Hayley & Ben

This bride and groom used their own expertise to help make their wedding day memorable, even if they did have to wait a little longer than planned.

Photography by Justin & Jim

After the global pandemic forced a delay to their wedding, Haylee and Ben were excited to finally exchange vows before family and friends on a sunny Friday in February. Their wedding setting was the picturesque Fortuna Villa, with the ceremony area beside the private lake decorated in blooms Haylee and her colleagues at The Petal Factory had prepared. The beaming bride, dressed in a stunning gown from Poppy’s Bridal Couture, even carried a bouquet she had lovingly created for her and Ben’s special day. “It was so rewarding being able to do the flowers for my own wedding. I have been a florist for a while now and since the beginning, I had dreamed of what I would do. It was so great having some amazing florist friends help me on the day to bring it all together.” The ceremony was brief and to the point as the couple wanted to spend as much time as possible with their loved ones after being apart for so long. “Finally getting to get married was the best feeling. Until I walked down that aisle, we both felt that with restrictions and COVID that it could get cancelled at any moment – it didn’t feel real until then,” Haylee says, of having to reschedule their wedding from October 17 to February 26. As guests gathered for a group photo with the couple, Ben announced even bigger news – that Haylee was pregnant. “He announced to all of our family and friends that we are expecting our first baby, during the group photo shoot. That will be a massive memory we will cherish.” The couple met nine years ago through the Marong Football Netball Club. “It was the first club event of the season, and it was a mystery bus tour. Because there were so many newbies at the club that year, they decided to pair up a footballer and a netballer for the evening to help introduce everyone. Ben ended up being paired with my sister for

the night and we became good friends from then. Twelve months after that, we started our relationship.” The wedding proposal came on a trip to Melbourne, during a side trip to Trentham Falls. “When we got there, we did a bit of exploring and at the bottom of the falls he got down on one knee and proposed.” It was fitting that a garden setting would feature in their wedding. As the sun started to set on the day, the ice cream cart from Bianco Latte proved a popular diversion while the bridal party explored the gardens for photos with Justin and Jim Photography. “We wanted the day to just be relaxed and enjoyable so we hired the gelato cart as a little treat to be enjoyed whilst enjoying the sun in the garden before the reception started.” Guests were also intrigued with Ben’s newly restored XY Falcon, a project he and his dad had completed just the day before.

“Having Ben’s childhood dream car in the wedding was a highlight. Ben originally bought it when he was 15. Together with his dad, they spent the past 12 months restoring it.” After a busy, yet ‘stop-go’ lead-up to the day, Haylee and Ben “finally escaped” to enjoy a week in Port Douglas. Now back home, they are settling into married life and Haylee says they never once thought their wedding day wouldn’t come – they just kept having to look forward to it a little longer than planned. “Being home, it is nice to have such a massive life event to reflect on. To all the couples affected by COVID, just plan the best that you can – you cannot do anything if closures are announced, it is completely out of your control. Don’t get caught up in the small stuff, just enjoy that your day has finally arrived and you get to marry your loved one.”

CREATIVES SHARE NEXT STEPS

After weeks of creative planning and business thinking, 15 creative entrepreneurs shared the next steps in their careers at the inaugural Emporium Creative Hub Incubator presentation evening.

The Incubator program is designed to bring a business focus to creative minds, and the small crowd in attendance relished hearing the next steps for participants.

Andre Sardone and Moustafa Al Rawi

David Darrah and Bailey Cook

Denae Trickey and Belinda Jordaan Caleb Maxwell and John Richards

Ché Stevenson and Gretchen Hillhouse

Leon Schoots and Reece Hendy

Matilda Lovett, Bella Bowles, Avni Rao and Dylan Sim Chloe Davey, Miffy Fisher, Ruby Conti, Kiara Primmer and Olivia Kealy

Milly Fletcher, Zoe Cuthbertson, Sophie Mayes and Frances Leach Lewis Fitzpatrick, Charlie Keogh, Gus Waller and Will Crane

STUDENTS LAP UP SWIM CARNIVAL

More than 800 students made a splash at Girton Grammar School’s 2021 Senior School Swimming Carnival.

Liam Jones, Matthew Saxon, Jeremy Carlson, Emily Russell and Alex Blake Madeline Dole, Skye Fitzsimmons and Miriam Henry Six sports houses competed, filling the Faith Leech Aquatic Centre with colour. 2021 honours went to Jones House for the Spirit Cup and Jenkin House the overall perpetual trophy.