WEDDING ALBUM

from GEELONG WEDDING MAGAZINE 2020/2021 Edition

by Provincial Media

VENUE

Ally + Jackson

Otway Ranges love affair

The Otway Ranges was where Jackson and Ally met 10 years ago and it was the site of their marriage proposal in 2019. They began planning their wedding not long after and once the venue was locked in they had a clear vision of how they wanted the special day to look and feel. Fortunately pandemic restrictions were lifted two weeks prior to the day and they were able to have 85 mask-free guests in attendance. Complimenting the day's bright and summery country vibe, Ally's gown was an ivory crepe, lace and tulle fit-and-wear ensemble with a high neckline, long lace train and a low back with beaded straps. The bridesmaids wore blush pink dresses with a halter neck and nude, strappy heels while Jackson and his groomsmen were fitted with black chinos, black boots, a sand-coloured sports jacket with a white shirt and black tie. The ceremony was very memorable for them both, especially the moment that Ally arrived and stood with Jackson and saw their dog Chip sitting up the front with their families. The reception was also a lot of fun dancing the night away with their closest friends and family.

Elenckey + Boyd

True love from afar

Elenckey, a writer of film/novels from Brazil and Boyd, an opera singer from Australia/New Zealand both found themselves in Bologna, Italy for work and study when they met online. Deciding to meet in person Boyd invited Elenckey to have a cup of tea at a nearby tea salon and he replied 'I don’t drink tea'. As a tea fanatic who didn’t drink coffee Boyd immediately thought 'well… this will never work'.The couple managed to find a nice café that did good tea and coffee and had an enjoyable time. Boyd mentioned he was performing with the Bologna Opera the following night and Elenckey agreed to come along spending the last €15 he had in his bank account to buy a ticket - way up in the top balcony - to see Boyd perform. The couple caught up afterwards over pizza and a few nights later went to a Brazilian Samba party where Boyd met Elenckey's friends and seven years later they are husband and husband. In 2019 work schedules meant they were in different parts of the world and video calls were invaluable. A time of substantial transition ensued being based in Shanghai, China for many years and relocating to the US. Perhaps unromantically, they decided over the telephone that they wanted to be married and practically it would be helpful. Although there was no dramatic proposal Boyd was with a group of friends when the rings arrived a few days before the ceremony when Elenckey grabbed one, got down on one knee and said 'Will you marry me?' The couple knew from the outset that wedding day planning would be complicated. Each being from different continents and having many friends overseas, things like deciding the best country to get married in, what time of year, how to have it suit their ideas whilst also working for those they wanted to attend was a lot to take on. Working with a limited budget and knowing where they decided to marry that they would not be able to arrive ‘on ground’ until right before the wedding itself they had to make planning work from a distance. At times they thought to give up on a full wedding and to grab a celebrant, some friends and go have a nice dinner after signing some papers. However, for a few different reasons, the couple knew they wanted a day to celebrate with a proper wedding with friends and family around. They called on friends willing to help and were fortunate to have a few who had been part of many weddings before and able to give great advice and guidance meaning only having to pay for the things that really needed to be done by experts.

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Honourable mentions

Photography Alexander Shore Photography Celebrant Alex Pittaway – Inclusive Celebrant Ceremony/Reception/ Catering Oakdene Wineries

In the end it gave a very special personal touch to the whole experience. One friend baked their cake, another organised flowers, others sourced guest gifts, one sang during the ceremony, another led the ceremony and even the celebrant was found through mutual friends and Boyd's brother was DJ. They had a general idea of what to wear and spent several weeks in many, many stores trying on all kinds of options. In the end the look came together almost like a scavenger hunt as they ended up weaving things together from seven different stores. The final piece were their ties. Boyd had all but given up finding exactly what he wanted when at 7.30pm the night before the big day he was walking past a store and saw one which he liked the look of on sale for $10 so bought it on a whim. One final touch which he knew he wanted to add himself were some origami lilies which he crafted for the boutonnieres. The couple then allocated most of the budget holding the wedding at Oakdene Winery where they were able to have the ceremony, the reception and the wedding night accommodation in one place. They dealt with one team who oversaw the whole day making sure every detail was taken care of. Due to the logistics of travelling from overseas, the couple relied on a venue and team where they could essentially just turn up on the day and know that everything was organised. All this resulted in a day that truly was a dream. Boyd and Elenckey loved every minute of it and even though it poured with rain the whole time they didn’t really even notice as they were having such a great time.

Fortunate to have their wedding just before the world began shutting borders all their guests were able to attend – but only just. In fact, some who had come from China were not able to return and are still in other parts of the world. Travelling to Brazil after their wedding to visit Elenckey’s family who had not been able to attend was when the situation dramatically escalated around the world. Boarders began shutting, people were getting trapped in foreign countries and over the course of a few days Boyd had all his opera contracts for the next year cancelled. Elenckey stayed in Brazil to be close to his family while Boyd returned to this side of the world and thought they would work out what to do after that. That was back in March 2020 having been married just a couple of weeks and they've been apart since. The couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary apart and still don't know when or how it will be possible to see each other again. Although it has certainly been a memorable first year of marriage, 2020 holds some of the best memories of for them - and also some of the most difficult. Elenckey was unable to have any friends or family join him on the day which was sad so we worked hard to have them there through letters we read out, videos they sent and having a live stream for them all to watch back in Brazil. In addition it was only a few years prior that Australia had passed marriage equality and Boyd had personally been through more than two decades of religious ‘conversion’ change and suppression practises which had tried to ‘cure’ him of being gay. To be able to legally, proudly and whole heartedly stand before their friends and family as they became husband and husband was a moment he never dreamed he could have and will never forget this experience. The couple say a wedding on a budget is absolutely possible and can be amazing. A little bit of creative thinking and some good friends with crafty ideas can create magic and meaning and is a lot of fun. Try to have everything that needs to be remembered or actioned on ‘the day’ delegated to someone else. Boyd and Elenckey did not have to think of anything when the day finally arrived which meant they could enjoy every moment.

Emily + Alex

A memorable day to remember

Playing netball as a 13-year-old and thinking her teammate's twin brother was rather cute led Emily to be happily married to Alex 10 years later. They were holidaying in South Australia and had returned from their favourite winery and watching the sunset when Alex dropped to his knee and popped the question. Organising their 'first' wedding was an absolute breeze locking in Rocklea Farm as the venue and sourcing all of the vendors to suit the property and the style they were wanting. However that wedding day was cancelled with less than 24 hours notice due to pandemic restrictions. The couple's second wedding then involved pulling together anyone and everyone they could with five week's notice. This meant hours and hours on end of social media stalking, more than 50 emails to vendors asking if they could help them with the majority unavailable. Eventually after a chain of recommendations they ended up with their dream team. The couple were pleasantly surprised to discover how kind and helpful local businesses were when contacted, offering to find people free even though they owed them nothing. They are strong believers in everything happens for a reason and when their day eventually arrived they couldn’t have dreamed of having better vendors. Emily had just finished her hair appointment and was meeting up with the bridesmaids

while the men were all headed to check into their accommodation when they heard of the lockdown and their wedding the next day was cancelled. Fortunately Rocklea Farm gave them a new date five weeks later but this involved planning a whole new wedding and finding all new vendors in that time frame. It also involved having a cool room in the couple's driveway filled with all the alcohol that had already been refrigerated. They had food for their 150 guests and a lot of wedding things ready to go including personalised pyjamas, wedding gifts for guests, wine labels, hangers, a wishing well, drinking glasses, lighters, a welcome sign, their ring box and personalised jocks, socks and cufflinks. They ran with it though and believe it will be humorous for years to come having all the wrong dates on everything. The wedding day was relaxed and rustic with Em wearing the ‘Met’ dress custom-made by Georgia Young with the best part being that it could be worn two different ways enabling her to have separate looks for the ceremony and reception without having to change. Alex wore a Jack London blazer paired with a Country Road linen shirt while Eddy Elias Menswear fitted what best suited for pants, shoes and belt - a look that was relaxed and comfortable as well as something that wouldn’t date.

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Laura + Bobby Romance blossoms following a blind date

After being setting up on a blind date by a mutual friend, Laura and Bobby followed up with a dinner date and bowling. For Laura's 27th birthday in March 2019, Bobby arranged a trip to Brisbane for her which included a surprise sky diving experience. He surprised her landing on the beach by being there standing next to 300 sunflowers that spelt out ‘Laura, will you marry me?’ The couple didn’t waste much time in the planning process booking At The Heads in Barwon Heads as their wedding venue and searching through Pinterest for inspiration. Ensuring both were involved in the process they were tasked with contacting a range of local suppliers who helped with the planning. Surrounded by 140 guests Laura and Bobby were fortunate to celebrate their wedding day two weeks prior to the state's first lockdown only to return from their honeymoon to a deserted airport and empty supermarket shelves. Wanting a classy but relaxed style that encouraged their guests to have fun the couple went for neutral and earthy tones that complimented the coastal setting and rustic styling. Laura chose her perfect dress which was created by combining elements of three separate gowns. Made of a plain white silk it was a fitted, low back gown with a split up the front. Two lengths of silk that were slightly longer than the train were tied in a soft knot at the base of her back and attached to the waist. These were added with

invisible fasteners to allow the removal of them later in the night at the reception when the dance floor came alive. Laura also incorporated a long tulle vale with a silk boarder and paired the gown with nude shoes with a pearl anklet attachment. A pearl and diamante hair piece completed the look. Bobby wore a classic full black slim-fitted suit complimented with a black bowtie and green boutonnière. Black ankle boots and a black belt finished his look.

"The whole day was absolutely perfect. We both loved every minute from getting ready in the morning all the way through to our sparkler exit and heading to the pub with the guests afterwards," says Laura. Two moments they fondly look back on are when they read their vows during the ceremony and the speeches at the reception. They had kept them a secret from each other so as to share their words with each other in front of loved ones. An honourable mention goes to having Laura's grandfather as the ring bearer and surprising her two grandmothers during the ceremony by asking them to be witnesses. "Above all else we wanted it to be a relaxed wedding where the both of us and our guests had fun," adds Laura. Three main pieces of advice Laura and Bobby have for newly-engaged couples planning their wedding would firstly be to set a budget (and don’t be surprised when you blow it). Secondly, enjoy every minute as it really does go as quick as is said including choosing flowers and doing the seating plan to walking down the aisle and having your first dance. Lastly, above all, is to remember it's about the marriage, not just the wedding.

Gown Raffaele Ciuca Bridesmaids gowns Witchery forest-green jumpsuits Shoes Jo Mercer Hair Alex Fielding Hair Makeup Make Up by Maddi Nicholls

Honourable mentions

Suits Politix Rings Sally Rose White Label Celebrant Leonie Duryea Wedding Celebrant Ceremony At The Heads, Barwon Heads Reception At The Heads, Barwon Heads Flowers: Elderberry Event Styling Catering At The Heads, Barwon Heads Cake Family friend Photography Monika Berry Weddings Honeymoon Noumea, New Caledonia

Andrea + Charlie

A New York proposal

Love blossomed on campus at University in Ballarat for Andrea and Charlie who have spent their whole adult lives together. On a trip to New York in 2019, Charlie got down on one knee in Central Park and in a magical moment asked Andrea to marry him. It was magical! Andrea immediately starting planning their wedding day by creating a spreadsheet and listed the ‘big ticket’ things she needed to book such as potential venues and then the couple went and chose together. Closer to the day she met up with her bridesmaids and wedding planners to go over the finer details and wrote lists of things that needed to be organised, bought or planned. Her advice to anyone getting married would be to buy a diary, make lists and be organised. Although the pandemic did not interrupt their wedding, they did miss out on having an engagement party and Andrea was forced to choose her wedding dress alone, relying on facetime for advice from her tribe.

The couple chose a relaxed, country garden wedding with 80 guests with no specific colour theme. Andrea's dress was chosen to match the colour palette of her complexion with the bridesmaids in dark forest green.

Caitlin + Luke

Dream celebration of love

Caitlin and Luke met at the Deakin Commerce Ball in 2012 where their tables were next to each other and they were almost back to back. Neither of them did commerce - Caitlin was a Latrobe University student and Luke was at Deakin and both were at the ball with friends. On the March long weekend in 2019 Luke proposed while the couple were enjoying a weekend trip to Warrnambool along the Great Ocean Road. Luke found the magic moment at a Mutton Bird Island Lookout near Loch Ard Gorge during the only 5 minutes they had time to themselves for the whole day. Caitlin turned around thinking they were leaving to find Luke down on one knee with a ring in his hand. Afterwards, Luke explained that the ring had been in his pocket all day after they had already made four different stops along the way. He planned it perfectly and they got to celebrate with best friends in Warrnambool during their stay. Moving swiftly, the wedding reception was booked two weeks after they were engaged. They loved Barwon Edge Boathouse instantly and everything else easily fell into place until the pandemic hit. They needed to make a couple of vendor changes from their original date to the new date but considered themselves lucky to be able to find replacements. The original wedding date was for late March 2020 but had to postpone closures of churches and venues was announced - the first weekend that weddings couldn’t

proceed. It was a very emotional lead up to their wedding as with each day that got closer they thought that they would make it only to cancel the special day six days out which was very emotional. Because of the uncertainty they did not immediately choose a new date. After the first lock down and things were starting to look good the couple started looking into an alternative date and pencilled in vendors for a date in September. When weddings were given the go ahead in late November they moved quickly spoke to secure vendors, family and the bridal party for January 2021. Whilst it was 10 months later than originally planned their wedding was exactly as planned and the couple were able to celebrate just as they dreamed. A simple and elegant wedding ensued with 80 guests with Caitlin adorned in a simple, modern and elegant as were the bridesmaids and the groomsmen keeping it classic with navy suits. Caitlin says the first dance will always be a great memory of their day. They had taken lessons for the original wedding date and luckily had it filmed to practice at home and were able to reteach themselves the week before the new wedding date. The dance lessons were what they both enjoyed most in their wedding planning. Going through the postponement due to the pandemic made them appreciate the small things and they are grateful that they could still have their dream wedding and get married with everyone to share the celebrations.

Gown Bernice Fashions Bridesmaids gowns Shona Joy Shoes Betts Hair Pure Edge Hair Makeup Maddi Nicholls Make Up Suits Connor Rings Duffs

Honourable mentions

Celebrant Fr Sang Ho – St Bernards Parish, Belmont Ceremony Sacred Heart College, Newtown Flowers Bouquets by Floral perfection; Arbour at reception and button holes by Miss Petal and Co; Reception table arrangements by the bride

Reception Barwon Edge Boathouse Catering Barwon Edge Photography Mike Atchison Photography Honeymoon Was to be Italy but the couple spent a few nights in Lorne instead. Italy stays on their bucket list but now they are building a new home and have a baby on the way.