a wedding feature with
SPRING ’13
56 KEEPING IT REAL A recentlymarried couple shares their very personal story. 62 FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE Bill and Glad Forward’s lifetime of love has helped them face their greatest challenge. 64 TO HAVE AND TO HOLD Fashionable, must-have products for the loved up. 66 MAGIC MAKER A design wizard makes brides’ dreams come true.
image courtesy of Julian Beattie, julianbettie.com
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Keeping it Real
The Law of Love WORDS CELESTE MITCHELL PHOTOS Karen buckle
Elizabeth Bruce
&
Jarryd Whitehead June 1, 2013 Maleny 56
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It was American actress Loretta Young who said: “Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.” when police graduate Jarryd Whitehead was posted to his first gig in Gladstone, little was he to know that the pretty and persuasive police communications officer who immediately signed him up to attend a charity ball would later become his wife. “That was the first conversation I had with Liz,” Jarryd says with a laugh. “Her telling us we had to go to the ball and she’d already put our names down and we owed her $100 each.” First came friendship. Then came dinner and a movie. And six months later the loved-up pair moved in together. Whilst Jarryd was away for four weeks for work in 2011, absence definitely made the heart grow fonder. “When I decided to propose, I got my parents involved because Liz is a bit of a snoop so there was no point me trying to do it up here [in Gladstone],” he says. “She would have blown my cover.” Through his mum, super sleuth Jarryd had a ring designed and made, and the Police Charity Ball became a significant event once again when he popped the question whilst they were having some photos taken. “That was the most speechless he’s ever seen me,” Liz says. “I’m never normally lost for words.” Super organiser Liz was in her element planning the big day and even her own hen’s party. “The first thing I did – the next day or the Monday – I went to the newsagency and bought all of the bridal magazines I’d always looked at from afar. That was very exciting,” Liz says. “She probably had it organised about five years before I asked,” Jarryd jokes. >
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Wedding day roll call Ceremony and reception Weddings at Tiffany’s weddingsattiffanys.com.au Photographer Karen Buckle karenbuckle.com.au Gown Karen Willis Holmes, Brisbane karenwillisholmes.com Bridesmaids’ dresses Side Street, Brisbane sidestreet.com.au Catering Weddings at Tiffany’s weddingsattiffanys.com.au Suits Tarocash tarocash.com.au 58
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Endless options for your wedding reception From fifty to five-hundred guests we have the perfect space to suit all tastes, styles and budgets. Contact us to book your site tour. Flowers Tiffany’s Flowers tiffanysflowers.com.au
Where events come to life
Cake Sunny Girl Cakes sunnygirlcakes.blogspot.com
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Celebrant Bill Scurry austweddings.com Videographer Sunshine Coast Videography sunshinecoastvideo.com.au
www.sunshinecoastfunctioncentre.com.au
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A breathtaking location for your magical day
malenybotanicgardens.com 233 Maleny Stanley River Road (corner of Mountain View Road, Maleny) Phone: 07 5408 4110 | 0400 091 731 Email: info@malenybotanicgardens.com
AnnaBella the wedding chapel
Nestled in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, AnnaBella the wedding chapel is the idyllic intimate venue for your wedding ceremony.
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I knew from the minute I saw the brochure of AnnaBella for the first time, that I was going to get married there. I hadn’t even met Dave then. Amanda
“
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Just 15 p. 07 5478 9411 minutes m. 0418 814 232 from e. judysteward@bigpond.com Mooloolaba 264 Wilson Road Ilkley Qld. 4554 www.annabellatheweddingchapel.com.au 60
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Music Sally Beaumont – harpist sallybeaumont.com.au PLAYLISTS Processional Canon in D, Pachelbel Signing of the Registry Nothing Else Matters, Metallica; You and Me, Lifehouse Recessional You’re my Best Friend, Queen First Dance Come What May, Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman
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The Maleny and Montville area had always appealed to Liz, who remembered it as a town of fairies and princesses “because it’s up in the hills and it’s got that magical feel about it”, and when they first saw the chapel at Weddings at Tiffany’s, it was a done deal. Every last stunning detail was the epitome of modern elegance, but with one little twist. “Jarryd was adamant that he wanted ‘Nothing Else Matters’ by Metallica played on the harp during the signing of the registry,” Liz says. “All the guys thought it was the best thing ever. They loved it.” Not surprisingly the day went off without a hitch – relaxed vibe, fantastic food, drinks were flowing, the band played great music all night and a photo booth provided hours of entertainment for their 95 guests. Liz says she’ll always remember the “surreal” drive to Maleny with her dad before walking down the aisle and seeing Jarryd, who was feeling quite emotional himself.
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“I’m not really a person who wears his heart on his sleeve and I thought it would be pretty easy,” Jarryd says. “But when I saw Liz, I started tearing up and my groomsmen started tearing up and it sort of snowballed from there.”
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Amongst all the fairytale memories of the day, Liz says she will forever treasure the time they stole away together. “During our photographs, we had a moment to sit together in the chapel and have a little chat and that was really nice because it felt like we had that moment, just us.”
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FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE
everlasting love WORDS CELESTE MITCHELL
This is a story about true love and an extraordinary life shared between two people – and one very special bike. Bill and Glad Forward – who recently celebrated 50 years of marriage – have always been adventurous. Their work as missionaries took them around the world together. But for the past nine years, Bill has watched his “soulmate” slowly slipping away. Glad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2004 and Bill now dedicates all of his energy to caring for her. But it’s the way in which he does it that is perhaps most touching of all. When their regular walks became too difficult for Glad, her “Will” decided to get creative, and so “the bike chair” was born: an impressive blue beach cruiser with a special seat at the front. Those who have seen their bike chair in action along the coast’s waterfront promenades find it impossible not to smile at the joy on Bill’s face as he rides with his “princess” – resplendent with a tiara atop her helmet. Bill admits his and Glad’s story did not start with love at first sight. “But once it hit, it hit, and that was it,” he says. They first met on the beach at Burleigh Heads when Glad was eight and he was nine. Bill became best mates with Glad’s older brother and admits he never gave a second thought to Glad until he was 17 years old. “There came the day when we had a special church gathering and she was dressed in an aqua blue, A-line dress and BOOM, that was it. I just knew,” Bill says. “She was no longer the little girl but she was now the girl and the only girlfriend I’ve ever had.” Their first official date was to the Ekka. “I was very nervous and shy and basically awkward because I had no experience in what to do,” Bill says. After a stint in national service, Bill knew he wanted to do missionary work and went to a training college in Sydney. Whilst apart, they kept their relationship alive with letters and visits during holidays. “I’ve got a suitcase down below that’s full of letters. If ever I have to write our life story, I think I could just go pull that big suitcase out,” he says.
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India, where Bill managed a leprosy hospital and Glad worked in orphanages. The next four decades saw many trials, tribulations and travels for Bill and Glad, from welcoming their first child – a daughter named Debbie – in India in 1965, to losing their son Robert 28 hours after birth a few years later. Their son Jeffrey was born in Australia in 1970. Glad also beat breast cancer. “It’s these things that make today no big deal,” Bill says. In 2002, Bill started to notice signs in Glad that worried him. “The first indicator was she was unable to read down a page, she kept jumping lines,” he says. Next to go was her neat handwriting, then her spelling and ability to type. He describes the last nine years as a slow grieving period. “One by one all these abilities have just been stripped away from her, to the point now where she can’t walk and she’s forgetting how to swallow,” he says. Whilst he receives assistance from part-time carers, and Debbie spends every Thursday with her mum, some outsiders have suggested Bill move Glad into a home, but he believes their vows are stronger than this challenge. As a marriage celebrant, Bill is no stranger to delivering sermons on love. “Marriage to me means, very specially, the opportunity to live selflessly,” he says. “You see, there are three words for love that are very strong in the Greek language that we don’t get in English. The first word is eros, now that’s physical love, that’s touch. And that is such an essential part in a marriage, particularly at the beginning.
They were engaged when Bill was 20 and Glad was 19. Having both received a call to go to India, the couple married on May 18, 1963. The wedding was organised by their church and about 300 people shared in their special day.
“The second word is filos, and that’s friendship, companionship. And ultimately, that deepens and grows. But the third part of marriage is another word called agape. That’s selfless love.” Bill believes it’s these three, working in perfect harmony, that provide the unshakable foundations of a successful union.
“It wasn’t a flash meal or anything like that but it was just a wonderful time,” Bill says. “I remember the absolute delight of finally having this lovely young lady as my bride. She was now my wife. I just felt exhilarated, really.”
“I’m not interested in ‘what’s in this for me?’” he says. “Everything is ‘what’s in this for Glad?’ At the end of the day, I’ll say, ‘sweetie, I’m here’, and she’ll say ‘oh, my Will’! And to me, that’s it. That’s enough. That I’m her anchor in the midst of all of this.
The newlyweds spent their honeymoon on a returning migrant ship called The Roma. They thrived in their first home in
“We’ve had such a lovely life, we really have. Not easy, but so varied, so interesting. I wouldn’t change it for a bit.’’
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TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
Laid-back beauty Marshmallows and tulle may be pretty (and in the case of the former, pretty damn delicious), but if you’d rather go naked than walk down the aisle in a Cinderella-style gown, Brisbanebased label Bo & Luca will capture your heart with their debut ‘Bohindi’ collection. The gorgeous crepe silk “Capri” is the epitome of relaxed, beachy style, highlighted with intricate silver crystal detailing on the neckline and front of the gown. boandluca.com
Tie it on
e To Hav and to Hold
It need not be left to the ladies to bring “something old, something new” to the party – these dapper wooden bow ties are lovingly handcrafted the old-school way. Two Guys Bow Ties are shaped, sanded and polished from rare pieces of hardwood sourced from around the world and finished off with cotton, silk or satin centrepieces. You can customise the design to match your wedding colours, choose your wood, add a laser-etched design, and even engrave a special note of bromance on the back of each tie. woodenbowties.com
words CELESTE MITCHELL
Perfect simplicity It’s the simplest things in life that are the best – freshly baked bread, a beautiful sunrise, eye contact and a smile between strangers. And when a decision means forever, classic and elegant design always wins out. This stunning 18ct white gold, emerald-cut diamond solitaire engagement ring from NY2K shines in its simplicity. You’ll always be able to say (with honesty) it’s as sparkly and as beautiful as the day you met, even 50 years later. ny2k.com.au
Garden fresh
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Almost every bloom you fancy is ripe for the picking in spring, with glorious floral perfumes a bonus. Freesias, hyacinth, jonquils and early cheers are perfect spring choices that will delight not only with colour and texture but also sweet scents. Terrianne from Mondo Floral Designs says, “The latest trend in bouquet design is very ‘gardenesque’ – soft whimsical foliage and a ‘just picked from the garden’ feel is proving to be very popular.” mondofloraldesigns.com.au
Naturally adorable
On your lips Whether you’re in tune with your chakras or just want a punchy, mineral-based lip colour that won’t budge throughout your big day, Uspa’s Colour Therapy Affirmation range has you covered. Specially blended with natural pigments and ingredients like sweet almond oil, shea butter, beeswax, jojoba oil, and a touch of peppermint essential oil and cinnamon bark extract, each shade is connected with specific vibrational energy centres. Positive affirmations and good vibes for that deal-sealing kiss, indeed. Available at Dot & Birdie, 35 Coral Street, Maleny, 5499 9424 or dotandbirdie.com.au
Every wedding seems to feature the ubiquitous Mason jar these days, but these cute wooden “Save the Date” magnets are a perfect twist on the trend. Red Cloud Boutique specialises in eco-friendly and naturally adorable “Save the Date”, place settings and wedding favours. etsy.com/au/shop/RedCloudBoutique
Unstructured sophistication Spring is the flower child of the seasons, so whether you’re more of a ’60s bouffant or Hollywood glamour and curls kind of girl, this season’s bridal hair is all about undone sophistication. Think gorgeous styling without looking like you’ve spent all day in the hairdresser’s chair. The girls from Bella Boutique in Noosaville created this voluminous look with a soft loosely pulled fishtail braid. Shop 4, Da Vos, 3 – 7 Thomas Street, Noosaville, 5440 5209 or bellaboutiquehair.com.au
The most private and romantic location for weddings in Noosa. With uninterrupted water views and ceremony and reception locations in the one gorgeous setting.
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MAGIC MAKER
crowned with f lair WORDS NIKE SULWAY PHOTOS ANASTASIA KARIOFYLLIDIS model photos karen buckle
In a village north of London – “very quaint, very rural, very beautiful” – Heidi Holmes had an idyllic country childhood, “running amok in cow paddocks, climbing trees, camping out”. Even when she was a girl, she had a sense of flair. “My dad would often say, ‘It’s not a fashion parade, Heidi. We’re just going to the woods. You don’t have to have an outfit that matches your bike’.” Heidi laughs, remembering herself as a girl who looked like a baby giraffe. “I didn’t necessarily look good, but I was conscious of putting an outfit together,” she says. Heidi’s parents still live in Orlingbury. “It will always be my base ... I didn’t want to run away from it.” she says. “That certainly wasn’t the plan. I just wanted to go exploring and here I am: in another little village, on the opposite side of the world.” It isn’t just the dairy fields and travel that Heidi remembers fondly from her childhood, or that now informs her work as a designer of bridal headwear. Her aunty introduced her to the world of craft
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fairs, where every artisan’s booth was an opportunity to discover a new skill, a new technique. And then there were the castles. “As children in England, we would go away on weekends and tour stately homes. I was just fascinated by the costumes and the architecture … the crowns and the jewels and the sparkles.” Heidi’s love of the romantic world of glamour and extravagance had, perhaps, its fullest expression in her own wedding. “It was huge,” she says. “It was in a castle: Castle Ashby. A spring wedding, of course. It was very elaborate. I was very young when I got married. I did the big meringue thing. The whole huge thing.” These days, Heidi designs bespoke headwear through her small business Shut The Front Door. It wasn’t what she expected to end up doing. As a younger woman, she spent four years studying beauty therapy. It was only after moving to the Sunshine Coast that things changed. “We came up to the Sunshine Coast for my birthday one August,” she says. “I was craving the countryside. And this was the place that felt like home. The greenery. The beautiful views. It kind of reminded me of Devon, where we’d spent time on holidays as a child.” Not long afterwards, Heidi, her husband Neil, and their son Luca moved to Montville. It was a new home and a new career for Heidi. She was walking past the Elizabeth de Varga bridal store when she noticed a sign in the window. “I went, ‘I could do that. That’s kind of me. That’ll work’. I love their dresses, and I love their designs and the skill that their >
Noosa’s North Shore
hidden treasure unveiled ...
designer Tammy has. She’s incredibly talented.” But it wasn’t too long before she decided to strike out on her own. Heidi found the idea of starting her own business intriguing. “I wanted to know what it would be like to do it for myself. My mum and dad definitely instilled that in us. They would say, ‘You can do anything. Why don’t you give that a go? The worst thing that can happen is you fail, and then you just get back up and do it again’.” She started off working from home, making a few pieces for people she knew. These days, she works out of a studio in Maleny. It’s a full, busy life, which Heidi embraces with relish, a contagious sense of enthusiasm for beauty, and for adventure.
Architecturally designed and eco-friendly surroundings located on the breathtaking Noosa North Shore.
“I always want the world, and Neil is the one who says, ‘Maybe you can just have this little piece of it’. I think brides will always be my passion. I love to see the pictures of their wedding day. The feeling is indescribable. To know that you’ve made that … it gives me goosebumps.”
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The sense of curiosity, of passion and possibility she learned in childhood have stayed with her, however, and continue to inform her dreams for the future. “Luca’s getting that childhood whether he likes it or not. He likes a bit of bling, a bit of sparkle,” she says. “And yet, he likes the countryside. He likes to climb trees and all that kind of stuff.”
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Heidi grins, an infectious joy in her voice. “I want to learn with Luca,” she says. “I want to learn where we live. I don’t want to just sit where I am and be content with that ... I know England very well, but I don’t know Australia very well. “I would love to get an Airstream caravan and explore Australia. You’ll see me coming. People will say, ‘that’s Heidi’.”
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