How long have you been together?
Six years.
Share with us a little about the proposal and how long you were engaged for?
It was on a Monday morning (we both work in hospitality and Mondays are our only day off). On Sunday night, Jonny insisted that he wanted to go on an adventure and watch the sunrise – we live on the far South Coast and have been there for over a year and never caught a sunrise.
I wanted to go to the gym that morning and we were bickering back and forth. He dropped the famous guilt trip line “you never want to do anything I want to do”.
Instantly I felt bad and agreed to go watch a sunrise with him. From there, he made sure we pulled into every beach along the way from 5:30am to find the perfect spot before the sunrise, knowing exactly what he had planned, me on the other hand was so off it. I was so annoyed I couldn’t go to the gym, as I had planned to go to Canberra that night and booked a restaurant that we both wanted to try for ages.
Finally, we pulled into a secluded beach, some minor bickering back and forth around walking down to the beach to find the perfect spot to sit and watch the sunrise and as the sun was rising, he dropped to one knee, I started to cry and we soaked up the moment together on the beach before calling our families. We were engaged for 11 months before we got married.
Tell us what made you decide on the location for your wedding?
We both met in Sydney and knew we didn’t want to get married there, but also had a lot of family and friends who would be travelling from there. After living on the South Coast, we knew we wanted it down here but not as far as where we are from. We picked Kiama as the destination as it was only 90 mins from Sydney and fairly close to travel to whether it was from the South Coast, Canberra or Sydney. We literally only looked at one venue and that was The Pavilion in Kiama and locked it in within the same week we viewed it. We loved how picturesque Kiama is, surrounded by water and we loved that it gave that mini coastal destination wedding vibe.
What was the inspiration for your wedding?
I’m Chinese and my husband is Samoan, so culture was really important to us. Having elements which showcased our backgrounds had to be included. These included our Chinese tea ceremony, my Samoan Siva, the Hakka and dances from Jonny’s side of the family.
Can you share some of your favourite details about your wedding day?
My Chinese tea ceremony dress and my family made a Samoan Siva dress (which Jonny’s cousins helped me put together). They also taught me the dance a week before our wedding and then we practised the night before, it was a real family bonding moment that I loved. But I also loved my florals from Willow and Bear,
I wish I had the room to take them all home.
What were the standout memories from your special day?
This was really hard to pick because the whole day was amazing for the both of us. For me, it was walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing Jonny so emotional and shedding tears. For Jonny, it was entering the reception venue as husband and wife and shooting the Chimoan (Chinese and Samoan) dollars from our money guns at the crowd – such a hype moment.
What does marriage mean to you as a couple?
Forever and ever. Officially a team. Supporting, encouraging, and loving unconditionally.
Do you have some advice that you would give to other couples in planning mode for their big day?
Try not to sweat the little stuff, you will spend all this time planning your dream wedding and on the day some things just won’t go to plan or the weather won’t be what you expected. But at the end of the day, you’re marrying your person and everyone has travelled to celebrate you both – that’s all that matters.
Contributing Vendor Details
Photographer: Evoke Company Cinematographer: Ripple Weddings Stylist: Wedding and Event Creators Florist: Willow and Bear Ceremony venue: The Pavilion Kiama
Reception venue: The Pavilion Kiama Catering: Culinarius catering
Cake maker: Bodalla Bakery Entertainment: Lady Lyric Celebrant: Hannah Klaes Transport: Dosh Limos
Bride Bridal gown designer: Alana Kirsten Bridal boutique: Love Marie Bridal Rings: Diamond Specialists
Veil: Love Marie Bridal
Hair: Jaimi Irving
Makeup: Melanie Irene Makeup Shoes: Bared Footwear Bridesmaid dresses: Bec & Bridge, Shona Joy
Groom Suit: Politix
Jacket: Politix
Pants: Politix
Tie/Bowtie: David Jones Shoes: The Iconic Groomsmen suits: Politix
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