ALLY X DAVID

twig and fawn photography sunshine coast wedding

Wedding date: 27th April 2019
Number of guests: 75

Ally + David marry at the White Wedding Church Maleny (ceremony) and Spicers Clovelly Estate (reception) on the Sunshine Coast, captured by Twig and Fawn Photography. These two incredible souls met at medical school, over a frog leg in a lab session. Together for 3 years and then a 2½ year engagement while they were busy travelling in Europe! Ally arrived home at 11:30pm after a late shift at the hospital on NYE. David had unbeknownst to her set up an elaborate treasure hunt (with Poppy the dog delivering the first clue!) through the house and garden, which ended at an amazing gazebo-and-fairy-lights set up with David in a tux down on one knee. The only thing he could have done better was to tell Ally to get changed out of her scrubs at the start!

What led you to decide on your Wedding venue? Spicers Clovelly had always been a favourite place for us, being the venue of a couple of very special weekends away. We had experienced the high quality service, food, and accommodation, and knew they would make our wedding day go seamlessly. They also allowed kids to attend and stay on site, which was important to us because we wanted to have our nieces and nephews involved on the day.

What was the inspiration behind your Wedding theme? Classic and elegant, neutral tones
Your most favourite moment/s of the day: Ally - David surprising me with an incredible singing performance (a cappella arrangements with him as lead soloists and 6 of our friends singing back-up, barbershop style. David - Watching Ally walk down the aisle, and seeing her face when I was singing to her.

Favourite details: Ally wearing her mum’s 31-year-old veil

Having the amazing cake homemade by a school friend. Flowers - Sandi did an incredible job! Particularly the plinth arrangements in the chapel, they were just breathtaking. We were extremely happy with our invites and thank you cards from Minted. We love our custom-made rings from NY2K Jewellers.

How long did it take for you to find and how was your dress/suit shopping experience overall? Ally - I knew what I wanted, it was just a matter of finding it. After lots of online research I found it at the second shop we visited, and knew immediately that it was the one. David - I tried many different places and thought I would choose tailored or bespoke, but in the end the suit that I liked the best was an MJ Bale one off the rack! It fit so well and only needed minimal alterations.

What does marriage mean to you? Our wedding day was the day we created our new family: the two of us, (the dog), and our future children. From now on this family comes first and foremost to us. Even though we live in a time when being married is most definitely not a pre-requisite for having a relationship or family, for us becoming husband and wife feels like a significant deepening and strengthening of our bond.

Any classic stories you want to share from the day? We were actually lucky with how smoothly everything went! A funny moment from the ceremony was when one of the groomsmen handed a tissue along the row for David (as Ally walked down the aisle), the best man (a dear friend to both of us) was absolutely bawling and took the tissue for himself…until he realised it was actually for David and had to pass it on with a tear or two already wiped on it.

What advice would you offer to other couples planning a Wedding? Get the big things that will book out quickly locked in early (venue, photographer, florist). You probably don’t need to bother with bonbonerie as by that time of the night most people will just forget and leave them behind on the tables. Communication is super important between you and your vendors, so ensure you choose someone who is responsive to emails/messages and you get along well with.

Doing your own makeup can be a great idea if you want to go for a less “done up” look, and want to get some extra skills and amazing products through lessons in the lead up to the big day. The bridesmaids also had so much fun doing practices together beforehand. Make time to spend with each other on the day - you don’t want to get to the end of the night and realise you hardly saw each other. For us this was having a sweetheart table at the reception - so we were sitting in the middle and could easily catch up with all our guests between courses, and also had some quiet time to chat together.

Any stand out vendors for the day? Someone that went above and beyond? Paula from PS I Love Hair - so amazing in the lead-up with brilliant email and phone communication, plenty of ideas, and super talented at making photo inspiration a reality Cath from Little White Wedding Church - so helpful during the rehearsal and on the actual day - even fixing my train for me as I started to walk down the aisle.

Sandi from Willow Bud - not only for her breathtaking work but also for her support in the lead up, giving me phone calls and advice about many other aspects of the wedding too. Kate from Twig & Fawn - Worked tirelessly to produce our stunning images that captured our vision perfectly. Helped with practicalities such as attaching button-holes, fixing veils and dresses. Jackie from Life is Peachy who made our signage for the day. She was amazing with her communication and how quickly she had everything made and delivered.

Kevin from Champers Rolls Royce Hire - the perfect gentleman! Arrived early to collect us, offered to stay for as long as we liked for more photos after the finish time he had been paid until, and having the back seat stocked with emergency supplies.