Background
How did you meet your (now) husband? We met at high school.
How long have you been together? 11 years
Do you have a proposal story? It was Christmas day. He placed the ring inside a glass bauble with the ring hanging inside. It was hung up on the tree without me knowing. He told me to look for my gift that was on the tree. And there it was. Christmas is my favorite time of year, which is why he proposed on that special day.
The Wedding
What was your wedding date? 03/10/15
Location (Ceremony and Reception) Graciosa – Byron Bay
Where? Both the Ceremony and reception took place at Graciosa (House & Property). The ceremony was on the grass area and the reception was held in the old barn, which we had styled to suit our taste. We had afternoon cocktails by the pool and lawn games.
What made you choose there? We love Byron Bay, it has always been somewhere we have gone for weekends away. It Means a lot to us.
How did you find it? Byron Bay Weddings. The Byron Bay Weddings teams were AMAZING
How was the weather on the day? PERFECT. No wind or rain. The sun was out but not super hot.We couldn’t have asked for better weather.
What made you decide to get married on this particular date? We wanted to get married in spring, so thought the first weekend of October.
The Wedding Details
Theme? Relaxed & Rustic
Where did you draw your inspiration/ideas from? Pintrest
Were any aspects of your wedding D.I.Y? If so What? The wedding favors, “spread the love” jams. These were hand made over a few weekends by Tara and I, a few burnt fingers later.
Bridal Party
Bridesmaids – who/relationship? I had my sister Hayley & my best friends Tara, Emma, Laura, Mel, Abby & Ellen. I have been friends with all of them for a long time & couldn’t have got married without them.
Groomsmen – who/relationship? Cameron had his brother Drew and his best mates Dylan, Elliot, Cole, Sean and Luke. All long term friends.
Flower girls/Page boys – who/relationship? Sebastian & Hudson were my Paige boys (My nephews). Evie, the flower girl, is Ellens daughters. (One of the Bridesmaids)
Wedding Gown (the most important part!)
What made you decide to come into Karen Willis Holmes? I originally tried on Karen Willis Holmes dresses in Sydney. My two bridesmaids who live in Sydney took me out for a day of weddings dress shopping. After going to a few different stores Karen Willis Holmes is the one that stood out the most and suited me best.
How many gowns did you try? Maybe 15 in total
Where did you purchase your gown from (which store or stockist)? Paddington, Brisbane. My bridesmaids and I went and picked out the final one.
My dress was the Caitlyn gown by KWH. I had KWH do the initial alterations by removing the sleeves and to remove the back of it along with hemming it up. I wanted it to be backless as this was more me.
Once I was back on the sunshine coast I had the bust slightly cut down and the under arms lowered by 2 different sunshine coast based designers & alterations ladies.
What did you especially like about your gown? The sequins and that it was fitted. I knew I wanted to make a few custom alterations to the gown, then it would be perfect.
Fashion
Who is your bridesmaid dress supplier? All of the girls chose their gowns from various suppliers. As long as they were all neutral tones to be able to blend together. They could pick their own.
Laura – Her mum who is a designer make her gown
Mel - Zimmerman
Hayley- White Runway
Tara, Emma, Abby and Ellen - ASOS
Where did you get the groom and groomsmen’s suits? Roger David.
What accessories did you choose to finish your gown and also for those in your bridal party? I wore a Samantha Wills bracelet, as well as a thin bracelet that was a gift from Cameron on the wedding day.
My bridesmaids received a gift from me, which was a silver Krystal Knight bracelet.
Cameron made his own cuff links to give to the groomsmen
Where did you get your shoes from? Siren.
Did you wear a veil/headpiece? Where did you get this from? I wore a half flower crown made the amazing team at Flowers at the Farm in Byron bay.
What advice would you give brides organizing their wedding? Be organized and leave enough time for your planning. And overall have fun and just enjoy the moment and everything along the way because its over before you know it.
What advice would you give brides searching for their wedding gown? Try something that you normally wouldn’t.
Something Old? My Nana’s brooch that is no longer with us. I had this on my bouquet.
Something New? Samantha Wills Bracelet
Something Blue? A blue garter just for fun
Suppliers
Florist – Flowers at the Farm (Byron Bay)
Photographer – Stefan Jose from Sail Me to the Moon (Byron Bay)
Videographer – Samantha Smith (Laine Photography)
Music – Band (Dan Clark Band)
First Dance – Van Morrison, Warm Love
MC - Joe Woodriff (Close friend)
Celebrant – Jan Leader (Family Friend)
Stationery - Etsy
Menu –All Canapés and cocktail style. Byron Bay Weddings.
Cake – Love in a Cake (Byron Bay)
Bombonieres - "Spread the Love" Homemade Jam
Hair –Tara Liddell (Sunshine Coast)
Make up – Vicki Gunn (Sunshine Coast)
Wedding Bands – Michael Hill