Um....Wow.

This is a first for me, a bride who's look has been influenced by the Edwardian era, sicilian vibes and Frieda Kahlo. I am blown away by Annahita's individuality, the mix of vibrant colours and the pretty yet authentic Mexican touches.

Annahita, her mother and her sister put the bouquets and decor blooms together themselves... I know right!? ruddy spectacular.

And the stationery and paper goods? the bride and groom designed and made all of it.

I have no words.

Actually that's a fib. I have lots of words, the first three being THIS. IS. AMAZING.

Annahita also talks about her make-up and what she used, This means I need a trip to the Chanel counter. Pronto.

Annihita The Bride: We chose East Quay in Whitstable to hold our ceremony and reception, which had a lovely, laid-back feel with rustic wooden tables and a mezzanine level for the ceremony, and is right on the beach.

I suppose I wanted quite a natural bohemian look, though I had so many influences this ended up evolving into an Edwardian/Sicilian/Frieda Kahlo style ensemble! In terms of make-up I was quite a low key bride, and after going for a Chanel bridal trial for tips, decided to do my own make-up-which actually turned out to be quite a rush after forgetting a vital piece of my hairdo that morning! I did stock up on some of the Chanel products the beautician used, I would really recommend Chanel Powder Blush "72 Rose Initiale", which gave me a really pretty pink flush which lasted all day. Also the Chanel Long Lasting concealer and lipstick in Paradis really pulled together my look.

I didn't want to spend too much on my dress telling myself it was only 1 day, but after a fruitless search of the high street I booked an appointment with the amazing Elizabeth Avey, who specialises in Vintage dresses from the Edwardian era, right through to 50s full skirted proms dresses. I instantly fell in love with the first dress I tried on-an original stunning Cream Edwardian lace and crochet dress which fitted me perfectly!

I had two bridesmaids-my younger sister Felicia, and best-friend Laura and two flower girls, Lauras daughter Iris, and Chris's niece Dominique. For their overall look, I really wanted a Sicilian Dolce and Gabbana-esque look, so went for tapestry prom style dresses in rich dark colours for the adult bridesmaids to compliment me, with red wedges and lace trim belts with vintage brooches to finish off the look.

We didn't really want a 'themed' wedding, but did take a lot of inspiration from Mexican and Italian wedding decorations to create our own unique look. We and our families spent a lot of time folding layers of brightly coloured tissue paper, to create our beautiful and unique flower pompoms which were hung by coloured ribbons all-over the ceiling in the reception and ceremony area.

The flowers turned out to be one of the main talking points, and I was really impressed and proud of how gorgeous they looked. Chris and I did a mad dash around the local supermarkets and florists a few days before, and stored the blooms in buckets of water in my mums garage.

Myself, my Mother Charlotte, and Sister Felicia, did all the flowers ourselves-starting with the two bridesmaids and my bouquet. We used a selection of bought flowers including peonies, roses, sweet williams, freesias, dahlias, gypsophila and carnations; mixed with cottage style blooms freshly picked from mine and my mothers' garden including french lavender, rosemary, forget-me-nots, daisies, foliage and aquilegia that came from my late grandfathers original plant.

The stationery aspect of the wedding was really important to us as we are both designers, and it was our chance to go all out and let our imaginations run wild! We did everything ourselves, from the Mexicana themed invites and printed envelopes, to the table plans, menus,place names, and napkins!

Personally I was really glad I did a small speech, I was nervous and found it quite hard not to get teary while reading it-but planning a wedding together is such a special one-off time , and we really enjoyed our DIY approach. Devising and working on new activities/decorations for our wedding gave us something to work on and enjoy creatively together, even if other aspects became stressful, and I wanted to thank Chris for being supportive throughout.

Tarah Coonan
Venue The Lobster Shack | Dress Elizabeth Avey | Shoes Zara | Wedding Stationery CL-AM | Floral Headpiece Kings Mile Florist | Blooms The Bride and Family