E R I N & M A T T H E W

{ Jess Marks Photography}

"When I saw you I fell in love... and you smiled because you knew..." The Engagement...

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

It all began...

In kalgoorlie, I was on a cross country venture and Matthew was asked to show me around town. We met when I called him 3 hours after I arrived in town.

I knew it was love...

When it was easy and when I felt secure. I had never thought about marriage previously but I could happily imagine myself marrying Matthew.

The Engagement...

We were engaged in August 2013 in our local beach. It was a complete surprise, the day was perfect and we had our dogs Lucy and Auston present. Matthew knelt on one knee in the sand and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. Perfect!

Pre-wedding celebrations...

Our hens and bucks were held one month prior. Matthew celebrated with mates at home watching the AFL grand final. I was thrown a surprise Hens involving beautiful friends, a mini bus to Townsville, plenty of dares and entry into the colour run the next day.

We wanted our wedding to be...

A pastel/ fresh palate with a vintage feel and a relaxed environment. I wanted an oyster wedding dress and on floral bridesmaids dresses. Blue suits were a given, I love a man in a blue suit. We wanted a homestead/garden wedding with the ceremony and reception held at the one venue.

The ceremony and reception venue...

Gabbinbar Homestead

The bridal party...

We had five Bridesmaids and Groomsmen. We had our brother and sister and the remaining were close friends who we hold very close to our hearts.

The dress...

My wedding gown was simple, I know I wanted a lace bodice and silk skirt with no seams on the back. I designed my dress and chose the fabric with a very beautiful and talented dress maker here in Mackay. My inspiration was to create something simple, elegant, comfortable and unique.

The bridesmaids wore...

A beautiful knee length, halter neck floral dress. I wanted floral but not flowers. The dresses were light and floaty and their colours were perfect. The dress looked stunning on each and every bridesmaid.

The men wore...

Blue pants, blue vests, brown shoes and white shirts. The ties were blue.

Wedding style...

I made burlap runners for the two long tables and we decorated a huge amount of jars and bottles with lace and burlap. Matthew's mum's friend made doilies for decorations. Matthew and I made all of our signage and chalkboards. We included many memories from the beginning of our relationship, photos of our dogs and wedding photos of each of our parents and grandparents, to symbolise where we come from. I wanted my flowers to be pastel pinks, ivory and white with an abundance of babies breath.

Wedding photography...

We chose JessMarks photography from a wedding blog. There relaxed style showcasing quirky impromptu shots was right down our ally. We both get nervous in front of the camera so this was very important to us. We love how natural they are and how it really captured the love and fun between us and how incredibly awesome our day was.

The cake...

Abbalou cakes in Toowoomba did our cake.

The menu...

Canapés were served to guests in the garden while we had our photos taken. At the reception, we had a sit down menu of Duck breast and Barramundi were served for mains, cake with fresh berries and cream for dessert and simple canapés for supper.

Bonbonniere...

Matthew and I handmade Strawberry jam as gifts. We decorated with material, twine and a card tag with a sepia stamp of M 'love heart' E.

Wedding songs...

We had 'I want to grow old with you' as I walked down the aisle. 'Love is Easy' as we signed and 'sign sealed delivered' to conclude our ceremony. On entry to the reception we had 'Best day of my life' and our first dance was 'You are the best thing'. The band was given free reign for the remainder of the day and they were brilliant!

Memorable moments...

Spending the morning with my beautiful girls, seeing my gorgeous husband to be and coming to the realisation that this is it! All of our hard work, planning and dreams had all come together exactly how we had imagined plus more! We were some humbled to have our friends and family travel to share our special day with us. Matthew's dad's speech was a hit, he made a very serious entry, not like him at all and then his glasses came of and he reverted into the storytelling dad he is, It was hilarious!

After the wedding we stayed...

In the King Suite at the Bourke and Wills in Toowoomba.

The honeymoon...

We spent our honeymoon in Port Douglas and we explored the Daintree and Cook Town.

The future...

We are living in Mackay in our first home which settled the day before we got married. We plan to move back to WA to be closer to Matthew's parents and to have a family Matthew wants twins!

Photography Jess Marks Photography Venue Gabbinbar Homestead Cake Abbalou Cakes Accommodation Bourke and Wills, Toowoomba Decor & Bonbonniere DIY by the Bride, Groom and friends Wedding Dress Custom made by dress maker

MW x