Dale and Alana
Dale and I always spoke about wanting our wedding to be intimate, simple and fun. I never wanted to be a bridezilla and spend what should be an enjoyable time organising the day being stressed. So, from the get go I made myself a promise to not let the little things bother me and remember the real reason this day was happening: for Dale and I to share our love in front of family and friends. We held the wedding at my parents property in Chandler, QLD and this certainly added to the intimacy of the day. It also made it logistically easier as both the ceremony and reception were at the same place.
Wanting to avoid the traditional strapless dress (which lets face it ladies, only makes the more petite of us look amazing), I chose my dress from Mignon because it was flattering, easy to walk in (having to gather up the many layers of a complicated bridesmaid dress at a friends wedding was treacherous), and unique. It was also very reasonably priced. The dress will most likely be worn only once so why not save your pennies for an amazing honeymoon or house deposit?
The bridesmaids dresses were purchased from Ally fashions (yes, I know! who would have thought!) and were comfortable for the girls and are something they can wear again.
I remember trying to arrange flowers for the day and what a stuff around it was from many florists. Then I came across Nina from Carina Florist, who not only provided exactly what I was after from only an emailed picture she also provided the arrangements at a very reasonable price (without compromising quality) and was extremely helpful and friendly. Nina was also able to provide greenery for our wedding arch (some cost $500 for the day to hire) which we opted to purchase from Bunnings, and the upside is we get to keep it.
Since we were holding the event on private property, we hired the services of a wedding celebrant, Michelle Walmsley. Finding a suitable celebrant can be confusing, but we made our choice based on efficiency of communication and the level of friendliness shown. Michelle could not have made the day more beautiful. She tailored the ceremony to our specifications and did not fret when Dale and I shared a few jokes together during our exchange of vows.
We were lucky enough to have my fathers’ Audi to use for the day, although be careful when doing this as I have heard of people being fined for lending a vehicle to friends for their wedding day and being accused of using it for commercial purposes.
Every decorative detail in the reception area was hand picked by myself, including the table runners which I cut out myself. I spent many hours in IKEA and spotlight deciding what items would best suit our vision, but it was worth it in the end because we have treasure trove of lasting memories to scatter around our home. In keeping with our laid back, rustic theme, I wanted a plain Hessian aisle runner. These can cost around $150 to hire for the day or $70 to purchase online. I found this one from Spotlight for $30, and we get to keep it!
Dale and I have been to a few weddings and usually felt underwhelmed by the food provided, so we decided to go with a BBQ catering company. Also adding to the laid back feel of the day. BBQ2you were fantastic to liase with and provided everything discussed for a reasonable price. The staff were professional, friendly and helpful, and the food was delicious.
The last aspect of our day, but certainly the best, was our photographic and video graphic team. Jez, Storm and Tristan from 7000degrees photography could not have done a better job of not only capturing our day, but also being a part of it. We felt like we had known these gentlemen for a long time simply because they were able to appreciate who Dale and I are as a couple and what we are about. We all shared countless laughs together and I feel blessed that I had them there to capture our beautiful day.
Images by 7000degrees
Ms Gingham says: How lucky you are Alana to have access to such beautiful land to hold your wedding on. The scenery is breathtaking!
Alana says: “I had amazing wedding suppliers who became part of our day in the most positive way.”
Had a spectacular day with memories that are going to stick with us for a life time! With a special thanks to 7000degrees for Jez and the crew made treacherous decisions so much easier, which helped make the day the day that it was.
Very energetic post, I loved that a lot. Willl there bbe a part 2?