E M M A & A N D R E W
…at the end of the day as long as you are married to the love of your life the smaller details don’t matter
F R O M T H E B R I D E . . .
The moment we met…
Andrew and I used to work together. I was told that someone had their eye one me and when I found out his name I actually had no idea who he was. Andrew approached me and we started off with a couple of lunch dates with friends. We had our first date on a long weekend and with torrential rain – we were supposed to head to Cronulla for a fancy lunch but we decided to snuggle up inside and watch movies. I think we both knew at that time that we were perfect for each other.
We knew it was love…
Quite early on as we have a really great friendship and that’s one thing that was important for both of us. But nothing compares to sharing the birth of your first child together and although we knew before that moment it was forever, it just reassured the perfection of us as a couple.
The proposal…
We got engaged in July 2013. My birthday is in June and Andrew gave me a weekend away to the Hunter as a gift. I was oblivious to his plan to propose that weekend. Throughout our relationship I always asked for us to go on a picnic together and spend some time together in the sun with wine and cheese. I never got my picnic as Andrew tends to think they a bit too feminine. But we were getting ready for our day in the Hunter Valley and we went for coffee and breakfast – Andrew let me plan our whole day of wine tours at breakfast knowing that we were never getting to these places.
After Breakfast we went back to our hotel to relax for a bit before what I thought was an afternoon full of wine tours. Andrew disappeared to reception and walked in the door with a champagne bottle and a picnic basket.
Off we went to the grounds of our hotel to find a nice spot for the perfect picnic. We sat down, poured some Champagne and enjoyed some cheese and strawberries. Andrew excused himself again, saying he had forgotten something in the room.
He came back and after a few minutes he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. My reaction was quite priceless, of course I said yes, but my response was “do I get to keep it?” that meaning the stunning diamond ring that he designed and had especially made for me. It was such a surreal but beautiful moment.
Our dream wedding…
I was never the typical girl that dreams about weddings and I had no idea what kind of wedding I wanted until it all just fell into place!
The venue…
The venue we chose was the first and only venue we viewed and I just knew that I wanted to get married there. That the Rustic Style Wedding was exactly what I wanted. We had our ceremony in the gardens overlooking the Vineyards at Belgenny Farm, Camden and the reception was in the Granary.
The bridal party…
We had four Bridesmaids. I had my two older sisters who I have an amazingly close relationship with one of which was my maid of honour. I also chose my best friend and my sister-in-law to be. We also had four Groomsmen. Andrew’s best mate was the best man and the others were his older brother and two of his mates from school.
They wore…
I wanted a subtle bridesmaid dresses that the girls could wear again and given the rustic theme I wanted an embellished look. We found knee-length, dusty pink embellished dresses which were amazing and suited all of the girls’ body types and were not a traditional style bridesmaid dress. The groomsmen wore navy suits with a checked shirt and brown shoes.
The dress…
I knew I wanted a backless wedding dress and I am in love with all of Galia Lahav’s designs. I had a dress made overseas which was quite big and did not suit my body type or personality. Once this arrived I knew it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted a sexy, slim fit backless dress.
I headed to White Runway, I think around 12 weeks prior to my wedding and took my maid of honour with me and when I walked out she got teary and I could tell from her reaction that it was perfect – I hadn’t even seen it myself yet! I did get that “teary” moment women talk about and it was perfect. The dress would take 10 weeks to make so I had to buy the dress off the rack and had the dress altered to fit me perfectly by a family friend.
Decor…
I wanted bright and colourful flowers. I am lucky enough to have known my florist for over 10 years. We grew up together so she knew exactly what I loved and I put it in her hands to surprise me, and indeed I was! I couldn’t have envisioned a more perfect wedding. I actually had no idea what my flowers looked like until the morning of my wedding when my florist dropped them off. The flowers were incredible. I also had a flower crown made of pinks and purples and she made sure to include Peonies (my favourite)!
The photographer…
I had a friend recommend April Mac Photography and once I saw their website and the other weddings they had shot I knew they would be perfect. The photos capture the natural light and beautiful colours of my florals perfectly. They are artistic but without looking like typical cliché wedding photos. I love that every single photo is incredible, they all really captured each special moment down to my daughter finally recognizing who I was and running up to me with arms wide open yelling “mummy”. I didn’t think they were around to capture such a special moment but it’s a photo I will treasure forever.
The menu…
Entrees: Homemade Gnocchi with mixed wild mushrooms and parmesan cheese, truffle oil and fresh tarragon; Olive and Herb mini-Arancini balls served on spicy tomato salsa and Julienne vegetables.
Mains: Slow Braised lamb shank with garlic mash, braised mixed vegetables and red wine jus; Crispy Atlantic Salmon on truffle mash, steamed greens and beurre blanc
Desserts: Vanilla Pannacotta served with mixed berry compote; Mixed Berry Crumble served hot with double cream
Memorable moments…
During his speech, Andrew presented me with an Eternity ring and told the world that I was the “most amazing mother he knows” as we already have a daughter together. I will never forget it as it was a truly proud moment that meant a lot to me. The Father daughter dance was always going to be a number one moment for me. I am extremely close with my dad and looked forward to that moment for a very long time.
Wedding songs…
Bride’s entrance – A thousand Years by Christina Perri
Bridesmaids’ entrance – Thinking out loud by Ed Sheeran
Certificate Signing – Everything by Michael Buble
Bridal Waltz – All of Me by John Legend
Father Daughter Dance – Daddy’s Angel by T Carter
Wedding night…
We spent our wedding night and a couple of nights after at Pier One in Sydney which was amazing.
The honeymoon…
Andrew and I have a 2 year old daughter together and had just finished building our first house a month before our wedding, so we decided to hold off on our honeymoon until we could really splurge on ourselves and make it special.
The future…
We are currently expecting our second child in November 2015!
In 40 years we hope to…
Still be happily married and still having fun together and hopefully enjoying our grandchildren.
Wedding Wisdom.
How to enjoy the engagement…
Enjoy it and each other. Leave yourself enough time to be engaged and not rush into planning a wedding straight away.
On wedding planning…
Just let things fall into place and if one thing doesn’t work out it’s not the end of the world because at the end of the day as long as you are married to the love of your life the smaller details don’t matter. Your photography is what you will look at forever so make sure you choose the right one, even if it costs a little extra, and the choice of flowers really make a difference in the style and the look of your wedding.
The wedding day…
The day will fly by – I was lucky enough to be told not leave your husband’s side otherwise you will never see each other. Andrew and I spent majority of the night together and enjoyed every moment.
Photography April Mac Photography Venue Belgenny Farm Camden Wedding Gown White Runway Bridesmaids’ dresses Forever New Flowers Francis Floristry Cake and ceremony flowers Cakes by Mummajo Decor Belgenny Farm Camden