East Gippsland Wedding Planner

36 EAST GIPPSLAND WEDDING PLANNER 2017 | www.eastgippslandweddingexpo.com.au Who: Kate McDonald (Orbost) and Gareth Lewis (Northwich, UK). When: Saturday, March 11, 2017. Where: Orbost. Bride’s attendants: Bridesmaids - Paula Stevens (friend), Jane Stevenson (friend), Danielle McDonald (sister), Elyse McDonald (sister). Bridesmates – Richard, Brad and Mark McDonald (brothers). Flower children - Scarlette McDonald (daughter), Alyssa McDonald (niece), Frankie Wigg (niece), Wade McDonald (nephew). Bridesmaids dressed in ‘iconic eras’ of fashion – ‘20s Gatsby, ‘50s rockabilly, ‘70s Boho and futuristic. All had dresses, accessories, hair and makeup from that era. Bridesmates wore black sheer and velvet floral shirts with tan chinos and floral loafers and feature eye make-up on one eye. The flower children wore floaty florals, sheer embroidered tulle, lace and sequins. Groom’s attendants: Groomsmen - Nick Cavanaugh (friend), Mason Cole (friend), Alex Irving (friend), Michael Borland (friend). Groom’s children - Zak Lewis (son) and Charlize (daughter). The groomsmen wore black jeans with navy shirts, floral blue and white ties and tuxedo jackets (the blue represents the groom’s beloved EPL team, Everton). The groom’s daughter wore a white bohemian style floaty dress with daisy halo. The groom’s son wore a black shirt, shorts and white high top sneakers. Parents: Colin and Vicki McDonald (bride) and Sue and Peter Southern (groom). Number of guests: 250. People travelled from Norwich (near Manchester) and Bournemouth in the UK, Queensland and Western Australia. Flowers: The majority of flowers were made of silk - only the bride carried a real bouquet. Accessories for the bridal party and VIPs were made by the bride from silk flowers, fabric and ribbon. The bride’s flowers were arranged by her sister. Decorations: Amphitheatre named ‘The Happy River Amphitheatre’ cut from the paddock with an excavator, with giant steps for guests to sit on with a landing at the bottom for the ceremony and a creek running by. The amphitheatre was mowed by the bride and groom (in the middle of summer – phew!), re-seeded and watered by the bride, her father and her daughter every day. The end result was a beautiful, natural looking lush green venue, which looked like a medieval ceremonial site. The wedding arch was enormous and made of white eucalyptus branches from the bride’s parents’ garden. The bride’s father crafted the branches with a chainsaw. The bride’s father, uncle and the groom then manoeuvred the huge branches into place. The arch was decorated with black dahlias, flowering gum and green palm leaves. Beautiful steps were hand cut and crafted from solid mahogany by the bride’s father and uncle to lead guests into the amphitheatre. Steps were cut into the side of the hill by the bride’s brothers, Brad and Mark, for the bride’s party to walk down. A castle / fort was made by the bride’s brother, Richard, (and cousin and helpers) using a tractor and from giant round bales, with the finishing touch an English and Australian flag on top to represent the birthplaces of the bride and groom. The castle was set alight later in the evening (like Burning Man Festival) and the guests loved this feature. Guest huts - marquees set in a horseshoe formation, draped with Bohemian wall hangings, fairy lights and bunting, with each group named from favourite places, memories and in-jokes of the bride and groom. The Bohemian / Raj tent featured a giant patchwork canopy made by the bride, with vintage furniture, festoon lights, candles, cushions and throws. The pink dessert tent – ‘Let them Eat Cake’ – had vintage furniture and decorations, ala ‘Versailles’. Contributions of delicious home-made country cooking goodness from family and friends! Cocktails were served by selected couples (30-minute shifts each) and were an absolute hit! A truck trailer was used as a stage for the band. Transport: Toyota HiLux’s for groom and bridal parties. Bride’s gown: Vera Wang ‘Jacqueline’, a strapless Chantilly lace ball gown in black and nude (20 layers of fabulousness!) purchased from New York. The bride saw the dress and immediately fell in love. The bride knew that her groom liked things a little different and with a dark edge, as did she, so it was the perfect choice. The dress was purchased online via the New York store, the location of the bride and groom’s engagement. IN WITH AMPHITHEATRE, OUT WITH TRADITION