Australia Wedding from CL Weddings and Events
From the second I laid eyes on this Australian wedding day, I knew we were in for something special. Something so special, it could summons squeals across the blogosphere with just one look. From CL Weddings' impeccable planning to the bride's backless blue dress, it's the latest wedding to find a permanent home on my love list. Jodi McDonald captured the day in stunning fashion, and it's all sitting pretty right here.
From the Bride...We wanted our guests to feel like they had come over to our house for a party. You know when you're a kid and your parents are having a few friends over for a BBQ and your mum spends the day cleaning the house, your dad mows the lawn and you spend the night doing cartwheels on the grass. Sally and Neil from Yandina Cattle Station made me feel like the property was my home and we were planning a big party with my friends. Just this time, I wasn't allowed to do cartwheels on the grass. And I think Ryan and I realised that we had achieved this vision, when we came back from having a few professional photos taken and our friends were running around on the grass. All we could hear were people laughing and having such a good time. That's all we wanted.
There were a few unique details as Ryan and I aren't very traditional. I arrived at the wedding in my dad's old landcruiser. He was very cute, in spending many hours painting the truck for our special day. However, what he did overlook, was whether the cruiser could make the trip from Bundaberg to the Sunshine Coast. I think was is usually a 5 hour drive, took him 8 hours. He put his new son in law to work the day after the wedding changing the radiator so it would survive the trip home. We really wanted everyone to have a good time - and this included our bridal party. So we didn't take them along to the professional photo shoot and left them to enjoy themselves with their family and friends. Jodi instantly understood what Ryan and I were looking for and what we wanted to achieve. We also had a great chemistry which I think is important when seeking a photographer. I loved her enthusiasm towards our day - she felt like a guest of ours at the wedding. We're delighted with the photos, she's captured the moments perfectly.
Ryan and I also sat on our own table as we knew we wouldn't be sitting down for long so it wouldn't have been fair to make them sit away from their partners. There was no cutting of the cake, or throwing of the bouquet and the only speeches were from the bride and groom. My favourite part of the night was actually Ryan and I running down an aisle of sparklers to what my friends called it - the closing ceremony. That was so exciting and a great entry to married life.
We made the centrepieces and place settings ourselves. Mum and her friends had been collecting jars for months! We met on the Sunshine Coast for a day where we had a wedding bootcamp and knocked over all of the decorations. The place settings were my favourite. We made them out of white air drying clay and individually stamped everyone's names. The funny part was that we made these even before the invitations when out so in total I think we made approximately 160 love heart place settings. I then tied a charcoal ribbon through each of them and painted them with a light dusting of shimmer. On the night, everyone was wearing them as bracelets with I didn't anticipate - but was lovely to see. I also handmade my sister's flower strap for her bridesmaid dress. Each flower took approximately an hour to make, so there were approximately 9 of them. But I think it looked gorgeous and each of the bridesmaid dresses were slightly different and complimented their personalities.
I thought I would have been more nervous but I did use the best wedding coordinator, Carly from CL Weddings and Events, so I really had nothing to worry about. I knew that Carly would not only take care of everything, but I don't think I expected how great having her there would be. It was a common theme the next day "who was your coordinator, she was amazing?" We spent the day getting ready at the cottages which was so peaceful and relaxing. I'd heard from so many brides that the day goes so fast so I was conscious to take everything in and enjoy every second, which I did.
Wedding Photography: Jodi McDonald Photography | Wedding Venue: Yandina Station | Wedding Planning: CL Weddings and Events | Floral Design: Green and Bloom | Officiant: Natalie Banner, From This Moment Ceremonies | Band: Speakeasy | Cake: Alowishes Delicious | Wedding Dress: Johanna Johnson | Veil: Kristi Bonnici | Bridesmaid Dresses: Zimmerman | Hair: Hair by Nicola | Makeup: Pru Edwards | Groom's Suit: Tom Ford | Groomsmen: Hugo Boss
There were a few unique details as Ryan and I aren't very traditional. I arrived at the wedding in my dad's old landcruiser. He was very cute, in spending many hours painting the truck for our special day. However, what he did overlook, was whether the cruiser could make the trip from Bundaberg to the Sunshine Coast. I think was is usually a 5 hour drive, took him 8 hours. He put his new son in law to work the day after the wedding changing the radiator so it would survive the trip home. We really wanted everyone to have a good time - and this included our bridal party. So we didn't take them along to the professional photo shoot and left them to enjoy themselves with their family and friends. Jodi instantly understood what Ryan and I were looking for and what we wanted to achieve. We also had a great chemistry which I think is important when seeking a photographer. I loved her enthusiasm towards our day - she felt like a guest of ours at the wedding. We're delighted with the photos, she's captured the moments perfectly.
Ryan and I also sat on our own table as we knew we wouldn't be sitting down for long so it wouldn't have been fair to make them sit away from their partners. There was no cutting of the cake, or throwing of the bouquet and the only speeches were from the bride and groom. My favourite part of the night was actually Ryan and I running down an aisle of sparklers to what my friends called it - the closing ceremony. That was so exciting and a great entry to married life.
We made the centrepieces and place settings ourselves. Mum and her friends had been collecting jars for months! We met on the Sunshine Coast for a day where we had a wedding bootcamp and knocked over all of the decorations. The place settings were my favourite. We made them out of white air drying clay and individually stamped everyone's names. The funny part was that we made these even before the invitations when out so in total I think we made approximately 160 love heart place settings. I then tied a charcoal ribbon through each of them and painted them with a light dusting of shimmer. On the night, everyone was wearing them as bracelets with I didn't anticipate - but was lovely to see. I also handmade my sister's flower strap for her bridesmaid dress. Each flower took approximately an hour to make, so there were approximately 9 of them. But I think it looked gorgeous and each of the bridesmaid dresses were slightly different and complimented their personalities.
I thought I would have been more nervous but I did use the best wedding coordinator, Carly from CL Weddings and Events, so I really had nothing to worry about. I knew that Carly would not only take care of everything, but I don't think I expected how great having her there would be. It was a common theme the next day "who was your coordinator, she was amazing?" We spent the day getting ready at the cottages which was so peaceful and relaxing. I'd heard from so many brides that the day goes so fast so I was conscious to take everything in and enjoy every second, which I did.
Wedding Photography: Jodi McDonald Photography | Wedding Venue: Yandina Station | Wedding Planning: CL Weddings and Events | Floral Design: Green and Bloom | Officiant: Natalie Banner, From This Moment Ceremonies | Band: Speakeasy | Cake: Alowishes Delicious | Wedding Dress: Johanna Johnson | Veil: Kristi Bonnici | Bridesmaid Dresses: Zimmerman | Hair: Hair by Nicola | Makeup: Pru Edwards | Groom's Suit: Tom Ford | Groomsmen: Hugo Boss