Chantelle’s Vintage Lace Tea Length Wedding Dress

How did your wedding dress make you feel?

I hadn’t dreamt for years about the ‘perfect’ dress and to be honest I was struggling to picture it all coming together whilst the girls were making it.  I knew I wanted something a bit quirky, with a vintage type feel so the tea length was really the only option for me.   I trusted that Elvi Design would make something impeccable but I was so overwhelmed with all the little details that I didn’t really notice that my dress was turning out to be a truly amazing creation that really made me feel ‘like me’.  Wearing my dress ‘for reals’ on the day was very emotional, it almost caught me by surprise. I felt Sandra & Birgitta captured my rambling ideas about what I wanted without me even knowing it.  I felt really beautiful, very myself and importantly very comfortable.  I could dance and pee without assistants which was a bonus!

What was your favourite moment on your big day?

Exchanging vows was my favourite moment.   In fact the vows were probably the aspect I enjoyed most about the planning and the actual big day.  The ceremony itself was a total sensory overload for me.  I couldn’t even remember walking down the aisle.  I knew I was moving but I couldn’t really see much, or even hear anything.  But when I got to the alter and I held Mickey’s hands I calmed down and started to be in the moment (god that’s corny but its true).  We wrote our own vows and that gave us a chance amidst all the chaos of organising things to sit back and reflect on who we are as a couple and why we were choosing to make these promises to each other.  Standing there are promising to make sure that every day we both knew we were loved was what the whole day was about.  Mickey then promised to make me study snacks so I can focus on my uni homework and I promised to protect Mick from germs (he’s a bit of a germaphobe).   I felt the love and support from our friends and family and I remember laughing and being confident that no matter what happened for the rest of the night it was all perfect.  Mickey’s grandparents have been married for over 60 years so they performed a ring blessing before we exchanged rings, which was also a very special moment for the both of us too.

Do you have any advice you’d like to pass on to other brides?

Stay off pinterest! It will ruin your life!! In all seriousness though, whilst there is a lot of great inspiration around, that ‘rustic barn wedding’ that you have been drooling over is styled within an inch of its life, which is fantastic if you have the budget to make all that happen but most people don’t, we certainly didn’t.  Pinterest, stylists, vendors, blogs, family, friends, fairs and expos…during the planning stage you get bombarded with a lot of information, inspiration and very well intended opinions from others.  You need some kind of reference point to help make decisions and to keep your day feeling ‘like you’.  The very first thing that Mickey and I did when planning our wedding was write down a few dot points of what we wanted our day to be like, what things we valued the most and what we wanted to be feeling.  12 months later we were often referring back to that list when we were faced with endless decisions about expensive car hire or the merits of 360 vs 390gsm cardstock… Knowing what matters the most to you will help navigate the planning stage, allow you to filter out the distractions, keep your expectations realistic and make the right decisions for you and your day. PS…we went with the 390gsm coaster board in natural off white.

What ‘style/theme’ did you choose for your wedding and why?

Theme: Our relationship was built on breakfast. Actually, with briner (breakfast for dinner) to be exact.  We’d eat stacks of pancakes with chantilly cream at 1am when Mick had finished long shifts in the kitchen or enjoy midnight muesli just because, well, it’s pretty great.  So we wanted the theme of our wedding to reflect these memories and be something really unique for our guests.

We worked closely with Heyder and Shears Exclusive caterers to design the menu which was served in a relaxed cocktail party style.  Examples of the brinner canapés served are Mini Eggs Florentine, quails egg, spinach, brioche, hollandaise, Smoked Salmon, Dill & Crème Fraiche, Buckwheat Blinis and Smoked Crispy Bacon & Maple Stacked Pancakes.  Arrival cocktails included espresso martinis and kiwi and honeydew melon bellinis.  There was also a make your own bloody mary cocktail bar, because what brinner is complete without some kind of kicky tomato elixir?  Desserts were also breakfast themed, our wedding cake was a sensational layered crepe cake.  There were 200 crepes and the filling was a vanilla bean Italian meringue buttercream and a Lemon curd.  We also had candied bacon cupcakes which were amazing and really popular with guests. We included the favors in the brinner theme as well.  Handmade by Mick’s mum they were individual serves of granola (the favour tags read; “Off to a good start granola”).

Styling: We wanted our wedding to be very personal, meaningful and a unique reflection of us as a couple.  Mickey and I love old stuff, anything rich in history with a good story to tell so we chose a vintage/shabby chic style.  This style allowed us to incorporate a lot of decorative pieces that have been in our families for generations, or that we have collected over the years, as we love antique shopping together.  It also allowed us to keep our wedding informal and relaxed, a bit quirky and uniquely us.

For more photos click here to see Nouba’s blogpost on Chantelle & Mickey.

Suppliers

Photography: CJ Williams Photography // Bride’s dress: Elvi Design // Bride’s shoes: Shoes of Prey| Bridesmaids dresses: Coast // Bridesmaids shoes: Tony Bianco // Groom’s suit: MJ Bale // Groom’s shoes: Florsheim // Rings: George Debelich // Accessories: Kirahley Kreations shoe clips, Brass Boheme hair clip, Willie Creek Pearls earrings, Tux and Tulle tie and pocket square // Hair: Jamie Victoria // Makeup: Alana Santos from Mila Makeup // Ceremony venue: Woodloes Homestead and Chapel // Celebrant: Danicia Dutry Ceremonies // Reception venue: bride’s parents’ private property // Flowers: Puzzles Floral Design // Catering: Heyder and Shears Exclusive Catering // Cake: Red Bird Cake Company // Entertainment: Systematic Visuals // Stationery/invitations: Whiteman Park Print Shop and The Articulate // Transport: Black London Cabs

Thanks for sharing your special day with us Chantelle. We really enjoyed working with you xx

Lisa’s Romantic Lace & Tulle Wedding Dress Wedding Upmarket May 2015