Hayley & Dene

It seems this is the week of Polka Dot bridette’s weddings! Today is another absolutely stunning wedding day- a garden wedding in the Kurrajong Hills outside Sydney and the wedding of a very loyal and special Polka Dot Bride reader Hayley! I had such fun emailing Hayley prior to her wedding day, hearing about her plans and brainstorming ideas with her- it was such a thrill to see her photos and see how her day had finally come together (and finally reunited with her love Dene after a long period of air force training!)  Hayley says “My whole wedding had a personal touch, with a budget in mind and my dream wedding in my heart I decided to make each and every detail special to us.”

Hayley explains how she and Dene met. “Dene and I met when we were both in High School, I was 14 at the time, We worked weekends together in the local supermarket. It was a classic case of ‘check out girl falls for her shy shelf packing crush’. After our first year together Dene moved to a new work place in Canberra which saw us complete 2.5 years long distance before moving in together and doing 3 moves in 3 years, our story is one of love that has stood the test of both time and distance, one of making each waking moment spent together count for more than you ever thought it could. Dene has always had perfect timing, this timing saw his proposal overlooking the Opera House all the more special, as it happened to be the night they were testing the fireworks for New Years Eve, a 20 minute display lit the skies as we celebrated our engagement.”

Photos today are by Mint Photography who Hayley found through Ms Polka Dot’s Directory. I love the peaceful beauty of Mint’s photographs, they’ve captured the dreaminess and whimsical nature of Hayley and Dene’s celebration so beautifully.

Hayley wore an Alex Perry gown along with drop earrings by Alex Perry and a diamond pendant given to her by Dene as a thank you for her support during his work training. She carried a bouquet of cream blooms created by Petals & Leaves. which featured a very special touch. “On my bouquet I featured a brooch that had a photo of my Grandfather that had passed and could not be with us to celebrate, it was special to me to have him with me.” Hayley and her bridesmaids had their hair and makeup done by Kristen, Mobile Hair (0411 246 363) and Vanessa Southern ( 0416 394 403 ).

The couple married in the Blue Mountains. Hayley says “Dene and I wanted for our day to be hassle free for our guests; especially as so many were traveling from overseas and interstate to be with us. Our venue at Loxley on Bellbird Hill, in the Kurrajong Hills provided the perfect option for our day, allowing us to get ready in the boutique hotel rooms on site in the morning, wander on down to our ceremony in the beautiful gardens; we had our photos taken on location while our guests mingled and enjoyed canapés and pre dinner drinks on the deck before heading upstairs to celebrate in our sit down 3 course reception for 100 guests.

After dinner, guests could move between the upstairs and downstairs, or join in the dancing under the stars. The venue boasts a beautiful view from the bottom of the Blue Mountains looking back over Sydney with the twinkling of a million lights it is just amazing. Accommodation was available onsite so guests partied late into the night and we all caught up the next morning to relive tales of the night before  over a huge buffet breakfast, the venue allowed our big day to run seamlessly and the experience is a true credit to the high quality staff they have that manage even the smallest detail.”

Hayley and Dene planned their wedding from Perth. “Most of our wedding in Sydney was planned on the internet from Perth, I put a lot of faith in my suppliers and to see it all come together on the day was simply magical, each little piece came together like a real life mood board.”

After a tiny delay with guests stuck in traffic, we were told to hold off the ceremony for 15 minutes for the last few people to arrive.  I was so excited ( and ready) it was an agonising 15 minute wait.  however it did allow me a few special moments with my father before the ceremony, where all we had to do was laugh and enjoy the extra time we had been given, I always thought I wanted to be exactly on time for my wedding, but with my 15 minute twist of fate I am so grateful for this time I had with my father to take it all in.

Hayley’s bridesmaids wore gowns in shades of nude and taupe from Forever New. Hayley says “I walked down the aisle on the arm of my father to the Feather theme song from ‘Forrest Gump’ played live on violin.  I think it is the most beautiful tune, and one that reflects a journey and life long love.”

Hayley and Dene found their celebrant through Ms Polka Dot’s Directory “Our Celebrant was Robyn Pattison, she is an advertiser on Polka Dot Bride and was the perfect choice for our day, she was bubbly, inviting and knew exactly what we wanted for our ceremony and she made it happen. Our ceremony was personal, sharing stories of our relationship together, making our guests both laugh and cry, it was focused on our love for each other and Robyn assisted us in making it flow seamlessly, she is full of excellent advice and was always so helpful, going above and beyond to assist me when it came to paperwork as I am absolutely hopeless, she is a gem.”

Moments created memories… “To take a moment just with Dene, to step back for a second and take it all in together, the day flew by so fast, I am so glad we had just a moment to ourselves to absorb just how special the day had been and to notice all the little things.”

Hayley put lots of personal touches on the wedding day by taking control of all the decor. “I  DIY’d all the decor minus the flowers, I arranged Birdcages in the trees, rose petals aisles, candles lighting the garden paths, I had vanilla scented candles on all the tables at the reception so when guests walked in it was a mix of fragrant flowers and subtle hues of vanilla.

I had a birdcage wishing well, photos of Dene and I around the reception and also above us at the reception sat wooden letters LOVE, these letters were used in our engagement shoot and it was special to us to have them carry over through our wedding (these letters also appeared in a range of photos shown to us the next morning, with random guests, in trees, by the pool and then in a range of bedrooms, it was fun to see how they got around and that the party continued long after we had left).”

Blooms were a feature and carried the feel of the garden wedding into the reception. Hayley says “Each place setting on the table had a fresh flower on the napkin, the flowers were different from table to table and was a lovely touch as the tables were narrow, and could not fit large flower arrangements, so it was the perfect way to have the floral touches I was after.

A stunning three tier cake was a gift to the newlyweds. “The cake was also made by my Aunt as her gift to us, I provided her with a photo and she worked her magic to create the masterpiece 3 tier rich chocolate mud cake, it was delicious and was served with ice cream and mixed berry coulis for dessert.”

Hayley’s loved ones surrounding her added to the magic of the day. “My husband Dene is an Air force Pilot and seeing the wedding come together after being planned under such crazy circumstances was magic in itself. Many guests had to plan months in advance to get the time off duties to celebrate with us, but it was the most, special and memorable day of our lives. I have never felt so much love and pure joy in one room.”

The first dance was a special moment. Hayley recalls “Our first dance was to Jack Johnson’s ‘Better Together’ we did our first dance on the deck below as our guests cheered us on from the balcony above. Never dancing before we amazed ourselves with our how well a few You Tube dance lessons in the living room could transform into something incredible, we did dips and spins and shared a laugh as we moved around the dance floor without tripping over each other (much to the surprise and delight of our family and friends), we were quickly joined by friend and family to dance the night away with a little bit of something for everyone.”

Thank you Hayley and Dene for sharing your wedding day (and the moments leading up to it!) with us today on Polka Dot Bride! Congratulations on your marriage! A big thank also to Mint Photography for today’s gorgeous images!