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Planning a Brighton Wedding can be fun and exciting! Here are some top tips to consider to make it easier
If you’ve decided to have your wedding in Brighton – congratulations! You made such a good choice: with an incredible range of alternative wedding venues, the sea on your doorstep and a cool, vibrant and liberal vibe, Brighton is the place to be. Whether you live in Brighton or not, there are plenty of options when planning your wedding here. With a thriving LGBTQ community and loads of gay and lesbian friendly hotels and bars, Brighton is also a top choice for same-sex weddings.
I consider myself lucky enough to live in Brighton – I’m a wedding photographer here. This allowed me to get to know people, to see plenty of amazing wedding venues and to understand what are some of the things engaged couples need to consider when planning a Brighton wedding.
Here are my Top Tips for planning an awesome Brighton Wedding
1. Know the distance to the Brighton Beach
Getting married in Brighton is an awesome opportunity to get some photos by the sea. The pebble beach, the piers and the sea offer incredible backdrops and can be such a fun experience. There are a few ways you can make this happen. You can have your wedding ceremony right on the sea front. There are plenty of venues you can consider for this: The Brighton Bandstand, The British Airways i360 or the Brighton Pier are as close to the sea as possible.
Another way to enjoy the Brighton Beach is to have some photos after the ceremony – consider a venue that is close enough for you to get to the sea by walking for 10-15 minutes. This way you can enjoy some time as newlyweds by the sea and get some amazing wedding photos. To be honest most of wedding venues within Brighton city are fairly close to the sea. Most hotels in Brighton like The Grand Brighton, The Brighton Harbour Hotel, Hotel du Vin, Mercure Brighton Hotel or The Old Ship Hotel are right by the seafront – you just have to cross the street.
2. Consider transport to and from venues
Brighton is fairly compact and it’s easy to enjoy a walk from place to place. The city is ideally placed for travel by rail, road or air as it’s incredibly well connected. With Gatwick Airport just 30 mins away – it’s an ideal location for friends and family to come from a far to celebrate your love. On your wedding day there are a few things you need to consider in terms of transport.
Some venues have a limited or fairly small number of parking so if you and your guests need to travel from the ceremony to the reception you might want to consider a couch for hire. Otherwise, I recommend just enjoying a walk around Brighton – if the venues are 10-15 minutes walk just don’t bother getting a transport. Enjoy the colourful streets of Brighton – it will also be a cool photo opportunity.
3. Take advantage of the whole range of wedding venues
Brighton is such a diverse and cosmopolitan city with an amazing range of wedding venues. From traditional to funky and extravagant, to historic and elegant or downright quirky, Brighton has it all. With over 30 wedding venues, you can have your pick depending of how you see your day.
You can get married in Brighton College if you’re looking for something traditional and beautiful. If history and extravagance is your jam then the Royal Pavilion is for you. Or you can have a peak at my list of top alternative wedding venues in Brighton if you dream of something truly unique. Trust me – all venues here have something really special.
4. Pick the right time of year for you
Living by the sea is definitely beautiful and during summer it’s lovely as you can enjoy long sunny days, amazing sunsets by the sea and the cool sea breeze. There’s no surprise however that from October and all the way to March it can be very windy and rainy.
As for light – from November to February, days are really short and it gets dark so quick you have to consider taking photos early in the day if you want to take advantage of soft daylight.
5. Be aware of festival and events in Brighon
Brighton has loads of events and festivals, pretty much every month. They can cause traffic disruptions, road closures and it can get really really busy. Some big events to note are the Brighton Marathon usually held on a weekend in April, Brighton Fringe festival which is for most of May, The Paddle Round the Pier beach festival on the first weekend of July, and of course the amazing Brighton Pride weekend on the first weekend of August. All festivals and events are really fun to attend, but can be a bit of a challenge in terms of logistics if you plan your wedding then.
6. Think if you need a wedding planner
Since I just scared you above with all the logistics (sorry) maybe you should think if you need a wedding planner or not. I’ve recently written an article that might help you decide. It’s filled with planning advice from Bev – an alternative wedding planner in Brighton.
Here is how she described the way to decide if you need a planner or not: “If you have a clear vision of your wedding in mind and know how to bring it together you probably don’t need a planner. If however you’re struggling with your vision or with how to practically make it happen, then a planner might be a great option for you. On the day itself if you go a lot of moving parts and/ or have a lot of different suppliers that aren’t used to working together, then a planner on the day would be a good idea.”
You can read more of Bev’s amazing wedding planning advice here.
7. Find the right photographer to highlight the things that matter to you
So you planned this amazing wedding that is just like you and screams of personality. Great! Now how do you make sure you have a wedding photographer that compliments your day? First of all think of the wedding photography styles you prefer: traditional (looking at the camera type of photography), high fashion (focusing on all the pretty details and making everything pretty) or candid-documentary (captured in the moment with a focus on reactions, smiles and connections).
I myself am the last kind – I like to focus on your story and personality, making sure what’s truly important to you will shine through. Most of my couples just want to have a hell of a time with their favourite people and just let me capture all the energy and awesomeness of the day. Here you can read more about my wedding photography approach.
I hope you enjoyed my article on Top Tips for Planning an Awesome Brighton Wedding. Hope this helps you plan an amazing day!