I wanted my wedding day to be..a day that I could look back on and say wow that was lots of fun.
What was the theme and colour scheme for your wedding?
Romantic theme, with mocha, cream and pearls.
What was the hardest part to plan for your wedding?
Keeping the guest numbers under control.
How many guests did you have at your wedding?
100.
What things did Marc organise for the wedding?
Quite a bit as he was on holidays! He organized the cars, photographer, DJ and the suits, the groomsman’s gifts and made the payments.
Who was your support crew while organising your wedding?
My family and Marc’s family were wonderful, plus our best friends pitched in too. I also have a wonderful supportive crew that I work with and they were also amazing! They organized the drinks and food after the ceremony!
What a stunning wedding dress tell me all about it:
It was made from crushed silk. It had a full skirt with an empire waistline. The train was incorporated into the skirt of the dress, which was approx 4 meters long. It had a fitted boned corseted top. It was low at the back with very long thin straps with a flower on one shoulder.
When did you start looking for your wedding dress?
I had a clear idea of what I wanted and saw something similar in a magazine featuring Zanzis designs. I contacted the designer and between us we came up with the Bree gown.
How did it feel wearing your dress for the whole day was it comfortable?
It was fantastic; I felt like it represented who I am and I was 100% comfortable all night long. Nothing held me back hence the cartwheel (hehe).
Tell me about your headpiece where did you get this idea?
I like to wear headbands and headpieces and I knew I wanted something that represented me as well as my theme. I wanted the veil to be a little different too and everyone commented to me on the day how it truly expressed me as a person. I liked the idea of having an older up style hair do but I wanted it to look modern at the same time hence the headpiece. Pearls were part of my theme so I decided to have a few stitched in so they dropped at the front of my forehead. My veil was made out of tulle and was longer than my train and it was detachable, so on the night I was able to unclip it and put in a big flower that matched my dress.
What flowers did you and your bridesmaid's carry?
We carried cream roses with pearls intertwined through the bouquet.
Would you recommend other couple's to use Cyrus from Lighthouse to be their wedding photographer?
Cyrus was amazing, his pictures turned out better than we could ever have imagined. His creativity really brought out the best in us, from the pre wedding shoot through to the wedding book his professionalism and exceptional high quality work has shown through in all of our photos and we couldn’t be happier. We would highly recommend him to others!
Tell me about the running of the day what time did you start preparing etc?
I was up at 7.00am, my mum, sister and best friend had slept over, so we all had breaky and showered. We had to be at the hairdressers for 9.00am. From there we came back home and got our make-up done and had lunch. My Mum then left to get ready and My Dad arrived. I got into my dress with the help of my sister. We had a glass of champagne and then the transport arrived so we left for the Church. It was so exciting!
Describe what happened at your ceremony?
Due to my occupation as a Kindergarten teacher the Church was filled with a lot of my students. As we pulled up to the Church I could see them all out the front. I was so excited to see them! I had a few tears from the overwhelming happiness I was feeling, and just smiled the entire time. I thought I was going to be really shy with lots of people looking at me, but I really enjoyed seeing all my family and friends as I walked down the aisle.
Marc was standing at the end of the aisle to greet me and take my hand from my Dad. That was a special moment for me as my Dad gave me away. My Mum said a celtic blessing and welcomed marc into the Family. Then I had my Best friend and my cousin do a reading form the bible. Marc’s Dad also read a prayer to us. Then Father Leon had asked us to write 10 words about each other, and he read them out. It was our own words to one another and it made the ceremony more meaningful. Marc’s words were really funny and had everyone laughing, mine were more sentimental. Then we came up the front to face everybody and say our vows and then we signed the register. I had a few more friends and some of my students read some prayers of the faithful and then we walked down the aisle.
Who witnessed your marriage?
My Sister and Marc’s Best Friend.
How did you decorate your ceremony venue?
The Church was brand new so it was beautiful the way it is. We didn’t need to add that much to it so we just had tulle bows with roses tied around the first and second and last two pews and two vases of large white flowers that my floral designer designed to go on either side of the alter.
What did your guests do after your ceremony while you and Marc went off and had wedding photos?
They had drinks and nibbles at the church, people who were staying at the Peel Manor House went to the venue and got their room keys and had a few drinks before the reception. This was cool because while we were getting photos they could watch us from their balconies.
It looks like it rained on the day where you worried?
A little worried but the clouds didn’t look that heavy and it made for some good photos. As it turns out, there is a photo where I’m in the car just arriving and the rain is on the window of the car, and this is one of my favourite pictures!
Where did you go for wedding photos?
We went all around the Peel Manor House Gardens. It was so much fun having the photos taken, one of the highlights of our day!
What most appealed to you and Marc about having your wedding reception at Peel Manor House?
I really liked the beautiful country manor. It had a long driveway that led up to it with a stunning water feature and pond. The grounds were also stunning, with beautiful trees lining the drive way and vast grassed surrounding. We also really liked the idea of having our guests stay and share our evening and morning breakfast with us.
What interesting moments happened at your wedding reception?
Oh yes! Marc and I had dancing lessons to come up with a routine for our bridal waltzes. We did a hip-hop number to Taio Cruise Dynamite. It was so much fun going to dance lessons and it made the stresses leading up to the wedding disappear! A Great way to relax just before the big day.
My friends had also pitched in to buy us a framed West Coast Eagle jumper. We are massive fans so as Marc and I walked down the steps to greet everybody at the reception, to the West Coast Eagles tune, I saw the jumper and in an instant forgot about Marc, ran over to the framed Guernsey and couldn’t let go of it. I was so excited..
The Peel Manor House has a secret garden, and this was the talk of the night. Everybody was meeting there at different stages of the night to chat, share some laughs and have a drink. After the reception we met some of our friends and family in the secret garden and partied on for a little while longer before heading up to our room. It was a sunken garden that had trees all around it, and as you followed the secret pathway further in you came to a little cove with a large tree in the middle, we were calling it the tree of love. Great fun!
What was your bridal waltz song?
Taio Cruise Dynamite
What food was served at the reception?
Bruschetta, Caesar Salad, Roasted Chicken platter, Potato salad, Seafood platter, Prawn platter, Vegetarian Cannelloni, Rustic Italian Vegetables, and garlic, Roast Pork, Roast Vegetables, Roasted Kipfler potatoes, Green beans with bacon, Apple and strawberry crumble and Tiramisu. The food was absolutely beautiful! Peel Manor has their own international chef on the premises and the food is all prepared fresh and cooked to perfection.
How did you decorate your wedding venue?
We had lots of candles, roped pearls, candelabras and roses/rose petals. We had cream tablecloths with mocha runners and chair ties that tied to the side. I had a special lollie table that had Marc’s and my favourite lollies on it. They were displayed in large, clear glass vases of different shapes and sizes. This was also a hit of the night plus the next day and the next and the next, we had lots of lollies. On the tables everyone had a little mocha bombonieres boxes that they could fill with the lollies of their choice as many times as they liked throughout the night and the next day.
There is a very exciting photo of you hugging a framed and signed eagles jersey, bit of a fan?
Oh yeah! We had West Coast Eagle table names in romantic style photo frame! Love my boys. We walked out to greet our guests to the WCE song and in marc’s words to me, at the ceremony, he mentioned how he loved my passion for the WCE and how he will leave the house for a few hours while I’m watching them play because I am so passionate (hehe).
Did you have any dramas on your wedding day?
No not that I can remember. The strap of my dress broke at the end of the night and we tried to staple it back together. I think if there was it just didn’t bother me because I was having the best day of my life.
What was the look and flavor of your cake, plus where there any other desserts served?
Apple and strawberry crumble and tiramisu, our wedding cake was marble and fruitcake. It was two tiered and had a traditional look to it. It had mocha and cream colours to match the theme of the wedding, with roses and pearls to match the flowers.
Did you make anything for your wedding?
My mum made my garter out of the left over material from my dress. My friends and I got together to make the invitations and boxes for the lollies.
What were the bombonieres for your guests?
Lollie table.
What style of wedding photo album did you have and how many photos are in there?
A coffee table hard covered book with all our photos, approx 1000.
Where did you spend your wedding night?
Peel Manor House.
Did you have any after wedding get together?
We had a buffet breakfast in the morning with all our family and friends that stayed at the Manor.
How do you feel now that your wedding is over?
I feel grateful, ecstatic and over the moon for such a wonderful day that I got to share with all my family and friends.
Were did you honeymoon?
Canada for 4 weeks.
Advice for other planning brides:
Be organized but have fun with it. Stay true to who you are and take it all in!
When you look back what would you have done differently on your wedding day?
Nothing, it was perfect!
Finally is there something else that you would like to add?
Planning brides let your hair down and do a cartwheel (hehe). | 
Bree & Marc's Mandurah Wedding 
