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For teachers, Casey & Doug, the leadup to their wedding day proved a little bumpy (think global pandemic and government restrictions). Thank God for the power of social media! Armed with inspiration from Instagram, Pinterest and Etsy these two brought together an amazing combination of intimate & grand ideas, old & new. And when the moment dawned, all the anxiety melted away. “I had been so worried about everything before getting to the Chapel and as soon as those doors open and my eyes hit Douglas; I was totally focused on my husband. Everything else just seemed to disappear”.
THE PROPOSAL: We had planned a perfect holiday to Japan in the school holidays. I had begged Douglas to go to Disneyland as it really is the happiest place on Earth! He wasn’t really into it leading up to the day but once we got there he completely fell for the Disney magic. After going on almost every single ride, he asked me what my favourite was – of course I replied with Splash Mountain. The ride ends in a 16m drop surrounded by water. Douglas promised that it would be the last ride of the night to make sure we remembered our favourite ride together. The wait time was over two hours and Douglas HATES waiting longer than ten minutes so I sadly began to walk away knowing there was no way he would be waiting. To my surprise he called me back and happily waited what felt more like three hours in that line. Once the ride started I was totally consumed by the magic so I didn’t even notice when he began pulling a ring out! Once the ride got to the very highest point just before the big drop Douglas asked me to marry him!! The ride began to drop before I could answer and even took a photo right as the question was asked. It really was magical!
INSPIRATION: Thanks to the creators of Pinterest I had known what I was looking for from the start. We had probably gone to view 4 other venues before viewing Peppers Creek. Once we stepped into that Chapel we knew we were going to stand there and say I do. We both were set on having a very intimate and romantic vibe at our wedding. Instagram! It was a total lifesaver having to plan 90% of the wedding online due to COVID. Now my family can tend to be a little over the top so Douglas did have to keep it all in check! We wanted the theme to be lush with natural greens and lots of foliage yet also have that feel of elegance through the touches of gold throughout.
THE DRESS: My dress is a Stell York design from Fashions By Farina in Sydney. One of my bridesmaids had purchased her dress from there and recommended that I give them a visit. Before trying my dress on, I must of tried at least 25 other dresses. Being a petite bride made it extremely hard to envision anything tailored. I actually tried my dress on in a different colour but instantly felt it was the one! I had it order in white and had the beading specially put on with pearls ans crystals. The final product took about 8 months and it was exactly the dress that I dreamed about!
LITTLE DIY: We made our own wedding favours with the help of Etsy. They turned our beautifully – thanks mum for your endless hours here! Douglas made the cross that featured in our wedding. It almost didn’t survive the journey over so we were so happy to see it hanging on the wall!
TRADITIONS: There was a happy mix of Catholic and Adventist. Adventists don’t usually get married on the Saturday and Catholics like a Chapel so there was a good mix. We made sure to involve prayers from both sides of our families so that everyone felt included and welcome. Our candle lighting ceremony was something very special in the Church.
As part of the something new, something borrowed, something old and something blue tradition, my family made some pretty special contributions. My mum had purchased a special bonnet when I was baptized that turned into the hankey that I had during the ceremony in case the tears arrived. My grandmother also gave me the gold cross off her chain which she wears daily to borrow for our wedding day. A few sweet little traditions to pass down.
Photography & Videography: Ava Me Photography
Ceremony & Reception: Peppers Creek
Celebrant: Divine Celebrancy – Rita O’Reilly
Bride Dress: Stella York
Bridal Salon: Fashions By Farina
Hair & Makeup: Fabulous Hair & Make-up By KathyZappia
Florals: Yeng Tan Floral Designer
Groom & Groomsmen Suits: Peter Jackson
Cake: HoneyBelle Cakery
Stationery: The Bomboniere Factory
Reception Entertainment: Mobile Millennium DJ’s
