Have you ever been too tired to notice love at first site? Well that was Annie’s story, but her husband-to-be was immediately intrigued. Annie was singing at a show at Marconi club, which for Annie was just another ordinary evening of work. An acquaintance of hers (the Best Man-to-be) wanted to see her sing and he brought Roberto (the groom-to-be), as a tag-along. Rob fell in love at first sight, but because Annie was exhausted and Rob was generally quite shy, she 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”.
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 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 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.
Wedding Vendors
Dress: 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
Food: Curzon Hall
Flowers: All Seasons Flowers & Paris Me Bouquets
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Curzon Hall
Other Vendors:
Studio PR: Music production for brides song for ceremony entrance, and pre-recording of bride singing for Bridal Waltz
Helena’s Day Spa: Beauty planning and preparation
Style Photo Booth
Car Hire: HF Wedding Car Hire & Silver Cloud Car Hire