N A D I A + G L E N

By coincidence, the sky lit up with fireworks when Glen asked Nadia to marry him. So it seemed meant to be that the couple gave their wedding guests the same sparkly surprise. No expense was spared to create their dream once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

F R O M T H E B R I D E

We knew it was love...

I know it sounds cliché, but I think we knew from the onset that it was a relationship that was built to last. When I looked at Glen, I saw a man who would make a terrific husband and a wonderful father someday. We are similar in a lot of ways, and I think that is what strengthened our connection and solidified our commitment to each other.

The proposal...

We got engaged on the 31 ^st January 2015 at the Matilda Bay foreshore. As soon as Glen proposed, purely by coincidence, a stunning display of fireworks went off. The fireworks were organised by the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their centenary celebration. That was a surprise!

Our photographer...

I had previously worked with our photographer on a glamour photography shoot about five years ago. I fell in love with her style of photography, which is inspired by themes of boudoir, glamour, and vintage romance. I love how our photos match our vision of the perfect wedding.

T H E W E D D I N G

Our dream wedding...

We wanted a lavish and luxurious affair for an intimate wedding party. We wanted all the trimmings and we didn't want to have any regrets. Our theme colours were gold, white, cream, and soft pink. Our style was elegant and timeless.

Ceremony location...

St Michael the Archangel Chapel in Leederville WA

Reception venue...

Matilda Bay Restaurant, Crawley WA

Pre-wedding celebrations...

I had a Bridal Shower High Tea at the Duxton Hotel. Check out my invitations! Aren't they gorgeous?! Glen had the usual Buck's party.

The dress...

My gown was purchased from Hobnob Bridal in Highgate, and to be honest I can't say I loved it. I have an apple shaped body with an ample bust size, which is pretty rare, and it was difficult for me to find a gown that was flattering. There were very few styles that I could actually pull off. If I had my time again, I think I would spend more time looking and trying on different ones instead of rushing the process. Patience is the key with gown shopping.

Wedding flowers...

My bouquet was a mixture of soft pink and white roses with accompanying white satin ribbon.

The bridal party...

Glen and I decided not to have a bridal party. For us, it seemed like an added complication. However, it ended up that my girlfriend and Glen's brother stepped up and took on the duties that a bridal party would ordinarily be responsible for anyway.

The groom wore...

Glen wore a black suit with a pearlescent cream vest and matching tie. The boutonniere we chose was a delicate soft pink rose.

Reception décor...

Oh my goodness, there is just so much to describe! On our guest tables, we had gold Tiffany chairs with strands of pearls hanging off the back. The tables were dressed in white table cloths with cream damask overlays. We had tall floral centrepieces featuring soft pink, white and cream roses in the centre, with smaller arrangements at the base. Each place setting had a gold charger plate, a soft pink napkin with a pearl napkin ring, matching personalised menu, gold glitter candle and each couple received a bottle of Moet Champagne with our signature label on it.

Our bridal table was an illuminated table with our gold logo on it. We had Posh & Beck's style thrones, and our table was adorned with gold glitter candles and smaller floral arrangements.

The alfresco area featured a flower wall in our theme colours. There were high bar tables and white stools with soft pink table cloths, floral arrangements and gold candles. We had a lounge area with big couches, a coffee table, rug, and side tables that featured photographs of our parents and grandparents on their wedding day.
We had a white gloss dance floor with a gold monogram of our initials in our signature font.

Our cake sat in the middle of a dessert buffet styled as a dressing table. The picture paints a thousand words! Our guests were in complete awe at how beautiful it was.

On the menu...

We had a cocktail hour featuring hors d'oeuvres and signature drinks (pink champagne). We also organised for a flute and violin duo to play during cocktail hour.
The reception dinner was a sit down meal featuring an array of delicious options.

Bonbonniere...

Each couple/ invitation received a small bottle of Moet Champagne featuring our signature logo.

Memorable moments...

We organised a fireworks display for our first dance! To say our guests were surprised is an understatement!

Wedding soundtrack...

I had a huge hand in selecting the music. Music is my greatest passion, and therefore it will come as no surprise to my friends and family that I picked every single song that was played throughout the wedding. We had a quite a selection of the music we love including nineties dance, RnB, eighties and some recent hits. I'm a huge Mariah Carey fan, and we had quite a few of her songs featured throughout the wedding. In fact we even had a "Guess the number of Mariah Carey songs in our wedding" competition for our guests. The prize was two bottles of red and white wine that we purchased from a winery in San Francisco.

M A R R I E D L I F E

The honeymoon...

Glen and I had a pre-wedding honeymoon in April before we got married. We went to the USA and we had an absolute ball. We visited Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Future plans...

To live an incredible life full of happiness and everlasting love. Throw in the addition of a couple of kid's too.

In 40 years you hope to ...

Still be as happy as we are today. Let's hope that Glen will still love me when I'm filled with botox! Haha.

W E D D I N G W I S D O M

The engagement...

Don't rush into organising your wedding. Start researching venues and ideas, but enjoy being a fiancé for as long as you possibly can. It's an exciting stage in your life.

Planning...

If you can afford it, have everything that your heart desires. Avoid bank loans and save up instead. Glen and I walked away from our wedding completely debt free, and it was such a great feeling. Don't skimp on the important things and take into account the comfort of your guests. Give yourself adequate time to plan everything, and run your ideas by your experienced vendors whenever possible.

On the day...

Things will go wrong! I am highly organised and very methodical, and even I couldn't have prepared for a lot of the things that went wrong. Sometimes you just have to turn your brain off.

Did Nadia and Glen's wedding give you the warm and fuzzies? Check out the real weddings section of our blog for more sweet stories!

Photographer Sarah Liane / Florist MissMeNot Flowers / Gown, Alterations, Headpiece & Veil Hobnob Bridal / Hair & Makeup Jessica Ferrelli / Shoes Jimmy Choo Bridal / Suit Britton's Formalwear / Videographer Softweigh Multimedia / Bombonniere (Moet Champagne) Dan Murphy's / Cake Cupid's Delight / Car: So Cal Limos / Catholic Priest Father McMahon / Dance Floor Perth Dance Floors / Dance Instructor Amanda - Chase Dance / Dessert Table My Petite Sweets / DJ & MC Complete DJ / Earrings & Wedding Bands Rosendorff / Fireworks WestCoast Fireworks / Flower Wall Beautiful Backdrops / Flute & Violin Duo Riverside Ensembles / Furniture Stylists Orielle (Aisle Runner, Coffee Table, Charger Plates, Lounges, Side Tables & Tiffany Chairs) and Wedstyle (Bridal Table & Thrones) / Linen CV Linens Texas (High Bar Table Cloths & Napkins) and Events & Weddings (Overlays) / Stationery (Champagne Labels, Game, Invitations, Menu's, Programs & Seating Plans) Butterfly Days