Bride reveals surprising wedding outfit hack
From their pandemic-delayed first date this couple were a perfect match, with their wedding day in jacaranda season.
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They matched on Bumble in July 2021 but this couple’s first date was cancelled due to a lockdown.
However, Mitchell Cocks and Elizabeth Colbran were undeterred by the setback.
“The next day after the lockdown ended we got takeaway coffee and went for a walk along the Bulimba boardwalk,” recalls Elizabeth.
“We are lucky to have met as Mitch is in the air force and I work as a lawyer in the city, so it is unlikely we would have crossed paths in real life.”
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The Bulimba couple married on October 21 last year in a classic garden ceremony in The Courtyard Garden at Hillstone St Lucia with the reception for 55 guests afterwards at Hillstone’s The Rosewood Room.
The couple honeymooned in Vanuatu.
The proposal?
Elizabeth: Mitch surprised me with a romantic weekend away in Maleny and proposed at a cottage in the woods.
Hens night?
Dinner and karaoke.
Bucks night?
Zero Latency VR followed by a pub crawl in Fortitude Valley.
First dance song?
Hold my Hand by Lady Gaga (from Top Gun: Maverick).
How did youchoose your wedding venue?
We attended the wedding showcase night at Hillstone St Lucia and were very impressed with the quality of food, reception spaces and lovely staff. Hillstone St Lucia is a beautiful venue and the team go above and beyond to create your dream wedding. The team even organised for us to have a tour of the golf course a few weeks before our wedding to find jacaranda trees for our wedding photos.
What was the budget for your wedding?
My family are traditional so kindly paid for our wedding.
What would you spend more or less on?
Nothing – we were happy with how everything turned out.
How did you choose your wedding dress?
My dress was made by the same designer as my sister’s wedding dress. Paddington Weddings / Bertossi Brides design and make their dresses in Brisbane and each dress is custom made to suit the bride, so no need for further alterations. The fabrics are stunning and Gill is wonderful to work with.
What thoughts did you have while waiting then seeing the bride walk down the aisle?
Mitchell:Oh my Lord, she’s the perfect bride. She looks amazing, try not to cry – then cried.
What was the most stressful part of wedding planning?
Wedding planning is stressful as there are so many decisions to make. We tried to focus on one decision at a time to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Our first decision was choosing our venue followed by photographer.
Any unique or surprising details about your wedding? My favourite time of year is jacaranda season, so we were really lucky that the trees were in full bloom for our wedding.
What was the standout moment of your wedding day? We took five weeks of dance lessons with Orchard’s Dance Studio to learn our choreographed first dance. We had so much fun going to dance class together and enjoyed performing our first dance as husband and wife for our family and friends.
What was a wedding non-negotiable?
Cake.
Top wedding hack?
Practice dancing and walking in your wedding shoes before the big day. I ended up getting non-slip shoe grips attached to mine from Mister Minit.
What was the best wedding gift you received from your guests?
The presence of our loved ones on our special day. We had a wishing well.
What would you have done differently on your wedding day?
We would have included our dogs in the ceremony.
Best advice for other couples planning a wedding?
We ordered the cake testing boxes before we chose our wedding cake. We enjoyed trying and scoring all of the flavours with our families (there was too much for us to eat by ourselves). Our cake was from The Copper Whisk and was a hummingbird cake. We chose the same cake flavour that my sister had at her wedding because it was so good.
The Bride
Elizabeth Colbran, 32
Profession Lawyer
Parents Angela Colbran and Stephen Colbran
Bridesmaids Rachel Colbran and Elle Cocks
Dress Paddington Weddings / Bertossi Brides
Hair Mequa’s Artistry
Make-up Mequa’s Artistry
Flowers Kate Dawes Flower Design
Engagement ring Rivers Jewellers
The Groom
Mitchell Cocks, 33
Profession Air force
Parents Andrew Cocks and Sharon Cocks
Groomsmen Taylor Roberts and Adam Blanks
Suit Wil Valor
Entertainment DJ Sash
Transport Parents’ and best man’s cars
Videographer Family iPhone
Celebrant Venita Manning
Caterer Hillstone
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