Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:
Charl and I met when we were quite young. Ridiculously enough it was at schoolies week but we would never have met if Charl didn’t already know my best friend Hannah who introduced us. We then went our separate ways and didn’t start dating for another year after we met. We then endured a long 3 years of long distance while navigating university and living on college.
If a relationship can survive that, then I think it has to be something very special. I feel like we knew each other better than anyone at that stage because the time we spent talking was really spent just talking and getting to know each other, I don’t think anyone knows me better really!
Aimee: I’m a paediatric Nurse at the Queensland Children’s Hospital. I work on a very busy general surgical and burns ward so my days are long, tiring and extremely fulfilling. Like all jobs there are hard days, but for the most part I love what I do! I love being able to bring big smiles to little faces. I love succulents and indoor plants. Now instead of buying a new plant each week I simply love and care for the ones I have. I love going out for breakfast, but I don’t love avocado (I know).
Charl and I have both loved travelling. Charl was born overseas so I think he has travel in his blood. We were lucky enough to both have travelled Europe and have been to Japan and New Zealand (already can’t wait to visit NZ for a fourth time) on many occasions before COVID changed all of our lives.
Charl: I’m a corporate tax accountant – interesting I know! In all honesty, I think I’m a pretty laid back guy (I don’t like to sweat the small stuff) but I’m willing to take on most challenges and give it my best shot. to be honest nothing is better than making the time to catch up with friends and family. We are so lucky to have lovely family and friends that it is always a breath of fresh air when we head home to see our family or if we head out to meet up with our friends. In my opinion, no matter how busy you get, you should always make time for friends and family (I know that’s easy to say without having kids yet!).
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details:
There was no specific theme for our day. We let Mondo Floral Designs speak true to their talent and they certainly were the star of the day. We wanted our flowers to be the main focal point or our styling and we knew we wanted lots of colour. The contrast of our beautiful vibrant florals against the green rainforest of Spicers Tamarind Retreat was a match made in heaven. We loved that we could have the whole day at Spicers Tamarind Retreat – their luxury villas are absolutely stunning and the whole venue is impeccably maintained. Despite being a very relaxed day spent with only 17 of our immediate family (plus our gorgeous niece and nephew) it’s almost impossible to pick our specific favourite details.
I can’t recommend all of our suppliers enough. Firstly Cas and the team at Spicers Tamarind were a dream to work with. The food was second to none from their award winning restaurant. Cas made sure the day ran smoothly (and it did, we met no hiccups!) and her wait staff were just brilliant, our whole family were impressed with how they just never stopped! Our flowers were our absolute dream, Mondo Floral did the most wonderful job, we gave them a very broad concept and left the rest up to them and I’m so glad we did!
Renee our photographer from Two Wild Hearts captured the day perfectly, we love love LOVE our photos and couldn’t be happier. We will cherish them for a lifetime. Ed from Blue Vale Films worked so well with Renee to capture film from the day. Our film is stunning, we have watched it constantly since our day, Ed is a mastermind behind the camera! We were married by Natalie Skye – The Sunny Celebrant, she just has the most calming voice, she certainly made us feel comfortable and relaxed at the ceremony. Hannah Mills Makeup and Tara were my hair and makeup goddesses, they exceeded expectations and due to COVID we didn’t even get in a pre wedding trial so I entrusted them to work their magic and they did not disappoint. Last but not least I have to mention my sister Tiana from Cakes By Tiana – let me tell you, having a sister that cakes, really takes the cake! She created the most beautiful cookies for the table and a beautiful two tiered chocolate and carrot cake cake that was to die for. The cake was of course embellished with Mondo Floral flowers! Our whole day was our favourite part, can we say that!?
Tell us about your main outfits:
Charl and I both found our outfits for the day extremely easily. We were in the middle of COVID lockdowns when the dress hunt began. I didn’t have my mum or sisters here to try on dresses with, so I went on a bit of a mad online shopping spree and had about 3 dresses delivered. I never saw myself spending thousands of dollars on a dress I would wear once and I was confident I could find something beautiful at a more affordable price. And I did! My dress came from ASOS and I tried it on and thought yep, great! I put it in the cupboard and didn’t do much more until closer to the wedding, where I had to make sure it still fit after all the lockdown baking. I don’t regret my choice one bit, I love my dress in the photos and I felt amazing in it. I don’t think anyone should feel pressure to have the most expensive brand or the most glamorous dress, as long as you feel comfortable and are happy with your choice then that’s what matters!
Charl and I also bought his whole outfit (except the shoes) in one shop. We went into Myer with an idea of what we wanted and luckily enough we found everything! Charl didn’t try the outfit on again until a few weeks before the wedding but he looked absolutely spunky on the day!
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day:
Charl: Reading the hand-written card from Aimee (my wife to be – at that time), it brought a few tears to my eyes (as you can see in the photos – it may have been more than a few!). Seeing Aimee walk down the Isle with her father John – this was a special moment that I will never forget. Aimz looked absolutely stunning and took my breath away. Enjoying the reception with my family and Aimee’s family (we’re all family now!) outside with a few lawn games, followed by a long lunch and delicious feast by the Spicers team whilst being topped off with Piccolos around the fire to end the night!
Aimee: There were many memorable/unique moments from the day but one that was just so special was my ‘something borrowed’ gift from my mum. She gave me her own horseshoe good luck charm from her wedding day that was made and given to her by my great grandmother who is sadly no longer with us.
Having photographs with Charl at the Gardners Falls below Spicers Tamarind was so special. The weather was lovely and some of our favourite photos were taken from there. Rock hopping to get a great shot and just being together in the moment was beautiful.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together:
1. Don’t sweat the small stuff – just remember you are a team and should always have each other’s back.
2. Remember to say thank you (and sorry when you’re wrong!)
3. Every day you wake up, don’t expect respect, try and earn it everyday from your partner
4. Try to enjoy even the most simple or uneventful days together – because there will always be some form of joy to take out of it!
Photography: Two Wild Hearts | Ceremony and Reception location: Spicers Tamarind Retreat | Videography: Blue Vale Films | Celebrant: The Sunny Celebrant | Bride’s gown: Asos | Groom’s attire: Blaq | Bride’s shoes: Myer | Groom’s shoes: Rodd and Gunn | Rings: Robert White Jewellers | Ring Box: Alexa Lane | Hair and Makeup: Hannah Mills HMUA | Flora: Mondo Floral Designs | Cake: Cakes by Tiana | Catering and Beverages: Spicers Tamarind Retreat | Couples gift: The Horse |