The Wedding Files: The little details

Here are some more little details from our day…

I wore my dream shoes to the ceremony, wedges that felt like sneakers for photos and the dinner, and my earrings were a gift from Will from our first Christmas together. I chose a veil for the day, and then swapped it for a gorgeous flower pin from Grace Designs for the evening. Unfortunately it didn't make the photos, but it was gorgeous - something similar to this.

 

The men wore grey suits, yellow Billy Button corsages and baby blue ties that we hunted all over Brisbane for. Aren't they all so handsome?!

 

The girls chose their own dresses, from Cue, Ultra Suite and JJ's House. I love bright beautiful flowers and I love how our florist pulled them together. Oh and those ultra high heels were from Zu.

We used potted herbs, flower posies, candles and a hessian table runner to decorate the tables. Our herbs (from Bunnings) have now grown up, reside on our front deck and regularly make an appearance in our meals. We also incorporated wedding photos of our parents and grandparents and little lego people into the decor.

We used a patchwork quilt hand made by Liz (Will's mum) for a post-ceremony picnic, and Will borrowed his grandfather’s old camera as a prop. I also picked up some animal face kid’s party plates from Spotlight and turned them into masks for something fun.

 

Photos by Hailey and Andrew of You Can't Be Serious

Next up: Friends and family

The Wedding Files: The Dinner Party

I had imagined our wedding reception to feel less like a formal reception and more like a feast with friends and family. We were so happy to have long tables, to sit in the middle and to be surrounded by everyone we love. How great that wedding celebrations end with food!? Will and I love food, so it suited us to a tee.

We served Bundaberg drinks with stripey straws and canapés while we mingled, and our menu included duck and crab, lamb and salmon, berries and chocolate. Our lovely friends and the evening's hosts, Matt and Rach, got the night started, we said a quick hello to everyone and then Will’s mum Liz said grace. Dinner time!

 

The absolute highlight moments were the speeches. I am a sucker for a good speech, and we loved hearing every word from our fathers, our best man and our maid of honour. Kind, encouraging, humorous, special words that had everyone laughing, and a few of us (i.e. me) getting teary. There was so much love in the room and it really meant so much to both of us to share the night with everyone.

 

Another favourite moment was watching everyone find their seat and little gift from us. We wanted something happy and fun to spoil our guests. Inspired by the lovely Cup of Jo, everyone got a pair of Happy Eyes and saw hearts all evening. I made felt flower brooches and hair clips for our lovely ladies, using the Rose Tutorial from How Joyful. And for the gentlemen, a snazzy pin-on bow tie. We included the menu, a little hand written note, and our William + Laura stamp. 

 

We chatted, we danced, we stole more than a few sneaky kisses, and then we said goodbye. It was all hugs and kisses before we raced down the stairs and across the Parklands. I’ll never forgot hearing all the cheers and clapping as we made our getaway. A perfect night with beautiful, beautiful people.

 

Photos by Hailey and Andrew of You Can't Be Serious

Next up: The little details

The Wedding Files: The ceremony

I still remember the feeling I had walking down the aisle towards Will. I was so excited and overwhelmed that I could barely hold his gaze – it was such an unreal feeling. My parents walked me down the aisle to Dream by Priscilla Ahn. I love the tradition of a father walking his daughter down the aisle, but I love that my mum could share that special moment as well.

The church looked incredible, better even than we had hoped it would. A lot of people congratulated me on turning such a corporate-y building into a beautiful wedding setting, but I really couldn’t take the praise. Will was 90% of the brains behind it, and his groomsmen provided the muscle (yes, those 4m trees were very very heavy).

Our dear friend Jess read a beautiful scripture for us – Colossians 3:12-17, in the Message version. My favourite line was ‘… and regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.’ It is such a meaningful, challenging and practical passage that means a lot to us. You can read the entire thing here.

Before we said our vows, we shared a few things we loved about each other. Those few moments were so incredibly special. We said our vows, we exchanged rings, and then, hurrah!! We were husband and wife.

Will is pretty sure he jumped the gun and kissed me before Ps Murray had finished saying he could, but it was such a blur and we haven’t seen the video yet, so who knows?

Another special moment was having our families join us on stage, to pray over us and give us big hugs. With family overseas, it really is a once-in-a-life-time moment having our parents and grandparents all there with us.


Hooray! Mr and Mrs Swanson. We left the building to Alexander Fairchild’s Very First Time and then came a mega-hug fest with so many people we love.


Photos by Hailey and Andrew of You Can't Be Serious


Next up: The dinner party