East Gippsland Wedding Planner

www.eastgippslandweddingexpo.com.au | EAST GIPPSLAND WEDDING PLANNER 2017 37 The contrast of the amazing designer ball gown against the rustic natural aspect of the rural property was a favourite feature of the wedding for the bride. Bride’s accessories: Silk flower cuff on upper arm made by the bride, embroidered / beaded transparent sleeve (made by the bride’s aunt, Di Kennedy), red jewel cluster earrings, oversized vintage gold pearl ring and wrist cuff, black sheer tights with oversized polka dots, and blue and gold ‘Abigail’s Choice’ heels. Groom’s outfit: Black with gold printed tuxedo jacket (Noose & Monkey, London), black shirt, ripped black jeans, Ray-Ban glasses. Costume change - white and black ‘Saturday Night Fever’ tuxedo jacket for some serious dance floor action later in the evening. The bride and groom had no idea what each other was wearing, style, colours, themes etc., - it was top secret. Result: they matched perfectly! Ceremony: MC Karlena Sutcliffe (friend) introduced all parties as they entered the amphitheatre. Tom Sutcliffe (friend) did an amazing job with all of the music stopping and changing. Ceremony consisted of entrances into the amphitheatre (with snippets of songs): - Bride’s brother, Richard, entered on a motorbike, two other brothers walked in to the song: I Feel Love, by The Dead Weather. - Flower children held hands and entered to Girl, by Tori Amos. - Groom and groomsmen danced down the steps to Psycho, by Muse. - Bridesmaids danced with tambourines to Love Letter, by Clairy Browne and the Banging Rackettes. - Groom walked in with his children and parents to Over the Rainbow, by Israel Kamakawiwi’ole. - Bride walked in with her father to Round the Bend, by Creedence Clearwater Revival, her mother to Babushka, by Kate Bush, and her daughter to Out of the Woods, by Taylor Swift. - The bride and groom walk towards each other to the song Gift of a Thistle, by James Horner ( Braveheart soundtrack to reflect bride and groom’s Scottish heritage). - Signing of marriage certificate to All you need is Love by The Beatles. Celebrants: Two – long story! Zoe conducted the ceremony in a vibrant red pantsuit with a mix of much humour, enthusiasm and also emotion. Naomi ably assisted with the legal bits. Blending the families: A special part of the ceremony involved the couple’s three shared children - Zak, Charlize and Scarlette - linking hands with the bride and groom in a circle and then making promises to each other. Colour scheme and theme: A mix of medieval, Bohemian, gothic, Gatsby, rockabilly and futuristic. Reception: In the paddock! Guests were fed and watered very ably served by the ‘pink ladies’ (the bride’s cousin and her friends) dressed in hot pink t-shirts and floral headbands. They volunteered their time, worked all day and half the night, and did an amazing job. Food was an afternoon tea picnic (cheeseboards, wraps, sandwiches, scones), roast meat rolls, hot chips (apparently ‘the best gravy every made’ by Vicki, the bride’s mother) for dinner, and all sort of yumminess from the ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ tent for dessert. Drinks were punch and cocktails served at a garden party prior to the ceremony, a mixed variety of drinks in large tubs in the guest huts, and cocktails in the cocktail bar (mojito / espresso martinis / bloody Mary’s / shots). Music: Music was the main theme of the day (except for the actual marriage ceremony). Garden party – mix of old and new, blues, soul, acoustic and alternative. Reception - ‘Split Whiska’, acoustic sets early on building to rock. The band was an absolute highlight for everyone. Mixed playlists in the intervals of the bride and groom’s favourites. Bridal waltz – You Are So Beautiful, by Joe Cocker, danced by the couple at 3am because they forgot to do it earlier! Photographer/s: Di Kennedy (aunt of bride), Reghan Radford (cousin of bride) and various guests. Videographer was Joao Dujon Pereira. Favourite wedding day memory: Bride - the groom’s vows and his look. Groom - seeing the bride. The proposal: Brooklyn, New York, July 11, 2015 (two years after the couple met). It was dinner on the last night of a trip to New York (the groom surprised the bride with this trip). They were at the River Café under the bridge in Brooklyn with night views across the river to Manhattan. The night was perfect. Gareth, asked Kate to marry him, Kate said yes and was delighted. Kate pulled out a ring she had secretly made for Gareth and proposed right back to him. He was overjoyed and said yes. Words of wisdom: Make sure you rest up prior to the big day so you can enjoy it.