Annie and Buff

A wedding by the seaside with your closest friends sounds like a dream come true doesn’t it? Well it was for today’s couple Annie and Buff and I think their beautiful day might just inspire you for a beach side wedding of your own!

Of Annie and Buff’s story, Annie says “It’s not a particularly romantic story… We met a friend’s house warming party. We got really drunk, did some class ‘A’ flirting and then pashed on! The next day we went to the beach (the same spot where we had our ceremony) and just lay around sun-baking, talking and swimming. I think we both admit to falling in love that day. We were at the beach for almost 4 hours with no food or water – neither of us wanted to leave. I guess that bit is pretty romantic… Maybe I should leave the drunken party pash out of the story..?”

Photographs today are by Kelly Adams Photography. I love the way Kelly has captured Annie and Buff’s vintage style that they wanted to incorporate into their day and the romantic captures she produced.

Annie made her own button bouquet.

Annie wore a stunning gown buy Manuell & Moore. She paired it with barefoot sandals from Sandy Starlight. The bridesmaids wore chocolate brown dresses from Victoria’s Secret and the couple had three flower girls, including Annie & Buff’s daughter Holli.

The day was planned and styled with the help of Carol of Creatively Bespoke Weddings. Annie remarks “Carol Balfour from Creatively Bespoke Weddings and Events did all our styling and was there on the day to ensure things ran smoothly – she was AMAZING. She set up, as well as packed up and pretty much coordinated the day for us. We told her what we wanted and she made it happen. What more could you ask for?”

Annie and Buff held their ceremony at Currumbin Beach. Annie explains “The beach where we had the ceremony was a special spot for us as it’s where we spent our first date together.  It is also representative of the coastal lifestyles we lead and where we feel happiest. An afternoon at the beach can fix anything from a lingering argument to a massive hang over.”

The major DIY project was the wedding car! Annie recalls “We did the car ourselves! It was just a shell when we started (like literally). We spent many nights (and early mornings) together in the shed putting it together, piece by piece. It was pretty intense and at times quite stressful.  There was a time when we truly thought we weren’t going to get it done BUT all our hard work and sleepless nights paid off. I arrived in the hottest 1976 XY Ford Falcon you’ve ever laid eyes on. Looking back, it has been one of the best things we have done together, despite the hard times. I think we could have been a little bit more productive had we drank a little less beer too but where’s the fun in that?!”

Annie walked down the aisle to “A group of our friends playing live music at the ceremony.  We are lucky to know such talented musicians. There were bongos, a guitar, violin and the beautiful voice of Tessa. They played a cover of Angus and Julia Stone’s The Wedding Song.”

Kelly (our photographer) was recommended to me by my sister who had met her whilst in the bridal party of another wedding. She came with a glowing report! Kelly was very easy to work with and put in a lot of time before the wedding getting ideas and planning shots. We met with her twice before the actual day, she was very thorough. The second time we met we did a complete run-through of how the day would go (on location) and made lists of everything that we really wanted to make sure she captured. During the ceremony, I didn’t even notice Kelly was there – she was very unimposing. You could tell Kelly had thought a lot about what she wanted from the informal shots. She was precise and thorough without taking forever to get the “one”.  Kelly definitely lived up to the expectation in every way.

Annie describes the wedding as “From the sandy shores of Currumbin and into the thick, green valley – the beach meets the country with a rustic, vintage feel.”

The reception was held at Cottages on the Creek in Currumbin Valley. Annie explains “We wanted to have the reception somewhere “away from it all”. We wanted a relaxed place to chill out for the afternoon as opposed to a sit-down formal affair.  Also, because it was in the height of summer, we were conscious of our guests comfort. A rain forest clearing with a creek running through seemed almost too good to be true.  Cottages on the Creek is quite an idyllic spot and with just a full calico-covered hay bails scattered around for seats by the running water and the blues band in the background, lots of our guests said they felt like they were at a festival, not a wedding. We definitely achieved tranquility, that’s for sure.”

There was one minor disaster of the day. Annie says “The cake died! Piece of advice, DO NOT have a croquembouche (crockenbush) in summer – it will fall apart. The chef delivered the cake to the reception as it was starting and it fell apart during transportation. She was madly trying to rebuild it on location but didn’t have much success. We had the tip of our croquembouche on display (sigh!) and the rest of the delicious hand-made profiteroles were served individually with whipped cream. We just had to laugh about it as there was nothing else we could do and at least our guests still got dessert.”

Plus a final surprise for the groom. Annie’s voice! “At the reception I sang a song to Shannon that I had written. Our musician friends who played at the ceremony helped compose the music and backed me up. Shannon cried – he doesn’t really ever cry so that was pretty special.”

Congratulations Annie and Buff! Thank you for sharing your gorgeous wedding day with us on Polka Dot Bride! Thank you also to Kelly Adams Photography for sharing today’s images!