Alicia + John were married and had their reception at The Carriage Room. What a great venue and intimate setting…and the best styled food I’ve seen in my 13 years as a wedding photographer! Celebrations were enjoyed by close friends and family near and those that traveled from around the world. I absolutely loved all the hand made details and stunning bridal gown by John’s daughter. There is so much more I could say about their day but I will let the photos speak for themselves. To see their entire collection of wedding images visit Alicia + John’s Gallery by CLICKING HERE.
HOW DID YOU MEET? We met at work 6 years ago and had breaks at the same time and started chatting. John had the opportunity to be flexible with his breaks, so he tried to adjust his workload to be at the coffee machine at the same time as me.
TELL US ABOUT THE PROPOSAL? Apparently, John was going to propose 2 years ago then my son announced his engagement and not long thereafter my daughter got engaged. Then he waited until after their weddings before proposing. It was our Christmas dinner 21/12/2015, and after a lot of planning, we had all our kids and grand kids together in the one place, a rare occasion! After opening all the gifts, John firstly thanked everyone for a great night then dropped to one knee and proposed (he almost forgot to bring the ring out of his pocket!). It was a total secret to everyone except his son, Michael.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE CARRIAGE ROOM? We were wanting a venue locally, we looked at a couple others but when we saw the carriage room, we cancelled all other appointments. We loved the intimacy of the hall. It felt right. The Carriage Room doesn’t supply alcohol, so we were able to buy at retail rates instead of a ‘per head alcohol package’ like most venues. (We have so much left over, we are set for Xmas as well!)
DIY DETAILS – John’s daughter, Ashleigh is a Bridal gown designer (Le-lujah Bridal), and made all our beautiful gowns. Leigh has helped me with most of the behind the scenes preparation incl. bubbles, signs, seating chart, bathroom baskets, dancing shoes etc. My son Clyde made the baby cart 2 days before.
WHERE DID YOU SPLURGE AND WHERE DID YOU SAVE ON YOUR WEDDING? Our gowns were probably our splurge, still within reason. ( I was a bride on a budget) We saved on Alcohol being able to supply our own. One of our friends supplied the bride car and the bridesmaids were in our car.
WHAT WAS THE FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE DAY? John’s speech, where he unravelled the speech I apparently wrote for him.
WHAT WAS THE MOST SPECIAL MEMORY FROM THE DAY? The whole day was special. For me the most special moment was when we stole a few minutes away from our guests and watch them enjoy themselves.
WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOUR HONEYMOON? We travelled to South Island New Zealand for 2 weeks. AMAZING!!!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHER BRIDES-TO-BE? Enjoy the preparation, don’t try too hard to make everything perfect, it’ll happen the way it’s meant to. As you walk down the isle, take a moment to look at your guests and take it all in. Be prepared, be early and do not stress:)
SPECIAL THANKS TO…
Savannah Falzon, my matron of honour for being there for me every step of the way. Clyde Alley, for being by my side. Steve Kent for the use of his car and for driving me.
BRISBANE PHOTOGRAPHER // Dallas Love Photography, Dallas and Glennn for capturing our day in the way that you have. Thank you!
DECORATOR // Leigh Alley Dunne for the amazing support with venue decorations.
CEREMONY // The Carriage Room
RECEPTION VENUE + CATERING // Lorette and staff for everything they’ve done to make our day special
CELEBRANT // Greg Wiffen from Barefoot Ceremonies for an amazing celebrant
HAIR STYLIST // Chrystal April, and Kylie Stone for assisting
MAKEUP ARTIST // Charlene Hoare
FLOWERS // Lucy Cavernelis for our amazing flowers
DJ // Tony Vella our DJ for he’s awesome music
WEDDING CAKE // Chloe Thomas
BRIDAL GOWN // Ashleigh Parr of Lelujah Bridal for our beautiful gowns
INVITATIONS // Alison from Ali Creations for our beautiful Invitations, bonbonniere wrappings, place cards and thank you cards.