Gorgeous make-up artist Justine met her future husband through Facebook. Justine was able to combine traditions from both of their backgrounds to create a very special wedding day.
"My husband proposed to me on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning while we were having breakfast. With my work I'm surrounded by brides all the time, so I was lucky enough to get referrals and recommendations for suppliers. I also loved looking through Pinterest and pinning inspiration for what I may want to have for our wedding.
The weather was perfect, especially because the forecast said it was meant to be raining. One of the highlights was getting ready with my girls and parents, the girls had prepared a wonderful kitchen tea like breakfast/lunch for us while I was doing what I do best and applying makeup for them. People think it was crazy that I would "work" on our wedding day but to me it's a creative outlet and if I wasn't doing anything I would be so nervous!
Our ceremony was held at the beautiful St Anthony's church in Hawthorn (Victoria, Australia), and we incorporated the Filipino tradition of both parents walking down the bride but also the groom down the aisle to make them feel more a part of our special day.
Our priest was hilarious and was very entertaining for our guests; he was truly god sent because we found him 2 months before our wedding day and he was 1 - available and 2 - Filipino who can also speak Italian!
The reception was at Leonda by the Yarra. It was so much fun, though it's true what everyone says and it goes by soo quickly! At the beginning of the night we had a surprise dance prepared for our guests, which I felt set the mood for the rest of the evening.
My most memorable moment was when my Dad sang a song for me, describing how he felt. My family doesn’t communicate that well with each other so it was very touching to hear his heart felt song.
My husband's background is Calabrese Italian and his Uncles and Dad preformed a traditional tarantella with a tambourine, accordion, which brought an authentic Italian way of celebrating a joyous occasion.
At the end of the night we left by boat! Sailing away to the Langham whilst Elvis Presley "Only fools rush in" serenaded us through the end of our night where we were able to recap the whirl wind that just happened."
Justine is planning on using the proceeds from the sale of her dress to go on her honeymoon. "We actually haven't been yet and are planning to go to the Philippines for a much needed escape!"
By Ingrid Szajer
Lindsey