At TDT HQ, we love writing about our real brides from all over the world - Every colour, shape, vision, we don't care we just get real pleasure from sharing their stories with one common theme - they are real and represent the rest of us!
When Sarah's wedding Vimeo Vid landed on our desk all the way from Melbourne, there was a squeal of excitement amongst Team TDT- Every detail from the Pampas grass at the ceremony, the laser cut table tags to the fabulous Georgia Young gown got us excited so here we share all the details about Sarah and Jeff's big day!
Sarah, Tell us how you and Jeff met!
Jeff and I first met through mutual friends at a party when we were teenagers. One night we shared a cheeky kiss but nothing eventuated… that is until we crossed paths again more than 10 years later.
What was the proposal like?
We got engaged just over a year ago at Whitehaven Beach, Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia. Jeff did such as amazing job in orchestrating a very extravagant proposal, I still can’t believe I had no idea it was happening. There was a helicopter ride, a proposal written in the sand and a champagne picnic. Even when I first made out the question from up in the helicopter, I was convinced that another couple was getting engaged that day, it wasn’t till we landed right next to it that the penny dropped. Jeff is not your cliché romantic type so this gesture absolutely blew me away. Here’s a 1-minute video of the proposal: https://vimeo.com/334256924
Videographer: C2Films @c2films
Photographer: Georgia Verrells @georgiaverrells
Dress: Georgia Young - Carnegie
Venue: Luminare South Melbourne
Florist: Balwyn Events
Sarah Chose an amazing Georgia Young gown called Carnegie - Laser cut, modern lace with pearl silk details and truffle silk lining. On finding 'The One', Sarah said " I had a hard time funding “the dress”. I wanted something fun and modern however, I didn’t have a specific design in mind. After many fittings at various designers I was yet to find a dress that I was excited about and hadn’t yet felt the wow factor. I came across Georgia on Instagram and booked in a consultation. The first thing I noticed when I walked up to Georgia’s pink door was that it was Georgia herself who was there to greet me, I was expecting a sales assistant to take over but Georgia was there from the first consult to the last".
Georgia’s style was exactly what I had been searching for and as soon as I put on the Carnegie Gown, I knew I had found the dress that I didn’t know I needed. I just fell in love with the light fabric and the detailing and it was like no other dress I had seen.
We wanted to do our part and went down a sustainable path, we arranged our save the dates, invites and thank you’s via an online provider: appy couple. We also had a wedding website: http://www.sarahandjeffwed.com/cover/ We printed only a handful of paper invites for our elderly family.
I wore statement earrings by Christie Nicolaides. I wore a Georgia Young simple veil. I wore Jimmy Choo’s for the ceremony and changed into YSL’s for the reception.
Thoughts from your husband when he first saw you in the dress?
He said, “You look beautiful”, he also said that in his mind he thought my dress was going to be gold (massive LOL).
My four bridesmaids wore a simple Bec + Bridge black dress. Two of my bridesmaids fell pregnant during the planning of the wedding so we needed to find a dress that was flattering and provided a little stretch for their growing beautiful baby bumps – they all looked amazing.
Jeff wore a classic, custom suit from inStitchu. Sarah said, "One of the groomsmen lives in New York and this Australian based company has showroom based there which made the process very easy".
We did a first look and all the bridal portraits prior to the ceremony. This meant there was no wait time or venue change between the ceremony and reception and we could spend more time with our guests.
Our celebrant is also a very dear friend of ours and having someone who knows us personally to officiate our marriage made the ceremony all the more genuine and heartfelt.
One of Sarah's talented friends made this three tiered cake with multi patterns made of vanilla butter cream... YUM!
@jax_makes_cakes
Food, Drinks and entertainment were important aspects of the day for us. We started of the day with cocktails and canape’s and offered premium spirits throughout the night. We also commenced the ceremony and canapes with live music and transitioned to a DJ supported by a saxophonist and drummer.
What was your menu like? Any specialities? How did you choose the menu?
Luminare put on a tasting night where we were able to sample the menu and various wines. We were also able to meet other couples who were getting married at a similar time to us. We picked a modern Australian menu.
Any signature drinks? We had mojito’s and vodka cocktails on arrival followed with a premium Vodka, Gin and Whisky bar.
What entertainment did you have? Acoustic Duo for Ceremony and Canape’s followed by a DJ supported by a saxophonist and drummer for the reception.
First dance! Yes, acoustic version of I wanna Dance with Somebody by Rachel Brown which then transitioned into the original Whitney Houston version to open up the dance floor.
Sarah's advice for brides in search of their dress...
"Don’t settle for a dress you don’t absolutely love, it’s your wedding day and you deserve that “the dress” feeling. If you’re having trouble finding the right dress, take a little break from the search, gather your thoughts and try again".
Thanks for sharing your day with us Sarah and Jeff! Want to be featured? Drop us an email at features@thedresstribe.com
