The Romance
The first time I laid eyes on my future husband he was intoxicated, riding the iconic Rocky bull. We were both 17 and he tells me he decided right there I was the one for him ... me I was not so sure. It wasn’t bad enough we had just picked up two intoxicated males riding a fake bull, now one of them was sitting right next to me awkwardly staring at me, he even had the nerve to put his hand on my knee! My first impulse was to throw myself out of a moving vehicle and seek shelter, however I did the complete opposite we parted with a quick kiss on the lips and exchanged digits.... this is how our journey began.
A bit of history: I brought Sam home when my sister Lily was 3 months old, little did we all know Lily would be the person Sam seeked solice in when I was about to tear his head off or when he just needed a little bit of extra loving. It wasn’t long before Sam decided he was part of the furniture and wasn’t going anywhere. My mother and step father took Sam in as one of their own, nurturing and ear bashing when required and over the years there’s been a hell of a lot of ear bashing and love. I was fortunate enough that Sam’s family also took me in as one of their own. Knowing I had their support in participating in the ear bashing over the years has meant a lot.
The Proposal
Sam works away so come Valentines day 2018 I was sitting at work waiting for the arrival of my flowers that never did arrive. It was no secret that I was "disappointed" that nothing had arrived. However, I was pleasantly surprised the following day. Sam had come home early to surprise me with a two course home cooked dinner, flowers and last but certainly not least a shiny diamond ring for desert!
I knew Sam was the 'one' soon after my first few dummy spits, as Sam’s reaction would always fluctuate between "oh look isn't she cute" to "evacuate, evacuate, evacuate" but never would it be met with rage. Sam had all the qualities I wanted in a life partner, ALTHOUGH it was a bit like taming a wild beast. Within this beast is a gentle giant with a kind heart. Sam is patient, he loves family, his and mine unconditionally and always knows how to make me laugh. I lost my brother Jordon suddenly in 2014 which devastated me and my family. Sam was a constant support for me and has supported me through one of the toughest parts of my life. After this I didn’t feel ready to face a wedding knowing my brother wasn’t going to be there, 4 years later we finally tied the knot. Sam loved me and continues to love me for me and for that I am truly grateful. This October Sam and I will have been together for 10 years, there have been rough times and good times but whatever life has thrown at us we have always made it out the other side, stronger than ever.
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The Planning
I thought with me being somewhat of a control freak and overthinker that planning a wedding would just about tip me over the edge however with 7 plus months of planning and the support of my family everything come together with ease. Pretty quickly after the announcement of our engagement Mum and I looked for a wedding dress as we anticipated it would take a while for me to find the dress I wanted. One visit to Sugar and Spice at Chermside and 3 dresses later I found my dream dress. I did my own decorations over the months leading up to the wedding and learnt very early on to keep your sanity and don’t sweat the small stuff. I felt a huge amount of anxiety leading up to the wedding for many of reasons. I was worried about being an emotional mess thinking about my brother, thinking of how my parents must feel, thinking of walking down the aisle with all eyes on me, worrying about everything running smoothly.
The Wedding Day
The day arrived, and I woke up to my mum laying next to me looking at me saying "are you ready to be a married woman" with a smile on her face and from that moment on I felt every bit of sadness, anxiety and worry leave my body because I realised this day was about Sam and I, a day of happiness and celebration and that’s what it was. Our day started out with a healthy breaky followed by a few cold beverages to keep the nerves at bay. I was lucky to have my two gorgeous cousins as my bridesmaids, my sister Lily as flower girl and my mother and step father for support when getting ready.
Sam and I had separate rooms as we both agreed we didn’t want to see each other before the ceremony. Sam spent the day getting ready with his groomsman, father and father in law, the day went smoothly for Sam but much like myself a few beverages were needed to assist with nerves. The weather started off looking like it was going to pour down with rain, with dark clouds and reports of rain and hail not to far from the wedding. 3pm arrived and the sky’s where clear, the sun was shining and not to sound cliché, but everything was 'perfect'.
The Ceremony
Our ceremony and reception were held at Riverside Reception, New Farm. We got married under the massive jacaranda tree in full bloom with the stunning Brisbane river as our backdrop. I can’t speak highly enough of this venue, the facilities, food and staff where fantastic. My step father walked me from the limo down to the edge of the seating where I was met by my father who walked me down the aisle to give me away. Walking down the aisle I thought I would be a mess, but I managed to pull myself together and enjoy the walk, I felt a massive sense of pride from both our families which made the atmosphere truly beautiful. Nancy from All Heart Ceremonies was our celebrant. Nancy was the perfect fit for Sam and I. Nancy was very professional but also had a fabulous sense of humor.
Our ceremony was relatively short but certainly not uneventful. Halfway through the ceremony I could see eyes start to shift from Sam and I to the direction of the groomsman, I peered over to see one of the groomsmen being held up by Sam’s best man "uh oh" said groomsman had overheated and passed out! A chair and glass of water was brought to his aid, a few minutes later he was back on his feet powering on. He was absolutely mortified but Sam and I could only see the funny side and jokingly tease he stole the lime light. We kept out ceremony quite short and our vows a little bit comical but still meaningful. /p>
The Reception
Our reception was cocktail style and a LOT of fun. We got the formalities out of the way early on, so we could all get on and enjoy the night. We had cocktail style food, a sweets table and a handmade cake made by my mum. Sam and I surprised everyone with a choregraphed dance that we had been learning for months leading up to the wedding. We had a DJ for our wedding and spent the remaining of our night dancing and laughing the night away.
The Honeymoon
Sam and I left for our honeymoon a few days after our wedding. We travelled to Cambodia and Vietnam for a two-week holiday. It was a great experience learning about the culture, eating different foods and taking time to wind down after the wedding.
Wedding Advice ...
I don’t know how many times I had people tell me leading up to the wedding to enjoy every step of the wedding process from the planning to the big day. I really can’t emphasize how important this is and if I had my time over I would take a step back and enjoy every second as the day comes and goes so fast. Don’t get caught up in the small stuff, throughout the planning process and on the day, things will go wrong or not 100% to plan but these are all things that make your day unique.
Communicate and work as a team, everything will go a lot more smoothly if you are both on the same path. Breathe and relax! No one has ever died because you couldn’t get the right shade of ivory napkins! Remind yourself the day is a celebration of your love, go with what makes you happy and not the influences of others, the rest is history.
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