How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met on a dating website 10 years ago and following our first date at a local wine bar I decided although he was very handsome and charming, we did not have enough in common to go forward and informed Sean this by email, much to his dismay!
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
We then reconnected 3 months later and had an epic second date – we went to dinner and then onto a music festival – we connected so well and had so much fun and it was then we realised how good we were together and we’ve been a strong and happy couple ever since.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
In recent years we had skirted around the idea of getting married but no firm plans had come of it so in Nov. 2019 I landed Sean in it by telling him in a birthday speech in front of all our friends and family that I wish he’d hurry up and marry me! Sean’s brother threw him a cushion and in front of everyone he took a knee and asked me to marry him! Of course I said yes!!
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
Our idea for our wedding was simply to celebrate our love with family and friends. We wanted our wedding to be elegant, stylish and easy – in beautiful surroundings with delicious food and drink. We wanted a day filled with joy and laughter. We both agree that this day was the best day our lives!
With my background in interior design I had the best fun choosing the table settings.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
Good service and quality of food and wine was one element we were happy to splurge on. We wanted our guests to have a fabulous experience. In saying that, we don’t feel we compromised on anything – the venue and food were stunning, our celebrant was perfect, our photographer Jesse did an amazing job, and having live musicians made the occasion special. We kept our guest list down to 45 which of course helped control our budget.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
We had booked a driver with a beautiful Red Tesla to take me to the venue. When I hopped into the car with my girls all he cared about was showing off the car and how fast he could take the corners. I was being thrown around the car so much I thought my earrings were going to fly off. We had to ask him to stop and remind him we were heading to a wedding and actually the bride was in the car!
I made my own bouquet and Sean’s buttonhole on the morning of the wedding from hydrangeas I had dried myself and fresh roses and heather. I was so engrossed in this I forgot to pick the fresh olive branches for the tables. When I found out I was devastated but my son saved the day by scoring some on the way dropping them off to the venue.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
The story behind my dress is very special to me – I was so lucky to have it designed and made by my daughter Amber from Shjark. My dress fitted perfectly and with the bias cut was very flattering. I felt amazing as soon as I slid it over my head and knew in this dress I was going to have a wonderful day.
We wanted Sean to look smart and relaxed and a little bit rock and roll- and he looked very handsome in his tapered black jeans, waistcoat and shirt and lace up pointy shoes.
Location: Glasshouse Morningside / Photographer and Videographer: Jesse and Jessie Weddings / Celebrant: Natasha Bowen / Entertainment: Live music by Tom Rodwell and Storehouse / Styling + Flora + Planning: Maggie Gardner Design (Bride) / Hire: Tableware from Folio Hire and The Pretty Prop Shop / Linen: Tble Linen / Catering: Food by Little Wolf Catering, Beverages from Ad Vintage Wines / Cake: The Caker / Registry: Reflecting our desire for less “things” in our lives, our invitations said “no gifts please” / Bride: Shjark / Groom: Barkers with Italian silk shirt and Italian shoes from Milano, Italy / Brides ring: Orsini Fine Jewellery / Sean’s ring: Micheal Hill Jewellers / Makeup: Mindy Ryan Kidd / Hair: Jayne at Vivo Hair / Fragrance: Coco Mademoiselle, Chanel
