CTCW Wedding Suppliers:
Ceremony Location: Emily Rose Terrace, Caves House, Yallingup
Wedding Reception Venue: Yallingup Room, Caves House, Yallingup
Photographer: Stephen from Blakeney Photography
Accommodation for you & your guests: Seashells Yallingup Caves House
Entertainment: DJ Darren Gittos
Cake: Edible Art
Celebrant: Maureen Nicholson
Wedding Decorator: Caves House Staff. We had chair covers and head table cloth from Wez Enterprises.
Why did you pick the date you did for your wedding day?
I wanted it to be on my Mum’s birthday as she couldn't be there.
Was there any time throughout planning your wedding that you felt stressed?
Getting close to the day I was a little panicky.
Who helped you to plan your wedding?
My husband and dad were major helpers and then my girlfriends were amazing and kept me sane.
What was the theme and colour scheme for your wedding?
Vintage meets Samoa meets Gidget. The colours were coffee, cream with a dash of blue… mainly our bluebirds that were scattered around the place.
Where did you get inspiration for ideas for your wedding?
I just always knew what I wanted. Isaac is Samoan so we knew we’d have that island flavour. I love anything old fashioned, old movies… anything with Audrey Hepburn. I love vintage vases, flowers and lace. And I’m obsessed with Gidget so I knew there’d be some fun 50’s flavour in there too. I was worried it would look disjointed but I liked the idea of it all so I wasn't too worried.
What was the hardest part to plan for your wedding?
Getting everyone in the one place at the one time. We had guests from WA as well as NZ, Samoa, Wales and England.
What things did you buy off the internet to decorate your wedding?
We bought so many bits and pieces from Etsy.com, It’s a fantastic site with so many clever artisans. They all helped make our wedding unique and special.
Did you have a budget for your wedding and did you stick to it?
No actual budget but we tried to be sensible… we failed.
How many guests did you have at your wedding?
70.
Details about your dress and attire:
Isabel Aujoulet in Fremantle made my dress and veil. I didn't even visit one shop, I just had an idea of what I wanted and Isabel made it a reality, she is beyond amazing. We found the silk and lace for the dress online in the US from Haberman Fabrics. My shoes were Christian Louboutins and I had a pretty vintage Longines watch, both were a gift from my Dad. My brother Dylan gave me beautiful diamond and pearl earrings from Linneys which I wore on the day. My Uncle Ivor gave me a diamond pendant as a gift which I wore on the day.
Who went with you shopping for your wedding dress?
I went on my own for the first couple of meetings with Isabel. My Maid of Honour Dana came with me to fittings and was amazing, honest and flattering (all the things you need in a MoH). The last fitting was really special as my cousin Bianca and my Aunt Pam and Aunt Lorraine from Wales came with me. It was a moment I’ll remember forever, a special time with the special women in my life.
When did you start looking for your wedding dress?
About 8 months out from the wedding but I had already spoken to Isabel to find out when I needed to start the process.
Details about Isaac's attire:
Custom linen shirts from Wedding Tropics, Ie Faitagas made in NZ by Isaac’s family, traditional Ula necklaces from Samoa and the boys wore their own black jandals (Thongs).
Cuff links from DLK Designs on Etsy, each cuff link was a vintage map of an important place to each person in Isaac’s lineup (2 different maps for each of the lads)… examples Apia Samoa, Papakura NZ, and the best Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre for Isaac's cuff link as that’s where we got engaged.
What flowers did you carry?
Natural stemmed posy of coffee toned garden roses, David Austins, peonies and peony buds.
Talk us through the running of the day what time did you start preparing etc?
We all met at 8am and had an amazing breakfast made by two of the brides maidens Rose and Juanita, then hair and makeup from 9am and we basically had the most chilled out day, sipping champagne, giggling, last minute sewing of sashes, our awesome hair and makeup ladies were so fun and helped make it a relaxed day. Flowers were delieved at 11am and then the cars picked us up at 1pm. And we headed off to Caves House for the ceremony. Everything ran smoothly.
How did you decorate your wedding ceremony?
Cream carpet for the aisle with rose petals down the edge. Fresh flowers grouped at the front of the gazebo with Jasmine foliage. Grouped lanterns with mini vases and flower balls hanging from the gazebo.
What was the two songs that your father in law sang at your wedding ceremony?
Winn sang Ave Maria and the Hawaiian Wedding Song and it was so beautiful.
Describe what happened at your ceremony?
I walked down the aisle to Isaac. Once there Maureen did an introduction, we had a reading from Isaac’s sister Yvonne, we said our vows, Isaac’s Dad sang two songs and Maureen finalised the ceremony and we signed our certificate. We walked back down the aisle as Mr and Mrs and had champagne with our friends and family to celebrate.
Did you say traditional vows to one another or write your own?
We found a few different vows that we liked and we mixed and matched the lines we liked. It ended up being way too long. In hindsight we should've spent more time and written our own.
How much time between your ceremony and reception did you leave for wedding photographs?
Approx 2.5 hours.
What did your guests do after your ceremony while you and Isaac went off and had wedding photos?
They had cocktails and canapes on the Terrace at Caves House.
Why did you choose Caves House as your wedding venue?
My parents used to take my brothers and I on surfing trips to Yallingup and we stayed at Caves House many, many times. I have a lot of great memories of being there with my Mum and as she’s no longer with us I thought it would be amazing to be somewhere she loved. Also the first time Isaac and I went to the Southwest we stayed at Caves House and saw Jack Johnson play there (our first concert together) and have gone back often over the years. We have so many amazing memories of Caves House.
How did you decorate your wedding venue?
The tables had grouped clusters of vintage vases with different types of flowers in each (roses and peonies in creams and coffees), candles and tea lights with bluebirds scattered around the room. A signing table with a photo board with pics of our parents, us growing up and finally photo’s together.
What happened at your reception?
We had great toasts from family and friends. Isaac’s best man Sione did a funny toast about when they were younger playing rugby. My cousin Bianca did a toast in Welsh. Two of our friends Ryan and Kyle MC’d and were so funny and did such a fantastic job. Isaac’s family organised Samoan dancing and put on an amazing show. The ladies looked beautiful and his cousin Viane and Tyrell were fantastic in their part of the dance. Only they knew it was happening and it was a definite highlight for everyone.
My favourite wedding story happened the next morning at 4am when we were all tucked up in bed at Caves House after our big day. My Aunt Pam decided she’d smoke a cigarette inside her bathroom rather than going outside. She set off the smoke alarms and we were all outside at 4am waiting for the all clear to go back to our rooms. Unfortunately Isaac had planned to go get out overnight bag in the morning so I had no choice but to put my wedding dress back on to evacuate. Good old Aunt Pam. She only admitted days later that it was her.
What was the style of catering at your reception?
It was sit down 3 course meal.
Best moment of your wedding day?
Walking down the aisle with my Dad toward Isaac. At the rehearsal my Dad said as we were walking down the aisle “shoulders back, stand up proud, you’re walking on to play for Wales”… he’s a proud Welshman. And on the day of the wedding as we were walking down the stairs about to walk the aisle Dad said “shoulders back, stand up proud, you've just scored a try for Wales”. I know he was trying to make me stand up straight and look proud but it made me laugh and then I was completely relaxed... so either way it was a good plan.
Describe the look and flavor of your cake, plus any other desserts that were served?
Carmelo made us a ridiculously good wedding cake. It was three tiers. Coconut mud, White Chocolate Mud and the top was Japonais Biscuit Layer Cake (the top tier was my favourite). The outside of the cake was decorated with shards of white chocolate and had champagne and white coloured chocolate scrolls sitting on the top of each tier. Bluebirds were on the front of the cake.
What were the bonbonnieres for your guests?
We had Belgium Truffles from Leonidas. They were amazing!
Your wedding photographer was Stephen from Blakeney Photography what made you initially choose Steve and now that you look back at your wedding photos how do they make you both feel?
We had meetings and phonecalls with so many photographers. Then we met Ros from Blakeney Photography and that was it. She was hilarious, friendly and excited about our ideas. Ros is someone we would want to be friends with and have with us on our big day. We looked at Stephens work and just knew that it had to be Ros and Stephen. They kept the photography part of the day fun. They’d found out that the Yallingup Longboard Classic was on and we went down there and they’d borrowed mals for the boys and there were some classic cars that we had photo’s with. Looking back on the photo’s I just can’t believe how amazingly they all turned out. They did a fantastic job.
What does the future hold for you and Isaac now?
We are expecting our first child late December. We really excited about the future and our soon to be little family.
Were did you honeymoon?
We are going on our Honeymoon next week. We’re off to Fiji. We’re staying at Fiji Hideaway Resort for one week and then Shangri-La Resort Fiji for the second week. We’re planning on relaxing, snorkeling and eating amazing Fijian food. And I’ll be hitting the mocktails hard!
When you look back what would you have done differently on your wedding day?
Maybe not made it such a big event, relaxed more and maybe not spent so much time worrying about little details.
I would like to thank....
Isaac for being so calm when I wasn't and for being an amazing husband. My Dad for helping me when I know it must’ve bored him to death. Isaac’s parents for being awesome. My nephews Julian and Toby for being such amazing ring bearers and flower throwers, thanks to Nicole and Michael for organising Toby and Julian. My bridesmaids Dana (MoH), Erin, Rose and Juanita. Our Groomsmen Sione (Best Man), Dallas, Karl and Gefe. My friends Isobel and Moira for helping with sewing duties. Mine and Isaac’s family for just being amazing. Thanks to Ros and Stephen from Blakeney Photographers for capturing our day. And a huge enormous thank you to Eloise Ripper from Caves House, the BEST Wedding Coordinator a couple could ask for! | 
Meredith & Isaac's Caves House Wedding 
