The Details
How did you and your partner meet? Charlie and I met through mutual friends in 2011, and I’m so glad that we did! It’s crazy how you didn’t know you needed someone in your life so much until fate brings them into your life.

How did he propose? To my surprise, he romantically proposed during our NYE celebration in Hawaii (2013/2014)

What’s your most important piece of advice for creating and maintaining a strong relationship? Always be patient and honest with each other and keep your life together private.

Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it: I never thought I would wear a ballgown on my wedding day, but upon trying dresses, none felt right until I tried my ballgown and it really is true you “just know” when you have found your dress

What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day? I pictured a coloured theme of whites and creams with beautiful fluffy flowers so that our guests would feel like they were in a romantic garden

What was your favorite moment from the day? Hearing our wedding song sung by one of our live bands. I never understood or really liked my wedding song until one day it came on the radio and I thought, “Hey, this song makes a lot of sense now”. And so, we chose it for our special day! It is originally sung by a male and so I waited all day to hear it sung by a female voice.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change? I would honestly change nothing except to have enjoyed it a little more and stressed a little less. Remember to take a moment to really take it all in

Any tips that you can give to future brides? Do not stress. Bad things are bound to happen but just consider yourself lucky they are not worse than they are

Anything else you’d like to add? I would like to add that we had two amazing bands I’d highly recommend for Australian (Sydney) brides: a Lebanese band consisting of singers and 10 drums and live band and my favourite, the soul band LoveJonez!

The Team
Wedding Invitations: Adorn Invitations www.adorninvitations.co.uk
Dress: Rosa Clara www.rosaclara.es/en/
Makeup: Makeup by Lola Rouge
Hair: Bnhair
Shoes: Valentino
Accessories: Love On Jewellery www.loveonjewellery.com.au
Bridesmaids Dresses: White Runway
Grooms Suit: Armani
Photographer: Image Frenzy Photography www.imagefrenzy.com.au/
Menu & Place Cards: BWedding Invitations www.bweddinginvitations.com
Cake: Pretty Parties
Flowers: In Bloom Florist Hornsby
Ceremony Venue: St Charbel’s Church
Reception Venue: Curzon Hall www.curzonhall.com.au/

How did you and your partner meet?
Hasan was a personal trainer at a gym that I recently joined. We first met at the initial consultation and realised we both had attended the same high school yet were a few years apart. Later that day I left my water bottle behind and he found an opportunity to message me. It was the chemistry and fun that brought our relationship together.

How did he propose?
At my house in front of family.

What’s your most important piece of advice for creating and maintaining a strong relationship? Trust – without it it’s difficult to lay the foundation for your relationship. And always treat each other as if you’re on your first date.

Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it:
First dress I tried on when I walked in. Then I tried on a couple more dresses after that but I kept coming back to the first one. It was what I was looking for, I wanted a long train and sleeves and that’s exactly what they delivered.

What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day?
A timeless, vintage look with gold throughout.

What was your favorite moment from the day?
Walking into the venue and finding everyone all dressed and ready to meet us. It was a reminder of what great family and friends we have.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change?
Stress less.

Any tips that you can give to future brides?
Things are bound to go wrong, my advice is to just make the most of every moment, before you know it, the night is over and you’re saying goodbye to your guests.

Wedding Invitations: Adorn Invitations https://www.adorninvitations.co.uk/
Dress: Jasmine 2016 from Belle et Blanc http://www.belleetblanc.com.au/
Makeup: Karla Roccuzo
Hair: Vera
Shoes: Zu
Accessories: Bariano
Bridesmaids Dresses: Custom by Belle et Blanc http://www.belleetblanc.com.au/
Grooms Suit: Hugo Boss
Photographer: Lahza Photography http://www.lahza.com.au/
Menus & Place Cards: BWedding Invitations https://www.bweddinginvitations.com/
Cake: The Sweeter Side
Food: San Remo Ballroom https://srbevents.melbourne/
Flowers: Lily Pad https://www.lillypadweddings.com.au/
Ceremony Venue: Home
Reception Venue: San Remo Ballroom

What’s your most important piece of advice for creating and maintaining a strong relationship? Always date, even when your married.

Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it: I knew I wanted lace. I fell in love with my dress, it was about the twelfth dress I tried on. I knew it was light unlike all the other dresses I tried on.

What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day? Boho, Vintage and Rustic all in one.

What was your favorite moment from the day? Chris and I took time that night to get photos of us sitting by ourselves having a moment overlooking the venue and what we had worked so hard to achieve.

Any DIY décor elements? Pallets signs, favors, suitcases.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change? Nothing!

Any tips that you can give to future brides? Get a videographer because I’m so glad we did. You literally relive that day every time you watch your video, it’s not the same with photos.

Bride’s accessories: Elegance at Hand
Bride’s gown: Fairy Tale Bridal Moonee Ponds-Martina Liana www.fairytalesbridal.com.au
Bridesmaid accessories: Vermeer Jewellery
Bridesmaid dresses: Swish Clothing
Wedding Invitations: Adorn Invitations www.adorninvitations.co.uk
Cake: Blackbird Cakes Woodend
Caterer: Cammeray Waters www.cammeraywaters.com.au
Celebrant: Jill Caruana
Ceremony music: Charlotte Gemill
Ceremony venue: Cammeray Waters
Entertainment: D.J Masters
Flowers: Levian Events http://levian.com.au/
Food / menu: Cammeray Waters
Gift registry: Honeymoon Fund
Groom’s attire: Roger David
Groom’s shoes: Roger David
Groomsmen attire: Roger David
Groomsmen shoes: Roger David
Hair: Lovalola Hair
Honeymoon:Cook  Islands then South Island NZ
Menus & Place Cards: BWedding Invitations www.bweddinginvitations.com
Lolly / Dessert buffet: Cammeray Waters
Makeup: Make up by Jacinta
Photo booth: Levian Events
Photographer: T One Image www.t-oneimage.com.au
Reception venue: Cammeray Waters
Rings: Michael Hill (Chris) Gregory (Vanessa)
Venue decor: Levian Events
Videographer: Lightbox Media www.lightboxmedia.com.au/
Wedding Night Accommodation: Cammeray Waters
Wedding planner: Bride

The Details

How did you and your partner meet? We first met when we were in primary school- we used to sit next to each other because the teacher made us sit boy-girl-boy-girl. James was the boy that sat between me and my best friend! We met again at schoolies on the Gold Coast. James thought my name sounded familiar and introduced himself.

How did he propose? James proposed to me in Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. The proposal had taken months of planning! After we had booked in our stay at the Excellence Playa Mujures, James secretly called the hotel to arrange an upgrade. He requested that they pretend that the upgrade and a private yacht trip were complementary as it was our anniversary when we were staying there. This was all to make sure that I didn’t suspect why James was spoiling me so much!

When the Captain stopped the yacht near a private beach, James went down on one knee on the bow of the boat and asked me to marry him with a stunning, personally designed diamond ring from Fairfax & Roberts. Of course, I said yes.

What’s your most important piece of advice for creating and maintaining a strong relationship? Spend as much quality time with each other as you can. It’s so easy to be caught up in the day to day, but spending one on one time together is so important.

Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it: A stunning ivory couture gown of intricate French Lace, with a four-meter lace veil, made by the team at Personalised Weddings in Earlwood. My mum also had a couture dress made in French Blue and with French lace by Personalised Couture.

What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day? Romance, love, & family. The reception was designed with the theme of roses, silver & crystal in mind. I was lucky enough to have my dream come true with an abundance of draping roses around the room in the softest pinks and whites. The reception venue was perfect because it has the most amazing tea light chandelier hanging from the ceiling, which gives the venue a magical and starry atmosphere.

What was your favorite moment from the day? Our first dance to Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Spending time with our families, who were so happy for us! We tried to include as many people in our wedding as possible, e.g. the bridal party included 8 cousins aged between 2 and 7 years – 6 flower girls in couture tulle gowns by Olivia Kate Couture and 2 page boys in mini dinner suits from Ferrari Formal!

Any DIY décor elements? Framed family wedding photographs at the entry to the reception

If you could do it all over again, what would you change? Nothing!

Any tips that you can give to future brides? Spend as much time with each other as possible on this special day- the day goes so fast, and it’s a celebration of your new lives together, so savor every moment together.

The Team

Wedding Invitations: Adorn Invitations https://www.adorninvitations.co.uk/
Dress: Personalised Weddings Couture http://personalisedweddings.com.au/
Hair: Michelle Kroon
Shoes: Badgley Mishka
Accessories: Tiffany & Co (earrings), Glammadonna (hair piece & bridesmaid earrings), Fairfax & Roberts (engagement & wedding rings)
Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale
Grooms Suit: Black Label Tailoring
Menus & Place Cards: BWedding Invitations http://www.bweddinginvitations.com/
Photographer: Inlighten Photography http://www.inlighten.com.au/
Cake: Brides in Bloom
Food: View By Sydney, Pier 2 Walsh Bay
Flowers: Brides in Bloom http://www.bridesinbloom.com.au/
Ceremony Venue: St Mark’s Darling Point
Reception Venue: View By Sydney, Pier 2 Walsh Bay http://viewbysydney.com.au/
Flower girl Dresses Designer: Olivia Kate Couture
Groomsmen & Pageboy suits: Ferrari Formal
Cinematographer: Untitled Film Works
Entertainment: Baker Boys Band

The Details

How did you and your partner meet?  We met like many couples meet, in a night club. Clint may have been at a slight advantage in the fact that the club was on a boat in the middle of the ocean as we were on a ten-day Christmas cruise around the South Pacific with our respective families. It also took Clint nine of the ten days before he approached me.

How did he propose? Clint proposed on one knee in the small village of Farfa (situated just outside of Rome) overlooking the olive groves. We had spent the day in a neighboring village, Toffia, enjoying a day of Italian flavoured cooking lessons and sightseeing.

What’s your most important piece of advice for creating and maintaining a strong relationship?  We are far from experts and are always learning (mainly from the mistakes along the way). Humour goes a long way, being able to make each other laugh is important to us. Keep flirting, things can soon become routine so always try to keep the mischief.  Understand and respect each other’s differences. Remember that you don’t always have to like each other to love each other.

Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it: I wanted a wedding gown that was simple and elegant and was not the traditional white. Visiting several bridal shops, I realised I was going to have trouble finding off the shelf dresses that would fit so began to look for Australian designers and I found Joanna Johnson.

What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day?
We wanted a simple, intimate and natural style.

What was your favorite moment from the day?
Jeena – First dance as husband and wife.
Clint – seeing my wife “to be” in her wedding gown for the first time

Any DIY décor elements?
We had a number of DIY items. The table center pieces were made by us, we simply bought some glass bowls and green stones then added some colourful plants. We made a cheese tower with 4 different cheese wheels, the cheese board was made from an off cut from a tree stump. This was further decorated with native flora, nuts and fruit.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change?
The wedding dress designer as the experience on the whole was unnecessarily stressful and disappointing. Apart from this we were extremely lucky how the day turned out.

Any tips that you can give to future brides?
The day is unbelievably busy and goes so quick that you have to remember to enjoy it. Don’t sweat the small stuff and go with the flow.

The Team

Wedding Invitations: https://www.adorninvitations.co.uk/ 
Dress: Joanna Johnson
Makeup: Le-fabulous- Jenny Law http://www.lefabulous.com.au
Hair: Le-fabulous- Jenny Law
Shoes: G&L Handmade shoe designers
Accessories: Hair Jewelry Joanna Johnson
Grooms Suit: The Gentleman’s Club
Photographer: Morris Images https://www.morrisimages.com.au
Videographer: MerakiMoments http://www.merakimoments.com.au/
Cake: Flemington Markets/Coles (cheese tower)
Food: Sebel Spa and Resort
Menus and Place Cards: https://www.bweddinginvitations.com/
Flowers: Family friend
Ceremony Venue: Sebel Spa and Resort
Reception Venue: Sebel Spa and Resort

The Details

How did you and your partner meet?
We met on the dance floor of our local pub on Christmas Eve.

How did he propose?
Pat recreated our first date down to the car he was driving at the time. Funnily enough we had never been back to the same restaurant that we went to for our first date. He proposed on the pier where we had gone for a walk after our first date. You would think that I would have clued on to what was happening but it took me by complete surprise!

What’s your most important piece of advice for creating and maintaining a strong relationship?
Communication, respect and having fun.

Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it:
I had already found a dress when I was on a trip in Queensland, but I wanted my mother in law and my bridesmaids to come to a dress fitting so I arranged one in Melbourne. When I came out of the change room wearing my dress everyone cried so I thought, I guess this is the one.

What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day (in terms of venue & décor + styling)?
Fairly relaxed kind of Boho I guess with LOTS of fairy lights.

What was your favorite moment from the day?
Locking eyes with Pat as I walked down the aisle.

Any DIY décor elements?
SO many. It was a team effort. My mother sewed so many white cones for our white paper decoration – it took nearly a year to make! My mother in law made the delicious take homes. My dad made the frames that held all our place cards. Quite a few other bits and pieces were created in some crafter-noon sessions with my bridesmaids. A lot has been re-used at other weddings since which is nice.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change?
Nothing

Any tips that you can give to future brides?
Have fun!

Anything else you’d like to add?
Darin is awesome 🙂

The Team

Dress: Rue De Seine
Makeup: Make Up With Me http://www.makeupwithme.com.au/
Hair: Make Up With Me
Shoes: Zu
Personalised Wedding Gift: Adorn Invitations https://www.adorninvitations.co.uk/
Accessories: Antique earrings from my mother
Bridesmaids Dresses: The skirts were hand made by a friend and the tops were from Kookai
Photographer: Darin Collison http://darincollisonphotography.com.au/
Menus & Place Cards: https://www.bweddinginvitations.com/
Food: Aussie Catering
Cake: Simply Cakes Melbourne http://www.simplycakes.com.au/
Flowers: Mordialloc Florist
Ceremony Venue: Chelsea Beach
Reception Venue: Chelsea Yacht Club http://www.chelseayachtclub.com.au

The Details
How did you and your partner meet? Andrew and I met through mutual friends, while we were both on Christmas Holidays, on the beach in the Mornington Peninsula.

How did he propose? During a weekend away at my parent’s holiday house at Lorne, and after a very long and beautiful day of site seeing down the Great Ocean Road, Andrew proposed at one of our favorites places in Lorne at Teddy’s lookout.

What’s your most important piece of advice for creating and maintaining a strong relationship? I have only been married for a short time now, but Andrew and I have been together for many years. I would say that the most important part of maintaining a strong relationship would be to never take yourself or your relationship too seriously and don’t forget to have fun.

Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it: The most important thing to me when I chose my gown was how I connected with the designer. I had a vision in mind, but it was up to the designer to lead me on the journey. Leah was laid back in her approach and not OTT, and that was super important to me. My dress was different, I hadn’t seen anything like it and I was so happy with the outcome.
What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day? I had always envisioned my wedding day to be a laid-back type of glamourous styled one. A winter style winery was perfect for this, and Stones of the Yarra Valley nailed that brief. Stones can be anything you want it to be. Our hanging chandelier of florals with tea light candles, along with drooping fairy lights, really set the mood. There was an open fire pit outside the back doors overlooking the vineyard, it was perfect.

What was your favorite moment from the day? Fireworks, of course.
I’m a sucker for those big, bright sparkles in the sky, and Andrew knows this. Part way through Andrew’s speech, he surprised me and our guests with a show of amazing fireworks over the vineyard. It was magical.

Any DIY décor elements? All in all, the team at Stones are amazing event coordinators. They prompt you with things that you haven’t even thought about in terms of décor… but some things that we added were fairy lighting, outdoor fire pit, bird cage for “wishing well” …. etc.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change? I can honestly say, I wouldn’t change anything. Nothing is perfect but to us, our wedding day was stunning and most importantly, it was a huge celebration with friends and family, filled with love, laughter and of course, great food and wine.

Any tips that you can give to future brides? Be organized – there is no fun in last minute stress sessions. In the last 6 months, set your ‘to do’ list and order it in priority. The highest priority items, set to action 6 months prior, and work the list backwards so that you have certain things to action, every month. Plan to have a blank ‘to do’ list two weeks prior, because things will pop up.

The Team
Dress: Leah Da Gloria https://www.leahdagloria.com/
Makeup: Cassandra Lusi
Hair: Rokk Ebony
Shoes: Valentino
Accessories: Tiffany & Co
Personalised Wedding Gifts: Adorn Invitations https://www.adorninvitations.co.uk/
Bridesmaids Dresses: Adrianna Papell
Grooms Suit: MJ Bale
Photographer: Darin Collison http://darincollisonphotography.com.au/
Video – Life in Light Films
Menus & Place Cards: BWedding Invitations http://www.bweddinginvitations.com/
Cake: Cakes by Raymond Tan (@rymondtn)
Food: Stones of the Yarra Valley
Flowers: Blooming Brides
Ceremony Venue: St Mary’s Star of the Sea, West Melbourne
Reception Venue: Stones of the Yarra Valley https://www.stonesoftheyarravalley.com/

The Details

How did you and your partner meet? 
Through long term friends. Johnny’s friend and my girlfriend whom are married introduced us at a birthday night out. Johnny and I caught up after and hit it off.

How did he propose?
Our very first date he took me to Meat and Wine Co. in Southbank.
Leading up to the night he proposed, every time we went out he’d complain about his meal and say next time we are going Meat and Wine Co. So, when he said we are going there I didn’t put much thought into it. It was a Friday night and I met Johnny there, it had rained all day, I had my hair in pigtails as I got drenched and literally looked like a drowned rat. I had no idea, after we ate he asked if I wanted dessert, I said no and he said read the menu we’ll share. So, I said okay, thinking he never shares! As I opened the menu he had written “Will you marry me?” on the inside! I went silent for a while in shock. I know it sounds sillybut I’m never lost for words.
Then on top off the surprise he flew us to Queensland for a long weekend very romantic! He had it all planned perfectly! I had no idea!

How did you choose your wedding gown?
I’ve known Elide from Bonita a life time and she always said when I get married she’s making me my dress.
I tried on her whole store and didn’t feel right in anything. Then she picked the Valentina Gown and it was perfect!

What was your favorite moment from the day?
I would have to say, Johnny organised our first dance, he didn’t tell me what song he chose. He wanted the dry ice and fireworks to complete it.
I hadn’t cried the whole day and as we began dancing I realised the song “beautiful in my eyes by Joshua Kadison” I literally teared up. It was so beautiful. He nailed it!

Any DIY décor elements?
We are going for a rose gold romantic style to decorate tables, I purchased rose gold tea lights from Luxury Candle Supply. I also lined the bridal table with candles and tea lights. It was absolutely beautiful. Everyone complimented it. I had roses and greenery as the centerpieces with rose gold tea lights on black table clothes. It was just divine.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change?
Absolutely nothing. The day was perfect. The food was perfect. The DJ was the best! People have been calling me all week telling me how beautiful everything was.

Photographer: Icon Photography Melbourne https://iconphotos.com.au/
Wedding Invitations: B Wedding Invitations www.bweddinginvitations.com/
Dress: Bonita Couture www.bonitacouture.com/
Makeup: Hellena Make up and Lash and Beauti Co
Hair: Crew 33
Accessories: Wayne Cooper and Bonita Couture
Bridesmaids Dresses: Forever New
Grooms Suit: David Marcs – Moonee Ponds
Menu/ Place Cards: Adorn Invitations https://adorninvitations.co.uk
Cake: Eiffel Tower https://eiffeltower.com.au/
Flowers: Floral Event
Ceremony Venue:  St Monica’s Moonee Ponds
Reception Venue:  The Sovereign http://sovereignreceptions.com.au/
DJ: Rinaldo Entertainment and Production
MC: Phillip Pantano

The Details
How did you and your partner meet?
We met online. We lived down the road from each other, shared several mutual friends and had even been to the same parties at university, but it took the internet to get us together! It wasn’t an easy start, however, with Nick needing to move to Vancouver for a year 2 months after we met. A long-distance relationship can make or break you, luckily in our case it just brought us closer together.

How did he propose?
In Córdoba, Spain. Three days earlier, we arrived in Madrid. Nick planned to propose after a romantic dinner on the restaurant balcony, but it was absolutely freezing so he went to plan B – a rowboat proposal the next day. Plan B was a total washout and we drove south to Córdoba the next day. After nearly getting our hire car stuck in an impossibly narrow village road (without having a single cross word with each other!) we headed out to dinner. Upon returning to our hotel, Nick said he wanted to check out the view from the balcony and led me upstairs. Looking down upon the beautifully lit up walled city, I noticed Nick was acting a little strange and the next thing I know there was a ring in front of me and he’s asking me to marry him. He’d been carrying it around in his pocket for the past 4 days and somehow managed to hide it from me (and not get pick pocketed!). Of course I said yes, and the rest is history!

What’s your most important piece of advice for creating and maintaining a strong relationship?
Communication! Having begun our relationship long distance, Nick and I developed a solid foundation through honest and open communication. Sometimes it can be difficult to raise or discuss things that you’d rather ignore, but we believe in sorting things out as they occur, respecting each other’s differences and always coming from a place of compassion and empathy to further strengthen our bond and help each other grown over time.

Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it:
I have always enjoyed designing my own dresses but with a 5-month engagement I didn’t have much time. In the end, I found a beautiful dress at L’Amour Bridal Boutique, but worked with the super talented Reingard to recreate the top. Her attention to detail and dedication was amazing, even staying up all hours to hand sew hundreds of Swarovski crystals onto the lace. It fit like a glove and I couldn’t have been happier with the end result!

What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day?
We wanted the day to have a mixture of classic and formal elements, but a relaxed and warm feel with neutral tones and elements of nature. We’re both animals lovers and I am a vet so it was really important for our dog Mia to be part of the ceremony. The Yarra Valley was an easy choice as we visited this area when Nick visited from Vancouver and it held many significant memories. Coombe was our top pick, it’s history and glorious big Oak tree was perfect for the ceremony. The reception venue with its large windows and modern yet classic décor fit our style perfectly. The gorgeous grounds also provided the perfect backdrop for our photos.

What was your favorite moment from the day?
I have two! Walking up the aisle with my dad, seeing Nick’s face. He was trying to hide his tears, but I could see them. We just locked eyes and everything else just disappeared for that moment. It was magical. The second was when Mia delivered our rings – she just sprinted down the white carpet straight to us with her little flower-adorned collar, completely oblivious to the meaning of her entrance or the event. All she wanted to do was lick our faces and tell us how happy she was to see us! It was very grounding and made everyone relax and have a good laugh.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change?
In all the excitement, we completely forgot to get our dog Mia to join us for the photos. She was busy stealing hors d’oeuvres off our guests so I don’t think she minded!

Any tips that you can give to future brides?
Enjoy each moment of the day, it really does go by so quickly. Don’t worry about the weather or any mishaps, they make for a memorable day and remember why you’re there – to marry the love of your life so as long as that happens then nothing else really matters!

Wedding Invitations: BWedding Invitations www.bweddinginvitations.com
Dress: L’Amour Bridal Boutique www.lamourbridalboutique.com.au
Makeup: Maria Gullace
Hair: D’Artanian Dior – Hairdressing www.dartaniandior.com
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Accessories: Paspaley
Rings: Larsen Jewellers
Bridesmaids Dresses:
Only 1 member of bridal party, the ring bearer (Mia the dog), who wore a custom-made collar by Willow dog designs that was hand engraved and dressed with fresh flowers to match my bouquet.
Menus and Place Cards: Adorn Invitations www.adorninvitations.co.uk
Grooms Suit: Oscar Hunt
Photographer: Milk photography www.milkphotography.com.au
Guest gifts: Emmelle Home and Body personalized candles
Cake: Splendid Servings
Food: Coombe – The Melba Estate
Flowers: Jumping Jonquils
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Coombe – The Melba Estate www.coombeyarravalley.com.au
Entertainment: Darcy String Quartet & DJ Mimi: Top Dog