How & where we met
Daniel worked for an Airline and Kharlee worked as a Travel Agent. Sometimes, if you are lucky as an agent, you are taken away on 'educational' trip to experience a product and destination. Daniel hosted such a trip and Kharlee was lucky enough to be invited along. The rest, as they say, is history.
The proposal
Daniel and Kharlee cruised from Sydney to Melbourne and back with Princess Cruises. Daniel arranged for a beautiful surprise dinner on the balcony in their own cabin. As Melbourne disappeared behind them, just after the 7th course, Daniel got down on one knee and 'popped the question'.
Wedding Date 1st October 2016
Ceremony and Reception Venue Sittella Winery - Swan Valley
Our wedding Style
We have a huge circle of family and friends and we knew from the beginning that we wouldn't get away with a small, intimate gathering. We ended up with 150 guests in the end and it was absolutely wonderful. We both love movies, music, theatre and books so in our planning we tried to incorporate as many 'nods' to these things as possible (without having a set theme). The colour scheme included rich colours such as red wine, pink, white and deep greens. We used splashes of vintage items as well as some striking, newer centre pieces.
Inspiration behind the day
Romance, 'Happy Ever After', lots of love and great food & wine.
Brides Wedding Dress
My dress was a beautiful 'plus size' selection available from Pearls Bridal in Guildford. It was the first dress I tried on and I instantly knew that it was the one. It needed quite a number of alterations but the ladies at Pearls did a wonderful job. I paired my gown with a chapel length veil that looked wonderful in the pictures but was terrible to handle on such a windy day!
Grooms Wedding Attire Daniel hired his suit from Britton's Formal Wear in the City - the Gentlemen there were also amazing to deal with and he looked very sharp. Bridal Party Attire Kharlee ordered her Bridesmaids' gowns online from Etsy. The dresses were made to measurements and fitted perfectly. We didn't notice until the big day but the dresses were ordered separately and the layer of tulle was actually facing the wrong way on one dress! Luckily, it was the maid in the middle so it didn't look so bad. Daniel's Groomsmen were also dressed by Britton's. Special touches that made our wedding unique We used our own collection of antique romance novels/poetry books in stacks paired with Bree & Hermes' beautiful table numbers to label the tables. -We had 4 different types of specially made Disney labelled Hersheys' Kisses at place settings to commemorate the big day-Hermes designed amazing menus & table place guides to perfectly match our invitations-We used mini bottles of limoncello & small printed muslin lolly bags (for the lolly buffet) as bombonieres. DIY elements we created We used our own collection of antique romance novels/poetry books in stacks paired with Bree & Hermes' beautiful table numbers to label the tables. Highlight of the wedding During the Ceremony, the Celebrant made mention of the Groom's Parents who unfortunately are no longer with us. At that moment, there was a huge crack of thunder! This thunder was only heard one other time - when the Celebrant mentioned Kharlee's Grandmother & Daniel's Nonna! We decided that rather than throw the Bride's beautiful bouquet we would instead gift it to the couple in the room who had been married the longest. This was Kharlee's Nanna & Pop - they were so surprised and so honoured! It was a very heart-warming moment.
Our colour palette Red wine, whites, pinks, deep greens, gold Did you hire a Wedding Planner and if yes describe the experience: No - but we did invest in a great wedding planner file - worth every cent!
Advice for new Brides Enjoy the experience of planning your Wedding. Take your time and welcome your Groom's input (if they wish to participate!). Speak to your suppliers and let them help you - they do this every day! Try not to measure your own experiences against other people. Every wedding is different and we all have different tastes and expectations. Don't do anything for anybody else - do it for you and your new Husband!
Vendor Credits Photographer: Compose Photography http://composephotography.com.au
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Sittella Winery - Swan Valley https://www.sittella.com.au
Limousine Hire: Belle Limousines www.belle.net.au
Wedding Dress: Pearls Bridal www.pearlsbridal.com.au
Florist: Willetton Wedding Flowers www.weddingflowerswa.com.au
Cake: Polly DeMatos
Hire Decor: Wedding & Event Hire www.weddingandeventhire.com.au We supplied the Gothic Gold Easel and Gold Frame with a personalized seating plan design and print, Vintage Wedding Trunk wishing well, Silvery gold framed table numbers, Mrs & Mrs and Happily Ever After signs & designed and printed the table menus
DJ: Majestic Wedding Dj www.majesticweddingdjs.com.au