Real Bride: Jess

Bride: Jess | Groom: Tommy

How did you meet your husband?

We met through an online dating app and hit it off from the get go in Mount Macedon, where we had our first date.

How did your partner propose to you?

Tommy organised a trip to Wilsons Promontory for my birthday. We completed lots of little hikes during our stay. On one particular day we did an exhausting 6 different hikes. On the 6th hike along The Big Drift Walk Tommy got down on one knee and proposed on the sand dunes. He says it was a ‘soft landing’ on the sand dunes which helped his knee. Although he wanted to propose at the first location he finally plucked up the courage on the 6 th hike!

What was your favourite part of your wedding day?

I loved the feeling I felt when our MC introduced us as Mr and Mrs. As we entered our reception to have all our loved ones standing up out of their seats, cheering with smiling on their faces brought us so much happiness. To see what we had been planning for so long come to fruition was a beautiful sight.

Did you have a theme or concept for your wedding day? What was your inspiration?

We went for a very minimalistic, classic style. In terms of décor we only had vases of flowers on the tables along with coloured napkins that matched with the bridesmaid’s dresses. Apart from this everything such as the invitations, signage and cake was black and white theme which complimented the wedding gown and groomsmen’s suits.

How did you find the experience of shopping for a wedding gown?

At first I found the process of wedding gown shopping daunting and overwhelming. I had no idea of the style I wanted nor did I know what would suit my figure. I went to a number of bridal stores in Melbourne but I found them to be very overbearing and they seemed to be there to make a quick sale. When venturing to Bendigo I made an appointment at Bendigo Bridal Collections. I received a completely different vibe from this store which made me feel welcomed and comfortable. I tried on a variety of dresses and found something that I liked. I returned to the store a week later to retry on the dress I liked. As I waited for my bridal party to arrive (they were often late to anything and everything!) I stumbled upon a lace gown as I browsed the store. I tried on both the dress I liked along with the dress I stumbled upon. As soon as I tried on the latter I knew straight away this was THE dress. I continued to retry both on just to be sure. Luckily my bridal party were late that day otherwise I would never have found my dream dress and perhaps would have just purchased one I happened to ‘like’.

What did you love about your wedding gown?

I loved that the gown was fitted to my body and it had beautiful lace detailing right throughout. The train was also minimal length and kept its shape. This allowed me to move around with ease whilst keeping the train in position without having someone to constantly ‘fix it’.

Any words of wisdom for future brides?

Trust your intuition. If you haven’t found your dream dress, keep searching. It is out there! Enjoy the day. By gosh it flies by so just focus on what is important – your marriage with the one you love. Everything else will soon become a distant memory.

Bridal gown: @bendigobridalcollections

Celebrant: Simone Sullivan - Celebrant

Venue: Emu Bottom Homestead

Florist: Proteas Direct

Cake: Cakes by Rhiannon

Invites and Signage: M&H Events

Bridesmaids: Noodz Boutique

Festoon Lighting: Pan and Tilt Lighting