We were thrilled when our FDB bride Claire sent her gallery along with all the gorgeous details of their wedding day in Robin Hoods Bay on the beautiful Yorkshire Coast.

You can feel the relaxed seaside vibes seeping through your screen and Claire’s infectious smile just makes her such a perfect bride.

Claire chose to wear ‘Portrait’ by Suzanne Neville. A stylish illusion back dress with an intricate lace bodice and a skirt made from the finest Italian crepe - the perfect centre piece for such a day full of personal touches.

A huge thank you to Claire for sharing her day with us and imparting her gained wisdom to help those currently planning their own wedding day. Continue reading below to find out all about it in Claire’s words.

Words From The Bride;

Bridal Fashion : I imagined my dress would be sleek as I was having a seaside wedding and wanted it to work with that but I went to the appointment open minded and happy to try a variety of styles, I mean who wouldn’t with an array of gorgeous dresses to choose from and the opportunity to feel like a princess.
My bridesmaids wore pale mint green to tie in with the seaside and we went for multi-way dresses so they could wear them in a style that they were most comfortable with. I wanted everything to feel relaxed as that’s how I feel when I’m by the sea.

Tell us about your most memorable moments when shopping for your dress. : Dress shopping was everything and more than I could have imagined. I couldn’t stop smiling, it was the most memorable part of wedding planning and I genuinely feel emotional when I think about it. I felt like the most important person in the world, it was pure luxury while still being fun and relaxed and I didn’t want to leave never mind take my dress off!
I’m so grateful for you waiting for my sister to arrive from Lancashire who was running late so she could be a part of my first appointment and never making me feel rushed and I will never forget turning up to my fitting and you handed me a little gift bag with a note from my sister after she’d been in and purchased the most gorgeous earrings, I cried happy tears!
Meeting you lovely ladies was like meeting old friends.

The location: We always knew we’d get married at the seaside and that it would always be Robin Hoods Bay on the Yorkshire coast. It’s our happy place and we have so many gorgeous memories of trips here throughout our relationship that it could never be anywhere else. We chose the Secret Seaview Chapel, a converted chapel overlooking the sea and we booked it the day after Rob proposed!

The main event - Your Wedding Day! : I woke up at 5am on the morning of our wedding and headed down to the beach to watch the sunrise, it was so peaceful and relaxed and I had it all to myself, it set the tone for the whole day. My bridesmaids came to the B&B I was staying at and Chris and Jane made us feel like royalty, we’ve been back every year since including our anniversary. I had the most fabulous time getting ready with my girls, we laughed all morning and enjoyed being pampered by the most amazing hairdresser and make up artist.
My dad was waiting for me downstairs at the B&B and Jane had hidden him in the breakfast room so she could open the door as I walked down the stairs....he sobbed when he saw me.
I decided I didn’t want a car to take me to the venue as I wanted to walk through the village. It was a gorgeous day and so nice to have that time with my dad. Everyone waved and cheered as we walked past. I arrived about 15 minutes late and Rob and our son, Oliver who was nearly 2 were waiting for me and as I walked down the steps, Oliver shouted ‘mummy’ which is a moment I will never forget. Once I reached Rob, I grabbed his hand and didn’t let go. We were married by my auntie who is a registrar, it was so special to have that personal connection and one of the many little details that made it so memorable including Robs nephew face timing my family in Brunei, Asia so that they could be a part of the ceremony and the 3 readings that our friends and family did, we’d chosen two of them but one was a complete surprise that my brother in law had written himself. The sun kept shining while we had drinks and photos in the garden over looking the sea, it felt like we could have been on the Med. Everyone had said that you don’t get to spend that much time with your new husband because you’re talking to everyone else but because we only had the people there that we really wanted and we only had 50 people for the day and night, it felt really relaxed and we spent most of the day together among everyone we loved. We decided to do our speeches first as my dad hates public speaking so I knew he wouldn’t enjoy his meal if we did them after, not that he had to worry, he had everyone in tears. Having a seaside wedding meant we were always going to have fish and chips and knickerbocker glory for our meal, it was perfect and everyone commented on it. After our meal we headed out for photos on the beach at sunset, Matt is so much fun to work with and we laughed so much. It was perfect to have that time alone with Rob on the beach and soak up the day so far before heading back to do our first dance. Me and Rob go to a weekly Latin and ballroom class so decided, as cheesy as it sounds to do a choreographed dance, we had so much fun with our dance teacher trying to perfect it in time for our wedding. For me it was the most nervous I’d felt but once we got into it and everyone clapped and sang along, I relaxed into it and we ended up doing it twice. We danced to ‘Can’t take my eyes off of you’ from Jersey Boys, we’d seen this on Broadway in New York when I was pregnant and it was the first time I’d felt Oliver kick. We decided not to cut a cake but instead my brother in law made us the most gorgeous ice cream inspired cupcakes, he really is a star. We chose a DJ rather than a band and we were recommended the local postman who also DJ’d, I was a little apprehensive but had no reason to worry, he was fantastic, played everything we asked and we were all on the dance floor all night long. At the end of the night we all walked back through the village together and met up with many of our guests the next day on the beach. Our day was everything we could have hoped for....small, fun, relaxed and surrounded only by our closest family and friends, I want to do it all over again!

Words of Wisdom: For someone who is generally anxious and likes to be in control, I was surprisingly relaxed throughout the planning stage. Rob had proposed in the May and we got married in the September as we decided not to have a long engagement so it meant I had to make relatively quick decisions, which I think was a benefit. My biggest piece of advice is only have people there that you really want and care about. The best advice I was given was don’t get too hung up on details, guests won’t remember what your favours were in 10 years time! I did a lot of the creative bits myself with my bridesmaids in the run up to the day and it was nice to have that time together to plan. I was fairly laid back when it came to decisions and was happy to be guided by the professionals if they didn’t think something would work. I had a couple of things that I knew I wanted....the venue and my photographer so the day after Rob proposed, we picked the date we’d had our first date for our wedding and booked them in and then worked everything else around that. Just enjoy it, the planning stage is a lot of fun....make lists and don’t get hung up on small details. You’ll be a happier bride.