Carlo and Shaan

I met Carlo on a flight back home to Darwin from Brisbane. Carlo was heading back to Darwin after visiting his family fresh from a tour to Afghanistan. We sat next to each other the plane and had an instant connection. After a few years of being mates we finally cut to the chase, started dating and never looked back. Our wedding day (or week should I say) was the most relaxed, fun and heart warming day I could have imagined. Just like how people say ‘it was the best day of my life’, well it really was!

I have to admit that I am not the best present giver. So when I surprised Carlo with a Tag watch on the morning of our wedding day, he couldn’t believe his luck. Needless to say that I made up for the past and the future.

Myself and my amazing bridesmaids got ready at my apartment in the City. The amazing Jo Johnson from Illuminate Hair did all of our hair and makeup in no time. The girls wore Alfred Sung dresses and Mel shoes. My dress was by Pronovias from The Big Day and I wore Vera Wang dusty pink shoes contrasted with Mimco bridal drop earrings. My beautiful grandma, who couldn’t make it, sent me a delicate Thomas Sabo pearl bracelet.

My mum wore this gorgeous brooch on her wedding in the 70’s on her veil. I remember as a kid always looking at photos of her admiring it and wanted to incorporate it into my wedding day.

Organising a wedding in Darwin is not easy, especially if you want to do something different. My girlfriends and I spent a lot of time designing and making decorations as I couldn’t get a lot of what I wanted locally.

We placed this beautiful mirror against a huge tree at the ceremony and afterwards at the reception.

Carlo and I really wanted to demonstrate that our individuality is and still will be important in our marriage. So we represented this on the signing table chairs with Carlo’s Infantry beret and my pointe shoes.

Carlo and I got married on the lawns of Parliament House in Darwin, opposite the Administrators House. We really wanted to have an outdoor wedding incorporating the beautiful big trees on the lawns.

Carlo’s uncle from the Philippines was kind enough to fly out to marry us. Having an uncle as our Priest made our day even more special.

My mum’s partner is an artist and we asked him months before the wedding if he would make an easel for us and a painting that we could display at the ceremony and the reception. He made everything from scratch and mimicked the style of our invitations on the print. Amazing!

Our photo locations were pretty important as we didn’t want to do the same thing as everyone else. Our photographer Mel Silva was onto it and found the perfect locations to suit our style.

I  loved our cake, it was so us and truly represented the feel of our wedding. We had it made by Kurt, from Kurt Cakes in Darwin City.

Our reception was held on the Museum Lawns with the catering provided by Jade and his awesome staff at Cornucopia cafe. We had a cocktail style wedding with lots of small chairs and tables dotted with tall boys throughout. We had the dance floor in the middle and off to the side under a big tree with lanterns was the cigar lounge.

We could not have had such a perfect day without the help of personal organiser Dimity from Girl Friday. She was outstanding and did all of the small things that made the day stress free and perfect.

Pretty daggy I know, but we combined our names to make our very own cocktail for the night. It was a hit as guest drank them out of vintage paper straws. Too cute.

Our own cocktail......

 Photography by Mel Silva

Ms Gingham says: I love the personal touches all through this wedding. The army beret and pointe shoes are so beautiful!!

Shaan says: “My tip is to totally get a professional to help you on the day so you and your guests can relax and enjoy.”