Port Douglas provided the perfect backdrop for the talented team of Rob and Ash to create an Awesome wedding party. They had the ability to bring together a colourful and classy theme, featuring some great ideas and plenty of personal touches.
The girls helicopter arrival, personalised everything, a kick ass band, plenty of good food and you can see why we call the a wedding day extravaganza!
FEATURED SUPPLIERS – FLORAL EDGE, SASS PHOTOGRAPHY, SARAH WOODS CELEBRANT, SKYSAFARI
Rob and Ash chat about their day…
How did you meet?
We met at work at an advertising agency on the Sunshine Coast in 2005. We were just friends for a long time, but after a while (and a few cocktails at the Christmas party) we realised we were meant to be.
Describe the proposal?
The proposal was the most amazing, romantic thing I have ever experienced. Rob surprised me by picking me up from work on a Thursday afternoon in November 2011. I asked where we were going and he said it was a surprise. I became more and more worried and when we were two hours from home I really started to stress about what was going on. We dropped the dogs off at their favourite place, Kuranda Pet Resort, and I told Rob that this can’t be happening because I had to teach the next day. He told me that I didn’t have to work because he had organised with the principal for me to have the day off. He drove me to Coconut Grove in Port Douglas and took me up to our amazing penthouse suite. He showed me the menu he had created for the three course meal he was cooking me for dinner. We spent the following day and night in Port Douglas and on Saturday Rob said we were heading back home. We packed all of our things and left Port Douglas.
As we were leaving Port Douglas, Rob asked if I had ever been in a helicopter. I said I hadn’t and he pulled into the Sky Safari heliport. A helicopter took us out to a little private sand island where we snorkeled and had a gourmet picnic lunch on the beach. We got back in the helicopter, which flew us over the Mossman Gorge to Silky Oaks Rainforest Resort. That night we went to dinner at Silky Oaks in our own private dining area in the treetops. After dinner he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. The next day we got a helicopter back to the car and headed back home. It was all very romantic and the whole weekend was surprise after surprise.
How did you decide on a place to celebrate your wedding day?
We just love Port Douglas and it is a frequent holiday destination for us. All of our friends and family live all over the place – Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and everywhere in between. We wanted them all to have a nice tropical Winter holiday as well and they all loved it so it worked out perfectly! As soon as we saw Rex Smeal Park we knew it was perfect for our day.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:
Oh I love my dress. I had been researching different dresses and designers and no matter how many I looked at I just kept going back to Jenny Packham’s dresses. They were all so stunning. There were a couple that I loved and we happened to be going to Paris so I made an appointment at the Paris Jenny Packham boutique. I tried on several different designs but as soon as I put my dress on I loved it and knew it would be perfect. It was just so me.
Describe your wedding flowers:
My flowers were so amazing. Tamika and Candace at Floral Edge did the most fabulous job. I think I spent half the day walking around and saying to people “look at my flowers, they’re so beautiful.” I don’t even know what types of flowers were in there. I sent the girls at Floral Edge a million emails with photos of different styles that I liked and theming ideas for the wedding and they came up with these bouquets and decorations that were just absolutely perfect. I loved them so much!
Describe your wedding cake:
Our cake was a cheese cake…. No not a cheesecake, a cake made from cheese. We got it sent up from a lovely company in Melbourne called Farmgate Cheese and they did a fabulous job. We went very against tradition and cut it straight after the ceremony to be served with crackers and condiments in the afternoon. It went so well with the theme and mood of the wedding and all the guests thought it was very different and cool. People are still telling us how much they loved the cake.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while planning your big day?
Living in the ‘outback’, three hours from any shopping centre was a big challenge. We were only able to get into town every few weekends, so when we did make it in we always had a huge list of wedding things to do. Thank goodness for online shopping!
What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Oh my gosh the whole day was memorable. Arriving at the park and seeing all of our months of preparation and planning materialised was so special. It was also so funny seeing the look on my bridesmaids and my dad’s faces when we arrived at the heliport and they realised they would be arriving to the wedding in a helicopter.
I absolutely loved our ceremony. I thought Sarah Woods made it so personal and the whole thing was so us. It was so beautiful to look around and see all of our friends and family in one place having fun in a day that we had completely created. I also loved the music. Dave Cooke set such a relaxed mood for the afternoon and Vikarious had everyone dancing at the end. They even had the guests chanting “one more” when they finished… Which they did. I really loved our first dance too. We managed to track down an acoustic version of First Date by Blink 182. The dance wasn’t too structured, and was just a reflection of our Friday nights spent drinking wine and dancing around the lounge room.
Did you write your own vows?
Our celebrant, Sarah Woods, was fantastic and gave us a booklet with inspiration and examples of different ceremonies and vows. We created our own ceremony based on adaptations from the examples Sarah gave us. We wanted the readings to be a bit different and not too formal or cliché so we had one of the bridesmaids reading the Dr Seuss book Oh the Places You Will Go and a good friend reading The Beatles’ song All You Need is Love. It was a beautiful and very personal ceremony.
Where did you go for your honeymoon?
We went straight from Port Douglas to Lizard Island for five nights. It was absolute luxury and the ultimate relaxation after such a huge build up leading up to the wedding.
What’s next for you guys?
We really did have an amazing honeymoon… And consequently I am now pregnant with a baby due on the 13th of March next year.