Emanuel and Jessica

Our relationship began over 13 years ago after I met this wonderful young man by the name of Emanuel. I was just at the tender age of 17 and had just lost my mother to cancer not long after meeting Emanuel. Our friendship began to blossom into something much more special, not only was he a great friend but was a great source of support through the tough time I was experiencing. I found my feelings started to grow more and more each day for him. I fell in love with this handsome Romanian man and so our relationship began.

The years have brought us many laughs as well as tears but one thing has always remained the same is our love for one another. I thank god for giving me such a wonderful husband today and I am so excited to share some photos from our special day on the 1st of September 2012. What a truly beautiful day it was waking up to perfect weather with the smell of the fresh spring air and seeing the bright blue skies, I couldn’t have asked for anything else that day.

The day began with separate bride and groom preparations at different locations. The day was filled with such fun and excitement thanks to all the special people who were around us. Our loved ones were beside us every step of the way with aid of a special best man and maid of honour to ease our stress and anxieties. From the picturesque church where we exchanged our vows we then set off for our photos with Mary-Jane Photography. In exchange for us girls being able to window shop throughout the CBD the boys got to play some well deserved soccer on the way to the Casino.

Fun continued outside the Treasury Casino where the inner gangster took over. The night ended with a stunning reception at Palazzo Versace with styling by Lavish Tea Events.

It was a truly magical day for Emanuel and I and we now have some fantastic memories for life.

Images by Mary-Jane Photography

Ms Gingham says: A beautifully elegant wedding. Congratulations to Emanuel and Jessica.

About Jessica: “A gushing wife once bride who is so proud to share our special wedding event with others to get some great names out there in the wedding world. Registered nurse, turned business owner of Lavish Tea Events. Wanting to share in others special moments by creating a lavish experience of tea or candy and everything in between.”

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Duncan and Maggie

Duncan is the brother of one of my close girlfriends and so while we had met a couple of times over the years, we met for the last time at celebratory drinks for her. Our meeting story is probably one of the most unromantic stories there is (I won’t retell it here) but it still makes me laugh. Myself, the bridesmaids and my family got ready at my parent’s place. Linda West did a fabulous job with the makeup and Liam Moore, my brother’s boyfriend, did an absolutely amazing job with hair – everyone chose something different. I wanted everyone to look relaxed and natural and they did and looked so beautiful.

Fast forwarding to the proposal, it was after breakfast in a cafe in Five Ways, Paddington. We had chosen a ring together months before so I knew it was coming, I just didn’t know when (I was not expecting him to get on his knee in the middle of Five Ways)! We spent the rest of the day with our families, celebrating.

Organising the wedding was a lot of fun and once we found the reception venue, it was pretty easy to just work backwards. We wanted to make sure the reception felt like we were just out for a nice dinner with (a lot of) friends and family. It was also important to us to ensure that our guests were relaxed and that they only had to worry about getting to the ceremony and not about getting to the reception or filling in time before it started. There were a couple of little hiccups – the chosen flowers became unavailable a week prior, changing ministers and a mix up with the seating arrangements – but on the whole, not very stressful and heaps of fun!

Of course, one of the most exciting days, while organising, was dress shopping. I really had no idea where to start but thought Collette Dinnigan in Woollahra might be a good place. I was right, the girls were fabulously helpful and while I tried on almost every dress, Mum and my sister sipped on champagne. There were so many lovely dresses but it was Mum who made me try on “the one” – which was nothing like the style I thought I would go for and twice what I wanted to spend (I was/am of the thinking that the money is better spent on the reception or honeymoon). But thanks to The Sydney Wedding Registry and Polka Dot Bride, my decision to splurge was made a whole lot easier. A couple of weeks prior I had entered a competition run by The Sydney Wedding Registry to win your dream dress (thanks to a Polka Dot Bride email update). When I got the call that I had won I literally jumped around my apartment and then made a hysterical call to my fiance and Mum. I ordered the dress the next week but was sworn to secrecy by Mum… I had no idea that that was a thing.

The ceremony was held at St.Clement’s Church Mosman, a really beautiful old church in Mosman and not too far from where the reception was to follow. Walking up the aisle I tried not to look at Duncan in case I’d start crying (or make him cry) but I remember looking at him and thinking that I couldn’t wait to get up there and get married.

The wedding day was truly an amazing day – although, to begin with, we had such awful weather. It was apparently the coldest day in October in 30 years and it looked like the rain was coming from all directions. It wouldn’t really have mattered except that I had my heart set on drinks outside after the ceremony and if we had to move to a pub we had to make the call to cancel by about 2pm. We decided to chance it.

As soon as the  ceremony was over we were desperate to see how bad the weather was (and whether we’d made the right call). I think there’s a photo of us walking out of the church and seeing that the day had turned into a bright clear sunny afternoon, the rest of the day simply sparkled!

We organised drinks and nibbles to follow the ceremony down at The Rotunda at Balmoral Beach.  It was so nice to relax, have a drink and chat to everyone.  The in-between drinks are always my favourite part and neither of us were too keen to leave and have photos. We eventually managed to drag ourselves and the rest of the bridal party away.

Elise Hassey was our photographer. She had been the photographer for a good friends’ wedding a year before and I had loved their photos. Elise was great for Duncan and I because we both hate posing for photos, she made us feel very comfortable and for the most part I forgot she was even there.

The reception was at The Public Dining Room in Balmoral which is such a beautiful venue and only a 7 minute (we timed it) stroll from The Rotunda. The food was delicious and the waiters did such a great job looking after Duncan and me, and each and every guest. I don’t think anyone managed to get to the bottom of their glass.

I know that everyone says it but the day just went so amazingly fast and while I had such a great day, one of the best parts was coming home after the reception, popping open a bottle of champagne and recapping the day together.

My two cents for brides to be:
* planning and the wedding itself can be as stressful or as enjoyable as you choose to make it, so make it enjoyable. We had some mini disasters on the day – I had had a bad reaction to an eyebrow wax, the weather, my dress was too long (and had to be cut by hand), the music at the reception didn’t work – but it didn’t matter. The most important part is that at the end you’ll be married, enjoy it!
* at the ceremony: (this is thanks to a friend) when you get to the top of the aisle, take his hand. It can be a little unnerving/awkward at first, standing up at the front, by grabbing his hand you won’t feel like you’re up there by yourself but rather enjoying this unique experience together.

 Ms Gingham says: A beautiful wedding with such a relaxed and easy vibe. Fantastic advice for brides Maggie. Well done and congratulations!

Maggie says: “Hi, I’m Maggie, I was married to my husband Duncan last October. Duncan is the brother of one of my closest friends (so now have a best friend as a sister in law). He’s amazing, every day I feel lucky to have him (and him me). I’m the eldest of four and this was the first wedding in my family so it was all very new and I’d love to share my photos.”

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If it’s one thing we’ve learnt here at Polkadot Central, it’s that there are so many beautiful Australian weddings out there to enjoy and draw inspiration from. Which is why we love finding blogs that share the same passion for showcasing these weddings as we do! So we are super-excited to be able to share the wedding of one of the creators of one of these blogs with you today!

Tamarin is from Nouba, a lovely Australian blog about inspirational and creative weddings, and her destination wedding in the breathtaking Koh Samui is sure to make you pine for its pristine beaches and warm weather. Plus, she gives some great advice about planning a wedding afar!

Tell us about your Wedding!

Stephen and I were married at YL Residence in Koh Samui. We decided on a Thailand wedding to save our friends and family in Europe the long trek to Australia. We gave everyone plenty of time to plan the trip and were so touched to be joined by 60 of our nearest and dearest on our idyllic little beach for our big day.

The day itself was fairly relaxed and informal. Whilst in Bangkok, we had bought vast array of coloured fabrics, which everyone helped to tear into streamers and hang from just about everything. All our wonderful guests pitched in to help with the setup, so when it all came together, it really felt like a group effort.

Both Stephen and I live far from our families and the people we grew up with, so it was wonderful to have so many of our far-flung loved ones together. Everyone was in holiday mode and had an absolute blast!

What was your most memorable moment (or moments!)?

The ceremony was incredibly memorably for both of us. We made our heart-felt promises to each other in front of our most special people, in a totally idyllic location. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

The party on the beach that night was also a big highlight. After all the wedding anxiety and build-up, it was so great just to get loose with our friends and have an amazing night. As much as I adored my dress, it was so hot that it was a relief to finally change into my bathers and go for a swim. We’d bought a bunch of masks and feathers in Bangkok, so everyone looked fantastic dancing around the bonfire I their tribal getup!

If you could change one thing, what would it be?

That one’s easy, I would have been better organised! I doubt planning a wedding remotely is ever straightforward, but we really could have helped ourselves out with some better forward planning! I think we felt that we could wing it a bit, given that we would all be in holiday mode and fairly relaxed about the whole thing. There was a lot to do on the day, but we were fortunate to have a lot of very willing guests, who we totally exploited!

Who are your favourite vendors?

Our photographer, Eric Ronald, was definitely our favourite vendor. He was such a lovely presence on the day and happily worked around all our mayhem. We asked Eric to be our photographer because we love his natural approach and ability to find striking and unexpected compositions. He didn’t let us down! On a 35 degree afternoon, he somehow persuaded us to traipse through waist-high grass and climb up an abandoned construction site to get the perfect shots. We cursed him at the time, but we absolutely love the results.

What advice do you have for others planning their wedding?

I really recommend writing your own vows. It’s a challenge to articulate exactly what you want to promise to your beloved, but it’s a wonderful thing to put such strong feelings into words and share them in front of your most special people.

Also, throughout the day, make sure you take sometime for yourselves to really look at what you’ve achieved, not just in your incredible wedding, but in the incredible, lifelong partnership that you’ve made. Everyone says their wedding is a blur, as was ours, but those quiet moments won’t be quickly forgotten.

And, of course, be organised! Get as much done as you can as early as possible. It all runs away from you in those crucial last weeks, so don’t count on them to get the heavy lifting done.

If you’re planning an overseas wedding, this might be a helpful little read!

If you’re all not dreaming of a Koh Samui escape right now – I don’t know why not! This was such a beautiful wedding to share, and we’re so thankful that Tamarin could spare the time to provide such great advice! Check out her gorgeous blog for more shots of lovely weddings!

Photography by Eric Ronald

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Who says the weather has to rain on your parade? Annabelle and Dean’s Elegant Adelaide Wedding saw Mother Nature make her own decisions, and Annabelle has these tips to ensure that you stay cool, calm and collected, but most of all – you enjoy your special day!

Annabelle advises “It doesn’t have to be perfect…your guests are there to see you and that is all that matters.”

“Only work with suppliers that listen to you as it will make your life easier on the day”

“Get your family involved….having them feel apart of the day makes it that much more special”

Photos by Event Imaging

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Simon and Stephanie

Simon and I were together for exactly 6 years and 6 months when we got married. We met on September 2nd 2006 and our wedding was on 2nd March, 2013. We met when I was working at the Woolshed on Hindley in Adelaide, Simon was the farm boy who picked me up over the bar! He rang me the next day at 8am and we both knew pretty soon that this would be the person we would spend the rest of our life with.

Before meeting Simon I had never really dreamed of what my wedding would look like which was lucky, as Simon definitely had a lot of wedding dreams. We always knew our wedding would be based around our life on the farm together. Our wedding was full of lots of DIY elements. I made the bouquets and buttonholes using wheat from our farm. We had framed wedding photos of our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents along the aisles in the church. Together with my mum and bridesmaids, we made honey jar bonbonniere with honey from our farm, put together the invites, and made paper confetti cones using old music and farm magazines. On the day we used both wheat and rose petals for confetti. We spent the engagement period collecting old jars, and my parents cut up and stencil printed hessian table runners. The day before the wedding, I drove around the farm getting cuttings of  various bush plants, and on the way to set up the reception venue we stopped with my bridesmaids on the side of the road to get some beautiful gumtree blossoms which involved standing on top of one of our cars!

My dress was a Pronovias that I found at Jenny and Jerry’s Bridal. I needed to have it altered and after some initial hesitation, my dressmaker did a fantastic job of creating my dream dress. We ordered the bridesmaids dresses through lightinthebox. It was daunting buying online, but after some minor alterations they ended up being perfect on the day. The colour suited the wedding perfectly, and I loved that each girl was able to choose a style which suited them. The boys wore outfits from R.M.Williams which suited the relaxed, country atmosphere of the day. My bridesmaids and I got ready in beautiful dressing gowns from Plum Pretty Sugar.

We did all of the setup for our reception the day before the wedding, with the help of our bridal party, friends and families. Surprisingly it was a relatively relaxed and enjoyable day and finished in time for myself and my bridesmaids to spend the afternoon having manicures and pedicures, together with some well-deserved bubbles, thanks to Scandal in the Clare Valley. Bungaree Station in the Clare Valley was the only reception venue we looked at, and we knew it was perfect for us. As well as having a beautiful working woolshed, there was also had accommodation available, so many of our family and friends were able to stay.

Our wedding day itself was absolutely amazing. I loved all 23 hours of it, as I was up at 6am for hair and make up, and Simon and I didn’t go to bed until about 5am on the wedding night!

Our ceremony was held at St Stephen’s, Geranium Plains, a tiny church surrounded by Simon’s farm. It was incredibly meaningful to get married in the church which Simon and his family have attended for generations. One of the best moments of the day was entering the church to see Simon with our dog, Buster, lying at his feet.

Simon tells the story that “Buster had initially faced the alter with the groomsmen, turning to lie facing down the aisle as the bus arrived. As the bridesmaids began walking down the aisle, Buster inched slightly further down as if he couldn’t wait to see Steph”. I walked down the aisle to Never Let You Go, by Evermore, a song we had chosen when we just started dating.

Simon was very involved in his wedding ideas, and luckily I was a relaxed bride who went along for the ride, literally. We left the ceremony in a tractor with each bridal party couple following behind on 4 more tractors. Our photographer was a school friend of Simon’s, which was great as she was willing to put up with the boys’ antics!

I was lucky enough to have a gorgeous friend willing to make our wedding cake. She took my ideas of a “ruffle” cake and made a beautiful and yummy cake that all our guests raved about.

Our wedding was an amazing celebration surrounded by our family and friends. After the first dance, we both spent the night doing what we love best – Simon talked to everyone, and I partied on the dancefloor. Walking back to our room at 5am we realised that the only thing we missed on the day was not having a photo with our dogs, and we both agreed it was absolutely the best day of our lives!

Photography by Renae Sauer

Ms Gingham says: A lovely, joyous celebration where you can just feel the love beaming out at you. Thanks to Stephanie for sharing her wedding with us today!

Stephanie says: “I am a 26 year old, once city girl, now farmer’s wife. We have definitely had a “farmer wants a wife” type relationship – as I grew up in Adelaide with no experience of country life. After living in the country for the last 4 years, and finally marrying my farmer this year, I could never imagine living anywhere else. Our wedding was an amazing day, which everyone described to be 100% “us”!”

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