CELESTE X MITCH

images by Madelyn Holmes Photographics

This classically styled Wedding included sharing 12 year old family brewed Port, sweet, sweet portraits amongst the cacti & a young boys parents promising each other their forever's - Celeste & Mitch's recap of their beautiful Wedding day & sharing even a little of their love story had us reaching for the happy tear kleenex!

How did the two of you meet? Thank goodness we did! I happened to meet Kat (Mitch’s housemate at the time) on a girl’s night out. After a couple of cocktails she just wouldn’t stop telling me about her extremely good looking housemate Mitch – who just happened to be single – and did she mention he was extremely good looking? I wasn’t particularly interested until I laid eyes on Mitch later that night after another few rounds of cocktails. BOY was he good looking!! And it turns out he thought the same of me. The rest is history.

How long were you together before your engagement? We kept things cool for about 6 months until the “L” word popped out of our mouths. From there it was full steam ahead. It was about 2 years from our eyes meeting for the first time until Mitch’s proposal.

Tell us about the proposal: We were taking a stroll along the beach after work one afternoon. Mitch, being an amazing sketch artist, challenged me to a ‘draw off’. We each turned our backs and got to work. Mitch finished first and had to wait patiently, all the while sweating with anticipation, until I had finished my masterpiece. As I turned around Mitch was on one knee right next to ‘Will you marry me?’ written in the sand. I was 6 months pregnant with our baby boy at the time so I was already emotional. The sun shone extra bright that day.

What led you to decide on your Wedding venue? We had no ideas at first as most the venues in our area have quite a country feel and we were after something classic. A few months later a new venue in our area popped up on social media so we decided to check it out. St Aubins Village was immaculate. It provided a space that accommodated our ceremony, pre-reception & reception. This was really important to us, we really wanted a space that made our guests feel carefree and made the afternoon flow nicely into the evening. Most of all it allowed us to decorate every space how we wanted it to be styled, making it easy to create the vibe we wanted to match our theme. We found everything we wanted in one place so it was a no brainer and our guests are still raving about how beautiful it was there.

What was the inspiration behind your Wedding theme? Our theme didn't really fall into place until I found my dress. We realised quickly that we wanted things to be simple and clean to make other features pop. Mitch is so easy to dress, he looks great in anything! So when he chose a charcoal suit and black bowtie we knew we wanted our Bridal party to have a classic vibe. We went for blacks, pinks, whites & crystal. We had gorgeous vintage velvet furniture, crystal glassware, orchids and black tapered candles. At the end of the afternoon we sat at our Bridal table overlooking our guests at the reception and had not one regret. Everything came together perfectly.

What was your favourite detail about the day? About 3 years ago for Christmas Mitch bought me a port barrel. My Dad has been brewing his own port for 20 years running and after moving away from him it was something I wanted to start doing for my own family. We had a decanter of my own brewed port on the bar which was an absolute hit with all of our guests! We’ve even had a couple start brewing their own port after the Wedding. My beloved Dad popped a bottle of port with us on our Wedding night – a bottle I had given to him for Father’s Day 12yrs ago. It was so special, it really brought all of us together on the night to celebrate our everlasting commitment together as a family.

Tell us about your dress: My Wedding dress shopping experience was a nightmare. All of the Bridal shops I went to were more than accommodating but I just didn’t feel myself in anything I put on. It got to 5 months before the Wedding and I was stressed! I ended up buying a Grace Loves Lace dress from Still White as I'd missed the order deadline for it to arrive in time for the Wedding from GLL directly - again, nightmare. It came covered in mould and was altered incorrectly but I got my money back thankfully. Eventually I realised that all the lace, beading and frills just weren't me.

I had been following Pasduchas for a while and really loved the Composure Gown but it wasn't what a Bride would normally wear so I was conflicted about the purchase. I was running out of time so I ordered it to try it on. As soon as I stepped into a completely white dress without all of the bells and whistles I knew it was the one, I felt like myself. I did try a few Bridal gowns on that only had a couple of embellishments but they either had a low back or front and I felt too exposed. I had a couple of things altered, added my own removable train and voila! I picked it up from the seamstress the afternoon before the Wedding but it worked out perfect.

Most favourite moment of the day: The moment our eyes met walking down the aisle at the ceremony. I was a blubbering mess but Mitch’s eyes were full of pure happiness. Even with all of our guests surrounding us, all we can remember from that moment is each other. We’ll never forget it.

What does marriage mean to you? We had already made a loving commitment to each other and built a solid foundation of life together before we got engaged. We welcomed our baby boy in the process of planning our Wedding which made our marriage commitment all the more sweet. Our marriage commitment to each other was to make the most of life together and with our family. We promised to tackle things together, listen to each other, cherish our time together and never let each other feel alone in the world - no matter how big the disagreement.

Any funny stories from the day? Our guests showered us in flower confetti as we were walking down the aisle for the first time as husband and wife and our 18 month old baby boy Colton thought they were trying to hurt us! He was so upset that he wouldn't even crack a smile for the group photo! We all had a good chuckle about it once he calmed down.

What advice would you offer to other couples planning a Wedding? Weddings consume you quicker than you think. Stay true to yourself and your style. Listen to advice but make sure it comes back to the both of you and what you really want. Most importantly, don't let the little details make you worry. At the end of the day people will remember your commitment to each other more than the bonbonniere on your table setting.

Any stand out vendors for the day? All of our vendors were amazing but there were definitely stand outs. Firstly, our photographer Madelyn is a dream! We had already had a few family shoots done with Maddy and immediately booked her in for our Wedding when we got engaged. I decided on a last minute venue change for our Wedding photos the morning of the Wedding and she made it a breeze. It's all so easy with Maddy, she captures the most candid moments and even stayed late at the reception to make sure we had every possible moment on film.

Secondly, our videographer Tim at DejaVu. You wouldn't have even noticed he was there and the end product is something we will always cherish. He stayed late too!

Last but not least our band Cheap Talk - these guys were actually all Wedding guests and great friends. We are both musicians so when it came to choosing our entertainment it was a no brainer, there was just one problem - they were all of our friends! The end of the night was so fun. Mitch had a go on the drumkit and a few guests got up to play different instruments.

MADELYN HOLMES PHOTOGRAPHICS
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Wedding songs:
Aisle - Dreams (acoustic version 2017), The Cranberries
Being musicians ourselves these songs were so important to us. I knew at the time of Dolores passing that I wanted a Cranberries song in the Wedding. They were always in my top 5 Artists and their acoustic album is my top 3. It is so fitting for the way I feel about Mitch, he really is a dream to me.

Recessional - Love on top, Beyoncé // Because Queen B :)

First Dance - With me, Sum 41 // I had been with Mitch about 1 year when this song came on the radio in the car on the way to the beach one day. He turned to me and said "this is the song I want to dance to at our wedding". I'll never forget that moment.


Mitchell + Celeste - St Aubins from DejaVu Photo&Film on Vimeo.

Photography: Madelyn Holmes Photographics // Videography: DejaVu Photo&Film – wedding video at https://vimeo.com/284708480 // Venue: St Aubins Village // Florals: Brides Floral Paradise. // Hair: NG Hair // Makeup: Bloom Makeup Artistry // Bride’s gown: Pasduchas. // Bride’s crown and earrings: Stephanie Browne // Bridesmaids attire: Mossman & BCB Generation // Engagement ring: Designed by the bride with opals from The Hilton, Cairns and set by Mystique Jewellers // Ring box: Amonie // Groom and groomsmen’s attire: Mark Bunt Menswear // Groom’s ring: Mystique Jewellers // Celebrant: Leanne Smith Civil Celebrant // Ceremony setup: Handmade by Ella // Reception setup: CQ Party Hire and National Hire Supplies // Cocktail setup: Vintage Hire – Creating Beautiful Spaces // Favours: Tricia Greinke Pottery and DIY by the bride // Catering: Lickity Fingers Catering // Cake: Wendy Bell // Music: Cheap Talk // Signage: Big Colour Works