Wanting to have a kick-ass wedding on a budget meant doing a lot of the work ourselves, but we did a good job. Layne and I were able to source second-hand candles, vases and new black linen napkins on Facebook Marketplace.
Nicole: We met in Whistler back in January 2012. I was holidaying with my best friend Erin who was chasing her lover-now-husband, Mike, to Canada. Layne was a good friend of Mike’s. Layne knew it was my first time snowboarding and, always wanting to chime in with helpful advice, recommended that I wear wrist guards. I did not care for his advice, and on my first day on the mountain, I fell and broke my wrist, ending up in a cast. On my last night in Whistler, Layne and I were chatting away at a local bar. It was so loud that I wasn’t able to hear much of what he was saying, so to entertain myself, I went cross-eyed during our chat. Layne continued to chat and didn’t comment. After a solid 15 minutes, I asked him if he knew that I was going cross-eyed. He did, but explained that he didn’t say anything, as he thought there may be something wrong with my eyes. It was at this point that I developed a soft spot for Layne and we shared our first kiss. Clearly, he wasn’t just into me for my good looks!
We were advised by many to reschedule our wedding due to Covid-19, but we decided to push ahead. We were very fortunate not to have our plans impacted by the pandemic and all of our vendors were really supportive. Wanting to have a kick-ass wedding on a budget meant doing a lot of the work ourselves, but we did a good job. Layne and I were able to source second-hand candles, vases and new black linen napkins on Facebook Marketplace.
Our florist stuck to our budget by repurposing the arbour flowers to be a wall feature for the reception. For the final touches, we had sleek black signage created by Mike from Hartley Design. We wanted to make sure the food was memorable so enlisted the help of one of Perth’s best chefs, the winner of Iron Chef Australia, Herb Faust, who Layne had skated with.
It’s everyone’s dream to have all of their loved ones there to celebrate momentous occasions. My mother passed away with brain cancer four years ago so it was really important to me that she was acknowledged. I had a gem with a photograph of her custom-made, which I attached to my bouquet, so mum walked me down the aisle with dad. We also had a table with photographs of loved ones who have passed, alongside a candle burning with the message: ‘This candle burns in loving memory of those who are forever in our hearts’.
Searching for the perfect wedding dress felt like trying on costumes. I just couldn’t fathom spending so much money on a dress! Thankfully, I stumbled across the most beautiful classic wedding gown. The only problem was, it was made in Ukraine, making it impossible to try on before buying. But when the dress arrived, it was everything I had ever dreamed of and more. Being an occupational therapist, I’m all about functionality so I changed my outfit at the reception, in order to prepare for some serious dance moves. We didn’t expect to but ended up really enjoying the ceremony. Reciting our vows was such a daunting thing to do, but it was hands down the best part of the day. The ceremony went smoothly, the food was amazing, everyone was on the dancefloor and we didn’t run out of beverages! Although, we did have to return to the venue after three hours of sleep to pack everything up the following morning.
location Assembly Yard / photographer Samantha Simone / bride’s ceremony outfit Reev Bridal / bride’s reception outfit Custom-made top by My Obsessions Boutique & Couturier by Riza Costelo Brightman pants by Lühmann / groom’s outfit Politix Kensington / rings Jogia Diamonds / makeup Hollie Jay / hair Hair by Anmar / cars Ford Wedding Cars / flora Wallflower Perth / bride’s earrings Brie Leon / celebrant Belinda Clinton / hire Hire Society / signage Hartley Designs / styling Bride / beverages Dan Murphy’s / candles & napkins Facebook Marketplace / catering Herb Faust Food / cake Cakes By Courtney Jane / entertainment DeathDisco Australia / dance floor The Event Mill / bar cart/beverage service The Handsome Stranger
