Ashleigh + Sam

real life wedding inspo

venue Twin Waters Golf Club phone (07) 5457 2405 email marketing_golf@twgolf.com.au web twinwatersgolfclub.com.au

Since the moment they were introduced by Ash’s younger sister, Ash and Sam have always been there for one another.

It was during what was to be a romantic sunlit dinner in the sand dunes at Kawana Beach, that Sam planned to fially propose to Ash. It didn’t quite go to plan though, thanks to the weather. Ash remembers Sam acting very unsettled, rushing through his dinner as the clouds threatened to rain any minute. “He finised his dinner in about fie minutes and tried to convince me that I didn’t have to eat mine if I didn’t want to,” she says, “I of course was hungry, so ate my dinner...” Poor Sam had just enough time left by then to quickly propose, before they both sprinted to their car in the pouring rain! With 18 months set aside to plan their wedding, they both had plenty of time to plan and enjoy their pre-wedding celebrations. Ash went south to the Gold Coast where they went to the Pink Flamingo and enjoyed a bottomless brunch at the Little Mermaid. Sam travelled north to Cairns, where he and his mates experienced go carting, played golf, and survived three full nights of drinking!

The one thing that Ash and Sam admitted to being nervous about as their wedding approached, was their ‘fist dance’. In fact, recalls Ash, “the only fight we had was when we tried to choreograph a fist dance.” So from that point on, they took up professional dance lessons. “Was a super fun experience – highly recommended,” she says. Their decision to get married at Twin Waters Golf Club proved to be the perfect choice. “We didn’t feel like we had to do much at all until the last few weeks,” she remembers.

Their wedding coordinator, Georgina, from Twin Waters Golf Club handled everything and made everything so simple for them. “She is organised, so nice and honestly, just the person everyone needs for their wedding.” When their special day arrived, it was perfect – a beautiful sunny day with minimal wind. Due to COVID, they unfortunately only had guests from Queensland who were able to attend. Ash’s bridesmaid was the one exception. She was able to travel from Western Australia to attend, however on her return, she had to complete a full two weeks of quarantine.

Both Ash and Sam wanted their wedding to be personal. They wanted to be surrounded by friends – to have a day full of people who meant something to them. From their hairdresser, who was a friend of Ash’s; to their videographer who was one of their closest friends and an old roommate; their florist Jess, an old friend from their home town of Hervey Bay; their entertainer who was Ash’s cousin; to Ash’s sister who sang for their ‘fist dance’; to their celebrant Tiarrn, one of their best friends who only recently became a celebrant in order to do their wedding (and others) – Ash and Sam were truly happy to be surrounded by them all. “Being together for 8 years, we both couldn’t believe how nervous and shaky we got,” she says, recalling the heightened emotions they both experienced on their wedding day. “The nerves surprised both of us.” One of the most memorable aspects of their wedding were the speeches. “Our speeches were defintely so special and memorable. We both cried like babies and laughed so hard,” she says. The food at Twin Waters Golf Club was incredible also, says Ash, “and the staff ent out of their way to keep everyone happy.” Everyone had plenty of room to dance and enjoy themselves throughout the night.

“We just wanted everyone to be able to have a good time and socialise. We tried to create a day that had minimal sitting so we had time to see everyone.” At the conclusion of what was an emotional day, Ash and Sam stayed at Santorini Twin Waters for their ‘fist night’, and then later travelled to Tasmania for their honeymoon. “We had multiple honeymoons cancelled, refunded and replanned, thanks to COVID,” says Ash, “but so happy we went to Tasmania.” Their highlight was staying at Freycinet Lodge, while their favourite restaurant – with the best food and cocktails – was Mud Bar, in Launceston.

Ash’s wedding advice: “Get a wedding planner and allow them to help. Your day goes so fast and the last thing you want to be doing is worrying about organising, and how the day is running. They are your favourite person on the day and life savers.”

We both cried like babies and laughed so hard

Wedding Date: 9th October 2021 • Theme: White • Number of Guests: 76 • Wedding Song/Dance: Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts • Photographer: Black Palm Collective (Courtney) • Videographer: Milostka Films (Jake) • Bridal Gown: Belle Mariee Bridal • Bridesmaid Dresses: Sabo Skirt • Rings: Underwoods Fine Jewellers & Michael Hill Jewellers • Hair: Bombshell Hair Weddings • Makeup: Victoria Gunn • Groom & Groomsmen Suits: Politix • Wedding Stylist: Cloud Nine Weddings • Wedding Coordinator: Georgina Thompson • Ceremony & Reception: Twin Waters Golf Club • Celebrant: Tiarrn Raymond • Entertainment: DJ – He & She (Luke & Jess) • Florist: For the Love of Flowers (Jess) • Cake: Shimmer and Sparkle Cakes (Priscilla) • Unique Extras: Dance Lessons – Dance Obsession (Sharon) • Bomboniere: Shot glass + Wet Pussy shot