26 March 2016 | UWA Prescott Court & Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club

“We had Mojitos and Cosmopolitans in dispensers for our guests, it broke up the wine and beer and created a beautiful setting on the balcony. “

The Proposal

We were holidaying in Melbourne for my birthday; one morning Rhys said I had to ready by 11am as he had something planned for my ‘birthday’. I was completely oblivious! We walked outside of our hotel to where an Audi was waiting for us; we were on our way to the Yarra Valley for a day of wine tasting (so I thought). Once we arrived at Tarra Warra Estate, we had finished wine tasting. We bought a bottle of Chardonnay to drink while over looking the lake before lunch was ready to be served. All of a sudden no one was to be seen and as I looked over my shoulder and looked back, Rhys was down on one knee asking me to marry him! I obviously said yes, all the staff inside congratulated us with Champagne. After the most beautiful lunch, we were off to my favourite Japanese restaurant overlooking Melbourne CBD. It was the best birthday ever!

The Venue

It was the second place we looked at. We wanted somewhere on the water, we completely fell in love with how big the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club’s ‘Rolland Smith’ ballroom was, the balcony and view took our breath away. We both knew it was the one for us.

The Theme

White. I wanted classic, elegant and romantic, I didn’t want to look back at my photos in years to come and regret a colour choice. We had black, white and greenery from flowers. It also complimented the blue flooring of the ballroom.

Favourite Details of the Day

Cocktails on arrival at the reception. We had Mojitos and Cosmopolitans in dispensers for our guests, it broke up the wine/beer and created a beautiful setting on the balcony. Everyone was talking about them; I loved the pink and green colours together.

The Gown

It took about 3 months to find. I am tiny and majority of the gowns in stores are average sizes; so it was hard to get a good feel for any of them. The staff at Bridal by Aubrey Rose were fantastic and made me feel really comfortable. I wanted beading; I wanted something different that was going to stand out.

Favourite Moment

The night before I had a huge sleepover with my bridesmaids. My best friend from England had flown over and created a movie with messages from all my friends and family back home – lots of tears and Champagne! And of course finally marrying my best friend…