|
CTCW Wedding Suppliers:
Ceremony Location: Beach opposite Bayview Tce, Old Dunsborough
Wedding Reception Venue: Wyndham Vacation Resort & Spa, Dunsborough
Photographer: John Kuppens Photography
Accommodation for you: Wyndham Vacation Resort & Spa and Parents Houses
Accommodation for your guests: Wyndham Vacation Resort & Spa and various houses in Dunsborough owned by family and friends
Bride's Dress: Maggie Sottero
Entertainment: DJ Darren Gittos Reception
Flowers: Stemtations
Hair: Lorna Marie Wedding Hair
Makeup: Lynette Nickell
Celebrant: Anita Gill
Transport: Down South Luxury Limousines
Wedding Decorator: Wez Enterprises
How long have you and Carl been together?
At the time of the wedding it was 2 years and 2 months.
How did the proposal happen?
Carl proposed exactly 1 year after our first official date at the revolving restaurant in Sydney called “Summit”. Carl organised a surprise day for me and we ended up at the same restaurant where he got down on one knee (very quickly) and proposed!
How did you keep grounded while planning your wedding day?
I had a just over a year to plan and fortunately my job allows me plenty of time during the day. It really wasn't that stressful, just time consuming.
What was the colour scheme for your wedding?
Lemon.
What was the hardest part to plan for your wedding?
Centrepieces. Absolute nightmare trying to find something beachy that was not tacky.
The easiest part to plan for your wedding?
Choosing my rings. I went into one jewellery store and tried on two rings either side of my engagement ring and it looked like they were made for my ring. I never intended on having one either side but I feel in love with them. I rang Carl and told him, they were on special at half price so I put them on lay-by and that was it.
Why did you pick the time of year you did to get married?
Not too hot, good time for people to travel from UK and was giving us just over a year to plan.
It was a perfect day as far as the weather went, however the flies on the beach were really really really bad. Keep that it mind peoples. First 2 weeks in December are bad. My Dad did warned me but we were hoping for a little breeze.
Did you have a budget and did you stick to it?
Yes and No, we went over 10,000.
How many guests did you have at your wedding?
108.
When did you start looking for your wedding dress?
A year before the wedding day.
Who went with you when trying on wedding dresses?
My mum and then bridesmaids.
What style of flowers did you carry?
Phanopheous Orchids – Stemtations did an amazing job of the flowers!
Looks like there were some intricate hair dos on the day, who created these and did you, have hair trials?
A lady named Lorna Marie did our hair. She is based in Busselton but came to the house on the day. I had two trials with her but the girls had none. She was fantastic, very patient and lovely to have around on the day.
What were mum and dad’s first words to you when they saw you in your wedding dress?
I think Mum’s would have been “Stunning” and Dad’s probably “wow” or something similar.
What time was your ceremony?
Our ceremony was at 3pm. (A little too early as far as the flies were concerned)
How much time did you leave between the ceremony to the reception?
Ceremony went from 3pm to 4:15ish in total with after ceremony drinks. The reception drinks started at 5:45 so only really and hour and a half for guests to fill in.
Where did you go for wedding photos?
Castle Rock Beach and Wise Winery. Spent lots of time as a kid on Castle rock beach so it was a perfect choice as it had good lighting too.
John Kuppens was your wedding photographer, were you happy with your wedding photos?
Yes, very happy. He was really lovely to have around on the day and the photos were fantastic. He and his assistant took a lot of photos. John had his wife with him also which was great. She helped get my dress sorted and organise people. Between them all nothing was missed. He was professional but down to earth and chilled at the same time.
Why did choose Wyndham Vacation Resort & Spa as your wedding venue?
It was a convenient location to Dunsborough, had views of the beach (even though at night you can’t see), it was well priced and had accommodation.
How did you decorate your wedding venue?
This was all taken care of by Wez Enterprises.
What happened at your reception?
Our MC was brilliant and really set the tone for the night. The MC’s Irish Humour combined with great speeches and fantastic music from the DJ really made an awesome night.
What was the catering at the reception?
Alternate Drop 2, Entree 2, Mains with one desert and wedding cake.
What drinks did you supply for your wedding reception?
Beer, wine and soft drinks.
Best moment of your wedding day?
Having our photos done and enjoying the fact that we just got married.
Describe the look and flavour of your cake, plus any other desserts that were served?
The wedding cake had two flavours, one was white chocolate and the other was milk chocolate with cherry coconut through it. It was really good. The other desert was pavlova which we choose for the Aussie aspect of it.
Did you make anything for your wedding?
The invitations.
What were the bombonnieres for your guests?
Photo Frames (seconded as name place cards on tables) plus beach fans and parasols.
Where did you spend your wedding night?
At the Wyndham Resort & Spa.
How do you feel now that your wedding is over?
Great! So glad that almost everything went to plan and most importantly so happy that everyone had a great time.
Have you honeymooned yet, where did you stay and what did you do?
Our honeymoon is postponed til this August due to Carl’s family being in Australia for 6 weeks after wedding plus lack of annual leave. We are going to Las Vegas, San Francisco, Washington, New York, Lake Como – Italy, Scotland (friends wedding) and Wales to visit Carl’s parents.
Advice for other planning brides:
Make a spreadsheet with everything that needs to be organised, quoted prices, what is paid and not paid. Helps to keep everything in perspective. Also, make sure you try on lots of dresses! I only tried on about 6 and a few months before the wedding I started to freak I had made the wrong decision (which I hadn’t) you only get to do it once, so try them all. Even the toilet roll ones.
When you look back what would you have done differently on your wedding day?
Had the reception a little later so more chance of afternoon breeze i.e no flies. However, I really enjoyed our photo time and that would have been cut short if we did that.
Changed the colour of the wedding cake. (It should have been lemon really – my fault as I was trying to blend in more turquoise but really it was only the invites that had turquoise in them everything else was lemon).
I wish I had my friend Annabel Sung more at the ceremony and reception! I had no idea how good her voice really was. Absolutely Amazing! | 
Michelle & Carl's Dunsborough Beach Wedding 
Comments
I have just purchased that same dress for our beach wedding! I think its stunning and seeing your photos made me realise just how gorgeous it is :) We are getting married at Bunker Bay next year so if you have any advise I'd luv to hear from you.