In the blissful cold (I am now in my embracing winter stage) I adore looking at beautiful beach weddings. Normally, the beach weddings we feature are from Queensland so it’s nice to take a little visit to Jervis Bay (NSW) for today’s celebration!

Their story goes a little something like this. “Peter and Shannon are both in the Royal Australian Navy and had been working together for a year on the same ship without giving each other a sideways glance. Just a few weeks after Shannon posted off and between her posting to her new position in Canberra, the couple got to talking at a work event and found they had a lot in common. Within three months of getting to know more about each other, Pete proposed on Christmas Eve just before Shannon left town. Pete has since been transferred to Canberra.”

Photographs today are by Robeccer of Adori Studios. Robeccer always has such a clean, fun style to her work and I love seeing how she captures the little moments, details and love of the day.

Shannon spent the night before the wedding with her girls. “A subdued hen’s night was conducted the night before the wedding as I didn’t have a chance to catch up with many of my girlfriends beforehand as they came from all corners of the country. The bridesmaids gave me a Tiffany & Co key ring engraved ‘From the Girls’ and the wedding date.”

Shannon created many little touches for the day including shell boutonniere for the boys in the wedding party. The groom and his groomsmen wore suits from Spurling Formalwear.

Shannon wore a Destinations by Maggie Sottero RD1044 gown. Hey bridesmaids wore the Jasmine B2 gown from Jays Bridal. Amanda Moore styled the girls hair on the day while Cindy’s Beauty To You styled each girl’s makeup.

Peter’s cousin, Mandy Shields styled the bouquets which included shells to match the beach theme of the day.

As a Whisper Weddings and Functions set up and dismantled the ceremony and reception. Shannon created the ceremony decorations herself, most of which were transported to the reception to be used again. “All of the ideas for my DIY ideas I got from scouring my two favourite wedding websites: Polka Dot Bride and Style Me Pretty, as well as just Googling images!”

Shannon’s brother walked her down the aisle to “The One I Love” by David Gray.

Shannon and Peter held their ceremony at Greendfields Beach, Vincentia, Jervis Bay (booked through National Parks and Wildlife Service – Nowra Area Office & Depot) . Shannon explains” I have always wanted a beach wedding and Pete has a very strong attachment to Vincentia so the location of the wedding was a very easy decision. We took a big risk and didn’t really have much of a wet weather back up plan, and it rained all week leading up to the wedding but on the day we woke up to blue skies and plenty of sunshine.”

The couple roamed the beach side National Park for photographs. “We were fortunate that the beach is located in a National Park and as such the native bushland leads straight off the beach which meant we had two completely different settings for photographs. Robeccer picked up the wicker hearts on the way from the airport – they were a gorgeous touch!

What we loved most about her was the style of photos she takes – the candid shots rather than all posed. We look back at the photos and say “I don’t remember her taking that photo? Where was she when she took that one?” She’s taken beautiful photos of not only us but also our friends and family capturing the most special moments of the day. We are so happy with the result and would highly recommend her.”

The reception was held at The Seagrass Brassiere in Huskisson. “We chose it as the reception venue because it was close (7 minutes from the ceremony). It had the relaxed laid back atmosphere we were after and because we chose to have a cocktail function as opposed to a sit down meal. The canapés were delicious and plentiful and the service was very professional. Many guests commented on how much they enjoyed being able to mingle freely all night without too many formalities – which is exactly what we wanted.”

The seaside inspired wedding cake was made by Skye at Balgownie Village Patisserie.

Of their romantic first dance, Shannon says “We both love country music so we chose ‘Then’ by Brad Paisley”.

Congratulations Shannon and Peter! Thank you for allowing us to share your wedding day on Polka Dot Bride! Thank you also to Robeccer of Adori Studios for allowing us to share today’s wedding!

Photos by Adori Studios