Real wedding: Kathleen and Walter
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Kathleen and Walter’s October country wedding was filled with friends, family and a big surprise.
“We had such a wonderful day. It was just the happiest day.”
How did you meet your now husband?
Kathleen: I had moved out of home for the first time, into my first share house. Walter was one of my housemates! After living together for 10 months, Walter moved to Cootamundra for work. This is when we started to date. After two years of long distance, Walter moved back to Canberra.
How and when did he propose?
Walter proposed during the October long weekend in 2015. We were spending the weekend at his family’s farm in Tumbarumba. We had spent the previous day riding horses and droving cows. The following day we went for a walk up one of the hills on the property. When we got to the top I sat on a large rock, Walter spun around from behind me and ended on his knee in front of me with a ring in his hand!
GETTING READY
My mum, sister and I spent the night before the wedding at QT. This was a really special night for the three of us as it has always been the three girls and we enjoyed spending the night before the wedding together. We watched the Lion King and drank champagne before getting our beauty sleep!
The following day the three of us, as well as Molly our Flower Girl got our hair and makeup done in our hotel suite. In between getting ready, we played multiple games of Charades, drank champagne and just had a really fun time! The boys spent the morning at our house in Higgins, playing table tennis and keeping busy!
THE DRESS
I tried six dresses on in total. The dress that I chose was the very first dress that I put on. I remember my sister saying to me ‘wow, Kathleen that one is really beautiful.’ I agreed. I felt like Cinderella! It was called Stella York. It had a beaded bodice with a sweetheart neckline and small beaded capped sleeves and a soft, romantic, full-length skirt. The colour of my dress was called Moscato, which is actually my favourite drink!
It was so special to be able to add part of my grandma’s wedding veil to my dress. Some lace was sewn into the tulle down the bottom of my wedding dress lining. I was so lucky to be able to wear my mum’s wedding veil, which is a stunning Mantilla veil. We added some tulle and sparkles to the veil to tie it into the colour and style of my dress.
My beautiful friend Boronia described the gown as: “Shades of Grace Kelly overlaid by childhood memories of princesses in far away lands!”
THE CEREMONY
We were married at a gorgeous little church in Hall, St Francis Catholic Church. Getting married in a church was very important to me. We wanted a little, cosy, country like church, and St Francis fit those characteristics perfectly.
I am a teacher, and a bunch of my gorgeous Preschool students came to the church to see me arrive. This was such a special, special moment! They were so excited, and it just made the day even more special.
The ceremony was beautiful. We got a lot of wonderful feedback about the ceremony and our Deacon.
THE RECEPTION
Our reception was held at Flint in The Vines in Murrumbateman. We looked at a number of reception venues. Flint in the Vines stood out for two reasons: Jai Dawson, the owner and manager, was the friendliest, honest, manager/events organiser that we met with.
He made us feel really comfortable right from our first meeting. The second reason was that the winery venue reminded us of Walter’s family’s farm and vineyard, which made the venue feel really special to us
Favourite part of the day?
Both of us agreed that our favourite part was when I arrived at the church and began to walk down the aisle. That moment when we saw each other, such a special special moment. We also felt so lucky to have all of the people that we love the most in one place, all day, there to celebrate our love.
ADVICE FOR FUTURE BRIDES?
For future brides to be, I recommend that you stick to your instincts. So many people will give you advice and ideas. Pick and choose which advice you take on board. If you try to listen to it all, you will drive yourself crazy. It is your day after all. Also, when creating your guest list, think about whether you will see these people in five years, they are the ones you want there, people that will be in your life for years to come.
Also, when creating your guest list, think about whether you will see these people in five years, they are the ones you want there, people that will be in your life for years to come.
THE LITTLE DETAILS
Photographer: Esh Photography
Videographer: Say Hello To Forever
Deacon: Rev. Mick O’Donnell
Bride’s dress: Nouveau Riche Bridal
Bride’s veil: My mum’s veil
Bride’s shoes: Betts
Bride’s jewellery: Vintage Jewellery Shop and Michael Hill
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Review
Groom and groomsmen’s suits: Indochino
Bride’s hair: Hair Spectrum
Bridesmaids’ hair: Hair Spectrum
Makeup: Hair Spectrum
Flowers: Poetry in Flowers
Cars: Envoy Chauffeured
Caterer: Flint in the Vines
Cake: Jenny Stirzaker
DJ: Capital Sound and Lighting (DJ Royce)
Stationary: Happy Life Printables and 4 Love Polka Dots
First dance song: Be My Forever – Christina Perri (feat. Ed Sheeran)
Are you planning your own special day or know someone who is? Just love wedding stuff?
HerCanberra’s UNVEILED The Event on Saturday 3 June will be far from your run-of-the-mill bridal ‘expo.’
With interactive installations, workshops, beauty bars, fashion salons and a very special VIP long-table dinner, Unveiled is shaking things up with a wedding event unlike anything this city has ever seen.
Hosted in one of Canberra’s most pristine venues, the award-winning National Portrait Gallery, this truly immersive and stylish experience will showcase everything the modern couple needs to plan the perfect celebration.
UNVEILED: The Event will be held in two sessions on 3 June:
A general admission session, from 2pm to 6pm
A VIP degustation dinner, from 7pm until 10pm.
A highlight of the event will be its themed installations or ‘Atmospheres,’ where brides and grooms-to-be will literally step inside their dream wedding with room styling, cakes, florals, invitations, favours, fashion and more. Boutique caterers will also be on site, giving couples the chance to sample their wares.
Throughout the day, guests can peruse pop-up shops and stalls, get the latest in bridal fashion in a stylish fashion parade presented in a way you won’t expect, listen to handy workshops and talks, and be pampered by our beauty bars.
Grooms won’t be forgotten with our ‘Den’ where the guys (and anyone else so inclined) can explore essentials, such as grooming, fashion, accessories (and maybe a sneaky drink or two!)
At 7pm, the Atmospheres will be transformed into six unique dining spaces which will give guests the opportunity to experience Broadbean Catering’s versatile offerings.
This ticketed evening will include chef’s selection of elegant canapes on arrival, a three-course themed meal with matched wines and delectable handmade petit fours with tea and coffee, and amazing local entertainment.
What are you waiting for? Tickets are just $9.90 for general entry and can be purchased via Eventbrite.
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