Nikki & Wayne
Nicole and Wayne can in a way thank Nicole's father for their love story. "How we met sounds like we live in a really small town. My family were heavily involved in the local football club where I grew up. And as soon as I turned 18 I begged my dad for a job behind the bar; and eventually he caved in. Wayne played his senior years of football at the same club." Wayne became a regular customer at the bar and it wasn't just for the beer. "We instantly became friends and had no idea years down the track we'd be together, let alone eventually call each other husband and wife!" Nicole said.
THE PROPOSAL Whilst holidaying to enjoy some winter sun in Noosa for Nicole's 30th birthday, they spent the morning with a run along the stunning coast line, followed by an acai bowl on the beach. "While I was busy critiquing the acai bowl Wayne started to talk about our relationship and then finished with '..and that's why I want to make you my wife' with a ring in his hand." The proposal took her completely by surprise and made for the perfect birthday present!
PLANNING YOUR OWN WEDDING Planning events is what Nicole does for a job and expected planning a wedding to be pretty easy to execute. "I didn't expect organising your own had more emotion involved, and it turned out I felt a lot of pressure to make everything 'perfect'. Wayne was an incredible sounding board throughout the months leading up to the wedding and he kept bringing me back to reality."
Nicole realised this wasn't just any event it was a celebration of the two of them and kept into perspective that it didn't need to be anything over the top. "We made the decision we wanted our wedding to feel like a giant party and for our guests to feel every bit a part of the fun. The awkward wedding seating plan and bridal waltz flew out the door in the early planning stages."
When selecting the venue Nicole and Wayne had two conditions; they could source their own catering company; and being able to have our miniature sausage dog in attendance. Once they found Aghadoe Estate they instantly knew they had found their venue loving the rustic charm and their flexibility.
MEMORIES With the planning all done Nicole and Wayne's day arrived and even when the electricity shorted and the rain momentarily dropped in. The sun came out just in time for their outdoor ceremony to begin. "It was then the nerves kicked in. Everyone talks about their wedding day as their happiest day of their lives and how the day goes really quickly. These two points couldn’t be more accurate if they tried," Nicole said.
One of fondest memories Nicole recalls was the moment her dad got emotional before walking down the aisle together "...it really took me by surprise. He is usually always the one the holds it together and he hadn't shown any signs of emotion in the lead up. And our adhoc father-daughter dance to Robbie Williams at the reception was also pretty special."
I DO "It's easy to get distracted by all the fan-fair and last minute planning but the most important part of the day is when you get to say "I do" and this was hands down my favourite part of the day. The moment Wayne and I locked eyes followed by the moment we held hands. Our vows were a heap of fun with thanks to our celebrant Anthony Cribbes and I somehow managed to mess mine up and create a few laughs; at my expense. I said 'weathered husband' instead of 'wedded husband' then forgot what came next.
DOG-FRIENDLY People say you should never mix animals with show business and having their dog at the ceremony proved rather difficult. "We needed to find him a lift to and from Melbourne (1hr drive) and have someone ensure he didn’t run amuck for the duration of the ceremony. A much easier job if you have an obedient dog."
THE STYLE The venue set the theme for their wedding; low key rustic with some added fun. A potting shed set the scene for the bar while the animal troths in the barn were over flowing with drinks and ice for guests to help themselves.
FLORAL "Our florist, Wootton & Nicholls, received a lengthy email from me trying to describe what I wanted; complete with a mood board (I am in events after-all). She was able to translate my references to flowers I had no idea on or where they were from, let alone if they were in season. We had two beautiful pillars at the ceremony and the bouquets were perfect."
Nicole's grandmother passed away that year and was unable to make it to her funeral in the UK. A close friend who attended had the flowers from the funeral sent back to Australia. "We ended up placing them in my bouquet. I obviously would have preferred her to be there, but I felt like I had her close by."
BRIDESMAIDS "Finding something that would suit all shapes and tastes was difficult and I hadn't appreciated this until we went out to try things on. All I knew was they needed to be olive green. We ended up having them made a few months out so that we could get dresses in the perfect olive green colour. Annoyingly it is everywhere now!"
THE GOWN "Most people have a fair idea on what style gown they'd like to wear and in my case, I had no clue." At just over 5 foot, Nicole struggled with envisioning how things were meant to look or fit and relied heavily on the advice of the experts. "I went to two appointments and after the second knew the first appointment was a winner. Megan from Marquise Bridal could not have been any more genuine or helpful if she tried. She listened to the budget I set early on and made no attempt to have me try on dresses outside of this. Her care didn’t stop with the dress; she offered support on many other aspects in the lead-up and even helped me select bridesmaid dresses, my shoes and florals! She added her touch wherever she felt necessary (including extra tule for fun). I completely trusted her throughout the entire process."
THE SUIT The men went shopping together with a loose brief of what style they thought would suit the venue and overall vibe. "I wondered what they'd return with and did have some doubts." Upon their return, Nicole was pleasantly surprised and thought the bow-tie and jacket combo was perfect! She even spotted 'happy socks' chosen by the groomsmen.
"Our personalities and taste at times can be somewhat different. Wayne wanted VB and I wanted Veuve. We worked together and found happy mediums."
SUPPLIERS OF CHOICE Almost all of Nicole and Wayne's suppliers were local to the venue which meant they avoided additional travel fee costs. "This meant we had a great crew who knew the venue well and what would work within the space, while also keeping to our unique theme."
UNPLANNED Nicole and Wayne wanted minimal formalities and this meant excluding the first dance and father- daughter dance. "What was nice, both dances managed to feature organically and unplanned."
SAY CHEESE Neither Wayne or Nicole are big on dessert and decided on a cheese tower. "It looked incredible and we were able to continue enjoying it for many days after the wedding."
MUSIC When selecting music they chose songs for the right reasons, it was important to Nicole, who admits to being the emotional one. Their close friend Ash sang 'Latch' by Sam Smith as Nicole walked down the aisle accompanied by an acoustic guitarist. "It meant a great deal to have her involved and I loved hearing her voice just before I took my first step."
POLAROID MOMENTS Polaroid cameras were scattered around at the reception with a designated spot for them to be hung. Photos of the two of them taken throughout their 10-year relationship were hung to help encourage guests to join in. "We have kept all the photos and had a good laugh flicking through to see what people got up to during the night."
credit to
gown: Marquise Atelier, marquisebridal.com.au
photographer: Pretty Flamingo, prettyflamingo.com.au
venue: Aghadoe Estate, Springmount, aghadoeestate.com.au
decorations: Dress my wedding, dressmywedding.com.au
Little Pineapple Neon, littlepineapple.com.au
Dann Event Hire, danneventhire.com.au
floral: Wootton & Nicholls Florist, woottonandnicholls.com.au
groom's & groomsmen attire: Menz Club, menzclub.com.au
bridesmaids: Love Affair, loveaffairclothing.com
music: Angus Legg, anguslegg.com
celebrant: Anthony Cribbes, anthonycribbes.com.au
hair: Paige from Miss Meraki, Albert Park
make-up: CXM Makeup, Charni & Marie
