JUST MARRIED

• STACEY'S DAY OF MAGIC
• LOVE THE SECOND TIME AROUND - A STORY OF MY DAD, MARLENE AND THE BEAUTIFUL LADY THAT WAS MY MUM
• KAYLENE'S DAY OF MAGIC + GROOMS VIEW - Crowned "Bride of the year 2011"
• BELINDA'S DAY OF MAGIC
• KATIE'S DAY OF MAGIC
• KIRRELEE'S DAY OF MAGIC
• LIBBY'S DAY OF MAGIC
• BELINDA'S DAY OF MAGIC
• STEPHANIE'S DAY OF MAGIC
• ALEX'S DAY OF MAGIC
• SHEREE'S DAY OF MAGIC

How it all started

Well, to be honest I’m not sure if we both know how it started! We somehow became friends on a social networking site and it all went from there! After numerous conversations we found out how close we worked to each other, all the interests we shared and more that lead to us becoming friends so quickly.

Our first encounter face-to-face was at a nightclub in the city. I was out with friends and thought it was probably the most comfortable place to meet this mysterious boy. Brodie was standing down the end of the street with friends on the night talking himself out of meeting me as he was too nervous. It wasn’t until his ‘sister’ (who by the way ended up just being a friend) came up to me and told me about his nerves. I told her to tell him that there was a beer waiting for him if he decided to come in - nothing like a little bribery to get something you want right!? And it worked!

The Proposal and the Ring

For our one year anniversary of being together, we planned a trip to Queensland. We took a drive up to Mount Tamborine on the day of our anniversary and stopped in to McDonalds on the way for lunch… who knew the proposal would start with a 5 star meal!

We drove around for a while trying to find the perfect lookout and I couldn’t understand why it was so important. We eventually decided to head down a walking trail to get to a particular look out. It wasn’t long after that I was running back up that hill because we were walking in thongs and there were too many rustles in the bushes for my liking!

Brodie got down on one knee once we were back at the top and told me his feelings. I have never seen him so nervous before and I have never felt so shocked afterwards! When I asked how he knew what ring to pick, his answer was “well you know that junk mail that went missing… I cut out the picture of the ring you pointed to months ago and took it to a jeweller to get made”. How could I have not said yes!



Photographer

Our photographer made us feel comfortable throughout the whole process of planning our photos, especially when the big day arrived. We could not thank her enough for the beautiful memories that we have forever.



Hair Stylist

Deciding on a hair stylist was probably one of the most daunting things I had to choose. I didn’t know what I wanted, what would look best or how my thin hair would take to any styles!

I found Jeanette from Flair4Hair & BDB through the Bridal Discount Book. As soon as I contact her, I knew I didn’t want any other hair stylist. She made me feel so welcome and suggested ideas that would suit my hair type.

All of the girls, including my Mum had the best time getting pampered at Jeanette’s salon on the day. We really could not have been happier with all of our results.

Make up artist

The makeup lasted all day and with a few beauty tips to keep it fresh, we managed to look like the makeup had just been applied. Danielle was very precise and her easy going attitude and attention to detail is outstanding. We had not one bad comment about our makeup and everyone said how natural we all looked. I cannot thank Danielle enough for doing such a great job and being a part of our special day.

Flowers

Having one of my best friends come from a floristry back ground could not have worked more in my favour than it did on our wedding day. Katherine took pride and joy doing our flowers and we could not have been happier with the result. We used calla lilies for all bouquets and for the button holes a single white rose and orchids. For the table centrepieces we used tall pilsner vases with river stones in the bottom supporting white gladiola’s and tortured willow.

Jewellery including the wedding bands

Our wedding bands were purchased from City Gold Jewellers. I bought my earrings from Bridal on Pulteney, the bridesmaid earrings from Michael Hill and for a special gift to the girls I got a friend through her business (Halle Jay) to make some customed stamped bracelets with their initials on a silver disc.



Dresses, shoes and all those accessories!

My wedding dress was purchased from Unforgettable Bridal and was a strapless gown that had an embroidered pattern with swarovski crystals embedded on one side. It also had an angled lace trim on the bottom which added that bit of elegance and tradition that I wanted. The bridesmaid dresses were made especially for them . All of the girls bridesmaid shoes came with matching clutches - the shoes were not the traditional one colour shoe and it was nice to have something with a little bit of edge.



Transport

For the day we hired a blue stretched limousine. The service from Bill and the team was outstanding and our driver on the day made all of us feel comfortable and most importantly explained how I should get in the car with a big white puffy dress!



Cake

We couldn’t decide if we wanted a big cake and to have separate bonbonniere or to have a cup cake wedding cake and use the cup cakes as the bonbonniere!  We used vanilla raspberry swirl and chocolate as the two main flavours but still had a round top cake to place our cake topper on. We loved these cup cakes so much that we ordered extra just so we could all scoff down on them the next day! Heaven in a patty pan!

Ceremony, Reception Venue/Lighting

Our ceremony was held at St Augustine’s Anglican Church on Unley Road. St Augustine’s has been a part of Brodie’s family life for a long time and it meant a lot to his family that we had the wedding there. I fell in love with the Church from the moment we first stepped inside. After visiting so many reception venue’s and not “feeling the mood” at a lot of them, we finally fell in love with the SAJC (Morphetville Racecourse). The SAJC was one of the last places we looked at and Lauren and the team there were so very friendly and helpful right up until the end of the night of the wedding.

Wedding music

I walked down the aisle to Somewhere Over the Rainbow sung by Jewel. The song meant a lot to me as my Pop would always play it from his record collection when I visited him. As both my Nan and Pop have passed away it meant to much that I could have them both walk down the aisle with me. We hired my brother’s best friend as the DJ and everyone danced all night long - Daniel certainly knew how to keep a party going! Brodie and I danced to Sweet Disposition by Temper Trap for our first dance and the song still gives me shivers today every time I hear it!

The “I don’t want anything to go wrong” item… that went wrong!
Every bride says to them self “I don’t want anything to go wrong on the day!”... well that ‘thing’ did go wrong! On the morning of the wedding Brodie went to go remove the buttonhole flowers that were placed in a small fridge over night (wedding day temp was 37 degrees so we had to keep them cool). When he removed them from the fridge, he saw that the colour of the orchids had changed and gone slightly opaque! He asked Katherine to check them out and she immediately said “Um yeah, we have to re-do them NOW!” Luckily we had extra flowers and the bride didn’t find out til the reception!

Apart from that my day was perfect and if I had the opportunity to do it all again. I wouldn't change a thing!

Steph

Our simple start of meeting each other while ice-skating, led us to envisage our wedding as a simple and sweet day which truly represented “us”, and with the average wedding costing a house deposit these days, we wanted to keep things relatively cheap, but still elegant.

We wanted a short and sweet ceremony that reflected us as individuals as well as a couple, but still held the traditions we both enjoy, as we are both the first in our families to get married within the country.

Ceremony location
We chose our location because neither of us are particularly religious and, while looking at various parks across Adelaide, we discovered that we both used to go to Tusmore Park as children and climbed the same tree! We also climbed the tree on the day for photos, which is no easy feat in a wedding dress.

We wrote our entire ceremony ourselves, picking traditional vows, but changing the ceremony to be our own. Jarrod and I were both largely raised and influenced by “extra” family, my side being Ukrainian, and Jarrod’s side being Scottish. Both the Ukrainian and Celtic wedding traditions incorporate hand binding, which we adopted for our own ceremony, but wrote our own reading to be read as our hands were bound. We used a traditional Ukrainian rushnyky to bind our hands together, and spoke of how the hand we touched was the one that would support us through our lives together.

Both of us are very close to our families and wanted to include them as much as possible. My mother and stepdad walked me down the garden path, but didn’t give me away, representing that I am an individual but respecting that they are both an integral part of my life. I wore items which represented family members who have passed away: Something old – my cameo necklace in honour of my great-nanna; something borrowed – my dad’s engagement ring to my mum; something blue – a blue babushka hand mirror was wrapped around the stem of my bouquet in memory of my very own babushka, or Baba.

Jarrod’s sister performed the reading for the ceremony – an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ poem “Oh! The Places You’ll Go!”, which brought a smile and a laugh to most of the guests! My youngest brother was the pageboy but he stood on my side at the “altar”, while Jarrod had his best mate since primary school and his nephew stand as his best man and groomsman. My best friend who I consider to be like a sister was my maid of honour, while both of my sisters were my fantastic extra helpers on the day. My youngest sister, Priscilla, performed countless amounts of tasks from playing the music as I walked down the aisle, to decorating wishing wells, which my other sister, Bonnie-Ja’el, helped with.

Bonnie also performed a song of her choice, “Happy” by Never Say Never, with Jarrod’s “spare dad” playing the acoustic guitar as we signed the register. She has such an amazing voice that I couldn’t concentrate on signing the registry and just wanted to sit back and listen to the music!

The entire ceremony took roughly 15-20 mins, which was a relief to most of the guests since I arrived 15 minutes late, and we weren’t allowed enough seats for everyone to sit!

Photography
We had our photos at Tusmore Park and Port Adelaide which were taken by a friend of my cousin’s, Pamela Graham, her photographer friend, Tania Gaylor, and my sister, Bonnie, as an amateur photographer, who took some amazing photos which most definitely do not look amateur!

Armed with heart shaped sunglasses and lollipops, we were prepared to do business with these photos! The two boys, Flynn and Caleb, mostly enjoyed the lollipops, while the girls enjoyed the heart shaped glasses, and Jarrod and his best man gracefully came along for the ride! The props were also left around the function centre for guests to take photos with, as well as two picture frames with no glass or backing – some of my favourite photos are these ones!



We also had 2 signs that I made saying “Just Hitched” on one side, and “Thank You” on the other, which we used to make magnets as gifts to send with our thank you cards to our guests!



Reception venue
Our reception was held at the West Lakes Function Centre, an unbelievably beautiful centre with crystal chandaliers. I have known the function manager since I was a small girl, and had always said that I would marry him when I grew up, so it was quite special to have him and his wife as part of our day as well, and Frank was more than happy to help me out with any requests that I had.

We hand made all of our menus, seating plans, bonboniere boxes, table numbers, reserved seating for the ceremony, as well as all of the table centerpieces, asking all of our friends and family to save their used jars – Dolmio, Vegemite, baby food jars – we took them all. After many hours of scrubbing away the labels and glue residue, the jars were ready to be decorated. Bit by bit, we decorated the jars with different coloured ribbon and filled them with coloured sand, stones, magic pearls, and tealight candles. We then had the mismatched jars placed on square or circular mirrors provided by one of Jarrod’s friends in the middle of each table, and scattered the tables with rose petals.

Catering
I had always envisioned having a small, intimate wedding, with the costs being minimal, but after seeing our initial guest list of over 400 guests, we begun to realise it wasn’t going to happen, and sadly had to cut out many people who we would’ve wanted at our day if we could have afforded it. We managed to get our numbers down to “only” 150 guests, which is comparatively small compared to some of the Ukrainian weddings I’ve been to, but this still blew our budget out quite immensely. Luckily, all 3 sets of our parents helped us out however they could and Jarrod’s aunt offering to cater for us at a reduced cost was an absolute godsend – we literally couldn’t have pulled off our day without our parents and Jarrod’s aunt and uncle.

We have both been to weddings where we couldn’t eat the meals because of dietary requirements, and did not want to accidentally forget anyone in the same boat as ourselves, or to have people leaving still hungry. For this reason, we wanted a buffet meal, and Jarrod’s aunt, uncle and the staff of It’s Simply Delicious did an absolutely amazing job at food preparation and serving, making sure that nothing ran out too early, and that even the last table had their choice of food. The meals were spectacular, or so I hear! As the bride, I was way too excited to eat much, sadly, but the rave reviews I hear about the food make me want to hire Jarrod’s aunt again if we ever have a recommitment party down the track!

Cake
Our cake looked beautiful, but we’re yet to taste! The deserts, well, far too delicious and our guests were too full to justify cutting up the cake! Unfortunately, a past employee had taken my order down wrong, but the owner was more than happy to help me find a solution, and I now look forward to tasting the cake at my birthday this year, where I’m also planning to wear my wedding dress again!

Dress
I have always envisioned wearing a red wedding dress, since studying Chinese at school and hearing about the good luck of wearing red. When Moulin Rouge came out, I knew that I wanted to wear the exact same dress. Unfortunately, the only people who make this dress are in the USA and I was hesitant about ordering a dress without seeing the exact colour of the material.

I visited quite a few bridal shops but was unable to find anything similar, and as we had a short engagement of only 3.5 months, getting a dressmaker within Australia to make my dress seemed impossible. Luckily, my mum was able to put me in touch with an amazing seamstress in her community who couldn’t have done a better job – my dream dress is exactly the way I’d always pictured it and made me feel like an absolute princess.

How I felt
I was told how brave I was to wear a red dress several times, and how much I had shocked some people, but after trying on dresses in different shades of white, there was no other choice for me. I’m not the most conventional person and red just “felt” right to me.

Our whole day was focused around what felt right to both of us, and I can’t explain how I felt on the day apart from what every other bride should feel like – like it’s the only way the day could’ve been, and exactly how I’d pictured it, even when things went wrong. It was just “right” and I was unbelievably happy knowing that this one day, was the start of a lifetime of marriage to the “right” man for me, and that everyone there had helped out in so many ways.

Being surrounded by our support “team” of friends and family was the most amazing feeling. Knowing that so many people wanted to be part of our day to celebrate and support us just blew me away. The reception almost felt like a thank you to everyone who had helped and supported us throughout our engagement – from those who saved jars for us, travelled states or countries to be there, brought wishing wells from Victoria for us to borrow, helped us set up the reception hall, to those who were there throughout every minute helping me to de-stress and relax and those who essentially paid for a lot of the wedding.

Our day felt like it really brought our whole community of loved ones together, even if they don’t always get along with each other or see us very often. I’ve never felt more loved in my life, or that I’ve had so little time to talk to everyone! Since the wedding in March, I’ve begun a wedding and event planning course, which I’m loving – and looking forward to being able to help engaged couples who may not have quite as willing a community to call on as I was lucky enough to have.

Most memorable moments:
Some of my most memorable moments were the completely random things that happened.
- Arriving at the reception before a lot of the guests and sitting in a separate room playing “I spy” with my brother and Jarrod’s nephew to keep them entertained.
- Seeing my amazing bridesmaid in all her finery for the first time – she just glowed. She stole the show with how beautiful she looked. She shaved for a cure the very next day, and I struggle to recognize her in public now because the stunning image of her is imprinted in my brain.
- Visiting my Baba at the cemetery on the way to Port Adelaide so that she could be a part of my special day as well.
- Being able to talk to my husband (!!) properly for the first time that day as we were walking away from Tusmore Park and towards the car.
- Having my first dance with one of my gay friends to “I’ve Had The Time of My Life”.
- Having all 6 of my siblings in the one place at the same time for the first time ever, and possibly the last for a very long time.
- Sprinting from the hairdressers back to my hotel room holding my Subway salad like a bouquet!

Bridal Discount Book
Having only known each other for just under a year, I wasn’t expecting to get married anytime soon even though we’d already spoken about getting married several times, and I’d dropped quite a few hints about my ring! After Jarrod proposed, we picked a date to coincide with my best friend’s parents visit to Australia from South Africa, as they are both very close to my heart and like my…. Fifth set of parents now, including Jarrod’s family!

Having not dreamed about my wedding my whole life, apart from a fanciful backyard affair, and only having 3.5 months to plan, I felt a bit like I was thrown in the deep end. I didn’t know what aspects of the day I should be thinking of, or where to start organizing. It was completely overwhelming. Then I found Bridal Discount Book, which lists vendors who are willing to offer discounts for a wedding! From the few vendors I’d spoken to already, the word “wedding” seemed like such an expensive word. After contacting a few vendors through Bridal Discount Book, it didn’t seem like such an impossible feat to plan and pay for our wedding in only 3.5 months. As mentioned above, we still had problems paying ourselves due to unexpected expenses, but it would have been immeasurably harder if not for the discounts through BDB, with respect to celebrants, florists, cakes etc! Jeanette has an amazing business, and I am the first to tell all my newly engaged friends about it!



Stacey & Jarrod Cox

14.11.2011
Well this story comes as a bitter sweet tale of life, love and loss for me because on the one hand it involves my dear mum who sadly left this earth to fly with the angels 7 years ago and an all together new love and beginning for my father.

To really understand this story you have to know my mum. Right up to the end she was a fighter because she had to be.
It all started way back on the 14th of Feb in 1953 when my mum then only 27 months old left Utrecht in Holland with her family and traveled 4 weeks by boat to start a new life in South Australia.

Shortly upon arrival to Australia and what was to be a new & exciting life for all of them, my mum fell very ill to the point she nearly died several times.
The doctors unaware of what was wrong and her parent's stricken with worry, out here all alone & barely able to understand the language, watched helplessly as their youngest of 4 children was put through a battering of tests that lasted for months and only appeared to make her worse.

The picture is of my Mum taken with her big sister in Dover Gardens in 1954. She couldn't bend her legs because of the callipers

Riddled with pain in all her joints and her legs becoming terribly deformed and unable to move she was forced to wear callipers that went from her ankles right up to her thighs with only a few hours relief from them once a week.
She couldn't play or walk or ride a bike like normal children. She didn't feel pretty in a dress and was constantly sick and unable to move.
This went on right through her teenage years at school where she was terribly teased and cruelly ostracised.

It was believed in the end that the many immunization injections that migrants needed to enter the country damaged my Mum's immunity and she had developed a very crippling & debilitating form of Rheumatoid Arthritis that plagued every joint in her body & delivered excruciating pain every minute of every day.

Her callipers made it difficult to walk and one day not long after wearing them, she was tragically struck by a car. Doctors were once again able to save her fragile young life but the accident caused irreparable damage to her Pancreas causing her to develop Type 1 insulin dependant diabetes and from the age of 3 years she had  to inject herself 2 to 4 times a day with insulin.

Even so as my mum continued to fight and find what brighter side of life she could. In 1967 she caught the eye of one Barry Perry who pursued her relentlessly, while the whole time she kept telling him he didn't really want her or any of her problems.
See you also have to understand that my mum was told very early on that because of her condition she would never be able to have children, so this too she tried to use to turn him away, yet nothing worked and they fell madly & deeply in love and got married. 
You know the kind of love that's meant to last a life time, it was that kind of love.

In late 1970 by some divine intervention or call it a miracle if you will, my mum fell pregnant (with me). Although at the time the doctors didn't believe it telling her it was a cyst on her ovary, and sent her home with some medication to bring on her cycle. Thankfully she listened to her instincts and refused to take it because low and behold a 6 pound cyst was born in July of 1971 which they called Jeanette. Followed 2 years later by yet another daughter. Thankful for their blessings and not wanting to take more than their share they left their family as that and life went on as it ultimately does.

Growing up through the years as a young child I watched my mum go through a lot of pain. There were many times we nearly lost her but she fought and she won and each time in my eyes, she become to me a bigger hero. 

Whether my mum knew it or not, she taught me to never give up. To understand that no matter how hard or how bad or how cruel life can be, there is always someone worse off. She showed me that above all else we should be grateful for what we have, be it good or sometimes bad.

Toward the end of my Mum's life things got very bad and it made me realize that she wasn't the only one it effected. My dad was right there every step of the way. Through thick and thin, the good times and the bad, in sickness and in health, he'd been her pillar of strength for 34 years.

Through a lot of those times what kept mum going was the dream they shared of packing up and travelling around Australia, although a pipe dream because of mum's health and one that was possibly never going to happen, they never stopped talking about the day they would throw caution to the wind and go where ever the road took them.

Sadly on September 17th 2004 one month from her 53rd Birthday (a day I will never forget) their dream and so much more came to an end when my Mum fought and lost her last battle. 

My hero, my mum was gone,  forever more to live on only in my memory. Never again could I pick up the phone and chat hours on end, ask for advice or share my happiness and achievements and hear her say how proud she was of me. It was singularly and still is the most devastating day of my life.

Until you experience a loss like that no-one can truly understand the impact it has on every fibre of your being. The empathy you immediately feel for others in your family as you share the same pain is enormous. And straight away my thoughts turned to my father as I started to think what it would be like if I lost the love of my life. Just the thought was unbearable.

They say time heals all but what they don't tell you is how much time it takes. There isn't a magic switch you can turn on that will end the pain and because every wound is different so to is the time needed to heal it. There are still moments when I forget because a thought or memory enters my head and I'll reach for the phone, until the cruel realization floods back bringing all the pain with it.

There is truth in the irony that life does go on and like life itself this true life story is one of many chapters, some already read with some yet to be written. I had the fortune to experience first hand the love story of my mum & dad and we should all be lucky enough to have that at least once in our lives.

This is where a new chapter begins, when 5 years ago a wonderful lady named Marlene entered my dad's life and for the past three and a half years they have been, in part fulfilling mum's dream and traveling around Australia in a van they did up together.

I constantly receive lovely stories of their travels by email and what they've been up to. With Marlene my dad is now able to do the things he (and Mum) only ever dreamed of.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that she didn't want to, it was simply because of her health & limitations that she couldn't and never got the opportunity. Not once in 34 years did I ever hear my dad complain though, because to him it was his choice and he loved her no matter what.
I know dad & Marlene are writing their own story, yet I can't help but think that mum is right along with them on their adventures, finally free from her pain and loving every minute of it.

I can't tell you yet how this love story ends but it's one that will stretch on into the future with new pages written and read because Marlene and my dad are to be Married in March 2012, so with that  I won't say the end but - to be continued.........

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the following businesses on Bridal Discount Book that have so generously offered their services to help make my Dad & Marlene's day as special as possible.

Celebrant Christine Churchill who will be conducting their ceremony.
Jo from The Little Pink Box for offering to make their invitations.
Laura from Your Little Gift for supplying their Bomboniere
Rebecca from 3 Piece Events for your help with ceremony styling.
Your generosity & kindness goes beyond what words can describe and we will all be forever grateful.
Thank  you
Jeanette (Bridal Discount Book creator)
Barry (my Dad) & Marlene

Brides side:


The week leading up to the wedding was hectic. We all had nail/hair/tan appointments etc. The last thing to get done was my nails on Friday morning. I wrecked one of them before I had even paid. But it was fixed quickly!

Friday night the BM’s and I stayed at a little place called The Kirche in Tanunda. It’s quite expensive to stay there, but worth every cent in my opinion.
We checked in rather late as I ran around like a headless chicken on the Friday. The owner himself checked us in (a well known wine maker) and when we got there we just couldn’t believe it. It is DEVINE!!! Everything you could have wanted was there…wine, juice, milk, bacon, eggs, strawberries, fresh loaves of bread, cereal, cheese platter, croissants and more and more and more.

The Kirche is an old church that has been converted – it is loft like and has a large bedroom upstairs which you can see from the lower level. There was a king size bed up there and a queen size bedroom downstairs. There were our own king size towels….bathrobes….and fresh roses and lavender on our pillows. There was beautiful fresh flowers throughout the place.

The fire was already going when we got there all we had to do was sit on the massive comfy black leather couches, enjoy our wine and dvd on the large plasma! (Oh I forgot the heated tiles in the bathroom – heaven!)

Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t relax just yet as there was a plaque unveiling at 5pm that I had to be at. I have married in to a well known Barossa family, and they have had a plaque put up in their honour in Angaston. So off I rushed to that. The mayor was there to do the unveiling, and also champagne which I was very happy to see lol. Once that had been done there were a few happy snaps and I was off again.

I went back to the Kirche, picked up the girls and went to our reception and helped set up our candle holders and other decorations. We were there for a couple of hours then went back to the kirche & chilled out. Had our showers and hit the sack about midnight I think. My daughter (13) was sleeping with me that night and I think she finally stopped talking about 1am

I am one of those people that take about 3 hours to get to sleep so I was dreading the night and thought I wasn’t going to get any sleep at all. I think I fell asleep within 20 minutes, and when the alarm went off at 6:30am I felt like I had had a great sleep! (Thank god!)

The morning went smoothly, the girls from Crazy Beautiful arrived and started making us pretty. I would highly recommend these girls to anyone that doesn’t know them. A couple of sisters who are great at what they do….and they’re also great company. They did my daughter first and she looked absolutely stunning.

I think I had my first drink about 10:30am (a can of jim beam and cola courtesy of one of my BM’s). When I had my make up done my partner rang and someone passed me the phone. I didn’t want him to know I was having an alcoholic beverage, so when I produced this very massive unladylike burp over the phone I said to him “Sorry that was my make up lady” LOL, not sure if he believed it or not. And sorry Ebony if you are reading this hehehe

Anyhow moving on, it was a great morning & everything went really quickly. Before I knew it we were running late and I was getting flustered cos all these rellies turned up for photos like an hour early and cos we were running late I had to send them to the ceremony without any photos.
Our photographer was madly snapping away and I cant wait to see our getting ready photos. I know I had a picture of my butt taken at one stage cos Alli liked the “Wild Thing” I had on my undies

Last thing to do was my earrings and do you think I could get them in - noooooo. One went in after a few minutes of fiddling but I couldn’t get my second one in - & I had to re pierce my ear. Ouchies!


Anyhow, it was off after that. We got in our cars (we had 2 white statesmans and a 1932 chevy hot rod) and heading to our ceremony which was held on our property.



Before I knew it the first bridesmaid was off, then the 2nd, then the MOH. I had our music start but I think I only heard a word or two and then I couldn’t hear anything else I guess I was mesmerised?



My daddy walked me down the aisle, and all I could see was Ben. Nothing else at all.

 

The ceremony went quickly we both stumbles on a couple of words but nothing major, it was then on to congrats and then photos. Wei got some awesome photos of everyone and we did some serious stuff as well down in our sheep sheds.  We didn’t get any in our vineyards which was a shame, but we have had a much colder and wetter winter this year so the buds haven’t bloomed as much as we had hoped.

After a few hours of photos we headed off to our reception. We had an esky in one of the cars so everyone had already started drinking (I was on water) and there was a large platter of meats etc as well which really came in handy. We had a big brown snake cross in front of car before we got to the reception - not sure if this is a good or bad sign.



More photos at the reception then it was on to party. It was a fabulous night sooo many people commented that it was the best weddings they had ever been too so we were very pleased to hear that. Our bomboniere was a hit. They were large strawberries covered in white chocolate then milk chocolate and then placed in a dark chocolate bowl.



GROOMS SIDE:

Well where do I start.....

I’d worked on and off most of the week being self employed and working at home made it easy but half my week was site preparation, mowing, working out layout, putting up our fencing to lead the guests to the car park. Picking up our hay and cutting clear plastic liners to go on top so guests didn’t get a prickle in their bum… etc etc…



Now we get to Friday the day before with lots to pick up & final touches to put in place etc etc.
Picked up all the hire goods & set out all our ceremony seating, took some stuff to reception.   Was 3 hours behind time the whole day but we got what we needed to done.

Went to a family plaque unveiling about 5 then back home and loaded up the car.  A quick beer or two with my best man and soon to be brother in law and then off to Grand Cru to meet the girls there and set things up.

Me and the best man got their first and unpacked and talked final layout with our hosts. The girls arrived & we ran through it all again… set up what we could and left the rest for our hosts to do in the morning.
Had a quick nibble of delicious foccacia bread then it was time to say bye and head our separate ways,  a tear welled as I drove off I wouldn’t see greysi till 2 tomorrow afternoon. Would our day be all that we hoped, had planned & I wanted it to be so bad.

Back home - set up a bed for my step son, then a few beers with best man, step son and soon to be brother in law.  Then off to bed around midnight & me being like I am, sleep was 5 minutes away.

I woke to bright sunshine around 7 am and hoped the sunshine in my eyes was a sign of the day ahead? Just stuffed around for a bit for the first hour drinking my beloved iced coffee and doing not much.

8.45 and we headed up to the ceremony site to finish off a couple things then back down the house for more sitting and waiting.

9.30 all the groomsmen here now. Just some idle chatter and relaxing (big contrast to the girls morning).  start heading through the shower to begin getting ready.

10.30 last groomsman gets in the shower and we just relaxing - brother in law to be keeps telling me its not to late to run.

11.15 Photographer turns up. We do some prop shots of rings, invites, suits hanging up then begin getting in them for more pics. 

I realize I had bought a new shirt (and suit) that matches the groomsmens… but theirs is all ironed… and I put mine out the box all wrinkled!  Out with the iron I am, no shirt on ironing my new shirt when I hear the photographer clicking away behind me.



Have our photos and a few with my mum and dad. Meanwhile the brides mum turns up to get the keys to where she was staying, then back to the rooms to get these damn penguin suits off.

12 noon we ditch the suits and back into casuals. Quick run to the closest bakery for lunch then watch some tv.

1.15 We start getting dressed, pants and shirt first then chill for a bit then the rest of the gear on.

1.45 pm… when I should get the call any moment to say she is 5 minutes away… we are all ready… just waiting for the call…

We had a heads up the were running late and wouldn’t be here at 2 as planned

Waiting waiting

2.15pm call finally comes… we jump on the truck and head up the hill… still no nerves…at all

We arrive… speak to music master for the ceremony and celebrant… then line up ready for it all…



I see the girls arrive but it takes them forever to get organised in the driveway and start heading up the hill to us.

Must have been 2.30 or after and the girls cars finally pull into position. I’m trying to get a look at my bride but she is hidden behind the truck.

A few minutes pass… seems like half an hour and finally the lead BM heads out from behind the truck to walk down the isle…. She stops and goes back… I curse… she steps forward again into view… stops and pauses… I curse again… finally she moves forward…. 2nd BM follows after her… then 3rd BM…

I tremble slightly before this most amazing gorgeous woman comes into view accompanied by her father… she looked fantastic… words cannot describe… and you have seen the pictures for yourself… she was kind of taking it all in till she got half way to the end of the isle… when our eyes met… and we both started to smile… we held that gaze with each other and the smile grew bigger until she was right in front of me…



The celebrant started speaking and from their the rest is a little blurred… I remember it all…. But there is this big white glow around it that makes it hard to describe….



The ceremony was done and we went to sign the paperwork… and my heart sank for a moment when I saw the property name was mis-spelt (historic property with records dating back to the 1800’s of people being married on the property)… foolishly I showed the wife and she started to stress… but we relaxed signed the paperwork and then off to be presented to our guests…



Photos and more photos with family etc at the site… then down the hill for some bridal party photos… then back up with just my bride and I for a few….

It all seemed to fly past… finally off to the reception venue for more photos after grabbing the previously forgotten parasol….



We arrived to the reception half an hour later than planned… but had a heap of bridal party photos… then sent them off to chill while we did a few ourselves….

We sat down together and just chilled for ten minutes… then off to be presented to the guests…

Food and drinks followed for the next hour or so… then into the speeches… a very touching speech from my new father in law… one I will never forget… then my turn…. I read mine word for word from a printed sheet as I hate public speaking…. Not ideal… but just my way of not stuffing up…. A great speech from my best man, then a few words form my dad and off to the cake cutting.



Here I learnt two things…. Ceremonial knives aren’t very sharp… and apparently we are meant to stick the knofe into the bottom layer not the second layer… oh well… I’ll remember these for next time… lol



Then the wedding dances… these done and dusted… we just had a ball mingling with friends… eating and drinking and having a blast…

The whole day and night flew past… but I easily know it was the most amazing day and night of my life ever… and the start of a beautiful partnership… Not once did I have nerves on the day… because I knew it was meant to be….

HI Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well I finally have time to get back on here and tell you all about our awesome day!!!!!!
And it was AWESOME!!!!!! From start to finish.....

No 1..... weather was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!



No 2..... my 2 little darlings were the perfect angels ALL DAY!



No 3..... I enjoyed and loved every second....

We started off at 6.30am! Emily (miss 6) was soooooooo excited... she woke up and ran into my parents bed to jump on them saying "It's our wedding day... it's our wedding day!" hahaa..... was hilarious!


My fab girls!

We had the most casual morning. champagne started at approx 7am! hahaa.. the whole morning was so relaxed and carefree... we nibbled on things my BM's had bought down and one of my gorgeous BM's did everyones hair and make up for them...
Then mum's neighbour (who is a hairdresser) came over to see if she could help... and all of a sudden I had my own personal hairdresser!



We were all ready when the photographer and car arrived, so a few pics, then we started to head off.
I felt like Royalty! We had cars beeping and people waving all the way! The girls thought it was fantastic!
On the way up Grand J rd we passed one of our guests! So as you do as you're driving up Grand J road in a red Cadillac with the top down.... we chatted,..... My Dad thought it was just some random person talking to me... HAHAHAAA.....was quite funny!





So we got to the park about 10-15 minutes early!!!!!! And to be honest it was so funny watching some of our friends and relies checking their clocks and rushing down thinking they were late....
So still not feeling nervous or anything other than excited we had a couple of glasses of water and started to head down the path... pretty much on time I think...



Mum hung back with us a bit.... which really was a good thing,,, cause Emily was a little nervous and didn't want to walk down with her sister (and other flowergirl).. so my 3 big girls went off... then Aleisha (our eldest) by herself... then Emily and my Mum walked down just in front of Dad & myself.... looked quite cute I think. And I think Mum was a bit happy that she was part of that... :-)


Dad & I talked the whole way down the path.... all of a sudden I said to him... Oh!... are you going to stop at the end of the isle and give me a kiss or something? to which he replied... I don't know... what normally happens? to which I replied... I don't know... I haven't done this before! ... was so funny!
I don't remember seeing any faces as we walked down, but I knew there were heaps of people there..... rent a crowd plus! hehehheeee
A couple of laughs thru the ceremony (and me with a few tears thru our vows) and all was done....








We stayed at the park for a bit, then headed off to home to party!
And that we did! Had a great night... totally great fun!
The highlight (if we can call it that) was a beautiful speech that Aleisha had written.......



"Today is a very special day because my mum is married to a handsome man. After today mum's last name will be a match to dad's last name.

Today is a bit sad too, because my Grandpa (Paul's dad) is not around us to see his own son get married. We remember him in our hearts. We have a candle that we are going to light to remember all the good times we had with him.



She got down to We remember him..... then just broke down into tears.... as did I just before her.... was a rather emotional moment.. and Paul finished her speech off chocking back the emotion himself. Was really beautiful and not a dry eye in the house.

We had a fantastic day from start to finish! Would do it all again tomorrow.. (well maybe not....)

November 6th 2010

Finally! Sorry for the long wait but here it is! ...

To say that the 6th of November was the best day of my life, would have to be an incredible understatement. It was so much more.

My bridesmaids and I stayed at the Belair Caravan Park the night before and played Yahtzee and told funny stories about our younger days. We finally went to bed, I actually fell asleep surprisingly enough  but did wake up at 4.30am. Lucky for me my Matron of honour had woken up as well so we had a chat.

I just couldn't believe it. Today was the day I get to wear my dress, look like a princess and marry Dave.

By 7am, everyone was up and a Hungry Jacks run was ordered, and before long, we were in the cars making our way to Jeanette's salon.

We were met by the wonderful Jeanette (Flair4Hair) and the awesome Gabrielle and the transformations began. Everything was going to schedule so far, and I wasn't even worried about Dave being late!

A few apple ciders, mint slice biscuits, lolly lips and eye lash extensions later, we were ready. My hair was up in a low, classical style bun and my make up was just perfection. The girls looked awesome as well.

We left Jeanette's about 10.30 and headed South for my parent's house with a quick Maccas stop on the way!

We had a few hours to kill before the photographer arrived so we had a nibble on some lunch. Mum had picked the flowers up earlier that morning and I was absolutely blown away. They were exactly what I wanted Orange and ivory calla lilllies, they were just stunning.

The phone rang and it was Dave letting us know that they were all at the pub in Willunga right on time. Dad went and dropped off the buttonholes to the guys and I breathed another sigh of relief!

All too soon, it was time to start getting ready. I was excited but still not overwhelmed, and started to think I might actually be able to get through this without crying!

The girls put on their dresses all ready to help me. Then I slipped into my dress and the girls helped me lace up the back. Just as I was finishing getting the final touches in place, the photographer arrived. It was now 1.15pm. Only 2 hours to go.

We were directed into various poses and positions and I think I felt a little bit shell-shocked. By 2.30pm I realised that the cars had not arrived and started to have a minor panic. But the phone rang again and it was one of the drivers. They would be there in 5 minutes. More sighs of relief!

The photographer left, Mum left, my brother, his girlfriend and the dog left and I was left there with my girls, Dad and the cars had just pulled up.

Melissa my matron of honour looked at me and at that moment, I decided to lose it. It was out of my control! But eventually, by repeating the mantra Green grass, blue sky, green grass, blue sky over and over I managed to get into the car. Which is no mean feat when you are in 3 metres of lace and a corset done up to the neck! I sobbed here and there, but Mel just held my hand and we had a laugh.

The cars pulled up at the ceremony and then, when all was quiet, Dad opened the door and I stepped out of the car (with some assistance). A little bit of fussing and we indicated to the celebrant to start the music. Looking around I could see everyone, Dave and the boys, my Mum and family and friends and I started to shake.

To the song No Day But Today by Idina Menzel it was finally my turn to step onto the grass and head towards the waiting people, and of course, Dave.

I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I knew the second I looked at him in the eye, I would start crying like a child, so I looked straight ahead and at Mel who just smiled at me.

I arrived next to Dave and Dad shook his hand and gave me a kiss. Once I was there, I couldn't take my eyes off Dave, he bent down and whispered to me 'You look gorgeous" .

The ceremony began and we performed the wine ceremony where we both drink from the same glass to signify our lives together.
We were only 5 minutes into the start of the ceremony when a very loud revving noise starting coming from over the fence. The neighbour had decided that now as the perfect time to try and fix his ATV. The revving continued throughout the whole ceremony,  we could to nothing but laugh.

Our ring-bearer was called and my brothers girlfriend Rachel walked Riley up the aisle and the Best Man took the rings. Riley was amazing, he sat, shook hands with Dave and was absolutely gorgeous.

All too soon, we had exchanged vows and rings, even though I had to compose myself a couple of times during the readings. We signed the wedding certificates and there it was, I was now Mrs Katie Millan. Rose petals were thrown and everyone came flooding forward to congratulate us.

We wandered through the gardens of the vineyard having photos and then headed to Kuitpo forest and Silver Sands beach for more photographs. The weather was perfect, not too much sun and no rain!

At 5.30 we finished up at the beach and headed towards the reception venue. We were greeted and congratulated by 65 of our closest friends and family. I have to admit, walking up the outdoor steps in heels and a metre long train is not good fun. I don't know how many times I almost fell over! The first thing I did when I got inside was change into flats! There's my big wedding tip - have a pair of flat shoes at the ready for the reception!

We had a cocktail reception and the food was prepared by the owners of the B&B. We started with fresh oysters and prawns. Followed by Sushi, duck liver and apple canapes, French cutlet chops, vol au vents, meatballs, and the list goes on. The food was amazing.

The speeches were hilarious and my Matron of Honour and best friend in the world sang the most beautiful song, On the Side of Angels by Leanne Rimes. Everyone was in awe and I head my head tucked firmly in Dave's shoulder as I was crying like a baby. If you are after a great emotional tear jerker song, this one takes the cake! Mel has such a beautiful voice, and it was an absolute treasure to have her sing for us.

Then it was my turn to speak. I thanked my bridesmaids for being the best friends in the world, and also thanked my parents for being truly wonderful and raising me the way they did. I had a friend waiting in the wings with a gift for my Mum and Dad to thank them for all they had done for me.
Here is a little something Dave and I have prepared for you, and may it bring you happiness for years to come.....
I asked Mum and Dad if they would open the envelope now and they looked inside. Immediately, Mum and Dad were in tears as they held up a picture of an Ultrasound Scan. All our guests just erupted, and I don't think I have ever felt such joy and happiness.

I now know, what it truly means to be happy.

So thank you all for sharing my journey; the ups and downs, highs and lows, tears and laughter. After almost giving up on the idea of weddings, I have had my faith truly restored and hope that everyones wedding day is as amazing and special as ours.

Congratulations too Vicki, I hope your day is everything you dreamed of. xx

David and I were married on 07 March 2010.

It was our dream to get married on our beach and to have a fun wedding for all of our guests.

In the lead up to our wedding so many things went wrong! We were very organised in our preparation but it just seem that nothing was going our way. To top it all off the day before our wedding there were the worst storms in 40 years. Our dreams of getting married were quickly disappearing.

I started the day by catching a taxi to my parents house and as the taxi driver looked out the window, I think he though I was crazy to be getting married on the beach later that day.

When I was getting ready there was a knock at the door and my father walked in with the largest bunch of red roses. They were from David with a beautiful love note! How romantic!

I was so nervous about the weather when I was getting ready, was the rain going to stop?! My make up was done and our Limousine  arrived, it was so nice to be in the same car as my bridesmaids and parents on the way to our ceremony.

Someone must have been looking after us because after a morning full of rain and grey skies the sun can out and our dream of getting married on the beach came true.

As I walked down the beach in my bare feet my Mum on my left my Dad on my right I couldn't have been a happier women - How lucky was I to be marring the love of my life!

Our ceremony with our closest family and friends is something we will remember forever. Our vows were very personalised and involved a beach theme,  it was  a beautiful ceremony!

As I am a wedding photographer, I asked a fellow friend also a fashion photographer to take our wedding photographs.
I was also very lucky to have another photographer along with two of my friends from "Photograft Photography" all photographing for us as well. So there were lots of photographers snapping away all day long and I believe we have amazing wedding photographs.

I am very thankful for all of their hard work. We kept all of our photography locations local and rented a cafe for an hour to take some beautiful photos.

My invitations were very important to me and I spent 100's of hours making wedding invites that looked like beach huts with an invite side of them and this was the theme of our wedding.

We partied on with a cocktail party. Being a creative person I had lots of ideas how I wanted the reception to look. Our stylist and florist did the most amazing job. Everyone commenced on how beautifully our reception was styled! I think that it is all the small details that make the difference.

We had cupcakes with seashells on top of them, they were so yummy and they looked great. After lots of dancing to the bands tunes and after eating great food we had some very teary speeches. The night went so quickly - and we have so many amazing memories to cherish forever!

Our wedding day was the most magical day of our lives!!!

We had a very hectic week in the lead up to the wedding. My family started arriving the weekend before, and before I knew it my dad and brothers were kidnapping DH for golf, fishing etc... they figured he needed some R&R from all the hard work of planning, little did they realize DH only started helping with the hard work that week!!!! lol had to laugh at their good intentions.

Everything was falling into place and I was surprisingly calm all week! Until we picked up the bridesmaids dresses on the Thurs night and they were too small, straps crossed, wonky bust lines etc several trips back and forth they were fixed up as best we could by Friday late afternoon!!

All the bridal party met up at "The Cedars" Hahndorf for the rehearsal Friday evening, we mucked around and had some fun with it (still wasn't real yet). The boys headed back to town for the night and us girls went to Balhannah, ordered pizza a few drinks and sat up until 2am chatting and giggling away.

I set my alarm for 6am but at 5:50am I was suddenly awake and jumping about the house waking everyone up singing...... going to the chapel... and were...gonna get...married lol I was a bit hypo!!
Then our gorgeous makeup lady arrived at 8am, and our beloved Jeanette (Flair4Hair) arrived at 10am followed by our photographer.

The ladies worked their magic and before we knew it we were all looking like movie stars!!!!!!!!!!!! The afternoon flew by, the flowers arrived. OMG I loved my flowers they were so beautiful!! Then before we knew it the limo arrived and we were off!!

We had some time to kill so we drove around a bit and arrived on time but had to wait in the limo as guests were still arriving so we ended up being 20Min's late. We all took our places at the top of the garden and then it was GO, GO, GO the music played "can you feel the love tonight" for the girls to walk down to. Then "unchained melody" started and it was my turn, I was doing really well until I came around the corner and saw DH, I turned into a dribbling mess LOL.

The ceremony was so beautiful and full of love (we cried lots) Then before we knew it we were Husband and Wife. We did some photos around the gardens, on the road with the mustangs and then off to a paddock on a hill with round bails (this bit was so much fun).

We arrived at the reception a little late, everything looked perfect!! The chocolate fountain was a huge hit with everyone. My dad gave the most emotional speech I have ever heard I totally bawled!

We partied the night away with our Family and friends and before we knew it.... it was time for the farewell tunnel, we said goodnight to our guests.

To all you future brides enjoy your day!! Little things go wrong but nobody notices and you won't care on the day either! Trust me you will be so excited and in total bliss that you won't care.
Lots of love Mrs Libby xx

The day started when I woke at 5am, looked out the window to find thunderstorms looming…not the best first impression on one’s wedding day! They forecast 24 so it can’t be too bad! Soon enough, crash bang boom…it was on and the storm let go! I lay in bed watching the storm pass and savored the fact that I was getting married today! WOO HOO!

My sister then came in and gave me a big hug and we lay there talking about weather, our big day ahead and how surreal it was her ‘Lil sis’ was getting married!
About 7am the other bridesmaids woke up so we all headed downstairs for breakfast. There was a buzz of excitement amongst us all , knowing what was in store for us all! My mum made breakfast for everyone and we ate, knowing we’d need a good breakfast to get us through the day ahead!



At about 9am my florist arrived with my flowers and they were absolutely STUNNING! Just so you know, RED is my favorite colour so there was no way my wedding day could be complete without some splashes of red!! My flowers were a stunning arrangement of red and white roses, fresias with berries tied with red ribbon.



Soon after Jeanette from Flair4hair arrived and at this point we all got VERY excited and knew that it was now time to sit back, relax and be pampered! Jeanette set my hair in rollers while the other bridesmaids decided on their hairstyles and soon enough she was transforming us all into very gorgeous women!! Jeanette made us all look amazing and did it with such ease! By now the makeup artist had arrived and started on our makeup and before we knew it we had a little production line happening! We sipped champagne and laughed amongst ourselves whilst the girls worked their magic on us!





About 11am our photographers turned up and captured us all getting ready with hair and makeup, took shots of the details of our day (bags, shoes, dress etc) and having already been to see the boys, I knew that this was it!
Next step was to get dressed and go and get married and I knew that wasn’t very far away now! Before we knew it the hair and makeup was done and it was time to grab some lunch before getting dressed. I couldn’t eat – I was too nervous! I ‘pushed’ down some food knowing I had to eat or I’d be history and soon enough the photographer signaled it was time to put on my dress – time was ticking away!

It was 1.30pm by then so my BMs quickly got dressed while my mum and sister helped me get into my dress and wow, I must admit I was so happy with my final look! You know how you ‘picture’ everything will come together…well it had and it was JUST how I wanted it to be. YAY!
The photographer took some shots of me and my BMs and next my mum came with my little puppy Lucy whom I said must be a part of our day so I had pictures with her which were great! Soon enough it was time to head downstairs for family shots and out the door – wow where did the time go??



A few photos out the front and it was time to go! Everyone helped me into the car and the girls then got into theirs and off we went!



It was a weird feeling driving to town, having seen so many brides on their way to the ‘church’ before...now it was my turn! Everyone smiled and waved and could see just how excited I was!! Soon enough we were in the city and soon arrived at Ayers House. As we drove in the driveway past the Ballroom,  Wow! A few more photos out the front then we made our way to the entrance. By this time I was very nervous but SO excited!!

Before we knew it I gave my dad the nod and we started to walk into the Ballroom. All eyes gazing. I was SOOOOOO nervous now! As I turned the corner and began walking down to Jason, our eyes met and he winked at me. I knew then it was going to be ok and my nerves disappeared.



The ceremony was wonderful! We wanted an intimate wedding and wanted everyone to be drawn into the ceremony and the Ballroom atmosphere was sensational for this! Before I knew it we were Mr & Mrs and we were heading outside to celebrate with family and friends!



Off to the Botanic Gardens for family pics, and then the bridal party went to the University and Jason and I headed off down Rundle Street to the Austral (my fave pub!) and for some creative photos outside a graffiti mural.  
We rushed back to start the reception and then the party began! Henry Ayers Room at Ayers House is gorgeous and ideal for an intimate group! Our DJ kept the good tunes playing and kept the atmosphere alive throughout the night!

We ended up heading out to Sugar on Rundle Street after the reception finished and danced till the wee hours with our close friends who had traveled from interstate before heading back to retire as husband and wife! Wow what a magical day – remaining firmly in our memories for years to come!!

A few extra things:

Our cake was simply STUNNING! Everyone commented on how clever and spectacular it looked so thank you Kate from SUGARUSH CAKES for making our cake dreams a reality!

The magical day was Saturday 6th September and the weather was amazing!!! We could not have wished for better! The wedding took place at Glenelg - ceremony at St Peter's Anglican Church, and then reception at the Stamford Grand. Most of my bridesmaids and I stayed at the Stamford Grand the night before and we got ready there the next morning.

The lovely Jeanette (Flair4Hair) arrived around 6:45am and got to work on our hair. She is just amazing!! Aside from giving us princess-hair, she was so cheerful and fun to be around, and the room was buzzing with excitement!

Jeanette doing my Chief BM's hair
 
The at 8:30 the makeup lady arrived to start our make-up. She and Jeanette worked really well together and we ended up being ready an hour ahead of schedule - woohoo!

So we had time to have some fun, like running downstairs in our pajamas with our hair and make-up done to have photos with our reception sign by the staircase...

Because the bling & jimjams look is just so trendy... 
I gave each of my bridesmaid's jewellery (necklace & earrings), a bag, and a wrap, plus 4 blingy hair pins each. 


Bridesmaid gifts laid out.
Eventually we were all ready and then our wonderful photographer arrived. She had already been to see the boys so I had to quiz her on how they were going, if they had all shown up (lol) and if they had all been awake (more lol). She assured me that they were fine and organized and on time - phew!

So then we had some photos etc my parents were there so I had photos with them and with each of my girls etc - then we went down to the staircase and had some pics there.



A lot of Kym's (H2B) family were at the Grand as well so they took heaps of photos of us which was so nice. It was good having such a support network there, haha!!

Then the carriage arrived, so us girls piled in and off we went to the church. It was such a fun ride and we felt like royalty with so many people waving to us etc!! When we got to the church, nearly everyone was standing outside waiting for us because they wanted to see the carriage arrive! I didn't expect that but it was so nice!! I discovered that it is not easy to disembark a horse-drawn carriage gracefully in a wedding gown and heels... especially when you have an audience!! But I managed, phew!


Posing outside the church after arriving!

As everyone was taking their seats inside, we had some quick photos outside the church and a quick chat with the priest who was marrying us. Then suddenly it was time for us to make our entrance!! My girls were brilliant! None of them had been bridesmaids before but they were absolutely fantastic - not too nervous, and walked down the aisle like experts! Then it was my turn...



I walked down the aisle alone as I don't believe in the tradition of being given away. It was one of the most empowering moments of my life

 
And the boys were ready, waiting, and looking mighty fine.
The ceremony went well - we kept it short but wonderful! I was a bit nervous about the vows as on the rehearsal on Thursday night we had kept laughing and couldn't keep a straight face!! So I was careful not to make eye contact with Kym until I had finished my line - just in case!! Thankfully we got through it without a hitch or a giggle!



Then we had lots and lots and lots and lots of photos outside the church - mainly family photos etc. My mum is not in good health at all so she had to go back to the hotel to rest. So we had to get the family pics with my family over with quickly. I was just glad Mum could come at all, because it wasn't looking good for a while there. But she did well on the day


Us outside the church

After all the photos at the church, we went off to have more photos! We had photos all around Glenelg! The Marina, the Buffalo, Colley Reserve, The Stamford Grand, the Beach House (us girls rode the carousel!), Bracegirdles chocolate shop, and Gloria Jeans! It was the best fun ever!! We rode partly in the carriage and partly in the Mitsubishi Evo X that Kym had for the day. We also had Kym's own Lancer as an extra wedding car as there were 10 of us in the bridal party and we wouldn't all fit in the carriage and one car.





I love this pic!!


Hehehe!! So much fun!!



Then on to GJs which is our second home!!

Then we went back to the Grand and had some photos on the balcony and in our reception room. We also did a mock cake cutting as Heather wouldn't be there for the real one.








'Cutting' the cake, hehe

Because Kym's family is Chinese we had a tea ceremony which involves Kym and I giving our elders each a cup of tea, they take a sip, and then they give us something in exchange. Mostly it was lucky red packets with a small amount of money inside, but I got a beautiful gold bangle from Kym's grandmother, and a lovely necklace with a lot of sentimental value behind it from Kym's mum. It is a tradition I didn't know about until about a week before the wedding, but it was so nice and special - and it was lovely to feel so accepted by all of Kym's family


Our reception room before it started


Bridal table all ready to go!

Then last but not least, we had a last photo on the staircase before heading up to our room for pre-dinner drinks. We had lost a groomsman by then as he had an injured ankle and was resting in our room.

The reception was the most fun night of my life! It went way too quickly - Kym and I barely ate as there were so many people to talk to! This is kind of a shame as we had a buffet and the food was apparently divine!!? We've seen photos of the dessert and oh my gosh, yum!! But at least everyone else got heaps to eat. One of my bridesmaids caught the bouquet which was nice. Our DJ did a fabulous job with our music, and the speeches were fantastic. The night was over all too soon!!

Our big day was perfect! It was the most magical day of our lives and it just went like clockwork. Nothing went drastically wrong - it was just like living a fairy tale, and we will treasure the memories for the rest of our lives. It's been so nice to relive the day and share it with you all.
I hope your days are as perfect & magical as mine!

I have been very slack and not put my pics up. Anyways here are some pics from our wedding. It was held at Glenelg with our ceremony at Colley reserve. It was a perfect day and I just want to relive it all over again! Enjoy!! Much love, Alex xoxo

Big Thanks to Flair4Hair & Anita Marchessi makeup they all made the day so so perfect! ox