Vintage Inspired Country Wedding

Shamira and Erik were married in a vintage inspired wedding in a Victorian winery. We got to speak to Shamira about organising a wedding in seven months and what she enjoyed most about her special day with Erik.

1. What you do for work:

Shamira is a cashier at Woolworths and Erik works as an associate lecturer.

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2. Tell us a little about the proposal and the lead up to the wedding?

We were on holiday in Seychelles. We were standing on one of the world’s most photographed beaches, Anse Source D’Argent. He proposed to me there. We organised the wedding within seven months, fairly easily without too much stress.

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3. What was the inspiration behind your wedding theme or vibe?

We wanted a wedding that was inspired by a vintage and country theme.

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4. Favourite detail or moment of the day (besides becoming husband and wife of course! or Wife and Wife, or Husband and Husband!):

The ceremony, location was just beautiful.  The scenery was breathtaking.

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5. Did you undertake any DIY projects, if so what?

We made the basket for our flower girl and we decorated old jars to use as vases at the reception.

6. What does marriage mean to you?

For us, it is mainly about uniting two people as one.

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7. Talk to us about your dress, where is it from? How long did it take to find?

Fortunately, it only took me two days of dress shopping to find it! The dress was from Raffaele Ciuca, I loved it straight away.

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8. Advice for other couples planning a wedding?

Don’t stress on the day, and just enjoy it. The day goes so quickly, it’ll be over before you know it!

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 VENDOR CREDITS  

Photos: Dreamlife

Bridal gown: Raffaele Ciuca

Veil / hair piece: veil from Raffaele Ciuca, hairpiece from Linda Gorringe Couture

Shoes: Zu Shoes

Flowers: Red Earth Flowers

Rings: Benjamin Jewellery 

Jewellery/Accessories: Linda Gorringe and Forever New

Grooms and Groomsmen suits: Peter Jackson 

Bow ties / ties: Ferrari Formalwear & Bridal

Ceremony, Reception and catering: Killara Estate, Seville East

Cake: Choice Cakes 

Cake topper: Red Earth Flowers

Reception stylist/any decorations/details: Red Earth Flowers as well as our own decorations.

Stationery designer: Classic Wedding Invitations 

Hair and Make up: Hair by a private hairdresser, Make Up by Make Up Style Melbourne 

Music: DJ Stick Mareebo 

Celebrant: Kirk Goodsell 

Transport: Caddyman

Cinematographer: Dreamlife

Any vendors we have forgotten? 

Also forgot to mention, bomboniere was by Kelly Beans and we had small honey jars.








 

 

 

Beach Wedding: The Bahamas

Julia shares her beach wedding advice!

Julia and Mr. K enjoyed their perfect beach wedding in the Bahamas. A lot of the decisions they made leading up to the day meant that it was an intimate and personalised ceremony. Julia chatted to us about her best tips for your wedding day and things she would have done differently if she had the chance.

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1. What you do for work?

Mr. K is a software developer and I am his marketing/creative director/professional wife/travel planner/travel blogger, and a designer at heart.

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2. Tell us a little about the proposal and the lead up to the wedding?

The proposal itself was a complete surprise to me because it was St. Valentine’s weekend and we both thought it would be corny if we got engaged on that date. When I found out he was taking me to Paris, THAT was a surprise in itself. I was so thankful, jetlagged, and shocked that I forgot to suspect anything. He ended up proposing on February 12th, in a French café during a rainy evening.

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3. What was the inspiration behind your wedding theme? 

Mr. K was the one who wanted a beach ceremony somewhere hot. Since Hawaii was too far for almost everyone, we picked Bahamas since it sounded so nice. I wanted to keep it simple and budget friendly. The only “splurge” I was ready for was a photographer. Even that was a subject of vigorous search.

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4. Favorite detail and moment of the day (besides becoming husband and wife of course!)

There were three moments that I still remember and smile:

First was when I cried when I was saying my vows. I thought people are overly dramatic when they cried. It just poured out of me to my own surprise. Turns out there is something sacredly special in accepting the person standing in front of you for the rest of your (my) life.

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Second was the almost toothless local personality who was marrying us. He was cracking up jokes and had a very warm charm about him. He made our parents join their hands together in unity, which was very sweet.

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The third was the moment when Mr. K lost his ring in the ocean when I was trashing the dress. I found it in the sand sparkling moments later, right after he said: “Oh shit, the ring just came off”. Turns out it was a bit big for him and water mixed with weight made it slip.

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5. Did you undertake any DIY projects, if so what?

I had a giant flower on a clip in my hair that I made from a fake flower from Michael’s craft store. I could not find any decent flower to put into my hair so I had to make it myself. Makeup, manicure, and hair was done either by myself or with the help of my sister and mother.

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6. Any family or religious traditions incorporated into your day?

I come from a Russian-Jewish background so for me it was a must to dance our family dance “Hava Nagila”. It was a lot of fun because we have our own spin on it.

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7. What does marriage mean to you?

I got married to Mr. K because I was ready to commit to him and spend my life supporting him and being with him. It was my official way of saying: “I am yours forever”. Loving someone doesn’t mean you have to marry them. Marriage, for me, is a life story of family that I am trying to build. We are no longer two individuals in love, we have a common goal, we become a unit as of that moment.

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8. Talk to us about your dress, where is it from? How long did it take to find?

I found and bought my wedding dress in under three hours. I bought it on special from BCBG. It had to have some alterations done because the skirt was see-through. Since I was doing “trash the dress” in the ocean, there was no point in spending lots of money on it. At the same time, I wanted it to look nice for pictures.

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9. Any funny stories in the lead up to or on the day?

There was a rumour that I was pregnant because I had to add straps for my chest. Truth be told, I just didn’t want the dress to slip down when it is wet and heavy and for anything to pop out while active in the water. I also had to redo my manicure three times because it kept being badly done.

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10. Advice for other couples planning a wedding?

Do whatever makes YOU happy. You do not have to spend a huge amount to be happy or impress anyone. Chances are everyone will forget about being impressed anyway.

If I had to do it again I would not do it in Bahamas and instead would go to Mexico or Cuba: the same ocean, better beaches, and better service, less expensive.

Research your photographer well, very well.

If you have more than 10 people at the wedding, it might be nice to invest into an entertainment program.

No “cupcake” dresses for beach weddings, keep it very light and simple, you may actually drown from the dress getting wet and heavy!

Ask your family to put down their cameras or not take them to the ceremony at all. The photographer is there for a reason. 

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VENDOR CREDITS 

Photography: Mario Nixon Photography 

Bridal gown: BCBG MAXAZRIA Montreal store

Veil / hair piece: I made it myself from but bought supplies from Michael’s craft store. 

Shoes: Michael Kors Toronto store

Flowers: local florist provided by the hotel

Rings: Engagement and ceremony rings were bought from White Flash

Jewellery/Accessories: My mother in law earrings and my grandmother’s pearl pendant.

Bridesmaids dresses: dressy casual attire

Grooms suit: a gift from his dad, no name brand

Grooms Shoes: Kenneth Cole

Groomsmen suits: casual attire, no ties or bow ties.

Ceremony, reception, catering and cake all provided by the hotel Riu Palace Paradise Island Hotel 

Cake topper: Michael’s Craft Store

Reception stylist / any decorations / details: all provided by the hotel

Hair and make up: my mom and myself

Music: every single song was provided by me to the DJ.

Celebrant: none

Transport: none

Cinematographer: none








Destination Wedding: Montenegro

A gorgeous dream destination wedding you won’t forget!

Maria and Nenad enjoyed an intimate wedding in Montenegro with their closest friends and family. We got to find out a bit about Maria and what she enjoyed most about the day. We also discussed her tips for making the Big Day that little bit easier.

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1. What you do for work?

I have a background in accounting but a few years ago I changed my life and became portrait and wedding photographer. Now I have my own studio Mashas Photos and enjoy every minute of what I do.

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2. Tell us a little about the proposal and the lead up to the wedding?

Nenad proposed to me at the same place where we met, on Curl Curl beach in Sydney. He organised a bit of an Amazing Race for me. He asked me to pick up the post at his mum’s place. When I opened the post box, there was a note and my favorite chocolates. The note said to come to “our special” place. I knew exactly where I had to go. The place where we met a year and a half ago. We did have a long three year engagement, we were enjoying being fiancée and fiancé.

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3. What was the inspiration behind your wedding theme or vibe?

It all started from me buying royal blue shoes by Badgley Mischka. My shoes established the color palette for the wedding. And I always knew I wanted to have a rustic wedding. I love relaxed and intimate weddings. We only had 14 guests so I found that rustic fitted well.

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4. Favourite detail and/or moment of the day?

Planting an Olive tree! I had an amazing wedding planner who helped me put the wedding together. Before the Big Day we went through every detail but the olive tree was a total surprise! When we arrived to the reception dinner, guests gathered together and we planted our first tree as husband and wife. Now we have one more reason to come back to Montenegro, to check out our tree.

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5. Did you undertake any DIY projects, if so what?

No, we didn’t have any DIY. All ideas I had in my mind, my wedding planner helped me to realise with the help of very talented vendors.

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6. Any family or religious traditions incorporated into your day?

Yes. My background is Russian. And in our culture the mother of the bride meets newlyweds with bread and salt. Whoever breaks off the biggest piece of bread will be the leader in the family.

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7. What does marriage mean to you?

Marriage for us is family. All the good and bad, happy and hard things that come with it. It’s love and respect in the first place. So far it’s the two of us and our cat, Boris.

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8. Talk to us about your dress, where is it from? How long did it take to find?

I found my dream dress on Pinterest. I just pinned it and moved on to other décor pins. I went to the shops and tried lots of dresses but somehow my mind was going back to that dress on Pinterest. It took a few hours on the internet but I found it. The dress is by Oleg Cassini and I purchased it in Davids Bridal in USA.

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9. Advice for other couples planning their wedding?

If you can, get a wedding planner. That way during your big day, you can just relax and enjoy.

Make sure you do a hair and make up trial! I did mine the day before as it was a destination wedding and we only arrived four days before the big day, but I knew I wanted to do it just incase!

Buy flat shoes! Towards the end of the night, your feet will be in pain. This is a fact. I am glad I bought white lace shoes from H&M. They were $10 and saved my life!

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11. Vendor Credits:

Photography: Eduard Perov

Bridal gown: Oleg Cassini

Veil and hair piece: Davids Bridal

Shoes: Badgley Mischka

Reception stylist, flowers, decorations:  Anastasia Belyakova from Blush Pink Events

Rings: Angus and Coote

Jewellery/Accessories, earrings and dress rings: Samantha Wills

Bridesmaids dresses: Zara

Grooms suit, ties and bow ties: The Gentlemen’s Club

Grooms Shoes: Hugo Boss

Ceremony: Art Hotel Galathea, Kotor, Montenegro

Reception and Catering: Aman Resort, Villa Milocer, Sveti Stefan, Montenegro

Cake: Patisserie Montenegro

Cake topper: BetterOffWed (on Etsy)

Stationery designer: Seadreamme

Hair and Make up: Galina Loyko and Oksana Perova

Robes for me and mum: BridesmaidsRobes (on Etsy)

Ring Pillow: MomoRadRose (on Etsy)

Customised hangers: MishmashofLove (on Etsy)

Favours: The Red Balloon Candy Artisians

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Mariya now has her own studio based in Sydney and her services are available for weddings and family photography. Take a peek!  

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Things To Do When Planning Destination Weddings Abroad

Things To Do When Planning Destination Weddings Abroad

Destination weddings are becoming an increasingly more popular avenue to take for excited brides and grooms that want to make their day extra special. Although, it’s hard enough planning a wedding in your own country, let alone somewhere else when there’s so many extra things to consider.

There will be a lot of planning that will be exactly the same, you will still find a dress, invitations and have to narrow down your guest list, but some parts of the planning process will be very different and harder to control.

We’ve put together some of the steps involved to make the day just as special, but ensure you won’t get too stressed.

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1. Decide on a Destination

Whether you want to tie the knot on a beach in Thailand, or watching the sunset in Santorini, the sky is the limit with choices. You obviously need to make a list of your wedding destinations together that work for the two of you, and narrow it down from there. Also keeping in ming your loved ones … sometimes Santorini can be a little too far for your best friend because they have work commitments, and Bali would be that little bit easier to get back from quickly and back to reality!

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2. Accept that not every one will come

That being said, even if you choose to have it closer to home so some of your guests are more likely to make it, it is inevitable that not all of your loved ones will be able to attend the wedding. It is a lot to ask for all your friends and family to leave their commitments, use their holiday leave and spend what will be a few thousand dollars each on your special day. But if they choose not to come, thats ok! They will most definitely be there in spirit, and it gives you an excuse to have a celebration with those loved ones when you get home.

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3. Check the documentation

Before you start planning a perfect wedding in the destination of your dreams, it’s a very good idea to have a check on the documentation you will need to get married in another country. Some countries require a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage issued by your home government. You will need to get this documentation filled out before you leave your country so this one is best organised first. For more information on this go here.

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4. Hire a professional

This may not be for everyone, but for those that are feeling especially swamped with planning a wedding in a place you aren’t so familiar with then hiring someone that knows exactly what to do can be a great help. More and more businesses are popping up that specialise in overseas weddings. Some will take care of all the forms, the venue, photographer, and a few can even take care of the dress! A few great places to have a look at are Marry Me Abroad, My Overseas Wedding and Wedding Destinations.

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5. Go and visit

If you have enough time (and the budget isn’t too tight), then go and have a look at some venues you’re planning on booking. This will avoid nasty surprises when you get there as you already know exactly what your booking with the venue and the food. If you don’t have the time or extra money, it is a really good idea to hire a professional in this instance, as they would have the best recommendations.

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6. Ask for discounts

Some flights will offer discounts for large group bookings, if your wedding party is all going up at the same time then it is very helpful for everyone involved to get that little bit of a discount to help with the costs. A lot of places will also offer group discounts for accommodation when you are there as well.

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7. Enjoy it

You will have a few other things to be checking off your list, but stick to these 7 to ensure your special event is stress free. Not many people get the chance to have a destination wedding, this is really a once in a lifetime thing and if the bride and groom are too stressed to enjoy it then that ruins the point of the whole thing.

Future Emotion - Wedding Planner in Italy

Future Emotion - Wedding Planner in Italy

If a wedding in Italy is in your near future, then we may have found you the perfect wedding planner!

Future Emotion Wedding Planning founded by Patrizia Leonardi in 2011, is a wedding planning agency arranging every last detail for a wedding in picturesque Italy. Patrizia plans and creates beautiful events from centrepieces to he schedule, down to the last detail of your arriving and departing in Italy.

The options of your dream wedding are endless as Future Emotion can plan weddings in any part of Italy and work with varied budgets and needs!  Patrizia says “Support and care of all the details are what set us apart in addition to the constant search for solutions to best meet the needs of our customers.”

This might be the best and easiest option for that destination wedding you’ve always dreamt about having in Italy! Especially considering that you are given assistance from beginning to end of your journey. It really is the perfect idea!

So if your planning a destination wedding in Italy, check out their blog and get in touch with Future Emotion to bring your wedding dreams to life!

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These are some of Future Emotion’s wedding events they have put together. For more of their work, check out their Instagram, Facebook and Youtube!

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Dubai Landscape wedding card

Destination wedding card using laser cutting

Here is another wedding card from our Landscape series. This stunning laser cut Dubai Lanscape showcases a gorgeous Dubai skyline, perfect for a destination wedding! Dubai offers a wide range of classy wedding venues such as the Burj Al Arab and Atlantis The Palm. You can have the wedding of your choice by choosing among a variety of indoor and outdoor venues. Dubai offers glamorous ballrooms and romantic beach front wedding venues. Your guests can also indulge in the finest international cuisines and enjoy delicious wedding cake made by leading pastry chefs.

 

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Future Emotion - Wedding Planner in Italy

Contact wedding planner Future Emotion to plan your wedding in Italy!

Future Emotion Wedding Planning founded by Patrizia Leonardi in 2011, is a wedding planning agency arranging every detail for a wedding in picturesque Italy. Patrizia plans and creates beautiful events down to the last detail of your arriving and departing in Italy.

The options of your dream wedding are endless as Future Emotion can plan weddings in any part of Italy and work with varied budgets and needs. Patrizia says “support and care of all the details are what set us apart in addition to the constant search for solutions to best meet the needs of our customers.”

If your planning a destination wedding in Italy, check out their blog and get in touch with Future Emotion to bring your wedding dreams to life.

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George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin’s Destination Wedding

Glamour Galore: George and Amal’s Destination Wedding!

There’s nothing more fun and romantic than a destination wedding! Hollywood A-lister George Clooney and his stunning new bride human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin were married over the weekend in a lavish Venetian event.

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With three days of parties followed by a civil ceremony, the festivities took centre stage in Venice, which the actor calls “the most romantic city in the world” and a natural choice for their wedding locale. “We met in Italy,” says Clooney, who has long owned an estate on Lake Como. “We have a home there. We knew that was where we wanted to get married.”

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The brides mother was interviewed by PEOPLE after the event and said “George and Amal radiated love all night. The wedding was so unbelievably special, it was legendary. These three days – the friends, the families, the atmosphere, everything – will stay with me all the rest of my life.”

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Congratulations George and Amal. We wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

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Destination wedding invitations- New York Invitation

Order landscape destination wedding invitations!

Everybody loves a destination wedding! Here is our New York Skyline Invitation from our destination wedding invitations range. This invitation is perfect for those tying the knot in the The Big Apple!

The card features the statue of liberty and New York’s unmatched skyline in its full glory. The card is centred around the upcoming romance of a wedding by featuring a couple dancing in this amazing city. We have also designed intricate landscape destination wedding invitations for weddings in Dubai and London.

Remember we can design and produce just about any themed wedding invitation you desire with our laser cutting technology!  Just submit an enquiry form to get started.

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Personalised stationery for Paula’s Hawaii Wedding

Order personalised stationery for you special day!

We created personalised stationery including wedding invites, place cards, menus and signage for Paula’s recent wedding at Halekulani, in gorgeous sunny Hawaii. And we all love a destination wedding, don’t we!

The laser cut wedding invitation cards and menu cards perfectly complemented the exotic pink tone chosen by the bridal couple. The intricate sea shell inspired design for the seating chart and place cards embodied the overall beach theme. We wanted to make sure the couple and their guests got the true beach vibe of Hawaii!

The Aloha islands are renowned for their diverse surf, beautiful beaches, romantic sunsets and scenic natural landscape. Here are a some stunning shots from their destination beach wedding.

Start creating your destination themed wedding stationery by contacting us here.

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