For the nervous brides out there who are overwhelmed with choices, designs, and themes, we’ve got a gal whose “go-with-the-flow” attitude in designing her wedding will inspire you to follow your heart and not get caught up in the details as you go! Annie’s background in professional singing performance gave her a leg up as far as exposure to weddings goes, so when her own proposal came, she felt confident about how she wanted to approach her wedding planning. Her mindset was to make each decision as it came up, and rather than over-thinking every aspect, she went with a gut reaction to each choice and even gave a lot of freedom to her bridal party and guests to ensure they had a hand in creating a great time on wedding day. She advises other brides to do the same, saying “Trust yourself, you know what is best for you!” We love her confident attitude and love her photo album even more!
Annie’s toughest decision, she admits, was getting her wedding dress. Unlike most brides, who opt for a large entourage of friends and family to make an event of the gown selection, Annie ventured out on her own on her quest. She trekked from store to store, ending up in 8 different boutiques before she spotted the one she loved. Without much fanfare or deliberation, she picked her dream dress, and we think she did an amazing job choosing this super-flattering lace fit-and-flair.
Each bridesmaid was allowed to choose their own style and colour dress, which is so unlike most bridal parties, but it worked out beautifully to allow each maid to feel personally involved and comfortable in their own way for the event.
—– The Wedding Details —–
How did you and your partner meet?
I was singing a show at Marconi club, which for me is just another ordinary evening of work. An acquaintance of mine (the Best Man) wanted to see me sing; being the only night he had available, he brought Roberto (now, my husband), as a tag-along. Rob fell in love at first sight. Because I was exhausted and he is generally quite shy, I needed more convincing.
How did he propose?
He took me to a water-view restaurant at the site where he first asked me out – on his birthday – and I said no. This time, he surprised me with a dessert with “will you marry me”? written on the plate in chocolate sauce. I was too full to eat dessert, but was reluctantly pushed to order something. Luckily, I did, because this time, I took the chance to say “yes”.
How did you choose your wedding gown?
I just hopped in the car and looked, I did not tell a soul or send a single photo. It was just me, McDonalds drive-thru and 8 stores in two days. After years of wedding singing I had seen the best and worst of designs available and had the chance to narrow down what I like to look at versus what suits my body shape. It is hard to balance the two, but often they can be very different. Store after store I became clearer on eliminating what didn’t suit my body or personality, and clearer in expressing and describing what did. By the final store, I walked in and saw it on a rack and said I must try it on. The salesperson tried to sell dearer or different styled dresses, but after seeing my choice hid them, and rather added customisations that turned my choice into a unique one-off. My best decision of the entire day was the decision I made completely alone. Lesson learned: trust yourself, you know what is best for you, you already have the answers to being at your very best.
What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day?
I just built it up as I went along, I just chose what I liked and wished myself luck. Modern dress, classic cars, subtle flowers, arabic-style reception entry, protestant ceremony structure. And, I let the bridesmaids choose the dress and colour theming to let them feel as beautiful as possible. I cared about the people involved more than the “stuff” involved. So, it meant more to me that the people involved in the day enjoyed what they had a hand in co-creating with me.
What was your favorite moment from the day?
Straight after the electric, emotional moment of singing down the aisle and surprising and overwhelming everyone in the room… the bridal party all began to grimace at an unpleasant smell wafting through the room. Groom and I barely greeted each other without exchanging looks of “what is it you? It’s not me”? After the ceremony, we were informed that my pageboy – my nephew – was very nervous before his big aisle walk – and could not hold it in.
Any DIY décor elements?
None of my DIY involved decor. It has never been my area of strength. My only DIY was preparing music for me to sing down the aisle to; piano music for my sister the Maid of Honour to sing during the signing of the registry while her husband signed in her place; and pre-recording my singing “At Last” for our Bridal Waltz.
If you could do it all over again, what would you change?
I would not have bridesmaids. I love my friends and family but mixing the relationship with a label and a job description of “bridesmaid” puts unhealthy pressures on both sides. Friendship and family is more important than a title, and because they are friends and family, they will be doing the same things anyway.
Halve the speeches.
And I would invest more in entertainment. My MC and my DJ let the event down, all because I was shy to choose favorites amongst my musician friends, choosing one over another. Flowers, cakes and food don’t solidify in your memory. People and activities and their experiences do. Entertainment should be top priority.
Any tips that you can give to future brides?
Do not be swayed by anyone’s opinion of what is tradition or not. Every bride is different. Some brides prioritise things more than others. Some brides will go DIY on the very thing another bride will spare no expense! Whether flowers, music, stationery, photos, dresses. That is okay. That is them and this is you. The foundation of your tensions and disagreements with those around you, will be that they value something more than you do, or you really want something to happen a certain way different to their ideas. Fun as it is to share every part of your event with your bridesmaids and family, there is so much joy and satisfaction from consulting with and honoring the most important people at this party: you and your groom. Stick to your instincts, do what you love and leave no chance for regret. The people who are by your side to support you will supplement that joy, and follow your instincts on anybody else. You will learn so much about yourself in this process: your strength resilience, leadership skills, judge of character, communication and negotiation abilities, and your unique and beautiful style.
Approach your wedding plans with a term I now call “2nd wedding mentality”. Some of the most beautiful and loving weddings I have sung at are 2nd time weddings, because they do the very thing they wanted to do in the beginning but were pressured to do traditions because “it’s their wedding day”. What makes a tradition more important than your desires or self-expression? 2nd wedding mentality says, What would you do, wear, say or surround yourself with if there was no pressure anymore for it to be a certain cookie-cutter form, where all decisions are totally up to you? Nobody’s wedding needs to be the biggest or fanciest ever. It needs to be yours. It needs to be the highest and most unique and personal expression of your love. If you’re true to yourself and each other, you will follow that rule.
Photographer : T-One Photography
Off The Shoulder Wedding Gown : custom Demetrios gown from La Sposa
Makeup : Steph Tee Makeup
Hair : Malkonyan Hair
Shoes: Betts – on sale!
Accessories: Luv Bridal and LOVEON Jewellery
Bridesmaids Dresses: Brides in Love
Grooms Suit: All the Rage Formal Wear, Annandale
Photographer: T-One Photography
Stationery: Adorn Invitations
Cake: Wedding Cake Art
Flowers: All Seasons Flowers & Paris Me Bouquets
Catering + Ceremony and Reception Venue: Curzon Hall
Any Other Vendors:
Studio PR for producing the music for me to sing down the aisle to, and to pre-record my singing for my Bridal Waltz
Helena’s Day Spa for all my beauty planning and preparation in the months leading up to the busy season – from tanning to teeth whitening, my one-stop shop!
Style Photo Booth
HF Wedding Car Hire & Silver Cloud Car Hire.
