N A D I N E + S T E V E
Nadine and Steve didn’t want to be concerned with formalities on their wedding day; instead, they made sure the day was about sharing special moments with their close friends and family and, most of all, enjoying a relaxed day and big fun party. Their ceremony took place overlooking the stunning Umina Beach and Broken Bay, with just a light breeze and plenty of sunshine.
F R O M T H E B R I D E
We met…
We actually met on Tinder believe it or not! I got very lucky, he was my first Tinder date.
We knew it was love…
It only took a few weeks actually, Steve made a real effort organising dates and telling me how he felt. I knew he was the one for me early on.
The engagement…
In true Canadian style Steve proposed on Canada Day last year. He had made me a card with some lovely words inside, I went into shock after reading the first line and realising what was happening!!
T H E W E D D I N G…
We chose Chris from Underatreehouse Photography because we know him through friends. We loved how natural his style is. We didn’t want posed photos, we wanted photos that captured us, our family and guests more naturally. I love how our photos tell the story of the day. When you watch the slideshow presentation that Chris gave us, you are transported back to the day and feel like you’re living it again.
Our dream wedding…
To be honest I didn’t have really strong ideas on what I wanted the wedding to look like. All I knew is that I wanted it to be a big relaxed fun party for everyone. I didn’t want the day to be swallowed up by lots of formalities, I just wanted to share a special moment with the people who are really important to us.
The ceremony…
Umina Beach Surf Life Saving Club. The view from the balcony upstairs is breathtaking. I was really worried it was going to be windy, but on the day there was just a light breeze and sunshine. It was perfect.
The reception…
The Box on the Water in Ettalong Beach. I’m so glad we chose this amazing venue. We chose a finger food menu instead of sit down meal because I wanted people to mingle more. There was so much food that they ended up sending my Mum home with platters of sliders, left over salad and cakes, which we ate the next day. It got pretty rowdy, our friends know how to party, but the staff were so lovely the whole time. I can’t speak highly enough of the venue.
Pre-wedding celebrations…
We had our bucks/hens the weekend before the wedding, which was a bit risky, but we had internationals flying in that we wanted to include.
The bridal party…
We had three bridesmaids and three groomsmen. All were are closest friends. I have a great friend who owns a boutique in Sydney called Something Nice, she helped me out with my bridesmaid dresses and my earrings. They were burgundy Shona Joy dresses. I wanted to get the girls something they could wear again. The boys got their suits from Politix. They were navy with a white shirt and burgundy ties to match my bridesmaids.
The groom…
Steve looked very dapper in his Politix suit, my heart melted when I got to the end of the aisle!!
The gown…
My wedding dress was actually the opposite of what I thought I would wear. I thought I would go with something in lace that was figure hugging, but when I went shopping to try dresses on, none of the fitted styles made me feel like a bride. So then I tried on a Cinderella style dress as a bit of a joke (it’s so not normally my style) but it looked amazing!! So I went with something in between. It was white, with a boned lace beaded corset and an A-line tulle skirt. It was by De Lanquez and I got it from Brides by Francesca. The shape of the bodice was so flattering and it made my boobs look amazing! My veil was probably my favourite part though, it had lace and beading on it to match the dress.
The flowers…
The day before the wedding my bridesmaids and I went to the wholesale flower market and picked up our pre-ordered burgundy and white dahlias. We made our own bouquets. I didn’t want to spend $500 per bouquet, it was just an element of the wedding I wasn’t fused about.
The reception styling…
Our venue was so gorgeous on it’s own it didn’t need any decorations or flowers at all. And because it was a stand up wedding I didn’t need to decorate lots of tables. We were very lucky in that respect, as this was an area we didn’t want to spend a lot of money on.
The food…
We had a variety of lovely options, like pork belly on a blue cheese sauce with walnut, mini thai beef salad baskets, marinated prawns, and then later on in the evening we had sliders come out. We also had platters of dips and fruit salad on each table.
The wedding soundtrack…
I walked down the aisle to Bill Withers ‘Lovely Day’ and our first dance song was Drake ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’. We had a DJ and I gave him a long list of requests, mostly cheesy songs from the 90s. The DJ did an amazing job, there were people dancing on chairs and tables by the end of the night!
M A R R I E D L I F E…
The honeymoon…
We went to Hamilton Island and Daydream Island. Hamilton Island was paradise, Daydream Island was the opposite. I should have done my research more thoroughly there!
The future…
Our plans for the future include puppies, babies, renovations, and to always make the effort to keep things interesting and remind each other how much we love each other. Never take each other for granted and always appreciate what we have in each other.
In 40 years we hope to…
In 40 years I hope my husband and I are having motorised scooter races around a retirement village!
W O R D S O F W I S D O M…
The engagement…
It goes so fast, bask in it while you can.
Planning…
Be organised early. You don’t want to decide on something and then find out it’s not available or booked out. Have someone helping you on the day. Even if you don’t have a wedding planner for the whole time, have someone in that role on the actual day so the stress isn’t on you to make sure everything is rolling out as planned.
The wedding day…
Do things your way. There are no set rules on how you have to do things. Don’t stress about stuff, otherwise you will ruin the day. If something goes wrong, just think of it as something to laugh about in years to come. The most important thing is that you’re marrying the love of your life, focus on that part.
Ceremony Umina Surf Lifesaving Club / Reception The Box On The Water / Wedding dress Brides By Francesca / Bridesmaid dress and accessories Something Nice / Photographer Underatreehouse Photography / Hair Tunya Vasquez Hair / Bags The Madame Bag