From the Bride...Although I'd thought a bit about what sort of wedding I wanted, Andy had put no thought to the matter prior to our engagement. However, he did lay down some firm guidelines for me: nothing over the top (including my dress!), intimate, he didn't want our guests to be left to their own devices between the ceremony and the reception; and above all, try to remember what the day is really about! Armed with these guidelines, we started to plan our rustic, laid back Australian wedding. Luckily we were able to find an amazing venue called T'Gallant for the reception. It's a quaint vineyard setting in Australia's Mornington Peninsula and they served us a delicious meal of shared courses. In order to keep our guests occupied between the ceremony and the reception, we decided to have a dance to a traditional Australian bush band. It was a bit of a gamble but ended up being a massive hit with everyone!
To keep the day simple we dropped quite a few of the "traditional" wedding features, so we decided not to have a bridal party (our brothers and their partners joined us on our table for dinner), we also didn't have a cake or a bridal waltz and I was only convinced the day before to carry a bouquet by my friends!
We went from engaged to married in only six months and couldn't have done it all without the help of our families and friends. In the lead up they helped with jam-making, sign-making, flower arranging and sandwich-making just to name a few. They all also set up the pre-reception venue on the morning of the wedding. The day simply would not have happened without them. Some of my favorite touches were: my girlfriends doing all the flowers which were in little posies in tomato cans, the guest book alternative where our guests have written us messages to open on our anniversaries for the next 40 years, my little brother Jum playing guitar and singing during the ceremony, getting ready with Andy's brother (not having a bridal party meant that I didn't have anyone to put my dress on - you can see how stressed he is in the photos!) and laughing till we cried at the speeches.
It was an amazing day, full of lots of love and laughter. The only "guideline" that I didn't really follow was not going over the top with my dress. I'm so glad I ignored Andy on this one because I couldn't have loved my dress any more, it was a one of a kind that I wish I could wear again!
Wedding Photography: Narelle Sheean Photography / Flowers: Friends of the Bride / Ceremony Location: Red Hill Uniting Church / Reception Location: T'Gallant Winery / Wedding Invitations: Gogosnap / Bride's Shoes: Alannah Hill / Wedding Dress: Rose Zurzolo Couture / Bride's Headpiece: Doloris Petunia / Kid's Outfits: Olive's Friend Pop / Hair + Make-up: Amanda Forsyth