It’s impossible to really know what a wedding is going to be like, before the day kicks off. Sure, you can get a feel from the couple and a sense of the style of wedding they’re planning and hoping for, but until the day… it’s all speculation and ideas. So on the day, there were a few things that made it pretty clear, this was a kick ass wedding…
Tara’s Dad dancing half naked in the house before the wedding.
A sensational looking and very happy Tara.
Spilled champagne over the wedding gown on the bumpy 4WD trip to the location shoot complete with tears of laughter.
A full dance floor before the meals even came out.
An incredible location in the Aussie bush.
Sensational speeches that had everyone crying with laughter and emotion.
Post ceremony games on the lawn.
Live music.
This wedding had it all!
Enough from me… I asked Tara to share some more details about the day she and Terence had planned, their thoughts on how it all went down and what they do or wouldn’t, given the opportunity to have their day over again.
What’s the story behind the two of you, how and where did you meet?
Terence and I met in Kindergarten in 1994. We went through school together until Year 10. We had a short little dating stint in Kindergarten for 1 week.
In 2013, after not having much contact with each other after school – we started talking via old faithful Facebook and it all went from there.
Can you tell me about the proposal?
The proposal was on the night of the Terrigal Westpac Helicopter Ball in 2015. We were dressed in our best and he popped the question out the front of Crowne Plaza before we entered the ball. We went on celebrating all night with our friends drinking champagne throughout the night.
Where was your wedding ceremony and why there?
Our ceremony was in the Amphitheatre at Somersby Estate Gardens. We decided to have our ceremony here because it was on the same property where we all stayed for the weekend. It was a lovely big round open space surrounded by gardens. The ’Amphitheatre’ has a long set of stairs leading down to an open garden area and up onto a ‘stage’ where Terence and the celebrant waited for my arrival.
Our reception was held in a shed that has been converted into a Pavillion style dining area. It overlooks a beautiful gully and the gardens are just lovely. During our ‘Cocktail’ hour(s), we had games and a musician.
Where was your wedding reception and why there?
Our reception was also held at Somersby Gardens Estate . We held our reception in the ‘Pavillion’ which is a shed that has been converted into a reception room. We had our reception here because It overlooks a beautiful gully where the sun sets.
Were you going for a certain theme or style with your wedding?
Our theme was a Rustic Chic Garden theme. Lots of gold, glitter and rustic furniture.
Can you tell me about your wedding dress and any advice you have for other brides looking for their perfect gown?
I found my dress at Kel-Leigh Couture, the girls there are fantastic. My wedding dress was a ‘fit and flair’. It had a beautifully intricate bodice and a lovely simple tulle flair on the bottom. It hugged my upper body and sat nicely over my legs to allow for PLENTY of dancing.
I think that you should look for a dress with an open mind, sometimes the dress we like in the photos are not the style that works well with our bodies.
Where did you find your wedding shoes and do you have any advice for brides looking for their bridal shoes?
I found my shoes at Bondi Junction, they were from Nine West. They are gold flats.. Again, so I could dance the night away.
Where did you find your jewellery and accessories?
I didn’t wear much jewellery because my dress was so intricate. I had some earring from Lovisa and my husband surprised me with a gorgeous diamond bracelet to wear on the morning of our wedding.
Who did your hair and what led you to the style you chose?
I had my hair done by Maddi from In Touch Hair at West Gosford. I wanted a simple low up style. I told Maddi to do what she wanted and what she felt comfortable creating.
Who was your makeup artist and what were your instructions when booking – what were you after?
Jordi from Vibrant Concepts was my makeup artist. And my instructions were ‘natural’… that is all.
I am not very fussy and again I just asked her to do something she was comfortable with and of course to make me look beautiful. 🙂
Where did you find the guys suits?
We didn’t have a bridal party, so it was pretty simple for us. We only had Terence’s suit and my little boys suit to find.
We found Terence’s suit at Zara in Bondi Junction and we bought it because we loved it. He has worn it 4 times since our wedding, so it was totally worth it.
I bought Tadhg’s suit from a local suit shop and as he is only 3, I didn’t want to spend too much money on something he was going to quickly grow out of. He looked super cute though.
Can you tell me about your flowers/bouquets?
I used a local Florist from Gosford. ‘Central Coast Florist’. They are a bunch of lovely ladies and made it very easy for me. I showed them some photos from Pinterest and they created exactly what I wanted. I had lots of soft, pastel colours with some splashes of succulents.
What led you to choose the wedding cake you did?
I had my cake made by a friend that I work with. Our cake had a gold tier and a white tier and this fit really well with our wedding theme. I had a gold mirror cake topper made that said ‘Mr and Mrs Dicko’. I loved my cake.
What did you have for your Bomboniere?
I didn’t have Bomboniere. Honestly, it didn’t cross my mind.
Can you describe the photography part of the day?
The photography part of the day was so chilled out and fun. We had a very short photo session in between our ceremony and reception because we wanted to be with our guests. I was pretty firm that I didn’t want the photographs to be too structured or staged and Andrew worked with me so well with that.
Andrew was so easy going, fun and just blended into the whole day. We had a funny little 4WD to a photo location and Terence and I took a beer and a glass of champagne with us, not knowing it was going to be so ‘off-road’.. Lets just say, it was very funny!!
What led you to choose Impact Images for your photography?
I have worked with Impact Images twice before. The first time he photographed me for Kel-Leigh Couture and I got to see how he worked and how well he captured me as a pretend bride. The second time was my son’s newborn photos. Both times were lots of fun and so easy to work with.
Can you tell me about your most memorable moment from the day?
The most memorable moment for me was watching how much fun everyone had. Especially Terence. It was really important for me that Terence was blown away by how special our day was. And he was.
Can you tell me a little about your honeymoon?
Our honeymoon stemmed from the night we got engaged at the Westpac Ball. We made a bid on a holiday to Tuscany in Italy for 10 people and we won.
We started our honeymoon in London and went to Paris from there and then met some friends and family in Tuscany where we spent a week in a private villa on a vineyard just relaxing, eating and drinking in the spa! It was pretty special.
What is the most important piece of advice you could share with brides to be?
Try to enjoy the planning stages of your wedding. It can become stressful but before you know it, the day is here. The little personal touches that you have at your wedding is what your guests really appreciate.
If you had the chance to redo the whole thing again, what changes would you make?
If I had my time again, I would be less worried about everything coming together. When you spend so many months planning for the ‘perfect’ day – you want to make sure everything is great. But I had nothing to worry about! So that’s what I would change. Less worrying!
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