If there’s one story that will have you believing in fate, it’s this one.
Less than 24 hours after Aimee downloaded Tinder, she swiped right on Waylon. They went on their first date to the movies a week later and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Proposal: Way proposed in Hawaii in 2019 – we crashed our best friends’ honeymoon! He got down on one knee at Kualoa Ranch where they filmed parts of Jurassic Park. We were actually on an ATV quad bike tour at the time, so we were muddy and wearing dorky helmets, but it was very "us"!
The Wedding: Our wedding was in Marysville, VIC with only our immediate family and bridal party. After having to postpone our wedding twice due to covid-19, we finally decided to split our wedding day into two and have our ceremony and reception on separate days.
We initially planned to have our wedding on my aunt’s property in Marysville, but with the everchanging in-home covid-19 restrictions in VIC, we had to move our plans around ALOT! With restrictions on numbers within private residences rapidly declining, we eventually had to move our entire ceremony to Gallipoli Park, the public park down the road.
Then, we were stuck on what to do for food. We had initially organised to cater our wedding back at my aunt’s house, but Robyn and her team from Elevation423, were SO accommodating and let us dine-in at their restaurant.
We are so thankful that the people around us were happy to move and sway with the motions of multiple changes - this includes our photographer/videographer and celebrant, all of whom were amazing to deal with!
Way and I are very cruisy people. I can be a little more on the stress-head side, but at the end of the day, we're not picky and we had also grown accustomed to the changing restrictions, so we really had no choice but to go with the flow!
We have a unique sense of humour, so our day was not traditional and really showcased our easy-going personalities. We don't like to take things (or ourselves) too seriously! For a better insight into what our day was like and the type of personalities we have, my entrance song was Dan Henig’s Get Low. It's not exactly what you would consider traditional or even appropriate, but that’s just who we are!
The Vows: We both wrote our own vows. I wrote mine on the train to work a week before the wedding, so that was an interesting train ride!
Our vows were short, sweet and had the perfect balance between being funny and lovey-dovey! We both laughed and cried! It was beautiful for me to see this side of Way and I felt VERY thankful to have found my person.
The Decorations: My colour theme was navy blue and rose gold, with touches of white. I'm a crafty person so I handmade all our signage, bridesmaid gifts and our ribbon rose bouquets (although these took me FAR TOO LONG to make!)
We had limited decorations as we were using a public space, but we were lucky to have a beautiful backdrop that needed no extra effort thanks to Gallipoli Park and Elevation423. Sometimes, less is more!
Something Unconventional: My transport was very unique. I got to ride through town on the back of a Polaris car/cart, which is basically a 4x4 golf buggy. There was a chair strapped in the back and my dad rode in the front with my uncle who was driving.
Favourite Moment: When we were reading our vows to each other. We both know how much we love each other and we aren’t afraid to show it, but hearing it out loud is very special.
The Dress: I loved my dress. I still remember, I visited 4 shops that day and my dress was the 3rd one I had tried on in the 1st shop. I love sparkly things (I work in the jewellery industry!) so this dress caught my eye immediately.
The funny thing is, I never wanted a strapless dress and had something completely different in mind, but when I put on this dress, I loved it instantly and nothing else compared!
The Bridesmaid Dresses: I’ve always liked the dresses from Twosisters The Label! I’ve never owned one myself, but I liked the idea of all my girls wearing Twosisters dresses in different styles, but the same colour.
I wanted the dresses to be reflective of their individual taste and style and this also gave them an opportunity to find something they WILL wear again! The girls were very happy with this arrangement and they all looked GORGEOUS!
The First Dance: We haven't had our first dance yet! We have something planned for our reception in April 202 and will be dancing to Paramore - Still Into You. It’ll start with the acoustic version and then move into the upbeat version to get the party rolling!
Advice for Other Brides? If there's one thing being a covid-19 Bride has taught me, it's that at the core, once you’ve stripped away the parties and flower arrangements, the most important thing is celebrating the love between two people and the commitment that follows.
All the bits, bobs and trimmings of a wedding is nothing without the solid foundations of a loving relationship.
So, don't sweat the small stuff. The genuine laughs and smiles will come naturally on the day. Things don't always go to plan and you just have to roll with it because at the end of the day, your partner will still be there waiting for you at the end of the altar and thereafter.
Aimee was kind enough to send us additional imagery from her reception where she wore the Brienne dress in white!
