A M Y & C A S E Y

F R O M T H E B R I D E . . .

We first met...

Though a mutual friend. We'd known each other for years and were quite close friends to begin with. In 2011 I made a life choice to live on a rural property in South Australia, nine hours north of Adelaide. I took a job as a Jillaroo (Farm Hand) with absolutely no experience in the industry whatsoever. Casey grew up on a Dairy Farm in Kilcoy. Of course he was the first person I asked to help me fine tune me "farming skills". He taught me how to ride a motorbike and gave me a rundown of what to expect. Our love did not blossom straight away. We hung out many times over the coming months and just after Christmas he asked me to be his girlfriend. The rest is history.

We fell in love...

In a JEEP! Casey took me on a date to his family property in Kilcoy where we rode motorbikes all afternoon though the forest. We rode late and as sun started to set, Case pulled the back off his JEEP, we kicked back and relaxed after our tiresome afternoon. As the stars started to appear we found ourselves perched in the back of a "topless" Jeep, with the music loud. The way he looked at me gave me butterflies and goosebumps at the same time. We had our first dance under the moonlight to "Kiss Me" By Jason Walker.

The proposal...

An engagement wasn't something that crossed my mind at all. We were living in my parent's living room for a few months while our house was being built. I remember complaining about Casey never having any money and me always having to pay for things. I think I even said at one point "How is this going to work if we cant save?" - I was getting worried and Casey was acting so different. How was I to know a proposal was going to happen? 😉

Casey took me to dinner one night. This was normal as it was a local spot we regularly went to, nothing out of the norm. He suggested that we swing by our house block and pop a bottle of champagne on the freshly laid slab to celebrate buying a home together. We got to the block and Casey said he was going to put some music on for us and that I should check out the slab. As I was walking around visualising where our room would be, I turned around and the JEEP's roof was down, candles were lit surrounding a big sign saying "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" I was overwhelmed and of course I said YES. I then jokingly asked if this why he had no money!

Pre-wedding celebrations...

I had a Hens Night on the Gold Coast. We had 15 ladies in a stretch hummer that took us to a private yacht cruise. We then hit the town for a fun-filled night of laughs and dancing. I also a high-tea and cocktail Bridal Shower at my home. Casey had a Bucks party on his family property with go carting, rally driving, shooting... boy stuff.

The dream wedding...

We wanted a fresh country styled theme with soft pastel colours. We really wanted to create a simple, elegant, vintage look that wasn't too big or extravagant. Working in the industry I had seen tonnes of concepts, ideas and styles, so it made it really hard to have something completely different and unique. Luckily we had the Lovebird Weddings team on speed dial! They put together the most amazing proposal for us and they were very flexible with the ideas. We incorporated some of the old dairy cream cans from the Kilcoy Farm, which really put our own personal twist on things. We used an old milk cream can for our wishing well which really matched the theme. Our guests were asked to dress in Black Tie for our wedding; we wanted everyone to feel dressed up & special. Plus it is so much fun getting all dolled up!

Ceremony and reception venue...

Our ceremony was held in the Maleny Manor Pavillion and the reception followed in the internal reception room. Maleny Manor cared, loved and supported us though all of the planning and preparation. They are like a second family and we could not have chosen a better venue. The day I went for my interview at the Manor, I knew this would be the place I was get married in. The views, food, service and attention to detail were out of this world. It was so strange having the shoe on the other foot for once. From a "work" point of view, it was a fantastic experience and I can be more assisting to future brides when they get married at Maleny Manor. There was not a single thing we could fault.

The photography...

We chose Artography because we'd seem their work and loved it straight away. Talitha, James & Cathy-Lee are all so honest, kind hearted and true professionals. They are so incredibly talented and it really shines though in their photographs. Artography was also surprisingly affordable for us and was in our budget range. BONUS... 😉

We really only wanted one particular shot, and figured that everything else was going to be a bonus. This shot was our Jeep Wrangler doing a burn out behind us, on a dusty road. OMG!!!! So fantastic.

What impressed us most was that everything we asked for was looked after, there were no "posed" or "set up" shots. They were all so natural and captured us and our guests just being ourselves. Nothing was too much of a hassle and just the sheer skill to take a stunning image impressed the heck out of us.

Receiving our photos was so, so exciting. It literally took us two and a half hours to get though all of the images, looking at each one and reminiscing the exact moment it was taken. Such an incredible feeling. Looking back now, we are so thankful and grateful that we chose such kind-hearted and skilled professionals to capture our wedding.

Celebrant...

Jarrad Bayliss Celebrant was voted number one celebrant globally. He designed us a custom wedding ceremony (unlike anyone else's) and put every ounce of his time and energy into it. We couldn't have chosen a better celebrant or friend to marry us.

The bridal party...

We both had five on each side. I had three of my sisters, one girlfriend (of 15 years), one girlfriend (of eight years) but I didn't have a maid of honour - I couldn't choose! Casey had two cousins and three best mates from school.

They wore...

The Bridesmaids were very gorgeous. They wore different coloured gowns to match the theme. One wore lavender, another in teal, one in baby blue, one in peach and the other one in lemon. All of the gowns were heavily crusted with diamonds & beading, across the top and shoulders. We purchased them from Angelic Bridal & Alterations by Deborah Kaylique Designs.

The Groomsmen wore grey suits, black bow ties, black dress shirts, grey suspenders and black dress shoes. We had the boy's buttonholes individually matching the colour of their partners (Bridesmaids) dress colour. These were purchased from Connor & Alterations by Deborah Kaylique Designs

The groom wore...

Casey wore a grey suit, white bow tie, white dress shirt, grey suspenders and black dress shoes.

The wedding dress...

I envisioned having two gowns at my wedding but the budget didn't agree. So when selecting my dress, I had some big plans in mind. I found my dress from a catalogue in Angelic Bridal. It was shown in a different colour, but did come in white as well. We ordered in a sample gown and I absolutely loved it. I took my gown to Deborah Kaylique Designs to complete the alternations.

My dress was one-piece gown but I had it altered to a two-piece gown. During the first dance at our wedding, my husband peeled the entire top layer of my skirt off, to reveal a very simple, elegant "party" dress underneath. It was such a heavy dress, that I was instantly relieved by my dress change. I also changed into a pair of hot pink party shoes - I was ready to boogie.

Hair and makeup...

When Casey popped the question, Evalyn Parsons Hair was immediately locked in. I felt so comfortable and secure with Evalyn. Makeup was by Boudoir Blush Beauty & Makeup Artistry. I had an extremely high expectation of what I wanted my makeup to look like on my wedding day. I do not have the most perfect skin and really needed someone who could give me a look that I had been imagining. On the day of the wedding Melita arrived on time, well presented and ready for a fun day. She gave me everything I wanted and more.

Flowers...

We used Mondo Floral Designs and were so glad we did. They helped with the selection, listened to our ideas and gave great feedback. Our bouquets lasted ten days after the wedding! WOW! We chose soft, pastel tones that complimented the bridesmaids' gowns perfectly!

During our first consultation I remember Terrianne mentioning that she believed there would be an extremely slim change of getting a specific bloom we wanted due to the seasonal changes. She told us to sit tight and we can see how the weather unfolds closer to the date. It came to our wedding day with me fully convinced that the bloom had gone out of season and we were using the alternative discussed.

Terrianne personally delivered a big box of bouquets to us on the day and as I opened it words were just not enough to describe the feeling that rushed over me when I saw hydrangeas. She made the near impossible happen for us.

Decor...

You don't need to add much to Maleny Manor to increase the beauty. Lovebird Weddings looked after our seating chart, table numbers and additional tall candle pieces on the bridal table. Mondo Floral Designs provided all of the vases & mirror tiles. Maleny Manor provided all of the tea light candles for the tables. The only things we added ourselves were the cream can wishing well, printed menus and some little fairy lights though the centre of the exposed bridal table.

Wedding cake...

Our cake was made by Sam's Cakes. We fell in love in a JEEP - its only fair that we had our wedding cake designed with an edible Jeep flicking mud on a beautiful wedding cake. We love the outdoors and 4x4 driving so it was such an easy decision to make when we chose a style of cake. The hardest part was finding a cake maker who could put this together for us; it had to taste great and also fit in with our budget. But we found Sam who was recommended by a friend.

Wedding soundtrack...

Personally we believe that music is one of the most important aspects of a wedding. It helps create feeling and sets the mood for particular events. Without music there is no life behind a great story. Aaron from Cut A Rug gave us life!!! Lets just say we didn't go easy on him. We set a very high task, which consisted of an extremely complex list of songs that included edits, sound effects and a lot of attention to detail. Aaron is not only an amazing DJ but is now one of our very close friends.

Videography...

Our wedding video was by Universal York. The way Ben captured the light, our movements and moments of pure is truly impressive. It was so soft, elegant and really captured who we are. Re-watching our film allows us to the relive the moments we were feeling on the day. The song that Ben chose matched the footage so perfectly, it was like a scene from a movie. Our favourite part was when we snuck into a front yard filled with burnt orange autumn leaves.

Transport...

Mystic Mountain Tour buses were on time, and had our guests arrive and depart safely from Maleny Manor. Plus no one had to worry about having one to many drinks or having to drive late at night! Lynn and her team looked after everyone with such class whilst being amazingly professional. 80 out of the 120 guests used this service and it was fantastic.

Babysitter

We hired the team from Bo Peeps Babysitting to come in & look after the children whilst the adults had their dinner and speeches had concluded. The kids loved it and we think the parents loved it too.

Wedding Night Accommodation

Casey and I stayed at Montigues of Montville for our wedding night. Julieanne scattered rose petals and put some champagne in the fridge for us. It was so thoughtful and very much appreciated. The little cabins were beautiful, they had a little fireplace, a very private balcony and hot tub. We loved that she had personalized our breakfast with our names on it too.

M E M O R A B L E M O M E N T S . . .

Casey and I wrote each other a love letter for the wedding day, to open whilst getting ready; the burn out photo on the dirt road; seeing my bouquet; seeing each other when I walked down the aisle; having a moment to ourselves where nothing was happening on the balcony at the Manor and hanging out with the coolest suppliers - because they are our mates too!

T H E F U T U R E . . .

Honeymoon...

Fiji for ten days.

Then...

Build another house, and invest the house we are in now. We want to have babies 😉

In 40 years...

Still be as strong as ever, achieved life goals together, have a big happy family, still love each other as much as we did on our wedding day. Build a business together.

W E D D I N G W I S D O M . . .

Advice for engaged couples...

Don't try to do too much all at once. Let it happen. Being engaged is so much fun, partially because it gives you something to look forward too and be excited about. Enjoy every minute, because after, you will get the wedding blues and wish you could do it all over again.

Planning advice...

Don't over think it. Keep it simple. Trust the professionals you have booked to do their job. Do your research when booking suppliers. If you worry about the small things you will miss the big things. Remember the real reason it is all for. Always let your man feel like he has contributed to the day as well. If your venue does not have a coordinator, get a great planner or someone with industry experience to assist you with the things that you may not have even thought of.

On enjoying your big day...

Something unexpected always happens on your wedding day. This is fine because this is what makes your wedding day! Remember to have fun. There is nothing more you can do now. Timing and running sheets are merely a guideline. Be happy it's your wedding day!

MW x

Photography Artography Styling Lovebird Weddings Bridesmaids Angelic Bridal and alterations by Deborah Kaylique Designs Groom and Groomsmen Connor and alterations by Deborah Kaylique Designs Wedding Gown Angelic Bridal Hair Evalyn Parsons Hair Makeup Boudoir Blush Beauty Flowers Mondo Floral Designs Cake Sam's Cakes Entertainment Cut a Rug Videography Universal York Transport Mystic Mountain Tours Babysitter Bo Peeps Babysitting Service Wedding night accommodation Montigues of Montville