edward Ashley Photography
Venue | Spanish City
Hair | Ross Downs Hairdressing
Make-up | Mink Studios
Dress | House of Mooshki
Florist | Floral Gift
Routemaster bus | Henry Cooper Transport
Evening Catering | The Hog Hut
Evening Entertainment | The Elevation Band
With thanks to Edward Ashley Photography and Kate and Liam for sharing their wedding day with us
Make sure your day runs perfectly – view our latest wedding planning handbook here for lots of helpful advice for your Day
