Shae and Eugenio’s Peacock Themed Wedding

Shae and Eugenio

Our wedding day on 10/10/10 was, in one word, happy. We had so many guests say to us afterwards that it was the happiest wedding they’ve ever been to and I can’t think of a higher compliment. I know that we both spent the whole day with huge smiles on our faces!

Gino and I met at a mutual friend’s 21s birthday party. Although we didn’t talk much I just knew he was “The One”. A week later we were both on a Rivercruise and from there on we were a couple – even though it took us another 4 weeks to have our first kiss!

Gino is an amazing person – very thoughtful and romantic, and the proposal was no different! He planned a two day extravaganza for our 3½ year anniversary which culminated in him popping the question on a hot air balloon.

I thoroughly enjoyed the wedding planning process and was so lucky that Gino was there helping me out every step of the way, with opinions on everything including bridesmaid dresses, tablecloths and the cake! For me, this really ensured that it was “our” day and that both of our personalities were reflected throughout. It also reminded me in the stressful times why I was going through it all – so I could marry this incredible man and spend the rest of my life with him by my side.

For us the planning started with the invites. We wanted something different and used an amazing designer – Lyndsay from It’s A Date Event Design. She created a breathtaking set of wedding stationery for us that included the invite, RSVP card and escort cards and we printed them using Lamb Print. She included a gorgeous monogram of two peacocks kissing and we carried this design throughout. Lyndsay created the cover of the Order of Service for us and I spent over 25 hours creating the inside. At the beginning, I introduced everyone in our Bridal Party, the Priest, Readers and Mistress of Ceremonies with individual photos. Throughout the booklet, I had photos of Gino and I taken over the years we’ve been together. I designed it using InDesign, which I had to teach myself with the help of YouTube videos!

Photos provided courtesy of It’s A Date Event Design

We decided on a peacock theme for the wedding, but we didn’t want it too obvious. Instead, we wanted to reference the rich jewel tones in the feather of the peacock and used these colours throughout the day. The Bridesmaids had peacock hairpieces and Gino and the groomsmen had peacock feathers behind the flowers in their buttonholes.

Stunning bridesmaid’s hairpieces by Diva

I found my dress in Hob Nob and knew it was my wedding dress. Even though I was determined not to have a strapless dress and I am definitely not a “princess” type of girl!

For my sisters I really wanted something that wasn’t typically bridesmaid and was age appropriate as they were only 15 and 18 years old. They have very different body types and tastes, which made searching difficult, but when we found this dress by Nicolangela we all loved it!

I spent the night before the wedding at my parents’ house, playing and messing around with my siblings. At one stage my sisters and I were practising our timing walking down the aisle with bouquets of broccoli! The next day was Bathurst (car race) so my very patient brothers and Dad tried to watch that while preparing breakfast and putting up with the girls chatter during hair and makeup preparations. The very talented Elicia Rudd from E Hair and Makeup did the hair and makeup for me, my sisters and my Mum – it was a very early morning!

Jewellery by Glitter Co.

This was my something borrowed and something old – my Great Grandmother’s brooch on my bouquet.

Flowers by Flowertopia.

My mechanic husband’s cufflinks. One is a speedometer, the other is a tachometer and they actually move. His sister gave them to him years ago and he hadn’t had a chance to wear them before.

My Dad and two brothers hadn’t seen my dress properly and one of the special moments of the day was making a big “reveal” to them once I was all dressed and ready. To see the tears and emotion on their faces was so touching and I’m so happy the photographer was there to capture the moment.

I wasn’t the typical bride – I was ready very early and even with Dad making us wait at home before getting in the limo we were still at the church before everyone else and had to do laps around the block until we were told that the guests had arrived!

Car by Old 55 Limo Tours

It was extremely windy at the church and this photo was taken as I was getting out of the car. My veil actually ended up blowing completely off my head and Gino said he heard my squeal from inside the church and thought I’d fallen over (I’m notoriously clumsy!).

We chose the magnificent Chapel of St Michael the Archangel in the grounds of the Catholic Education Office in Leederville for our ceremony. It was a beautiful location and it looked stunning on the day.

I walked down the aisle to “Lucky” by Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz and it perfectly summed up exactly how I felt – lucky. Once the ceremony concluded we had “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” by Jimmy Barnes play and “We Go Together” from the Grease Soundtrack played as we exited the church.

The ceremony was beautiful and we tried to include our friends and family where possible, including having a cousin looking after the music, my Grandma, brother and a friend of ours doing readings and having our Mothers doing a Candle Ceremony.

I love the way this captures me looking at my husband, like I’ve just realised I’m the luckiest girl in the world and he’s all mine!

Gino worked with a jeweller for 6 months to design my engagement ring and I honestly wouldn’t change a single thing, I love it. Gino’s ring was made using the gold from one of his Nonno’s rings and the gold and a diamond from his Dad’s engagement ring. They have both passed away so it is very special to us.

We chose two beautiful locations for our ceremony and reception which meant we only had to stop once for photos along the way – which was good because by this stage it was raining! But they say “rain on your wedding day means no tears in your marriage”!

Luckily the weather cleared up as the day went on and the moody skies gave us some beautiful pictures and a rainbow!

Joe and Cathy, our photographers from Studio Galea, were such an integral part of our day. We “interviewed” quite a few photographers, but from the moment we first met with them they understood our vision. Personality was a huge factor in our decision as we knew we’d be spending a lot of time with them on the day! They had great ideas but were also receptive to any suggestions we had. We really enjoyed having them as part of our wedding.

Suits by Vavaggi

We got the photographer to take a photo of us holding the words “Thank” and “You” which we used on our Thank You cards.

We chose the Belvoir Homestead in Upper Swan for our reception venue. It’s a stunning venue with magnificent grounds, wonderful food, great service and special atmosphere. We entered the reception down the winding wooden staircase to “For Once In My Life” by Stevie Wonder.

The reception was really where we got to have some fun. Not only did we get to reinforce the peacock theme, but we also added individual touches throughout to make it more “us”. DJ Paul Stafford provided the fun atmosphere for everyone to enjoy. Gino made the centrepieces and we asked the reception venue to randomly place a card at one place setting at each table telling that lucky guest that they got to take home the centrepiece for that table. We were so surprised at how excited people were when they “won” them and it’s amazing now seeing them in the homes of our friends and family.

Peacock table numbers by Simply FKJ on Etsy

We ordered a wooden sign from Etsy seller OffWoodlandLane that said “The Aiello Family, established 10 October 2010” which now hangs in our house.

We tried to keep guests engaged and entertained and as a surprise hired magician James Sleight to amuse everyone during the canapés.

We also had a photobooth by Perth Photobooths, which was an absolute hit! There was only one person that didn’t get in there and we have so many happy and silly photos to look back on now. It also worked as an amazing bonbonierre – guests had great photos of themselves to take home and put on the fridge!

We had a “family tree” display set up with our parents and grandparents wedding photos. It was lovely for us to show everyone where we came from, and was a great surprise for the people in the photos to see their own wedding day and reminisce.

We weren’t going to have a cake as we were already having dessert, but it was one tradition my Mum really wanted. We thought we’d go with a simple cake and a cake topper that was “us” – a mini version of Gino and I in a car (Gino is a mechanic). It was amazing how many people went crazy about the cake – the comments haven’t stopped! The top and bottom layers were fake (foam) and the centre layer is for us to keep and eat on our first wedding anniversary. We then had a kitchen cake made – a slab that was decorated basically and pre-cut and bagged ready for the reception.

Cake by Just Cakes and cake topper by Minikin Mania.

One of the best parts of the reception for me was the speeches. It was so touching to hear such heartfelt words come from those that we hold dearest. Hearing my Dad tell the room that from the moment he and Mum met Gino they knew he was the one for me, was so special, as was hearing Gino’s best man talk about him and their friendship. Each of my siblings got up and gave their own speech and welcomed Gino in their own way which meant so much to me, as did the speech our Mistress of Ceremonies (a close family friend) gave. Gino’s speech about our first “pre-date” was hilarious and it was so interesting to hear his view on how it happened! I am so happy that I have these on video as these moments are ones that we will treasure forever. Luckily, the whole memory was captured to perfection by the talented team at Launch Film Productions.

We put a lot of effort into selecting our suppliers and we honestly credit the success of our day down to their expertise, enthusiasm and effort. We tried to support small home based businesses and found that this meant we had really personalised service and it allowed us to build a great rapport with our vendors. We decided early on that we were hiring these people because they were experts in their field and therefore tried not to micromanage but rather trust in them and their skills. This ended up working wonderfully for us. We discovered them in a variety of places – we found our cake at a market stall at the beach and even found the invitation designer via Twitter, with the whole design process done exclusively via email (technology!).

We had an absolutely magical day that was filled with so much happiness and gave us so many memories to cherish. And the most important thing is that we are now husband and wife and about to enter a new chapter of our lives – and now as parents! We are expecting a baby and will have a six week old by our first wedding anniversary.

Ms Gingham says: Weddings are such a joyous occasion and what an amazing way to top it off with the newest member of their family due soon too! Double congratulations to Shae and Eugenio and thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding with us on Polka Dot Bride.

Shae describes herself as a bride who is “Wishing I could do it all again! Thoroughly enjoyed the entire process!”

Photos by Joseph Galea of Studio Galea