We’ve been speaking to some of our previous wedding couples to ask them about their experience at the Atlantic Hotel. This month we spoke to Elysha to ask about her special day at the Atlantic with husband Joseph.
Your wedding photos look stunning, what led you to choose the Atlantic Hotel for your big day?
Joe and I had been together for nine years before we chose to get married at the Atlantic. In August 2009, Joe took me to Newquay for my birthday and his friends had recommended we dine at the Atlantic’s Silks Bistro and Champagne Bar.
We had a wonderful meal there, it was incredibly romantic and we fell in love with the hotel completely. The following year Joe surprised me with a stay at the Atlantic Hotel—we stayed for two nights and had a beautiful suite with breath-taking views of the Atlantic Ocean. Every year since our first visit in 2009, we’ve spent my birthday there and it’s become a very special place for both of us.
When we were discussing wedding plans in early 2014, we both knew that the Atlantic Hotel would be perfect. We only had one concern – distance. We live in Southampton and so do most of our family and friends. In July, Joe surprised me with another trip to the Atlantic Hotel and proposed to me in Huer’s Hut overlooking the sea. Then he arranged a surprise meeting with the Atlantic wedding planners and we set our date. After speaking with the helpful and friendly Atlantic team, all of our concerns washed away and it was the happiest day of our lives.
Did you have a theme for your wedding?
Our wedding theme was a nautical one as Joe and I met in a pub called the Key and Anchor. We’ve spent a lot of time on boats together and as we were at the Atlantic, surrounded by gorgeous ocean, it only seemed fitting.
The hotel is so classy; it wasn’t hard to have a romantic and luxurious wedding with a nautical touch.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Our favourite part of the day was most definitely the ceremony. Despite a few hiccups like my dress zip breaking in the morning, the day was a huge success. As soon as I started walking down the aisle of the Great Ballroom, the sun shining through the tall windows, our loved ones smiling, and Joe at the end of the red carpet aisle waiting for me under the arch, it felt real.
We also loved that there were plenty of places inside and outside the hotel to have stunning wedding photos taken that we can cherish forever.
What did you have for your wedding meal?
We chose two menu options and both were utterly stunning. We had minestrone soup and prawn cocktail starters, lamb and turkey roast, and fruit platters and lemon mousse – delicious!
Do you have any top tips for future Atlantic Hotel brides?
Yes, drink in Silks Bistro and Champagne Bar the night before the wedding! The Atlantic team were considerate enough to section an area off for us so we could enjoy some delicious cocktails together. It really was a fantastic last night of being a ‘Miss’, all the guests were in awe of the venue and it was just a really lovely time. I’d also recommend staying over the night before. My bridesmaids and myself stayed in a suite and we had so much fun! Having a night of laughter and bubbly really helps to calm the nerves!
My only other advice to happy couples looking at the Atlantic Hotel as a wedding venue would be, hurry up and book! We’d like to say a massive thank you to the whole of the Atlantic Hotel team for making our wedding such a special day.
Photographs courtesy of Paul Rees who captured an amazing day!
