Couple 'first to get wed' on the pebbles of Brighton beach

Grace and Adam Skelton, live together in Kent and met in Australia, before travelling the world together.

When they decided to get hitched, they could have chosen anywhere in the world, but they chose Brighton beach.

The couple had a vision of getting married on the pebbles with their guests sitting on deckchairs with a view of the sea, and as Grace was born in Brighton, they felt the city would be the perfect place to get married.

But they had to overcome a few hurdles to make that dream a reality.

In the UK, you can't legally get married in the open air, as weddings must be performed in a 'licensed structure'.

They called in Samantha Goodchild of Infinite Love, who is well practised in getting round problems and performing wedding ceremonies in unusual places.

Grace and Adam decided to do the legal part of the wedding at a registry office, but saved their vows and ring exchange for the actual ceremony in front of friends and family on the beach on Saturday, July 29.

But this threw up another problem, as they needed to get permission for this part of the ceremony to go ahead on the beach.

Al Fresco restaurant used its contacts at the council's Sea Front Office to obtain permission for the wedding to take place, and between them, Al Fresco and Samantha organised everything Grace and Adam wanted to make their wedding perfect.

Samantha said: "As you can imagine, Grace and I were checking the weather forecast obsessively the week before. On the day, it was a warm dry morning but we could see the rain clouds on their way.

"The ceremony started at 1pm and half way through, the rain started. We decided to carry on regardless. The camaraderie among the guests was brilliant. Their brollies went up and Alfresco’s owner came running out with a large white umbrella for the bride and groom. There was lots of laughter and a couple of the Scottish ushers claimed that this weather was still tropical for them! We attracted a crowd as passers-by stopped to watch, take photos and film it. Afterwards, one onlooker said to me ‘only in Brighton'!”

The couple’s love of the beach was reflected in all kinds of thoughtful details including having beach themed flowers, the bride and bridesmaids wearing flat sandals for walking across pebbles and staying as close to the beach as possible throughout.

As a surprise for the guests, Grace and Adam took them on a flight on the British Airways i360 before spending the rest of the celebration in Al Fresco.