Gav and Jacinta’s families are pretty much the foundations of a little town called Babinda. It’s a lovely place that you can find tucked away between Mission Beach and Cairns.

It’s boasts the highest rainfall in the country. Not today though.

How did you meet?

 Gav and I met at a mutual friend’s BBQ.  I was living in Townsville at the time and I travelled home for the weekend.  My girlfriend kept telling me about this friend of hers for a few months and that we would be “perfect” for one another.  I didn’t really pay any attention, but we finally did meet and she was right.  We hit it off straight away and we’ve been inseparable ever since.  That was back in 2001!

Describe the proposal? 

Gav & I have always loved going to live gigs and music festivals. By January 2011 Gav and I had been together for nearly 10 years and we had one daughter Hallie, who was 3 and we were expecting our second daughter Hannah.  We went down to the Gold Coast for the Big Day Out and Gav popped the question while we were amongst the big crowd.  It was perfect because he did it somewhere that we absolutely loved to go together and where we had lots of happy memories.

How did you decide on a place to celebrate your wedding day? 

At first we looked at getting married in Palm Cove but it wasn’t quite us.  We love our old house and our yard.  So we decided to get married in our garden and have a marquee on the lawn down at the local golf club.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress:

By this stage I had our second daughter and because she was still quite new I didn’t want to be travelling to find my dress.  I liked the old world look.  Something that was vintage inspired. So I headed up to Cairns with mum and my sister.  I eventually found it.  When I first saw it I loved it but thought it was a bit blingy for me.  But when I put it on I was sold.  The colour was pearl ivory and I thought it was just perfect.

Describe your wedding flowers:

I wanted a cottage garden style of bouquets with soft pinks and whites and for the table centres I had collected old bottles and doilies and had wanted a simple arrangement in those with similar flowers.

Describe your wedding cake:

We actually didn’t have a wedding cake.  The caterer had so many desserts and we didn’t want too many formalities on the night.  A bit controversial I know, but I don’t think anyone minded.

What was the biggest challenge you faced while planning your big day?

 Because it was a DIY wedding and the ceremony was at home it did put extra pressure on having everything tidy for our visitors and to have the garden looking nice.

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?

There were so many memorable moments throughout the day and even leading up to the day.  We truly have a wonderful family.  They helped us achieve what we wanted and we will always be grateful.  Also driving up our driveway and seeing all our most loved friends and family all dressed up in our garden was pretty special.   Last but not least, getting married to Gavin in our garden where we are building our lives together with our two daughters was pretty amazing and definitely the most memorable moment.

Did you write your own vows? 

No we didn’t.  Elrae our celebrant gave us some examples and we used parts of her examples to make it personal to us.

Where did you go for your honey moon?

We aren’t going on a honey moon.  In July before the Wedding we went to France for 4 weeks with the two girls and had an amazing time over there.  We are just enjoying getting back into the routine of being a family again.

What’s next for you guys?

 We are looking forward to Christmas and summer.  Next year we hope to start on the next reno phase of our house and our eldest daughter Hallie starts prep.  Life is good.

Who were your suppliers on the day?

All the suppliers below helped make our day all that much easier and enjoyable.  We would highly recommend them to anyone.  The marquee, the food and the music were awesome.  Amanda and Lisa made me look good and were great company Elrae brought so much joy to the ceremony and was very helpful in the lead up to our day.  Also we can’t forget Ben & Cath you captured the day beautifully for us and the photos have exceeded our expectations. xo

Photography Ben & Cath www.sassstudios.com

Bowen Party Hire   www.bowenhire.com.au

Amanda at Brow babes www.browbabes.com.au

Hairdresser Lisa Kassambos 

Celebrant Elrae Schnitzerling www.wonderfulweddings.com.au

Azonic Entertainment Musical Duo, musa17@bigpond.com or 0428 361 643

Cairns Spit Roast www.cairnsspitroast.com.au

Port Douglas put on it’s finest weather with warm sweet breezes and blue skies, the crew at Sea Temple Resort and Spa did the rest.

Gab chats to us below about planning her day!

 How did you meet?

We met through mutual friends when I was 19 and Simon was 22 at a house party in St Kilda.

Describe the proposal? 

Simon proposed on our 5 year anniversary at a picnic in the Melbourne botanical gardens. He was very nervous and when we arrived, drank two coronas in 5 minutes…it was cute.

How did you decide on a place to celebrate your wedding day?

We always wanted a beach destination wedding. We went on a holiday together to Port Douglas in 2010 and fell in love with the place. So when we got engaged we thought it would be the perfect place to get married.  We flew up for a long weekend just after we got engaged to look at wedding venues. As soon as we arrived at Sea Temple we knew it was the right location! The pool & Aqua restaurant was just amazing! All the staff were so lovely, especially our fabulous wedding co-ordinator Elise.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress:

It was actually much easier than I thought! I always loved Collette Dinnigan dresses so when I got engaged I popped into their Melbourne store for a casual visit with my maid of honor Sarah one Saturday afternoon. It was the first dress that I tried on and I fell in love with it straight away! I loved all the beading, peals and sparkles.. especially the aqua blue beads. I tried on about 5 more in the store to make sure it was perfect and nothing compared. I came back the next day with my Mum and all the bridesmaids to see what they thought. My Mum started crying as soon as she saw me in it so I knew it was the one 

Describe your wedding flowers:

As we were getting married on the beach I wanted to go with a tropical theme. For the bouquets we had phalaenopsis orchids and for the table arrangements we had a mixture of Singapore orchards and hyacinths.

Michele from Floral Edge in Port Douglas did such an incredible job and the flowers were absolutely perfect!

Describe your wedding cake: 

The lovely Lorraine from Passion for Cakes made ours. I love cupcakes so had to have them on my wedding day. I wanted vanilla and Simon wanted chocolate so we decided to have both!

What was the biggest challenge you faced while planning your big day? 

The biggest challenge was definitely trying to plan a wedding over the phone and on emails. However we were so fortunate with all the suppliers that we chose and everything worked out perfectly on the day.

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?

It is hard to say as we loved every moment of the day, it really was the best day of my life! One highlight would have to be our crazy and hilarious MCs Elliot & Lozza dressing up in costumes and playing singles twister, bridal party karaoke and doing a pop quiz with the crowd. It was so hilarious and the crowd loved it!

Did you write your own vows? 

We wanted to go with a mixture of traditional and modern vows. We caught up with our celebrant Natasha when we arrived in Port Douglas and she helped us put together some beautiful words to say to each other.

Where did you go for your honey moon?

We had a ‘mini moon’ at Sea Temple Palm Cove for a week after the wedding.  The big honeymoon is in March; we are heading over to New York, Mexico, Vegas and LA for three weeks.

What’s next for you guys? 

We would love to start a family in the next couple of years but in the meantime we are really enjoying the newlywed stage of our lives  We have an exciting 12 months ahead filled with lots of travel and some very close friends’ weddings that we are really looking forward to.

Who was your dream team on the day?

Definitely you guys (Sass Studios)! We had so much fun hanging out with you both on the day. You made us both feel so relaxed and comfortable… It really was like hanging out with old friends  We could not be happier with how our photos turned out. They truly are magical and capture the day perfectly!

AND…

Sea Temple Resort and Spa Port Douglas

Natasha Kolosche Celebrant

Passion for Cakes

Floral Edge Port Douglas

Dress By Collette Dinigan

And the lovely crew at Lumina Motion Pictures made them a little movie  you can see here

They incorporated Port Douglas’s top wedding venues into their wedding day with ease and elegance.  Their guests had a ball, we did too.

Elise chats to us more below about finding her fairytale dress and her special day in paradise with the man of her dreams.

How did you meet?

In 2009 I was buying my first home and needed to find a room mate, at the same time my cousin was moving overseas and his room mate (Dave) needed somewhere new to live. Dave and I had a brief phone conversation in an attempt to ascertain that neither of us were crazy.   I thought he had a sexy voice and I felt confident he wasn’t the type I would find wearing my underwear or staring at me while I slept.  So we arranged to meet. The first moment I saw Dave I said to myself this is the man I am going to marry- without him saying a word I just knew he was the one.

The proposal? 

On August 15, 2011 Dave and I went on our monthly date night, I thought Dave was really making an effort dressing in slacks and long sleeved shirt, but thought nothing else of it, we had a lovely dinner at Dundees and on the way home Dave suggested it might be nice to go up to the Copperload Dam lookout to look at the city lights. We got to the lookout and there were a couple of cars of teenagers, Dave looking nervous decided to find something ‘more private’, he tried to pull the car to the very edge of the cliff further up the road and came very close to going over the edge. Eventually pulling the car to a safe place with a nice view, dave asked me to get out of the car, the next second he was down on one knee with a ring box in his hands, of course I said yes! Dave told me how he had nervously asked my dad for permission, something he knew was really important to me and I was pleased to hear that dad teared up and gleefully gave Dave permission, adding there is no other man as worthy of me as Dave.  Dave had spent months with Shane from Rowe Design, choosing diamonds and styles of rings all without me knowing.

How did you decide on a place to celebrate your wedding day?

We both love Port Douglas and fell in love with beachfront of Sea Temple Resort, we wanted the ceremony to be relaxed and beautiful and that’s exactly what we got.

We wanted the Reception to be the party to end all parties, when we saw Flames Of The Forest there was no more venue searching, we had found the perfect place, absolutely stunning and no noise restrictions! We decided on a canapé style reception so our guests could mingle and make new friends.  We kept the reception location a secret from our guests to add an air of mystery and fun to the event, it was hilarious hearing all the different ideas people had for where they thought they were going.  Driving into the forest and hearing our guests gasp when the wall of fire crossed the road was fantastic. Our Reception cards in the wedding invites read “Please join us in the celebration of our marriage at a mystery location for a selection of canapés, drinks and awkward but enthusiastic dancing”. (I am known for my awkward but enthusiastic dance style). We wanted a reception full of dancing and merriment that reflected our personalities.  My brother was our MC and he did an amazing job, there was so much laughter and dancing, truly the greatest night of our lives.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress:

Growing up my favorite story was- The Gown Of Cobweb Lace, the book was my mothers as a little girl- A peasant fairy saves a fairy dressmaker and for her kindness he makes her the most beautiful gown of cobweb lace to wear to the ball to meet the prince- so all I ever wanted was a lace gown, the moment I saw my dress I fell in love, when my mum saw me in it the first thing she said was  “this is your gown of cobweb lace” and we both cried.

Describe your wedding flowers:

The flowers were a combination of ivory and latte roses with silver foliage which really complemented the colour and style of my dress, they smelt divine! The florist (Angie) is my best friends mum and growing up I used to adore her arrangements and couldn’t wait for the day that I got my own bouquet made by her, knowing that they were made with love made them even more beautiful.

Describe your wedding cake: 

I made white chocolate mud cupcakes with, lemon butter cream icing.  Cupcakes fit with the canapé style of food and are so quick, cheap and easy to make- who doesn’t love cupcakes?!  We were all so busy dancing that we forgot to eat them so we gifted them to the staff at flames for making the night so amazing.

What was the biggest challenge you faced while planning your big day? 

I can’t actually think of any challenges we faced, I think that was down to the fact we had great suppliers who made everything really easy.

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?

Elise: Hmmmm, I can’t choose just one. The look on Daves face as I walked down the aisle, the tears in my dads eyes when he saw me in my wedding dress, saying my vows, holding my mums hand walking down the aisle, standing on the stage at the reception saying my speech- looking out at the crowd and seeing all the people that love us the most smiling back at us. The hilarious and heart warming speeches, my sister singing our first dance song,  the dancing, the shoe game, but most of all the overwhelming feeling of love you get when you realise you just spent the best day of your life with the man of your dreams.

Did you write your own vows? 

You could say we composed them, we found a lot of well written things on the internet all more eloquently written than we had the literary capacity to write ourselves.   They contained the meaning and love that we felt for each other so we picked and chose bits,  threw in a few personalized promises to each other such as me trying to stack the dishwasher more efficiently and Dave attempting to dry himself better. I have to say I am keeping up with my side of the promise- I don’t know about Dave- he still drip dries a lot, lucky he is good looking

Where did you go for your honey moon?

We spent five days at Waikiki Beach Hawaii before boarding a 18 night cruise through the South Pacific making awesome memories and making some great new friends.

What’s next for you guys? 

Hopefully more travel and adventure and perhaps a family of our own to share it with.

Who were your suppliers on the day?

The amazing Ben and Cath from Sass Studios- www.sassstudios.com

Shane from Rowe designs for our beautiful rings- http://rowedesign.com.au

Angela Lewis from Botanica, did the amazing flowers- 

http://www.botanicadesign.com.au

Flames of the forest, the most amazing reception venue- http://www.flamesoftheforest.com.au

Sea Temple Resort and Spa Port Douglas- http://www.mirvachotels.com/sea-temple-resort-port-douglas

Megan from Roger David for taking care of 8 unorganised men and their suits-  http://www.rogerdavid.com.au

Hills in Hollywood Chermside for the dress of my dreams- http://www.hillsinhollywood.com

Chrissy Ratcliffe celebrant- for the amazing job she did and making it legit- http://www.chrissyratcliffe.com.au

DJ Feel the music- Ben rocked the reception!- http://www.djftm.com

Hair by the girls at Eclectic Hair- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eclectic-Hair/208301789201308

Makeup by Penny- http://makeupbyphennapha.tumblr.com

Scottish weddings are just a delight to witness.  Your foot never stops tapping and there’s just as many heartfelt tears as there are big belly laughs.   The quick-wittedness seems to be only enhanced by the donning of a kilt and you want to have had your Weet-bix because once the dancing starts, there’s no other choice but to jump on and enjoy the ride!

Johanna talks us through her incredible day below as we count down the days to the arrival of the Macgregor bubba.

Sláinte!

How did you meet?

We met at an ex-pat pub in Kobe, Japan.

Describe the proposal? 

Neil got down on one knee at Edinburgh Castle during a visit home to Scotland for Christmas.  He chose a quiet corner as he was terrified of congratulatory applause from American tourists!

How did you decide on a place to celebrate your wedding day?

Well….we met in Japan while living in South Africa and as Neil’s from Edinburgh and I’m from Melbourne,  we decided on a destination wedding – somewhere warm
and somewhere quaint where our guests could also have a relaxing holiday.

We’d narrowed our options down to somewhere in Tropical North Queensland fairly early on but could not be happier that we decided on
Port Douglas. That little town is just pure magic.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress:

I found my wedding dress in Johannesburg, South Africa (where we were living at the time.)  I was fortunate enough to find my dream dress!  Surprisingly, picking the dress was one of the quickest decisions  made throughout the whole wedding-planning process.

Describe your wedding flowers:

A huge bouquet of white roses! The biggest bouquet I’ve ever seen. So lucky!

Describe your wedding cake: 

A single tier chocolate mud cake with white icing.

What was the biggest challenge you faced while planning your big day?  

Logistics!! We planned almost the entire wedding via email and skype and a lot of the final details weren’t seen by us until the big day!

It really was the most amazing process and  loved the planning related to the smaller details the most!

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?

The intimate ceremony was unforgettable.

Actually, the whole ceremony and reception was very intimate.

We celebrated our special day with mostly family and a few close friends (just 48 guests.)

Other particularly special moments included surprising our guests with a Rainforest Grotto reception in the beautiful Marquee in the middle of a bamboo grove (we transported them from the Sugar Wharf to the second location by bus and noone knew where they were going until they arrived.)

We also loved seeing all of our guests get up and join in Scottish dancing.  After everyone dressed up so beautifully to celebrate it was great to end the night a bit messy and giggly!

Did you write your own vows? 

Yes, we wrote our own vows.  Will keep them forever and are so glad that we did.  When you begin writing them before the wedding it feels cheesy but on the day it just feels right.   Goodness, if you can’t be a bit cheesy, romantic on your wedding day, when can you be?

Where did you go for your honey moon?

Neil planned a surprise honeymoon – a breathtaking trip to the Maldives.

What’s next for you guys? 

Since the wedding have relocated to Melbourne but will most likely continue to be an international expat couple.  Although things as we know it are about to change as we are expecting a baby in February 2013.

Who was your dream team on the day?

Wedding Co-ordinator: Annie Crowson, Managing Australian Destinations
Flowers: Wynne Robinson
Catering: Delphine Catering
Bride & Bridesmaid’s Hair: Kira Otswald Comber
Bride & Bridesmaid’s Makeup: Jess Hall
Photography: Sass Studios

and No.7 Wharf Street Port Douglas

A custom designed, hand built quality album becomes a tangible family asset that will be loved for generations.

To help make this possible for all our clients we are offering a 25% discount on selected Queensberry Flushmount and Overlay Matted albums for our 2011 and 2012 clients (valid until December 31 2012).   This offer is also available to 2013 couples, upgrading from a digital package to a Queensberry Album.

AND anyone who takes part in the exciting offer will also receive a goat. No really.

Click here for more details and pricing on this limited offer.

and click here to find out about that goat

]]> http://www.sassstudios.com/blog/holidays-album-special/feed/ 0 http://www.sassstudios.com/blog/solar-eclipse-2012-port-douglas/ http://www.sassstudios.com/blog/solar-eclipse-2012-port-douglas/#comments Tue, 13 Nov 2012 23:30:20 +0000 admin http://www.sassstudios.com/blog/?p=2485  

You find yourself in a quandary as a photographer when experiences like the Total Solar Eclipse come along. Do you document it and miss the whole thing having your head stuck to the back of the camera?  or sit quietly on the beach and immerse your self in the atmosphere.

We’d pretty much decided on the latter until we stepped on the beach and felt the energy of the crowd as the sun was rising.

So here’s a couple of shots of the Total Solar Eclipse from Four Mile Beach Port Douglas – Australia

The clouds came and went just at the right times THANKFULLY!!  There were many eclipse chasers holding their breath.

These shots were hand held without the appropriate filters *gasp* using the Nikon D800 and a 70-200mm lens.  It was tricky to focus without staring in to the sun but most of the shots were taken during the safer phase of the eclipse.

I’ve tried not to mess with colours or exposures so you can feel how it was to be there.

The crowd at the end of the beach were gathering for the start of the Solar Eclipse Adventure Marathon, which was to kick off just as the sun re-emerged from behind the moon.

Ps  The stars came out.   IT. WAS. AMAZING! 

Simone and Justin arrived from Adelaide to their destination wedding in Palm Cove.  The Tropical Far North put on a perfect display of blue skies, matching oceans and light breezes.  Town was buzzing, the vibe was exciting.

Read more from the super stunning Simone after the pics.  Enjoy!

How did you meet?

Justin and I met through mutual friends when I was 18. We started out as friends and always had so much fun together and a lot in common. We soon fell in love and became a couple.

Describe the proposal?

Justin put a lot of thought into the proposal and it was very sweet. I love musical theatre and unfortunately living in Adelaide we miss many of the big productions.  Justin surprised me with a weekend away to Melbourne to see The Lion King the musical which was playing at the beautiful Regent Theatre at the time. The next day we were in the Melbourne Fitzroy gardens and he popped the special question.

How did you decide on a place to celebrate your wedding day?

After a long search trying to find a suitable location in Adelaide and considering overseas locations as options, we decided on Palm Cove Queensland. Justin and I always loved the idea of an intimate destination wedding in a warm tropical climate and after a holiday to Far North Queensland last year we fell in love with the beautiful region and the laid back feel of the area.  We wanted an elegant and romantic yet relaxed wedding day and chose Palm Cove for the stunning setting and relaxed atmosphere. A beach wedding in lovely Palm Cove suited us perfectly and luckily our family and close friends were happy to join us in Palm Cove for the wedding.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress:

It was a long search to find my dress. I had been to nearly every bridal shop in Adelaide and tried on a range of different styles but could not find a dress that felt right. I knew I had to be practical with my choice as the weather would be warm and humid and the ceremony was held on the beach however the little girl in me still wanted a dress that made me feel like a princess with a train and full skirt. I then looked on the Essence of Australia website and saw a dress that was just what I was looking for and made an appointment to try it on the next day. My dad and Step mum came with me and we knew the minute I put the dress on that it was perfect for me and exactly what I was looking for.

Describe your wedding flowers:

Rachel from Blush Floral did an amazing job with the flowers and centerpieces. I gave Rachel an idea of the style and colours I was looking for and then trusted that she would do an incredible job. Originally I wanted David Austin roses as I wanted to incorporate the favorite flower of my mother who has passed away into the wedding however unfortunately the David Austin’s were unavailable due to the season. Rachel used ranunculus in the bouquets instead which provided the same type of look as the David Austin Rose and was still one of my Mothers favorite flowers which worked out beautifully.  Rachel also arranged my centerpieces which were absolutely perfect. I loved my flowers and Rachel completely understood the style I was after and surpassed my expectations.

Describe your wedding cake:

Our delicious wedding cake was two tires with the first layer banana cake with dark chocolate filling and the second layer vanilla cake with a raspberry filling. The cake was ombre style with a pink gradient and ruffled icing.

What was the biggest challenge you faced while planning your big day?

The biggest challenge was planning from interstate and not being able to meet my suppliers and view venues in person until I arrived days before the wedding. However by using recommended suppliers with professional websites that showcased a wide range of their work it made the decisions considerably easier. Looking at potential suppliers Facebook pages was great as I was able to see their latest work and read up to date reviews and recommendations.

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?

We had so many special moments throughout the day however It would have to be having my father walk me down the aisle and also seeing Justin all teary when he first saw me. Our first dance will also always be memorable to us. We had dance lessons in the weeks leading up to the wedding and on the night we managed to execute our Samba without any mistakes and loved performing the dance together. We felt so fortunate to be surrounded by our wonderful family friends and so thankful to have them in our lives and all together on our wedding day.

Did you write your own vows?

We incorporated different parts from the examples our lovely celebrate provided us to come up with personalised vows that suited us and reflected how we feel about each other.

Where did you go for your honeymoon?

Following a week in Port Douglas and Palm Cove we spent two blissful weeks in Koh Samui Thailand and a weekend in Singapore on the way home.

What’s next for you guys?

We are currently enjoying married life and looking forward to a summer hopefully filled with fun and adventure. We have a mini holiday booked for Christmas and then will start planning for a big overseas holiday in 2014.

Who were your suppliers on the day?

Every one of my suppliers exceeded my expectations and were all professional, talented and made my day perfect. I am so thankful to each one of  them for the work they did to make the day run seamlessly and would highly recommend each one.

Photography – Cath from Sass Studios – http://www.sassstudios.com

Flowers and centerpieces: Blush Floral  http://www.blushfloral.com

Reception: Peppers Beach Club Palm Cove http://www.peppers.com.au/beach-club-spa

Wedding Cake: Wedding Cakes Cairns by James Saunders http://www.cairnsweddingcakes.com.au

Ceremony Arbor: Eventcore   http://www.eventcore.com.au

Hair and Make up: Tropical Beauty http://www.tropicalbeauty.com.au

LOVE Letters: Occasional Letters  http://www.occasionalletters.com

Reception lighting: BlackBright AV http://www.brightblackav.com.au

Ceremony and reception music and MC duties – Danny – Millennium weddings: www.millenniumweddings.com.au

Celebrant – Aphrodite Anderson marryme@cairnstropicalweddings.com.au

I received the photos yesterday and they are so amazing, we love them. You completely understood what we were after and they are just perfect. Thankyou for all your help and for being a part of our special day. You were so lovely to have along on the day and so easy to work with all the way through the planning process. Simone and Justin xx”

How did you meet?

We were introduced by a mutual friend at a bbq in my home town of Queenstown, NZ, on New Year’s Eve 2007.  Jose was living there, after having travelled around New Zealand for a while, and I’d come home for Christmas from Melbourne.  Our friend had been saying to both of us that she really wanted us to meet because she thought we’d really like each other, so she feels very smug now!

Describe the proposal? 

Very low key and very us!  We were sitting on the couch on a rainy Saturday night in March 2011, watching TV.  We had discussed getting married before but never in much detail, as recently as earlier that week.  All of a sudden Jose turned to me and said “Let’s do it.  Will you marry me?”  After establishing that yes, he was serious, I was very quick to say yes!

I also got a second proposal of sorts, about 6 months later, when Jose gave me my engagement ring.  I was laid up on the couch recovering from an ankle reconstruction and Jose arrived home with an espresso machine for me, as I’d been missing my ‘real’ coffee.  I opened the machine up and there was a gorgeous diamond ring hiding inside, and looked up to see Jose down on one knee.  Coffee and diamonds – just the thing to make me feel better after surgery!

How did you decide on a place to celebrate your wedding day?

We’d originally planned to get married back in Queenstown, where we met, and had gotten as far as booking a venue and a photographer before deciding it wasn’t for us.  Neither of us wanted to have a big traditional wedding, so we started thinking it might be nice to have a destination wedding with just immediate family and some close friends.  My mum and my step-dad had actually eloped to Port Douglas back in 2006 so we thought we would continue the tradition!  We’re so happy we did, Port Douglas was just beautiful (so warm and the people were so friendly!) and all of our guests got to have an amazing holiday as well.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress:

I’d been looking through some bridal magazines prior to beginning the big search, and wasn’t really finding anything that caught my eye – I didn’t want anything too flouncy or big, the simpler the better.  Then I saw a picture of a bridesmaids dress in one of the magazines that was exactly what I wanted, but in blue.  After tracking down the label, ‘Harvey and Ella’ made by Louise Angwin, here in Melbourne, I made an appointment to go and try on some of her samples.  The dress was the first and only one that I tried on, it was exactly what I wanted.

Describe your wedding flowers:

The gorgeous Gab from Nine Blooms did such a brilliant job.  After a few phone conversations and many emails, I realised that she completely got the sort of look I was going for.  So I basically sent her a picture of the bouquet I liked (pink and white roses in a very simple bouquet) and then said “I trust you – do whatever you think would work” for the flowers for the tables and the button-holes and everything else.  She completely exceeded my expectations, the flowers were so beautiful and so detailed – vintage-y, casual arrangements of white and pink flowers with a bit of greenery, in fishbowl vases.  I also really loved the single blooms that she put in vintage perfume bottles along the reception table… gorgeous!  She also managed to make the best, funniest, and tackiest 80’s style carnation corsage for me to give my Mum as a joke (after I had spent 6 months teasing her that this was the sort of thing that a proper Mother Of The Bride should wear).

Describe your wedding cake: 

In a word?  Delicious!  Lorraine from Passion For Cakes in Cairns made it for us.  It was two round layers with a top layer of white chocolate and caramel mud-cake, and the bottom layer of milk chocolate and raspberry mud-cake, covered in vanilla butter cream, topped with fresh flowers.  It was great – when it was laid out on the table after the dinner, everyone started saying that they couldn’t fit it in, so they’d only try a bite of it – but once everyone had had a taste and realised how delicious it was, they somehow found some room to fit it in…

What was the biggest challenge you faced while planning your big day?  

I was just sitting here trying to figure out what it was, and then realised if I had to rack my brains to think of something, then it probably wasn’t that challenging!  I actually really enjoyed the planning process and having all the awesome guests and suppliers that we did made everything so easy.

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?
 

It would have to be walking down the aisle and the ceremony.  I had been feeling quite teary and nervous and emotional right beforehand but as soon as I saw Jose standing at the other end of the aisle, also looking a bit teary, I all of a sudden felt really calm and so happy and so lucky to be about to marry my best friend.  It sounds very cheesy and corny (sorry!) but the whole ceremony was just so perfect, I felt surrounded by lots of love and just couldn’t stop smiling the whole time.

Did you write your own vows? 

Yes, it was important to both of us that it was meaningful and not just words on a page.  We also decided to keep the final version secret from the other so we would really pay attention to the words on the day. We had so many laughs reading through some of the suggested vows that our lovely celebrant provided to us, and ones that we read on the internet to help get us started – there were many threats of being left at the altar though if either of us promised to “dance amongst the sands of love” or to “eternally feel the breath of love upon our faces” during the course of the vows!

Where are you going for your honeymoon?  

Well, the wedding and honeymoon were sort of combined!  We had 5 days in Port Douglas, 5 days in Palm Cove then a few days on the Gold Coast on the way home.  We’re also heading over to Chile next year to celebrate with Jose’s family who couldn’t make it over for the wedding.

What’s next for you guys? 

Back to reality after an amazing wedding!  We’re enjoying being newly-weds, and having a disposable income again after saving for the wedding, and we are planning to buy a house soon.  After that, we have a couple of big overseas trips to plan – Chile next year, then (hopefully) Europe in 2014.  Hopefully we’ll manage to get back to Port Douglas for a holiday as well, sooner rather than later!

Never a dull moment in the Sass household, besides a quick trip OS, a few variations of the flu and the constant shenanigans of the little lads, ’tis the season to get married and why not the when the weather has been pinch yourself perfect!

We’ve met another bunch of incredible brides and grooms all with their own interesting stories.  We’ll try and blog a few more individual weddings soon – they’ve all been a pleasure to be a part of.

We have a new website and without confusing you too much, this is our blog site, the website you can access by clicking the portfolio site button.

or click here. 

We’ve had our website since the very birth of Sass Studios so it’s a hard to let go of, instead we just breath a little life into it every few years.  But mostly you’ll find our latest cavorts right here!

What Else?

We’ve also decided to set up a dedicated elopement service in Port Douglas.  As you know Port is a very popular wedding destination but equally popular for elopements.

Having been around Port Douglas for 13 years and involved with weddings for 6, we feel privileged and qualified to assist our brides and grooms with tips and tricks for creating the ultimate wedding experience, even if it’s just the two of them, barefoot on the beach!

Click here to visit Port Douglas Elopements.  Come and say hi and don’t forget to tell your friends.

Here’s a quick grab from some of our recent weddings, hats off to the creative and organisational skills of the lovely ladies….  You never cease to amaze us and our cameras : )

Win a Port Douglas Wedding!

Edition no 8 of Port Douglas the Magazine is now on the shelves, with our shot of  Nick Carling on the cover.  It’s a great mag run by an awesome bunch of forward thinking locals.  This edition is full of all the cool stuff happening in and around PD + the awesome opportunity to win a Port Douglas Wedding…. Click here to buy the mag online if you don’t live locally. Alternatively you could ask us really really nicely to buy you a copy and fill in your details : ) Competition closes 10th October 12.  There may also be an interview with us lurking behind the cover : )

 Is that all?

Almost, we’ve also popped up on the current cover of Geelong Bride magazine with the beautiful Renee and Corey’s Enright’s wedding,- shameless brag is all : )

One last thing,

If you’re visiting the region and looking for things to do, the Moonlight Cinema in Port Douglas is definitely worth a night of your time and the Cairns Festival is also taking over Cairns city until the 2nd of September. Good times to be had!

XOXO  Cath and Ben

Their day was comprised of beautiful family and friends, lot’s of cute kids, the family pets, a sweet little country chapel, amazing Tableland colours and landscapes and lot’s of glorious sunlight.

Teneale chats to us below..

How did you meet?

Ryan and I met at school. We had been friends since year one and started a long distance romance after year twelve.

Describe the proposal? 

Torrential rain! Ryan had organised a picnic with bits and pieces from our travels together. There were cherries from Young, strawberries and cream to tie in our adventures at Wimbledon, baguettes and cheese from a French bakery and an organised Vespa ride which was cancelled due to the rain.

How did you decide on a place to celebrate your wedding day?

The choice for us was easy. We loved Eden house (our reception venue) in Yungaburra and thought the idea of having the church just up the hill from the reception meant that our guests could walk around the heritage town and enjoy some of the charm.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress:

I had a couple of ideas in mind but when we went looking there wasn’t anything that brought all the ideas together. Mum and I went to Townsville to meet with my Aunty where we hit the bridal boutiques. My Aunty actually picked my dress and although I was apprehensive about how it looked on the rack once I tried it on I was sold.

Describe your wedding flowers:

Ryan’s Mum created our wedding flowers. We gave her some ideas from magazines and she sourced the roses from local farms. My big request was simple and elegant and she pulled this together beautifully.

Describe your wedding cake: 

Our cake was made by Lyndsey Crossland from Cupcake Creations in Cairns. I took in an idea from a magazine and she worked her magic from there. I was keen to use cupcakes as a base for a cake as my Sisters-in-law had done the same so it was a bit of a new tradition continuing on.

What was the biggest challenge you faced while planning your big day?  

Our inability to make decisions and trying to juggle the traditional aspects we wanted with the uniqueness of us as a couple. We also had a very difficult time ensuring our guest list mirrored all the amazing people we have met as a couple.

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?
We asked my Grandmother and Ryan’s Grandfather to sign our marriage certificate. For us it symbolized the joining of two families and the recognition of their roles in our family. The surprise slide show that our groomsmen organised at the reception. As we had such a mixture of guests from different times in our lives the slide show was a great opportunity to piece our lives and relationship together. It was the most precious gift.

Did you write your own vows?

We kept some elements of our vows traditional and then also incorporated some readings and prayers that meant something to us as a couple.

Where did you go for your honeymoon?  

Ryan had organised our honeymoon as a surprise. So our trip to Port Douglas ended up with six glorious days in Samoa!

What’s next for you guys? 

We are still coming down from the high of the our wedding celebration and are on the countdown as our first baby is due at the end of July.