After playing a staring role in proposal it seemed only fitting Cassandra and Andrew's beloved Westie sat in pride of place at the wedding ceremony.
Inspired by the romance of Paris and the beauty of French vineyards, Cassandra's stunning Helen Manuell dress is the centrepiece for this beautiful wedding.
"Andrew and I met at the Australian Open and the connection was instant, over the past six years we have really grown together and been on many adventures. Before the wedding our biggest celebration was the long anticipated arrival of our darling little Westie, Bonnie Mac.
Andrew proposed on Good Friday morning while we were in bed – he had gotten up early and dressed Bonnie Mac in her finest pink jacket with the ring secured inside then waited for me to wake up. It was a beautiful moment made even more special by including her in his plans. We knew we would have a local wedding so that she could take part in the ceremony, which she did alongside her brother, Muttley, who belongs to Andrew’s sister.
A few years ago we went to a friend’s wedding and I was impressed by how perfect her dress was for her and immediately formed the idea that’s what a wedding gown should be. Initially I looked at all the designer stores but everything was the same and I kept thinking I wanted a gown that was perfect for me. I decided to contact her designer, Helen Manuell, and from there we created my dream dress, it was timeless and elegant and managed to beautifully show off my silhouette without being too risqué. The quality of Helen’s work was unbelievable and I felt amazing wearing it on the day. I also wore a light Zimmerman dress for my walk (yes – walk!) to the venue to avoid anyone catching a glimpse of my gown, then changed back in to it for our first dance and again at the informal end of the evening.
We adore Paris and the Champagne region of France and were fortunate enough to revisit it soon after we became engaged. We took great inspiration from the romance of the city and the beauty of the vineyards. We had the city skyline etched in to the side of our cake and based our floral styling on a Champagne vine concept with luscious greens and scattered pink roses, which traditionally frame the ends of each row. We spoiled our guests with an amazing custom French menu, open bar and cocktails, fine wines, and of course French champagne.
It was almost like Andrew was trying to out-do me with a total of four outfit changes - for the ceremony he wore a white tuxedo jacket with navy trousers, then changed in to his traditional family kilt for our re-introduction then back in to navy trousers and matching tuxedo jacket for our first dance before finally donning the white jacket for the remainder of the evening.
I’m not an overly sentimental person and think it would be a shame for my beautiful dress to be hidden in a box. It would be wonderful to put the money from the sale back in to our future fund which certainly took a hit with the wedding (but it was worth every penny!)."
Photography Erin & Tara | Venue Aerial (Food & Desire) | Flowers Tori Allen Events | Celebrant: Jo Betz | Cake: Miss Ladybird | Stationery: Elm Paper Design
By Ingrid Szajer
Lindsey