CTCW Wedding Suppliers:
Photographer: Real Image Photography (Pete Battye)
Entertainment: Own ipod mix
Flowers: Stemtation
Cake: A family friend
Celebrant: Pastors from our home church, Riverview Church (Burswood)
What ways did you incorporate your personality in to your wedding day?
I've always been a beach girl, so to have at least ocean views was a must, plus a few photos by the ocean (at Sugarloaf rock). Other than that, the colour scheme of ocean blues and whites helped. I also think that having a 'day' wedding - lunchtime ceremony and afternoon reception in the middle of summer meant that there were so many brightly coloured guests that it gave it such a summery feel.
What was one part of planning your wedding that was difficult?
Finding the boys' outfits! Because Tim didn't want a jacket, we needed to have them wear belts. Hire pants don't accomodate for belts so we had to purchase the outfits. We had 5 boys to dress, including one that was 6 foot 5... it was pretty hard. but they looked amazing on the day. And the individual boys were happy to buy their clothes because they would wear them again. I think all up it was about $250 per boy.
Did you have a budget and did you stick to it?
Yep, we had a $20,000 budget and we went about $300 over when the last bills came through - so we were very happy with that. It's all about planning at the beginning before you find things you 'really want'. We worked out budgets for each area e.g. $3000 for dress and accesories, $1500 for stationary and then as we found things we liked or spent less in certain areas, we could redistribute the funds - but never add.
What was the one thing you weren’t going to comprise on for your wedding?
Venue. So, so, so, so important that you are happy with the venue and the staff there. We planned our wedding in 5 months, so we wanted someone we could do ceremony and reception who would help co-ordinate all the tiny things we didn't need to worry about and wise were fantastic!
How many guests did you have at your wedding?
77.
Details about your dress and attire:
Tim gave me the bracelet for christmas (although we choose it together) and I bought the earrings just one day as I passed by a shop, but I had been inspired by some I had seen in a real weddings magazine. I LOVED my earrings. I ended up spending a lot on my Benjamin Adams shoes from Georgie's Bridal Shoes but I loved them and they were very comfortable. The best decision I think was to put flowers in my hair. I wasn't convinced, but my hairdresser Libby suggested I get some for the day and if I didn't like them I could choose not to wear them. They were very cheap and just finished off everything perfectly.
What was your experience of finding a wedding dress?
I looked on-line for a few hours. Every time I found a nice dress I would see what the brand was. Then Google the brand and 'stockists' and find out what stores stock that brand and hopefully that dress. I ended up only trying on two dresses because I had found what I wanted on-line. Once it was on I knew from looking around on-line so much that it wasn't going to get much better than this!
Who went with you to choose your wedding dress?
I had one of my bridesmaids come and help me decide, but I had looked on-line for a few hours on my own. If you know your body and remember what looks good on you then when you try it on it looks perfect!
Who went with Tim to pick his suit?
We bought the clothes for him and the other boys together just myself and Tim. We had all their sizes and just bought it all and they paid us back, so much easier that way.
What flowers were in your wedding bouquet?
I had white lilliums and white orchids. I really wanted lilliums as this tied the stationary together and it was easier to create a theme that way. But then I wanted some smaller flowers so I could do button holes and hair flowers so the orchids are very commonly paired with lilliums and I thought they were perfect.
Tell me about the running of the day what time did you start preparing etc?
Our ceremony was at 11am.... so we were up at 5:30am! But it was ok because you hardly sleep the night before. Our wedding was on a Sunday (this meant we could pretty much choose any weekend we wanted even at this ultra-popular venue) so I had all the bridesmaids stay over on Saturday night. We had such a great Saturday hanging out and then a 'slumber party' it was almost like a second hen's day. The hairdresser came at 5:30am and the makeup artist started at 7am. The photographer was wonderful turning up at about 7:30am to start taking photos (he stayed the whole day, finishing around 6:30pm). The videographer also came at about 9:30am to start filming. Mum brought us a big platter of food for breakfast with champagne (some non alcoholic variety also so you had the 'feeling' of champagne but not acutally getting tipsey) and fresh orange juice etc. So the morning was so lovely and had a very exciting and very girly feel to it. Plus dad was there also soaking up all the excitement.
Describe what happened at your ceremony and how did you decorate your ceremony?
Our ceremony was outside, overlooking the bush and ocean at Wise. There was actually a wedding the day before who had hung up varied sized white paper lanterns they looked surprisingly good so we kept them. We put ribbon around the front 3 pew ends and had two big umbrellas to shade guests. the local scenary took care of the rest of the decoration. We also gave out fans to everyone which were white, so that kind of added to the decoration too I guess. The ceremony went perfectly thankfully Tim had put down some indoor door mats over the decking where I was standing so my heel's didn't get caught in the gaps.
What did your guests do after your ceremony while you and Tim went off and had wedding photos?
The guests were invited up to the courtyard area next to the restaurant at Wise during photos, although it was very hot (it was shaded) and they ended up inside the restaurant (the reception) as well as in the courtyard. the good thing was, the restaurant overlooked where we were having the majority of our photos, so the guests were able to feel involved in a way.
Where did you go for wedding photos?
We had our photos mainly on the lawn and surrounding area where the ceremony had taken place, as well as the vineyard just below. We knew we would have other pictures later on, so we only had the guests waiting 1.25 hours. During dessert, we went down to the vineyard and had a few more pics just the two of us as the light was changing they turned out gorgeous. After the reception, it was about 5.30pm, so we went to Sugarloaf rock and got some amazing sunset type pictures overlooking the ocean so happy with these.Tthe great thing was, we were so relaxed because it was all over and we got some fantastic pics.
Your wedding photographer was Pete from Real Image Photography now when you look at your wedding photos are you happy with the end result?
We think Pete did an amazing job. He was there very early and stayed until the very end, and never lost momentum or energy. He coordinated the day and our guests without fuss or stress and I really think we couldn’t have done it all without him. He managed to get so many close up and beautiful shots of our day and we hardly ever felt that we had to ‘pose’ he had a great manner. Also, the package deal from him was very affordable and so worth it, with all these extra touches such as a 20 minute slideshow with all our wedding music and the end result of the photos were fantastic we really couldn’t be happier! Highly recommend!
Why did you choose Wise Winery as your wedding venue and how did it all turn out on the day?
We decided we wanted this winery because they do weddings all the time and know how to run them so well. You can have the ceremony and recpetion at the one location and all co-ordinated by the events planner there at no extra cost. It's also really not expensive to hire the restaurant becuase they know you pay per head and they charge nothing for the ceremony location hire. But overall, it was just the beauty of the place, overlooking the ocean and green grass it's really hard to beat! On the day I had soooo many comments from guests about how attentive the waiters were and how fantastic the food was so all in all I was extremely happy with the choice of venue. Plus now every time we drink Wise wine we remember our wedding!
Your reception any funny or meaningful parts to this part of your wedding?
The speeches were great. They went for about an hour over what we expected. But I wouldn't change a thing. You can dance any time you go out, but you can't hear speeches from loved ones every day. they were really great speeches with lots of laughs. Other than that, I only remember dancing later on. Oh, and of course someone stepped on my dress at one point and the button for the bustle broke off. I had FOUR bridesmaids but I couldn't find any at that time to help me pin up my dress again. So I just hooked my wrist through the train's loop and pinned some of the excess train to that and kept on dancing and it worked out fine, thankfully this happened towards the end of the reception.
Oh, and my mum found some of my great grandmothers wax flowers that she had had in her bouquet after her wedding- 150 years old or something. We also have a bread knife that has been passed down the generations to cut wedding cakes, it's cut over 600 cakes to date so we put these ancient wax flowers on the ancient bread knife and that was pretty special.
Best moment of your wedding day?
Getting up to the platform and looking Tim in the eyes... and then our wedding kiss. We had practiced what we wanted to do and how long etc but on the day he snuck in another quick peck afterwards that took me by surprise and made everyone laugh.
Describe the look and flavor of your cake, plus any other desserts that were served?
Wise made a vanilla pannacotta with berries that looked so summery and beautiful. The cake was chocolate mud cake and simply decorated with royal white icing and then with ribbon (with a fancy roll of stickers from Felicitations on top of the ribbon) and some fresh flowers (orchids, like in our hair). We had two tiers just so we could keep the top one to eat on our first wedding anniversary.
Did you make anything for your wedding?
We made the menus that we stuck in premade menu cards from Felicitations. We also made the table seating plan and table guide. We also made the playlists for the waiting, reception and dancing, to save money on a DJ. I love my music so I loved doing that and now I have the best playlists ever to listen to. A family friend made the cake and all the decorations on the tables and cupcakes.
Did you buy your parents a thank you gift for helping with your wedding and if so what?
We didn't buy them a gift. We wrote a card and thanked them in our speech.
Where did you spend your wedding night?
Bunker Bay Resort - gorgeous spot and lovely breakfast and swim in the pool in the morning.
How do you feel now that your wedding is over?
I have to admit that for the first few days, even a week, I actually felt a bit down. We went on honeymoon for 2 weeks so it was good to get over it there, but there definitely was a 'come-down' from the high of the preparation and the day itself. However, a month on, I've never been happier but it's useful to know that lots of people experience that down feeling for a few days after. The day goes so quickly and it's so wonderful and then... its over!
Were did you honeymoon?
We went to Bali and stayed in a private villa we barely left the villa as it had room service from a choice of 6 nearby restaurants and it's own pool. it was called The Dusun. We had 10 days there on a honeymoon package and all up, including flights, the honeymoon cost about $4000.
Advice for other planning brides:
Work out what's important to you at the beginning. It's one thing to say don't stress on the details, but there will be some things you want to look at the details (like I love stationary, so the font and the colour of the font on the menu cards WAS important, but for example I let the bridesmaids go and buy their shoes (just make sure they're black). Also, budget at the beginning and then redistribute funds if something costs less or you want to spend more on something else. Also, music is very important at the ceremony and reception we did our own playlists but a lot of time and thought went into it because it does set the mood throughout the day. Oh, and it's NEVER too early to do something just go and order it. I thought I was buying my dress too soon before the wedding but I was asked February in which year was I was getting married. Do things as they come up and you feel motivated to do them don't leave stuff to the last minute. The day before should be a relaxing one with your bridesmaids highly recommend that because it was awesome!
When you look back what would you have done differently on your wedding day?
To be honest, I really don't think I would have done anything differently. | 
Kate & Tim's Dunsborough Winery Wedding
