When you really love somebody, you can’t wait anymore than five months to marry them! At least that’s how Alanna and Nate felt when they became engaged. So when they couldn’t find a venue they wanted inside of 12-18 months, they sought out a family property for their wedding instead. 

With a budget of only $12,000 (which they only slightly went beyond!) they pulled together their dream wedding day for 100 of their closest family and friends. 

Why We Got Married 

“Nate is the best person I have ever met. He has so many wonderful qualities that make me love and adore him so much. We have been inseparable since we met and I couldn’t picture my life without him. He really is my best friend and I know that we will have an amazing life together!”

The Proposal

“We were on a ski trip in Japan, on top of a mountain with our friends. We were taking photos of each of the couples. It was our turn last and my friend suggested I turn around in the photo and point at the opposite mountain. I did, and when I turned back around, Nate was down on one knee and gave the most beautiful proposal speech!! I jumped on him after and we kissed in the snow.”

The Wedding Planning 

“We had a five month engagement and all of the halls we tried to hire were booked up for the next 12-18 months! We actually didn’t find wedding planning hard, and had everything done in about three months. But I also have a really amazing husband who did a lot of the planning, research and booking.” 

Photos by White Images

The Most Emotional Moment

“Walking down the aisle and seeing Nate at the end- he was teary and looked so handsome and I was filled with joy, excitement and expectation. And I was already so teary and overcome with emotion, it was amazing to see him after the build up of the day.

“Looking down the aisle before my Dad walked me down, and I asked him if we could run down because I couldn’t wait to marry Nate. My Dad laughed and looked so happy. When we got down to Nate, everything felt so right. I never want to forget that feeling of blissed-out love.”

The Location 

“My brother in law’s grandparents have a beautiful macadamia farm in Wamuran and it was the perfect venue for us. We wanted to have our wedding on the Sunshine Coast because it is such a beautiful part of the World and so close to home for us.”

Bride to Bride Advice… 

“Keep calm! You get to marry your love on the day, so don’t stress because that is the best possible outcome. All of the other parts to the day are just a lovely bonus!

“Eat a substantial breakfast on the morning of your wedding day. You probably won’t feel like eating for the rest of the day because you will be so filled with excitement.”

Wedding Secrets 

Biggest splurge: We wanted a photographer who took beautiful, natural photos. We aren’t into posed photos or over-editing. Chloe at White Images was a dream to work with! She made us feel so comfortable, and we are so happy we chose one of the bigger photography packages.

Best money-saver: Buying a marquee as our wet-weather back-up, we had it set up, but didn’t have to use it for our reception. We sold it on after the wedding, so essentially we hired a marquee for a really low cost!

Bridal gown: Justin Alexander from Sugar & Spice, Chermside

Bride’s accessories: David Jones

Bride’s shoes: Alan Pinkus

Bridesmaids’ dresses: Pilgrim Clothing

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Lovisa

Bridesmaids’ shoes: Famous Footwear

Flowergirl dress: Ebay 

Groom’s and groomsmen’s attire: Politix (jacket), Van Huesen (shirt), David Jones (pants), RUMI (tie) 

Page boy attire: David Jones

DIY: Nate made a donut wall, we made the ceremony seating along with Bruce who owned the property. We set up the entire reception ourselves, with some help from our family and bridal party.

Honeymoon: Tasmania + Byron Bay

Number of guests: 100

Wedding budget: $12,000

Actual cost of wedding: $14,000 

Wedding Music 

Walking down the aisle – Ben Folds ‘The Luckiest’

First dance – John Mayer ‘XO’

Leaving the reception – Rusted Root ‘Send Me On My Way’

Listen to my playlist collation of all the wedding songs real brides have used for their big wedding day moments (and a few suggestions from me too!) 

Photographer: White Images | Cinematographer: Joel Tronoff | Florist: Wallflower | Catering: FB Pizzas | Cake: Cakes by Shaani | Donuts: Krispy Kreme | Makeup: Juliana Cruz | Hair: The Mia Collective | Stationery + signage: Melissa Lee Creative | Gift registry: Peters of Kensington | Officiant: Pastor Alywyn Matt from Downpour Church | Wedding night accommodation: Cabins at The View, Mt. Mee

The post Alanna loves Nathanael | Private Property Wedding appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

After meeting on a night out with friends, Corey wasted no time in asking around for Chanel’s phone number. He made the call that changed his life the very next day, and the pair have never been apart since. 

The self-confessed “big kids” planned their Maleny chapel wedding at the Sunshine Coast Hinterland wedding venue, Weddings at Tiffany’s where uninterrupted views of the Glass House Mountains are a huge draw card. They said their vows in the onsite chapel, then headed to some iconic spots in Maleny for their bridal party photo shoot. 

When they returned to their 60 guests at Tiffany’s, they enjoyed sit-down fine dining, live music, and a cake as beautiful as it was delicious, made by Chocolate2Chilli. 

The night was punctuated with fireworks in front of the flower-adorned chapel in spectacular fashion! 

Bride, Chanel, has shared some of her memories from the day and the Sunshine Coast wedding planning process. 

Dress Shopping

“Dress shopping was fun. I invited my mum, Nan, mother-in-law-to-be and my aunty. The women who mean most to me. If I went for any meetings for planning I always had my mum and dad there too.”

The Music

“We hired The Paper Flowers to play at the wedding and they did such an amazing job. Great variety of music and their voices sounded beautiful.”

The Best Part

“That I got to marry my best friend! I know many people say that they have found their soul mate but I truly have. My life would never be the same without Corey.”

Family Ties

“Due to being in a split family I wanted to ensure that my step father was involved in walking me down the isle. I had him meet me half way down the isle to be there is giving me away from both of my dad’s. My mum also read a reading in the ceremony.”

Advice to Future Brides

“Don’t stress over the small stuff. If anything doesn’t go to plan or isn’t 100% right, don’t worry. No one else will know that it isn’t right. Also you and your husband should take five minutes and enjoy the moment. Look at everyone around you and take it in. They’re not lying when people tell you it will be over in a blink of any eye!”

Photography by  White Images 

“We had two attendants each. I had my sister, Rhyannon, and my sister-in-law, Hayley. Corey had his best friend, Blake, and his older brother, Luke.”

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: I don’t feel that we splurged in any way as everything was reasonably priced. I guess we picked the most expensive package for food and drinks at our venue but it was worth every penny. 

Biggest bargain: My niece’s dress. Corey and I were walking through the (Brisbane) Southbank markets one night and saw this beautiful white dress and knew that it was what we wanted for her. It only cost $40. 

Bride’s dress: White Lily Couture

Accessories: Swarovski Crystal

Shoes: Nine West

Bridesmaid dresses: White Runway

Bridesmaids’ shoes: Nine West

Groom’s suit and shoes: Saba and Country Road

Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Tarocash and Country Road

Rings: Michael Hill

DIY: Our best man, Blake, helped out quite a bit with our table numbers and a sign for the chapel. 

Number of guests: 60

Wedding budget: $20,000

Honeymoon: Maldives

Photographer: White Images | Venue: Weddings at Tiffany’s | Flowers: Tiffany’s Flowers | Cake: Chocolate2Chilli | Hair + Makeup: Beccy D Hair and Makeup | Music: The Paper Flowers | Photo booth: In the Booth | Celebrant: Cassandra Nielson | Wedding night accommodation: Blue Summit Cottages

Thank you for supporting our A-List Vendors, who helped make this Maleny chapel wedding so spectacular… 

Learn more about… White Images + White Lily Couture + Weddings at Tiffany’s + Tiffany’s Flowers + Chocolate2Chilli

The post Chanel loves Corey | Timeless Maleny Chapel Wedding appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

When Kellie’s friend Kerry introduced her to a strapping young lad at a race day just two years ago, she never imagined that same friend would be the one to marry them so soon! Working alongside celebrant,Kath Tilly , Kerry was bestowed the honour of taking the lovely couple through their vows at their Noosa destination wedding.

Having previously enjoyed a holiday to Noosa together, the Sydney couple knew their family and friends would be on board for a destination wedding long weekend of wedding festivities with a break away to this stunning part of the planet. With a guest list 110 strong, they embarked on a jam-packed weekend with family lunches, ladies’ day spa visits and a golf day for the fellas.

On the day the couple said their vows in the seclusion of Maison La Plage, then took to the beach and beach reserves along Noosa’s Main Beach for a short photo shoot with their bridal party before travelling by boat to their reception at Ricky’s River Bar & Restaurant.

Bride Kellie says although their big day flew by in a flash, her and Clint made sure to steal some moments just for them, which made the whole day so much more special.

White Images made with the memory-making in the form of these here pretty images.

 “We gifted the Bridesmaids their earrings fromSamantha Wills Bridal and silk robes from Mrs Darcy, and gave the Groomsmen engraved bar tools set.”

 “Advice we got given was to chose suppliers not only for their quality as a photographer, florist, stylist etc., but for their quality as a person, too. You spend a lot of time with suppliers in the lead up to the wedding, and again on the day. We had the most wonderful team sharing our day with us, they were not only brilliant at their craft, but were awesome people and having them along for the journey was really special.”  “One of my close friends sang me down the aisle to Josh Radin’s ‘Today’. Arriving atthe ceremony and hearing one of your close friends voices helped to calm the nerves and create a very intimate ceremony.”

 “We didn’t set out with a theme in mind, however on reflection it would have been clean, fresh and elegant.”

 “Our mutual friend Kerry (who introduced us) teamed up with our celebrant to marry us on the day. She is the one other one wearing white at the end of theaisle. It was incredibly special to have her play such an important role on the day, she did the most amazing job and having one of your closest friends, and the person who introduced you, marry you was incredibly special.”

 “We really wanted to spend quality time with family and friends, some of which had travelled from overseas. We thought a 3-day destination wedding would be perfect and chose Noosa for its beautiful beaches, good surf and lots of dining options.”

Wedding Secrets

Bride’s gown: Karen Willis Holmes

Bride’s shoes: YSL

Bridesmaids’ dresses: Zimmermann

Bride’s and Bridesmaids’ accessories: Samantha Wills Bridal

Groom’s and groomsmen’s suits and shoes: Briggins

Rings: Nicholas Haywood

Number of guests: 110

Honeymoon: Hawaii

 “It was so special having some quiet time with each other in between the ceremony and reception.”

“We both love dining out and from a previous holiday Ricky’s was a favourite of ours. We loved being able to offer our guests a broader menu choice and wanted a venue on the water with sunset views.”  “We made a donation to Endometriosis Australia in lieu of a bombonniere.” “We had an amazing three-course feast with a selection of four menu options per course for our guest to choose from. It included fresh seafood, waguu beef, roasted lamb, confit duck, barramundi, pork belly, pasta and more.”

 “We loved having three days with our family and friends and sharing pre-wedding activities with them like a family lunch at Spirit House, a guys golf morning, ladies day spa, welcome drinks the evening prior to the wedding (we did this at Miss Moneypenny’s and it was fantastic) and a recovery brunch the day after on the verandah of the surf club. We also organised access for all of our guests to a nightclub after the reception closed, which on reflection was a great decision as most venues in Noosa close by 11:00pm and we weren’t ready to say our goodbyes, so the guys at Lagarto Lounge looked after us and we ended pretty much having the club to ourselves, everyone partied the night away until the early hours.”

Kellie & Clint from Phillip Puckey on Vimeo.

Thank you for supporting our A-List Vendors, who made Clint + Kellie’s Noosa destination wedding so darn special…

The post Kellie loves Clint | Noosa Destination Wedding appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

My grandmother was married in the 1940’s in a powder blue bridal gown. There is but one image of this affair that I have seen and I am seriously in love with the perfect vintage look on my brunette beauty grandmother. So this vintage-inspired styled fashion shoot really spoke to me with its powder blue wedding dress by Jennifer Gifford Designs. 

These stunning images are by Sunshine Coast wedding photographer, White Images. The inspiration found in this shoot is quite outrageous.

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The Dream Team

Photography: White Images

Wedding Gowns: Jennifer Gifford Designs

Hairpieces and Jewellery: Conna Kelly

Hair: Fabulous Everything Hair

Make-up: Salon Rouge

Shoes: Forever Soles

Furniture: The One Day House 

Flowers:  Always Fabulous Flowers

Models: Emma

The post Vintage Bride in Blue appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Natalie and Orren broke tradition in so many ways for their Cotton Tree wedding. They had a very non-traditional, yet ever-growing in popularity “first look”, whereby the bride and groom have a very private and intimate meeting prior to their ceremony. 

They also took their bridal party photos before the ceremony, forewent a theme, invited children, and provided a picnic for the guests upon arrival. I love the way this couple took every measure to ensure their guests had an amazing day with very thoughtful considerations. 

Chloe from White Images caught the entire beautiful affair on camera. Take a peek! 

Pre-ceremony Photos

The enjoyment of our guests was top priority. Followed by music and food.  We had our photos taken before hand because we didn’t like the idea of our guests having to wait around without us.

A Long Engagement

We foster children with additional needs and have an 18 month old daughter of our own. We were engaged two years – we found out we were pregnant with our daughter, just after our engagement so the wedding had to wait!

Altogether Now

My brother and sister (sister was one of my bridesmaids) read the words to the song “Grow Old with You’ by Adam Sandler from the movie ‘The Wedding Singer.’ Bridal party were involving in the majority of the planning, we brainstormed ideas – this mainly took place at the pub with lots of wine! 

Children Welcome

We decided to invite children – we really thought hard about how we could make sure they also had a good time; magician, sparklers, a big box with balloons, bubbles, colouring books etc.. Having kids there, hearing them laugh and having them dancing with us was awesome!

No Theme Day

My best friend, who was in bridal party, spent the first six months of my engagement stressing that I needed to have a theme. I’m still not sure what our theme was!

Entertainment

We had a fabulous guitarist named Rob McMullen who played multi-genres: flamenco guitar, covers with singing and then later in the night he DJ’d for us. He was great and well worth the money.

The Food

When guests first arrived we had picnic baskets with ploughman’s platters (breads, cheese etc), we then had canapés and for dinner The Boat Shed ran a menu for us with a choice of three entree’s, mains and desserts – it was a modern Australian menu. 

Wedding Day Secrets 

Biggest splurge: Our magician – I booked him without telling Orren! And then said I’d  have crepe paper flowers instead of real flowers for my bouquet in order to save cash! Then the bridesmaids and I attempted  to make the crepe paper flowers without any luck, so I ended up with both a magician and flowers. 

Best bargain: Four Anna Campbell blue dresses for my bridesmaids – we bought them band new online from a girl who had got them from an Anna Campbell sale (after she had decided on a different dress for her bridesmaids). We got them for $250 each and they retail for $600.

Bridal gown: Anna Campbell Gown with a Babushka Ballerina tule skirt over the top (which was later removed for the reception). Cost Approximately $2500 including alterations. Purchased at Babushka Ballerina.

Accessories: Pearl earrings and bracelet – cheapies from Target and Lovisa

Shoes: Very light tan coloured pointy heels with ankle strap by Nine West.

Bridesmaid dresses: Anna Campbell rrp $600, although we got them on ebay for $250.

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Lovisa

Groom’s suit and shoes: Shirt Jeff Banks from Myer, pants from Rodger David, shoes from David Jones

Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Industry Shirts from David Jones and own shoes.

Rings: both rings from Angus and Coote 

DIY: The bridesmaids and myself made the invitations, name place cards and our table seating chart. 

Guests: 100

Wedding budget: $30,000

A-list Vendors

Photography: White Images

Celebrant: Lynette Maguire

Makeup Artist: Make Up 4 Brides

Venue: The Boat Shed / Florist: Flowers from Etsy shop  / Cake: Sugar Dreams / Bombonnieres: In lieu of bombonnieres, we are donating money to an orphanage in Penang /Hair Stylist: Rebecca Whittington, Adam and Eva Salon / Entertainment: Rob McMullen, Magician Glen Rhodes / Gift registry: Myer

View Natalie and Orren’s Full Wedding Album 

The post Real Wedding: Natalie & Orren in Cotton Tree appeared first on The Bride's Tree.