Wedding Ideas|Wedding Planners|Coast to Country Weddings - Wedding Ideas | Wedding Planners | Coast to Country Weddings

Why did you and Gavin decide to get married?
Gavin and I had been together for 7 years and were ready to get married.  I’m from England and Gavin from Perth so at times we had a long distance relationship which was hard.  I have now been living in Perth for over 3 years. 

How long was your engagement?
8 months.

What was the theme and colour scheme for your wedding?
I like to think that our wedding was elegant yet laid back and fun.  We had dark purple as the colour theme. 

When did you start looking for your wedding dress?
I started looking the year before the wedding as my sister (and maid of honour) were out here on holiday and I wanted her advice to help me choose the dress.

Did you have hair and makeup trials?
Yes. We live in Perth and wanted to use people in the Yallingup area so we made appointments to meet with them and have a trial.

What flowers did you hold?
Roses and listhanthius.

Who went with Gavin to pick his suit?
I went along initially and then one of his groomsmen went with him the second time.

Tell me about the running of the day what time did you start preparing etc?
The hair and make up ladies came at 9am to do hair and make up for me, my mum and my 3 bridesmaids.  We had a very relaxed morning with some champagne.  The cars came to pick us up at 2:30pm and we enjoyed listening to some wedding themed songs in the car, on the way to the church.

Describe what happened at your ceremony:
We had a traditional Catholic ceremony which included a candle ceremony where each of our mums lit a candle which we then used to light one big candle to signify the joining of both families. The priest was quite funny and so that helped us all from becoming too emotional but there were a few tears (mainly from other people)!

What did your guests do after your ceremony while you and Gavin went off and had wedding photos and where did you go?
We had music, canapés and drinks for the guests. We had photos at the beach in Dunsborough, the park there and then back at Caves House. 

What was the process you went through to choose your wedding venue?
Being from London, I absolutely fell in love with the South West when I first visited the area in 2006.  As soon as we got engaged we knew we wanted to get married in that area.  We looked at a few venues but we liked Caves House because the grounds are beautiful and the guests are able to stay in the grounds unlike some of the wineries.  The staff were also very friendly and helpful.

What happened at your reception?
The reception was everything I had hoped for.  The room looked amazing and all my planning had paid off!  The speeches were fantastic and the food was perfect.  We danced all night. Everyone told us how much fun they were having. Gavin and I had had one dance lesson for our first dance and I think we surprised some people, luckily he was still able to lift me, during the dance, even with my fairly big dress.  We also had an after party up on the balcony of Caves House after the official reception was over. We were all having so much fun and wanted the night to continue for as long as possible.

What was the catering for your reception?
Entree – Duck or Gnocchi
Main – Fish of the day or Moroccan style lamb
Dessert – Pavlova with strawberries and cream

Best moment of your wedding day?
The whole day!  It really was so perfect but if I had to pick, then it would be when Gavin and I were officially announced as husband and wife.

Describe the look and flavor of your cake?
We wanted a simple cake, that was the part that least interested us but we knew we had to have something!  Gavin’s mum made a delicious fruit cake and we had it iced by a professional. 

What were the bombonieres for your guests?
We had wine stoppers with hearts at the top.  We wanted something that people would use and we know lots of wine drinkers so I hope they have been put to good use.

Why did you choose Pete from Real Image Photography as your wedding photographer?
I loved the photos Pete had on his website.  When we met with him he was very friendly and offered an excellent package. He made us feel relaxed about the day and he did an amazing job.  He came at 9am and stayed until almost 11pm.  Everyone commented on how great he was and we have had so many compliments about the photos.  We can’t thank him enough!

How do you feel now that your wedding is over?
I feel happy that we had such an amazing day but it was hard saying goodbye to all my family and friends when they had to return to the UK and Ireland.  

Where did you honeymoon?
We haven’t been on our honeymoon yet but we are leaving for a round the world trip at the end of March.  We are going to Asia, Europe and South America.  Hopefully the wait is worthwhile!

Advice for other planning brides:
Stay relaxed, if you are organised then you don’t have to worry too much, just let everyone do their job.  Also, enjoy every moment as it is over far too quickly.

When you look back what would you have done differently on your wedding day?
Nothing.