‘It made life so much easier’: Bride’s unique wedding hack for her bridesmaids
Clever planning meant a perfect wedding day for this couple who married in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
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After helping create an engagement ring so he could propose to his girlfriend Hannah Brennan-Silwood on an island holiday, Cameron Brown’s plans were dashed when the ring did not arrive in time.
However, he improvised and proposed at sunset on Heron Island with a picture of the ring in a ring box.
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The Carina Heights couple started dating in November 2020 after meeting on the online dating app Bumble and married at Flaxton Gardens on the Sunshine Coast hinterland before 80 guests on September 23 last year.
First dance song? Hannah: Everything by Michael Bublé as we always say to one another that we are each other’s “everything”.
Theme?We wanted our wedding to be like a spring garden – flowy, soft and romantic with lots of pastel colours. We worked with Sandi and Sherii from Willow Bud flowers to help us bring this vision to life.
How and why did you choose your wedding venue? I grew up on the Sunshine Coast so, when the time came to look for wedding venues, the hinterland had a special place in my heart. We always knew that we wanted to get married somewhere outdoors so, when we saw the beautiful view at Flaxton Gardens, as well as the option to have our reception outdoors in their clear marquee (with lots of fairy lights), we knew that it was perfect. The staff at Flaxton, especially Marlene, Alicia and Lara, were all incredible.
What was the budget?$40,000-$60,000.
How did you go about choosing your wedding dress? I tried on so many to begin with. I knew I wanted my dress to be soft and flowy with floral detailing and when I tried on my wedding dress, by Elsie Flowy at Made With Love on the Gold Coast, it was the first dress that I could really see myself walking down the aisle in. I loved that I chose to wear a veil with the same floral lace detailing, as well as detachable bows on the shoulders – it even had pockets.
What thoughts did you have seeing the bride walk down the aisle?
Cameron: While waiting, I felt nervous and was hoping that no one could see exactly how nervous I was. When the doors opened and Hannah walked down the aisle, I remember thinking how beautiful she looked.
Any unique details about your wedding?
As a gift for Cameron I recorded my own version of our first dance song, Everything, with the help of Dave West Music. I’d put this on an old iPod and wrapped it up in a box with a note that said, “press play”. Cameron opened
it on the morning of the wedding along with a letter from me. We also played the song during our reception when we cut the cake and as our last dance song of the evening. I asked both of my parents to walk me down the aisle. We also chose my godfather Kym and Cameron’s aunty Jenny to give each of us our rings. Cameron’s sister Emma wrote us a poem.
What was the standout moment of the day?
About an hour before our ceremony start time it began to rain. Our entire wedding had been set up outside and I was so disheartened as I knew we may have to change to our wet weather option. But blue sky appeared, and the sun began to shine again just in time for us to be able to hold our ceremony outdoors. Cameron and I were gifted dance lessons prior to the wedding which we took for our first dance song. Neither of us are dancers by any means, but it was one of the biggest highlights for us both in preparation for the wedding as well as on the day. It was so much fun to be able to
do something so out of our comfort zone together and we both loved learning to do a
big lift in our routine and surprising everyone on the night.
What was a wedding non-negotiable for you?
Investing in a photographer and videography. We would encourage anyone who is second guessing whether it is worth it to just do it – you won’t regret it.
What type of cake did you choose?
It was by Donna at Elegantly Frosted: dark chocolate as well as a coconut and almond cake with lemon curd. They were both delicious.
Top wedding hack?Invest in a good quality steamer and bring it with you for wedding prep. It made life so much easier to be able to steam everything the night before, especially my wedding dress, my veil, and the bridesmaids’ dresses. Having this organised meant that on the morning of the wedding my bridesmaids and I could all spend time together having breakfast and enjoying the excitement of the day with one less thing to worry about.
Best advice for other couples planning a wedding? Find time during your wedding day to have a moment to yourselves. After our ceremony, we did our bridal party and family photos on-site before heading off-site, just us two, to do our own photos and have some
time to be together. It let us take in the moment and have some time alone before returning for our reception.
The Bride
Hannah Brennan-Silwood, 31
Profession Teacher
Parents Susan Brennan and Scott Silwood
Bridesmaids Shaney Craker, Erin Hanlon, Brodi Adams and Miranda Spence
Dress Elsie Flowy by Made With Love
Hair Evalyn Parsons
Make-up Louise Henzell
Flowers Willow Bud
Engagement ring Diamond Vault
Wedding planner/stylist Flaxton Gardens, Maple Weddings & Event and Mini Plus Me Event Supplies
The Groom
Cameron Brown, 30
Profession Radiographer
Parents Susan Brown and Peter Brown
Groomsmen Ben Wensley, Patrick Brown, Matt Brown and Chris Gilmour
Suit Black Jacket Suiting
Entertainment Dave West Music
Transport Birti Classic
Videographer Ivan Stepanov Wedding Videography
Celebrant Amanda from LoveWorx Celebrants
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