A roving magician saved our wedding
Amanda Byrne and Ash Walsh describe the time planning their wedding as during COVID as an “emotional rollercoaster’’ but they hired a roving magician to help lift the mood when dancing was banned.
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Forced to postpone their wedding only one month out from the big day, newlyweds Andrea Byrne and Ash Walsh describe the time as an “emotional rollercoaster’’.
The Oxley couple were fortunate to find another free date at their chosen venue, Gabbinbar Homestead in Toowoomba, so they chose to move their wedding from May 31 to September 20.
Despite the upheaval of the delay, the pair - who have been together for three years - say they managed to make their wedding day an “absolute dream’’ - with some slight modifications.
“Trying to plan the biggest day of your life in such an unpredictable time, with restrictions and border closures coming into play so quickly makes for a pretty stressful experience,’’ Byrne says.
“Our wedding was an absolute dream - everything ran perfectly and turned out better than we could have imagined. We wouldn’t change a thing.’’
The pair married in front of 75 guests and danced their first dance to I’m With You by Vance Joy. A planned honeymoon for Mexico but shifted slightly closer to home, to Queensland’s beautiful Hayman Island.
The proposal?
Ash surprised me with the ring on the first night of a weekend away at the coast.
We were getting ready to go out for a nice dinner and when I had finished getting ready, he was waiting on the balcony with two glasses of champagne. It was a total surprise.
What was the standout moment of the day?
It’s hard to pick just one moment, but we loved getting to see all of our family and friends straight after the ceremony for their congratulations as a newly married couple, especially as it had been such a long time since we had seen a lot of them due to COVID.
What would you do differently?
Our wedding was an absolute dream - everything ran perfectly and turned out better than we could have imagined. We wouldn’t change a thing.
What would you spend more or less on?
We wouldn’t change anything - but we are glad that we upped our flower budget as the florals really added to the aesthetics of the venue and made it extra special.
Best advice for other couples planning a wedding?
Choose vendors that you trust to look after you in the lead-up and on the day - it makes everything so much more enjoyable to know that they are looking out for you and lets you really enjoy the day.
Emotions around changing plans?
The lead up to the wedding (both the original date and the new date) was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.
Trying to plan the biggest day of your life in such an unpredictable time, with restrictions and border closures coming into play so quickly makes for a pretty stressful experience.
Whilst we didn’t want to move our wedding, we didn’t really have a choice with the restrictions in place at the time of our original date.
We decided it was for the best to reschedule for later in the year.
Updated wedding plans?
We were lucky to be able to keep most of our plans the same due to keeping the same venue. The main things we had to change included not being able to have a dancefloor (which is why we added the roving magician for reception entertainment) and also the border closures meant some of our interstate guests were unable to attend.
What helped you get through the stress of changing plans?
Whilst it was an emotional rollercoaster, we decided we would only move the date once and that we would get married on the new date no matter what the restrictions were at the time. We were also lucky to have amazing suppliers who made the whole experience so much less stressful by being super helpful and accommodating throughout the whole process.
Advice for other couples whose weddings are impacted by coronavirus?
Try not to let the uncertainty of COVID ruin your wedding planning experience - choose suppliers and a venue that you can trust to work with you whatever happens.
The Bride
Andrea Byrne, 28
Profession: Marketing
Parents: Valerie and Steven Byrne
Bridesmaids: Sophie Dodd, Lauren Byrne, Lily Calder-Potts, Jess Lockwood
Dress: Oksana Mukha
Hair: Saburi Hair Studio
Make-up: Stephanie Goldsworthy
Flowers: Poppies for Willow
Engagement ring: AG Designer Jeweller
The Groom
Ash Walsh, 32
Profession: Accountant
Parents: Kath and Greg Walsh
Groomsmen: Todd Slater, Scott Pye, Nick Stevenson, Andre Borell
Entertainment: DJ & lighting - G&M Event Group.
Roving magician: Mike Tyler Magic
Cake: Abbolou Cakes: We had different flavours across the three tiers: White chocolate mudcake layered with white chocolate buttercream & honey and cinnamon mudcake layered with cinnamon buttercream.
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