I love him.
What was the theme and colour scheme for your wedding?
No real theme, just went with what suited the venue. We both like green so incorporated that into the colours.
Where did you get inspiration for your wedding?
Venue setting & personal choices. Couple of pictures in magazines were helpful to get an idea of the overall image we wanted.
What was the hardest part to plan for your wedding?
Not having my parents being able to attending made it very difficult to make the decision to get married here in Australia before travelling to UK for a church blessing, so having to organise 2 weddings has to be the hardest part. Bar the guest list, which started out at 220 people!
How many guests did you have at your wedding?
120.
What things did Clint organise for the wedding?
All the suits for him and groomsmen. Beer & Bubbles for the day.
Who was your support crew while organising your wedding?
Clint, my 3 ladies (Lisa Court, Nicole Ireland & Kira Price.) Plus my mum Hanne Briggs and my MIL Tammy Price.
How did you know that the wedding dress you wore on your wedding day was the one?
It was the 4th one I tried on; when the lady in the shop pulled it tight it made my tummy flip and it made me feel fantastic.
When did you start looking for your wedding dress?
About 1 week after he proposed – I when shopping with Nicole only because the shop had a sale on! I bought off the rack and still got exactly what I wanted.
How did it feel wearing your dress for the whole day was it comfortable?
Fabulous – I purposely didn't get a ‘boned’ dress so I could sit down and move around! This was advice from other friends. It did get a bit hot on the dance floor and not used to wearing 4 layers and long dress!
What flowers did you and bridesmaid carry?
White & Ivory roses, dodder vine & green orchids.
Would you recommend other couple's to use Lloyd Smith Photography to be their wedding photographer?
Most definitely, one of the best decisions we made regarding the wedding.
Tell me about the running of the day what time did you start preparing etc?
Yoga at 6.30am! Then the hair and make-up started at 9am… We were all ready 40 minutes ahead of schedule so got to relax and enjoy the time with my ladies.
Who walked you down the aisle to present you to Clint?
Best Friend/Maid of Honour – Lisa Court.
Who witnessed your marriage?
Maid of Honour - Lisa Court & Best Man – Mark Galloway.
What did your guests do after your ceremony while you and Clint went off and had wedding photos?
We arranged for Michael Kelly the wine maker at Aravina to take our guests through wine tasting and served canapés at the venue.
Where did you go for wedding photos?
Photos at our venue Aravina Estate & Canal Rocks, Yallingup.
What most appealed to you and Clint about having your wedding at Aravina Estate?
Beautiful venue which doesn’t need decorating and the food is amazing.
What happened at your reception?
We came back from photos at Canal Rocks and went straight into speeches. Our MC, Mike Plumb did a brilliant job of introducing everyone and keeping things running. My brother delivered a speech on my Father’s behalf – he even wore a grey wig and glasses to mimic him! Clint’s father spoke his speech from the heart without notes which was very moving. The best man speech was funny and not nearly as risky as I thought it might be! Clint’s speech was wonderful, he really did me proud. After the food was served we cut the cake, threw the bouquet and did our 1st dance – with a triple twist and dip! Everyone joined in and we all danced the night away. We didn't want the night to end.
What was your bridal waltz song?
Heartbeats – Jose Gonzales.
What food was served at the reception?
Gourmet BBQ. We had 5 mains, 5 veggies & salads & 5 desserts. So we were spoilt for choice. The chef at Aravina is extremely accommodating and when we asked if we could have venison chorizo included in the canapés served with the wine tasting, he made us a special (and very yummy) dish.
Did you have any dramas on your wedding day?
Surprisingly not - I have organised a number of events and normally something goes wrong! Mind you my three ladies and Olivia at Aravina had everything covered on the day therefore I wouldn't have known even if there was a drama!
Describe the look and flavor of your cake, plus any other desserts that were served?
The bottom tier was chocolate mud, top tier was traditional fruit cake (which wel have kept). We had 5 different desserts, but Aravina surprised us by providing the profiteroles in a very, very large croquet bouchet - a real treat and surprise for us both which was fantastic.
Did you make anything for your wedding?
Yes, I designed and made the invites; the thank-you notes attached to the love spoons and my veil. I also designed the welcome board, which I got printed locally. For the UK church blessing I have designed and made the above as well as table runners as we are having a formal sit down.
What were the bombonnieres for your guests?
Miniature Welsh Love Spoons, with thank-you notes attached to them. Traditionally in Wales a man would carve the lady he loved a wooden love spoon, to show that he could provide and care for her. When my father proposed to my mother he carved her a love spoon (her father was Welsh). As my parents couldn't be here in Australia for the wedding I wanted a part of them to be part of the day, hence I thought the love spoons really gave a personal touch. I have also arranged for larger love spoons for the name card holders for the UK blessing.
How do you feel now that your wedding is over?
Great - we keep thinking and talking about it all the time. Also really looking forward to the UK Church blessing and honeymoon.
Where are you about to honeymoon too?
UK for just over a week for the Church blessing, then Cook Islands for 11 nights.
Advice for other planning brides:
Always read the fine print and plan ahead if you can, but don’t worry if the magazine has a planner which you aren't aligned with. We planned our wedding in 6 months.
When you look back what would you have done differently on your wedding day?
Nothing really - I could of spent more time with more people but that’s part of life.
Finally is there something else that you would like to add:
Just a BIG Thanks to everyone who contributed in helping us have the best day of our lives… so far!
Helen & Clint's Margaret River Wedding 
Comments
We booked the whole trip through Small Guide Travel who are fantastic. We did some research online about different places to stay but also took their advice and stayed at Pacific Resort on both Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Both resorts were great, the staff at both places are incredibly helpful and friendly. We found the Pacific Resort Rarotonga is more of a family orientated resort; it has good food and facilities. We also got upgraded from Garden Suite to Beachfront Bungalow because it was our honeymoon. Pacific Resort Aitutaki is definitely more of a typical honeymoon resort, and was the standout place for us, with regard to facilities. The restaurant is definitely one of the best on the island, however due to the fact of the large number of “honeymooners” we didn’t get the room upgraded as we were lead to believe. We met a number of people staying at different resorts and all reports seemed to be ok.
On a separate note – couple of things to know/do: 1) Don’t fly on a Sunday between islands as the majority of Christian population regard Sunday as the Sabbath therefore don’t take kindly to the commercial flights. 2) Tapuna’s Restaurant on Aitutaki has the BEST crab we have ever eaten – definitely worth trying! 3) Black Pearl Charters for snorkelling and fishing are worth the trip. 4) Garth Young playing live piano at Tamarind House on Rarotonga really made the trip.
Have a great honeymoon.
We are also going to the Cook Islands for our honeymoon, can i ask where you guys are staying and how you came to choose your accomodation?. I am torn between two places!
Kind regards
Mel!