C A S S I E & D A V I D
F R O M T H E B R I D E …
The Meeting…
David and I met on February 16th at Buzz Café in Darwin after getting in contact via MySpace. David was posted to Darwin with the Navy and I had just moved there with my parents. David was adding his new friends online when I popped up and he noticed we were both from Canberra and had gone to the same school! After a few weeks of chatting we decided to meet for a drink after he had returned from Canberra. While he was there his friend invited him to a work function and assured him that a friend of his would be there who was ex-Navy and they would get along like a house on fire. Begrudgingly David went along and had a fabulous time however the next morning he was showing his friend who I was online and a particular photo came up of me with an older man – I believe the conversation went something like “Um, wasn’t that the guy from last night?” and it was – it turned out he had spent the night getting to know MY DAD!
It took just 2 days for us to start dating (February 18th is also my parents wedding anniversary).
The Proposal…
David and I got engaged on a beautiful beach in Darwin at sunset. We had organised to go on a picnic and take the dogs for a swim, but I wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to go and almost ruined the evening! David convinced me I would feel better in the salty air and after playing with our dogs, which I did. After sitting and eating our picnic we were watching the waves and the sun go down when he told me he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with me and asked me to be his wife – I of course said yes! Then the mosquitoes attacked and we had to make a mad dash for the car only to find we had lost the keys – David raced back to the beach to look for them. A few dozen mozzie bites later we were in the car and heading home. It was certainly memorable!
Wedding Planning…
It was to be four years between David’s proposal and the wedding in the spectacular Kangaroo Valley in southern New South Wales. There are a few reasons for this; one being that David was deployed numerous times as a member of the Australian Defence Force, the other that we changed our minds many times in the quest for the perfect wedding, but it turned out better than we had ever dreamed.
The Dress + Accessories…
I paid homage to my family by having a gold cross owned by my great grandmother incorporated into my Viktoria Novak headpiece. My sister, mother and grandmother also wore the cross when they were married. I had also dreamed of the perfect wedding dress before we had even become engaged, and in a sheer stroke of luck stumbled across a Pronovias dress that I bought on the spot as soon as I laid eyes on it.
Ceremony…
We wanted guests to be able to relax, but also wanted that major wow factor – Kangaroo Valley Bush Retreat provided just that. The ceremony was held in a tropical gorge, surrounded by rainforest and sheer rock faces.
Styling…
The incredible talents of She Designs and Merci Bouquet florists delivered a breathtaking reception venue, complete with vintage chandeliers, bird cages and candle sticks.
On the Menu…
We had the most AMAZING caterer! Katrina Endean from Caterina. Our food was incredible and we still get comments on it! We had roving canapés consisting of Chinese spicy beef sticks, Salt & Pepper squid, Vegetarian spring rolls and Thai chicken balls. For mains we had Beef tagine with sweet potato, ginger and ras-el-hanout, BBQ lamb leg with roast garlic aioli, Red wine braised chicken with sides of Greek salad, Risotto with oven roasted tomatoes and basil, baked vegetables with prunes. Dessert was our delicious cake with a giant cheeseboard that my Dad made especially for the wedding.
Wedding Songs…
We had 3 key songs for our day. The first was Into the Wild by Lewis Watson which I walked down the aisle to, the second was Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paloma Faith which was our first dance song and the third was Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo’Ole which my dad and I danced to.
Memories…
Hitching up my dress and scaling a farm gate to get a shot in a field below the Valley – luckily the photos turned out better than I could possibly have imagined.
Wedding Photography…
We chose Deus Photography after a lot of searching. Matt’s style is unlike anything I had ever seen – the pictures are art and they are so far from your ‘normal’ wedding photos and that is what I wanted. We like different things and everyone who has seen our photos agree that they are unique, fun and simply breathtaking! We fell in love with every photo taken and could not have wanted for anything more! They are timeless, awe inspiring and unlike anything we have ever seen. I think we were the luckiest couple to have found Matt – we cannot recommend him enough!
Honeymoon…
We took a mini moon the week after the wedding and spent a week on the Gold Coast at the theme parks! Our actual honeymoon is late May where we will be going to Orlando for 6 nights to go to the theme parks, followed by a 7 night cruise of the Western Caribbean followed by 5 nights in an adults only resort in Cancun!
The Future…
We would like to do some travelling and have a baby!
Photography Deus Photography Ceremony + Reception Venue Kangaroo Valley Bush Retreat Bride’s Dress Pronovias Makeup Susan Markovic of Makeup Mode Bride’s Headpiece Viktoria Novak Flowers Merci Bouquet Styling She Designs
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