There’s something truly enchanting about Osea Island, a marriage destination with enigmatic exclusivity nestled only an hour from London. Over time Osea has earned itself a spot as one in every of my firm favourites, and I had the good pleasure of helping Cian and Emily plan their Jewish wedding here. Truthfully, any Osea Island wedding is, by nature, three things; magically unique, logistically complex and absolutely spectacular…three things I thrive on as a destination wedding planner! Allow me to indicate you around Emily and Cian’s celebration, within the hope that you simply too will likely be swept off your feet.
Why An Osea Island Wedding Is Special
Every wedding I work on is special to me since it is special to you, but Osea is really a marriage experience like no other. I’ve written so much concerning the island in my Showcase Blog and in my roundup of venues for a destination wedding within the UK, but there are some key features value mentioning again.
Positioned off the coast of Essex, the island is owned privately and accessible twice per day in 4 hour windows across a causeway. When the tide is in, the island is exclusively yours and huge enough to accommodate as much as 150 of your nearest and dearest (and more with glamping or for added guests who arrive and depart the island with the tides). It was the right destination for Emily and Cian’s celebration held over two days, with accommodation on site and a superb collection of event spaces for every separate element of their wedding.
Emily & Cian’s Wedding
The marriage began on the Captain’s House overlooking the beach, with Emily preparing alongside her bridesmaids. They were pampered with hair and wonder by Sophie Fleur Beauty and Alan Brent, before Emily wearing her stunning floral detail bridal gown with detachable skirt. Her bridesmaids wore elegant rust-coloured silk dresses, and the shots of all of them walking together from the home to the ceremony are a few of my favourites.
The Jewish wedding traditions at Emily and Cian’s Osea Island wedding were captured beautifully by Jamie Dunn Photography, starting with the ‘bedecken’. This was Cian’s first have a look at his latest bride, with the standard lowering of the veil prior to the chuppah. Their Rabbis were husband and wife team Gabe and Rose, with Rose being Emily’s first cousin. This made the ceremony personal and particularly special for the couple. The chuppah was held within the grounds of the Captain’s House, and the cover itself was styled with wild peach and pale pink florals by Arcade Flowers. The backdrop for the ceremony and the drinks reception was the attractive house on one side and the ocean on the opposite, giving the sensation of total seclusion.
Guests then took a leisurely walk around to the ‘Bomb Factory’ (the island may be very walkable!) which is Osea’s largest event space, and was originally built to create bombs during World War II. It has now been repurposed as a contemporary event space, and has a capability large enough for many wedding dinners. The space may be very versatile and offers a blank canvas, nonetheless this implies it takes a little bit of dressing and styling to create the magic.
For Cian and Emily’s dinner and dancing we transformed the space with warm, cosy, candlelit romance – draping by MiaSylvia and thoughtful table dressing using Just 4 Linen table linens and Whitehouse Crockery brought a touch of magic. The room was elevated with wild floral ceiling installations echoing the chuppah decor, and beautifully curated table florals nestled among the many place settings and candles. It was a joy to bring together, and more so to see Emily, Cian and all their guests treated to a vegan feast there by Social Pantry.
Later within the evening, guests moved over to ‘The Shack’ for the party. The Shack offers quirky indoor spaces and fields to encourage a festival atmosphere, and Emily and Cian’s celebration was rounded off perfectly here.
Entertainment throughout the marriage was provided by House of Lemon. Their wonderful harpist played for the ceremony, followed by their folk trio on the drinks reception and early a part of dinner. DJ and percussion combo Dos Tiempos took over for the party. The entertainment also included an lively session of Israeli dancing immediately prior to the beginning of dinner.
The next morning The Shack also played host to the post wedding brunch, which is becoming an evermore popular option to increase a marriage celebration. Particularly with a venue resembling Osea Island, you’ll be able to transform a marriage day into an entire experience for you and your guests. Emily and Cian’s brunch was the right method to get their guests together for a final time, before the causeway opened up within the early afternoon and so they departed the island.
If the thought of an Osea Island wedding gives you those latest love butterflies, I could be honoured to show you how to put together an unforgettable destination wedding right here within the UK. Whether you’re planning a conventional Jewish (or Jew-ish!) celebration or just crave a singular wedding weekend, I’d love to listen to from you. Fill in my contact form and together we will take step one towards planning a luxury island wedding in your discerning tastes.
