Here is Part One of a little heartwarming double feature for you. This time 5 years ago, Carrie had just returned home from her honeymoon, following her wedding on the 23rd of June; and I was just gearing up for my own wedding on July 14th. So we figured, why not give you a little glimpse into our own special days, and the events and planning that lead up to them? So here is Carrie’s story – and you’ll have to wait until my anniversary for Part Two.

Carrie and Alex – A Dress, a Mountain, and a Dance in the Street.

I met Alex in Perth, 6 months later we re-met in Sydney at an event held at Luna Park (we visit there every time we go back to Sydney). We dated long distance – between Sydney and the Sunshine Coast – every 2nd weekend we would fly back and forth.

Things were going great with Alex and I and I knew he was “THE ONE”; even so much that two weeks before he proposed Mum and I thought we should go look at wedding dresses (just in case). The first shop we went into I found one off the rack for $250 dollars! Mum and I drove away that day giggling with a wedding dress in my old hatch back Corolla. Some alterations were needed, but two dress fittings later, the total cost of the dress came to $500, BARGAIN!

The proposal: Alex took me up to the top of Mt Beerwah. A good lesson learnt that day was that “good things are worth working for” – I really got a work out. The climb was so exciting because I knew what was coming at the top (to this day we can’t hide suprises from each other). He proposed and I said yes before he could finish. The clouds went away and a glorious circle rainbow appeared and a lady bug flew on my shoulder. A proposal never to forget. Oh yes and a hot guy that wanted me to be his wife!

So we dated for 3 months for and then in another 3 months we were married. Yes that’s right, a 6 month relationship in total!

Our wedding venue was a newly opened hall in North Ryde. Probably the best moment of the wedding planning process was Mum and Dad finding the beautiful hall for our venue and presenting it to me, each with a look glee on their face. It had beautiful wooden floors, a blank canvas for my Mum and I to work with and make it my own. It looked just like an old wedding chapel.

I love food buffets (who doesn’t?), so of course we had one of those. I also love handmade details, we had handmade place cards, and Mum made table cloths – I still use them to this day. I even put together my own wedding bouquet the night before, after my husband and I headed to the markets together to hand pick the right flowers. I included Camillia leaves from a bush in my Grandma’s garden, that I used to spend hours playing in when I was a little girl.

Although I only had 3 months to plan and organise the day, Alex was impressed by all the details of the day; because I lived in Sydney and he on the Sunshine Coast, it was pretty much all left up to me. I had no bridesmaids. I am sort of like a tom-boy, which is not surprising having grown up with  4 brothers and being the only girl. Well, my younger brother drove us around for the day, so I guess he was my bridesmaid.  In hindsight I think it was so much easier just the two of us in the wedding party anyway.

Knowing that I am a tom-boy, it might not surprise you that the most difficult thing when planning my wedding was finding SHOES. I’m not a heel wearer and it was a week before the wedding…my bridesmaid brother was with me and I found a $20 white low heel peep toe shoe! I even wiggled the bow on top of the shoe in the store when the assistant wasn’t looking to see if i could remove it! Bingo!

Oh! Our favours were Clinkers in a chinese box….so much fun for people to eat and play guessing games. My Nephew liked the ribbon on top and made it to be a super hero mask. Classic.

Our wedding song was “Just the way you look tonight”, from the Father of the Bride…and funnily enough as we finished our 5 year anniversary date in Brisbane the other week it was playing in a fancy cocktail party and so we had a little dance in the street below.

And the rest is history.

P.S. I love Alex even more than I did 5 years ago!