Real Bride Style: Emily & Michael

Emily and Michael were married on 8^th April 2006 in a garden ceremony at a private home followed by a reception for 50 guests at The Bellhouse, South Perth W.A.

Despite an initial desire to get married out of town, Emily and Michael soon decided on a city wedding due to the numbers of guests traveling from the UK and interstate. To make things that little bit trickier, Emily planned the wedding from Sydney, arriving in Perth only a week before the big day.

"Planning a Perth wedding from Sydney was very difficult, I had to rely a lot on family and friends, and the week lead-up when I arrived in WA was very busy and quite stressful. There were also the inevitable arguments about money which I hated, but which seem to be all part of the process. But once I let go and accepted the fact that the day was as much for our families as for us, things seemed easier."

"We kept things intimate by keeping guest numbers small and holding the ceremony in my grandmother’s garden, where my parents and aunts had also celebrated their weddings."

"We wanted the day to feel very relaxed, so we decided on a celebrant instead of a church wedding – although I ended up wearing a veil although I swore I wouldn’t! My dressmaker gave it to me as a surprise gift and when I put it on, I knew I had to wear it."

"The best part of the day was walking from the ceremony to the reception with all our guests it was only about a 10 minute walk, the sun was setting, it was a warm and balmy evening and life was perfect."

"Our theme was navy and white – a little bit nautical as our reception venue was on the water, and also chic and simple. Plus, navy blue is my favourite colour"

Despite knowing exactly how she wanted the wedding to be, Emily had no idea what she wanted to wear so left The Dress until the last minute.

The one thing Emily did know was that she was in love with French lace however after going to a number of bridal designers and getting (exorbitant!) quotes for a full lace dress she decided to splurge on the fabric and have it made by a dressmaker who was a friend of my bridesmaid. "So I got to have my lace and wear it, too!"

"The flowers were flawless. My brief was navy and white, soft and unstructured and very pretty.

My divine bouquet of white and green blooms was bound in navy grosgrain ribbon with a white vintage button pinned on"

"The food and wine and the flowers were most important. We wanted guests to feel like they’d had an amazing meal, and that the venue looked beautiful."

(The florist) also came up with the idea of using Willow Pattern wallpaper as a table runner, and used a selection of vintage crystal vases filled with white garden roses, double tulips and stephanotis for an eclectic look and filled the space with hundreds of candles."

"We made our own bonbonniere by filling small white boxes with Baci chocolates and tying them with white and navy grosgrain ribbon. My husband, Mum and brother all got involved and it was really nice."

The beautiful bride on some of the other details that made the day special..

Cake

I didn’t want a traditional wedding cake as I don’t eat cake, so, as my husband and I love all things French, we settled on a traditional croquembouche cake, studded with fresh, white garden roses. It was gorgeous – and delicious

Placecards

A girlfriend designed the place cards and I wrote the names on them – my husband cut them out and I tied them with navy ribbon. Although I left all this until the afternoon before the wedding and the dye in the ribbon turned my OPI Bubble Bath manicure a curious shade of blue!

First Dance

My aunt sung for our first dance – a gorgeous rendition of Etta James’s At Last

And a few words of wisdom for brides-to-be!

Sometimes, weddings aren’t really about you! Your family and friends really want to share the day, and the process. I put up a lot of resistance at first, but once I decided to let things happen, and take on other people’s input, it was much easier. My husband and I knew we wanted to be together, regardless, and would have happily popped into the local registry office. But the day was so special for our families I wouldn’t change it.

Emily's Style Guide

Hair: Lee Preston Hairdressing

Make-up: Carol Currie for MAC

Dress: Made by a friend

Bridesmaids dress: Made by a friend

Grooms attire: Zinc & Sons Tailor, Sydney

Rings: Varoujan Jewellers, King St, Sydney

Cakes: Martineaus Patisserie, Nedlands, WA

Invitations: Wisteria Writings, Sydney

Entertainment: String quartet, DJ