Saltdean Lido Wedding of Hayley and Lucy
Read on about my first Saltdean Lido wedding. This is a way overdue blog post. Talk about playing catchup on all of my wonderful weddings of 2024! OK here we go!
Let me set the scene: Two dog-loving brides wearing the most stunning dresses, the beautifully restored Art Deco Saltdean Lido as the backdrop, unforgettable speeches, dramatic cliffs and moody clouds of the South Coast—all topped off with the perfect opportunity for some breathtaking blue hour portraits with the brides. What a fabulous wedding day!
I first connected with Hayley and Lucy via Hayley‘s mum Connie who had got in touch to say that her daughter and her wife to be weren’t weren’t sure if they wanted a photographer for their wedding. Connie thought they’d regret it if they didn’t, so wanted to try and help find one for them! I am so glad she found me and reached out.
I soon hooked up with the brides to be and after we spoke It didn’t take much for Hayley and Lucy to change their tune! We had a chat on Zoom and they were all in!
Lucy said “we really like your portfolio and we felt your approach spoke to us. Neither of us are particularly comfortable around the camera and you were very very reassuring. Everyone in your photos looks like they’re having fun and that is so important for us”.
Engagement Shoot with Basil at Stanmer Park.
The girls thought it would be a lovely idea to have an engagement or couple photoshoot, just to help them feel more comfortable in front of the camera. This was great! It meant I not only got to meet their gorgeous pup called Basil who probably wasn’t going to be able to make it to the wedding, but it was a fab chance for us to get to know each other a little bit better as well. This meant the girls knew what to fully expect on the day from me and were super relaxed for their couple pix on their actual wedding day. On the shoot amongst other interesting things I discovered that these lovely dog mummies were into Gothic cemeteries, botanical gardens and weird museums! They also loved rollerskating and baking bread. Awesome! I love that!
Saltdean Lido Wedding
Piano tuner Lucy and music producer Hayley who live in London were having a Saltdean Lido Wedding. The venue they had chosen was a Brighton and Hove landmark – the Saltdean Lido. This beautiful example of modernist Art Deco architecture is just a few minutes outside Brighton and has been restored to its former glory. Having a Saltdean Lido Wedding also meant great location. Right on the coast with sea views and views of the South Downs. The Lido is just a short hop from Brighton and walking distance to the beachfront promenade for couple pix.
The lido is the only grade 2 listed coastal lido in the country and opened in 1938. Richard WH Jones, the guy who designed wanted it to be the centrepiece of Satdeans’s seafront. It has been described as one of the seven wonders of the English seascape by English Heritage. It really is an amazingly cool building and has been beautifully renovated and bought back to life. I was super excited to be able to shoot my first Saltdean Lido Wedding. Check out the Saltdean Lido website at SaltdeanLido.co.uk for more info it’s really quite a stunning building. It’s the kind of building where every feature just blows you away, every direction you turn. From the sweeping staircase entrance, the spacious ballroom, the balcony/deck overlooking the pool itself. I also have to admit I actually took photographs of the toilets they were so lush!
Wedding Prep in Rottingdean
Lucy and Hayley‘s Saltdean Lido dreamy wedding day started with everyone getting ready together at Hayley‘s mum and dad‘s house close by in Rottingdean. I love it when couples get ready together, it seems to be way more fun and exciteing with all the wedding party hanging out together. The house was jampacked with bridesmaids, maids of honour, dresses, bubbles and brimming with excitement. I usually only stay at prep for an hour or so, long enough to feel the buzz in the air and capture all the fun. Both brides looked absolutely stunning in their own individual dresses which perfectly complemented each other. Beautiful. 💗
Saltdean Lido Wedding Ceremony
The brides wanted both their dads to walk them down the aisle together. At the same time….The lovely staff at the Lido set up a really large aisle and it made for some beautiful shots and for their wedding entrance.
Group Pix on the Balcony
After the lovely ceremony it was bubbles and canapés in the ballroom (and on the deck) for a guests who took advantage of the brief respite from the rain and storms that have been lashing the coast for the past week leading up to the wedding. I decided the best spot to take the group shots was on the deck itself. We later also managed to coordinate everybody for a large whole group photo of everyone on the deck with me looking up from below, with the pool in the foreground. Big shout out to Hayley and Lucy‘s helpers who rounded everyone up on the day and were awesome.
Couple Pix through the tunnel and on the Beach
Despite their initial reservations in front of the camera Hayley and Lucy were definitely keen for some lovely Saltdean Lido Wedding portrait shots. They wanted to brave it, even if it meant rain and I was so glad they did. It was so worth it. We walked the short distance through the Saltdean tunnel down to the beachfront. Even though it was pretty chilly, with the threat of rain it didn’t stop these two. We got some great images in front of the beach huts, in front of the cliffs and also on the beach with the moody sea and darkening sky as the back drop. Missing Basil, the brides stopped numerous times for some doggo time and to say hello to as many pups as they could! The weather played ball and didn’t rain. Then we were back to the drinks reception followed by a lovely wedding meal and some very moving and extremely funny speeches.
Blue Hour portraits
The sun set at 7:30 that evening and I wanted to take advantage of the light and get some extra special Saltdean Lido Wedding pix with the pool, the neon lights, the moody clouds with our beautiful brides contrasting so well. We had great fun doing this and I was super happy with the results.