E R I N + T I M
{ Monika Branley Photography }
Erin says she realised she would be spending the rest of her life with Tim after they moved to London together. For Tim, it was love at first sight. The work colleagues turned husband-and-wife celebrated with their nearest and dearest in a rustic style wedding. Timber trestle tables were covered with lashings of flowers and strings of fairy lights hung overhead.
We first met…
Tim and I met in 2010 during my final year student placement at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane. I was fortunate enough that Tim was filling a locum position within the department at the time. Following my placement I was offered a job within the department which meant I had to move from the Gold Coast to Brisbane, so Tim naturally asked if I needed help with moving. After a few social engagements we started seeing each other more regularly, keeping it a secret from our work colleagues (for about 3 months!). After Tim finished his contract within the department, we let the ‘cat out of the bag’ about our workplace relationship and have never looked back since!
We knew it was love…
When I decided to make the move to London in 2012 with Tim, I knew he was someone special. We spent the next four and a half years living it up there, and ultimately really consolidated the fact we wanted to spend our lives together…although Tim says it was love at first sight.
The proposal…
We got engaged in 2014 in Montorosso. Tim took me on a surprise trip to the Cinque Terre over the Easter break, knowing that it was high on my bucket list of things to do. It was absolutely amazing, such a romantic spot to set the scene for a proposal!
Our wedding photographer…
Monika Branley was our amazing photographer. She had been the photographer of one of my bridesmaids, so I decided to give her a call and meet up with her for a coffee given all the praises she had received. She was just so lovely, I knew she would be a perfect fit for our day and make us feel totally comfortable.
Monika did her homework at the Q Station a couple of weeks prior to the wedding, so she was able to get an idea of the scenery. I think this really maximised the number of stunning shots we were able to get in the end! She captured the surroundings perfectly, as well as all the happiness, love and fun that we experienced on the day. She mingled in effortlessly with the guests (almost in a stealth like way!) in order to capture all of our family and friends on the night.
Our dream wedding…
We wanted something fairly rustic and elegant, so the Q Station was a perfect fit in terms of the scenery and feel. The majority of my family and I were born and raised in Manly and my grandfather had worked at the Q Station, so it held a bit of added historical importance for my family.
Ceremony location…
We had our ceremony at the Cardinal Ceretti Chapel in Manly.
Reception venue…
We had our reception at the gorgeous Q Station in Manly. It had everything from beautiful bushland, a secluded beach and heritage listed buildings. We were able to use these as the backdrop for our photos as well as using the wharf for our pre dinner drinks with the help of the amazing staff.
Pre-wedding celebrations…
Tim had a gathering of family and friends from Melbourne and overseas the day before the wedding in Manly to kick off the celebrations.
The bridal party…
We had four bridesmaids and four groomsman. They were made up of a combination of siblings and friends from Melbourne, Sydney and London.
The bridesmaids wore…
My bridesmaids wore two styles of Shona Joy dress in charcoal.
The groomsmen wore…
The groomsmen wore Aston navy suits from Mens Suit Warehouse in Melbourne. We thought with champagne ties would compliment the flower girls dresses nicely.
The groom wore…
Tim wore an Aston navy suit to match the groomsmen, but opted for a bowtie rather for that extra more detail.
The dress…
Jennifer Regan designed and made my wedding dress in Newtown, Sydney.
After trying on so many different types of dresses in London and Sydney, I was becoming quite overwhelmed to be honest! Going to Jennifer was so refreshing, she turned what was becoming quite tiresome process into something to be excited about again! She took the time to allow me to pick out some dresses that I liked, as well as picking out some for me that she thought might suit my style. I ended up choosing a dress that she had picked in the end. She was able to show me how I could style the dress, and how I could use my accessories to really make it pop! The dress was gorgeous to wear, and made me feel so special on the day.
Wedding flowers…
I really loved the look of loose garden flowers, as well as the colour burgundy. I gave Katie our florist an idea of the colours we were after and she did the rest! She did a fabulous job, every guest commented on how beautiful the flowers were. As an extra bonus, she arranged the flowers on the tables so that the guests could take them home at the end of the night.
Reception décor…
Because we were going for a rustic style wedding, we went for wooden tressel tables with flowers as the centrepieces on the tables. We kept it fairly simple, with no colour schemes, and added a canopy of fairy lights to really make the room sparkle in the evening.
The creative Katie from Miss Lucy Flowers did all of our flowers, All Covered were the suppliers for Q station and my extremely talented and amazing mum, Leigh Morton, made the cake!
On the menu…
We opted for a traditional sit down meal, with canapés and drinks on the wharf beforehand. We had pork belly and prawns for entree, with slow cooked beef and salmon for mains. We cut the cake and served this with cream for dessert.
Bomboniere…
My very artistic aunty and mum made candles for the bomboniere. We chose three different candle jars with different fragrances to tie in with our rustic theme. They even had wood wicks, which crackle once lit!
Memorable moments…
The whole day was perfect, but exchanging of the vows and photos with our gorgeous bridal party were pretty special.
Wedding soundtrack…
We chose to walk into the chapel to ‘Wedding Song’ by Angus and Julia Stone, and walk out to ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac. We chose a five piece band from The White Tree that were brilliant and chose the music on the night dependent upon what our guests were loving most. It definitely worked – despite it being an incredibly warm night everyone was on the dance floor!
M A R R I E D L I F E
The honeymoon…
We went skiing in Japan for five days, followed by another week and a half travelling around Japan. From here we spent two days in Kuala Lumpur, and six says in Bali to thaw out.
Future plans…
We live every day as it comes…but hope to continue with our adventures overseas.
In 40 years you hope to…
Still be enjoying the world and each other!
W E D D I N G W I S D O M
The engagement…
Have lots of celebrations with family and friends – it’s such a special time, so it should be enjoyed!
Planning…
Just take focus on one thing at a time, it will make everything seem more manageable.
On the day…
Try not to stress and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
Wedding Photographer: Monika Branley Photography / Ceremony Location: Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel, Manly / Reception: Q Station, Manly / Brides Dress: Jennifer Regan / Bridesmaid Dresses: Shona Joy / Hair: Adam Harant / Makeup: Rosie Walkley Makeup / Flowers: Miss Lucy Flowers / Suits: Aston suites from Men’s Suit Warehouse