Diary of a bride-that-was: Reflection of the wedding.

A couple of months back now, the anticipation and build up in our 11 month engagement was finally greeted with the words “I do”. So now that it is all over, how do I feel? What regrets, if any, do I have? I thought the best way to reflect would be a Q&A style. Enjoy!

(Photo: MB Captured)

Tell me about the theme of your wedding?

I always feel weak at the knees when elegance meets rustic and old. So I wanted to incorporate that into our wedding, yet still keep traditional elements to it.

What was the hardest part of planning the wedding?

Finding a decent source of inspiration or decor, websites like The Lane and Ruffled Blog are great but they don’t provide information or services for Country Victoria.There is a definite need for it and I might just be working on that! (hinthint)

What was the best part of planning?

There were so many highlights to planning, probably all the weekends and date nights we were able to have when sourcing locations and venues! There is something magical when you are standing in the same room that your wedding will be, trying to picture it filled with your loved ones.

How many dresses did you try before the one?

It was lucky number 7, I knew it was the one when I saw it on the rack! Although I wanted to take full advantage of trying on beautiful gowns and continued the journey, I must have tried about 15 or so in the end, but I kept dreaming of #7. The owner at Brides and Maids is a very experienced dressmaker, she has been in the industry for along time and seriously knows her dresses!

These are the photos I stared at for 6 months until I had the actual dress!

How did you choose your suppliers/ businesses for the day?

It was really important to us to use local businesses, too many people take off to the big city believing that is the only way to get the best service or product, when that is so far from the truth. We also wanted to incorporate the people we love, my aunt was our celebrant, uncle our photographer, close family friend our cake decorator, friends supplied the ceremony venue etc. I also wanted to do a lot of the on-the-day stationery myself to add that personal touch.

What is a good tip for a bride planning her day?

I thought I could do all the decor on the day, when in fact I really should have had a coordinator to do all those small jobs. (I underestimated the hair & makeup time!) I kept a checklist that I glanced at each hour which had a list of things to do progressively through the morning, it helped my mushy bride brain. Another tip is don’t do anything the day before your wedding, if you haven’t organised it, leave it! Enjoy the final day with your husband-to-be, we went for massages together, it was bliss.

Biggest regret?

Straying from my plan, in the lead up I became more and more calm (yes strange I know), so when suggestions were made about layout and decor, rather than stick to my plan I just agreed and went with the flow. Which meant the ceremony decor didn’t quite work how I had envisioned. Not that I noticed it on the day anyway - anything peripheral to Ray standing at the end of the isle was a blur.

Biggest splurge?

On the day we really wanted quality drinks, so we had a cocktail hour, quality bottled beers and local wines.

Also the rings, opting for quality platinum and near flawless diamonds.

What has changed since you married?

The whole experience has really brought us closer, it is such a great feeling and I still look down at mine or Ray’s hand and think “holy moly, we are really married!”.

I also discovered an incredible industry filled with so many creative ideas, one I am not keen to leave just yet! So watch this space.

Describe your wedding in three words

Happy, intimate, pretty.