Neil and Emma

We are like two peas in a pod or should I say a bird and biscuit. Neil and I planned every detail of our wedding together and from the start we both knew using our surnames as the basis for the theme would make for a unique memorable wedding. Neil’s surname is Arnett, similar to the biscuit company Arnott’s and mine is Nightingale, a small bird species.

The scratch panel save the date cards were an etsy purchase from  someoneIusedtoknow. Our invitations were even more fun  as they were pop ups! They were Neil’s quirky idea after receiving some promotional material in the post. Many late nights but well worth the effort for something unique to set the scene for our wedding.

I designed my simple gown which was made in silver silk dupioni by a close friend Kathy from Rubyanna Couture. Since Neil and I decided not to have a bridal party, I treated all the special girls in my life to have their hair and make-up styled by the very professional girls at Living Dolls. My exquisite bouquet was an esty purchase from Petals & Paws and it consisted of tiny handmade clay stephanotis flowers. Grace, our niece was our ring bearer and carried a small birds nest made by mum, “Mrs Nightingale”. My shoes were from Wittner.

Neil’s beautiful Grandma fell ill and passed away 3 months before the wedding. So Neil set about handcrafting wooden USB cufflinks to load photos and memorabilia of his grandparents and any other special people in our lives that couldn’t be with us on the day in person. So they were there in spirit and even shared our first dance.

I walked down the aisle to “Now We Are Free” by Lisa Gerrard. This song just has so much emotion and was perfect for my long walk through the rainforest to the Amphitheatre. I forgot my bouquet and didn’t even realise until I was standing in front of Neil and he asked the question.

The pen we used to sign the register was hand crafted from cedar wood and inlaid with gold plating, a special present made by Neil’s dad.

Cedar Creek Lodges was our perfect rainforest setting for ceremony, reception and even accommodation if required, which allowed our guests to totally relax. One of our goals behind this event was to have all the special people in our lives enjoy the day and have fun.  And that they did.

The wheat grass table centres were lit up by the glow of the lantern led lights shining down on the mini wooden trees nestled in the grass. Neil found it so gratifying to be able to say he cut out 30 tiny trees in 3 designs for the lantern table centres and I grew the wheatgrass about 1 ½ weeks before the event and it all went to plan. I cannot commend the management and staff enough for their effort to make us and our guests comfortable and have such an enjoyable day.

Small Boxes of Conversation Starters were added to each table to break the ice for those who hadn’t met before and were a barrel of laughs for everyone else.

About 3 months before the wedding I painted and planted 100 tiny terracotta pots with mini Mondo grass from our garden. Everyone’s name was machine embroidered on raw linen fabric and attached to a paddle pop stick for a living place card for everyone to take home.

For something different, our table names were a selection of Arnott’s Biscuits, and the corresponding biscuit at each place setting. The seating plan was something I dreamed up one day, I just love bunting and the flags were machine embroidered with the seating plan.

A wedding present close to my heart is the special piece of anime caricature art my brother designed and drew. It’s us to a tee.

Radio Club Band were relaxed friendly guys that added party atmosphere to the night. They had everyone up and dancing the night away, especially the kids. Our biscuit favours saw each couple or family receive a handmade labelled jar with layered dry ingredients to take home and “Bake with Love”.

In The Booth added that extra element of fun for our guests and we have heaps of candid shots that make us smile and memories that will last a lifetime.

One of the most memorable moments early in the night was when I turned around to find the band playing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and my two cousins behind the microphones singing their little hearts out. Luckily it was all captured on video!

Photobooth images by In The Booth

Wedding photography by family friend Annette (0405508068)

Ms Gingham says: Two little performers upstaging the professionals… love it! I also love the handmade USB cufflinks, now that’s a stroke of genius!

Emma says: “I would describe myself as a happy, easy going, time poor girl due to the many hours my job requires. But I still seem to have about 3 crafty projects on the go at any one time.”