Daina & Ben
Daina and Ben chose a sweet little town to celebrate their seaside Sorrento wedding. They married on the beach before they celebrated in the beach side restaurant with views over the water. It was just what they wanted – a low fuss day, surrounded by people they love. They chose The Official Photographers to capture it all.
Daina tells the story of how she and Ben met. “We moved into the same house as house mates, and that was the start of everything.
On the day of the proposal, Ben had organised for me to go and get a massage, and told me about it that morning. After the massage I came home to Ben opening the door with a bunch of roses and dressed up, when I walked through the door he had Bryan Adams playing in the background, candles lit everywhere and a cheese platter with champagne waiting. It was then that I knew he would propose, but waiting until we had had a few drinks to do so, suspense plus!”
Daina wanted the day to be very relaxed so chose to do a lot herself, she remarks, “I arranged all flowers for the reception, I created my own bouquet, all decorations, I also did my own hair and makeup – I wanted the wedding to be less fuss, and more so about the actual day and reason for the day, not fussing over small things.”
Daina wore an evening gown by Rachel Gilbert, she tells, “I was not going to spend a fortune on a dress I knew I would wear for one day, but also wanted to feel beautiful. I actually bought a dress one day as I was shopping by myself, an hour after I had bought it I regretted it, and still have it for sale on ebay! I got a bit more serious about finding ‘the one’ so I took to High Street Armadale in Melbourne in search of a ready to wear gown and came across the gorgeous Rachel Gilbert dresses. As soon as I saw the dress (the last one!) I knew it was my wedding dress. On the day, I felt wonderful in the dress, it is the most magnificent dress I have ever seen, I’m so in love with it, I just wish I could wear it again some day soon!”
“We broke tradition and didn’t have any bridesmaids or groomsmen, again we wanted it to be about us, with less fuss. Our closest friends were still with us on the day and leading up the day.”
Daina and Ben chose The Baths Sorrento for their wedding, noting, “We live near the water & play near the water, so it was only natural that our wedding should be by the ocean. It’s an amazing older style building that has a lot of character. 180 degree views & stunning boats sitting pretty in view. We were very lucky our ceremony could be held on the beach in front The Baths.”
Felicity Johnson officiated the ceremony, Daina remembering,”We wanted it to be very personal. Our celebrant made that happen for us, by making us think about what we love & admire about one another. Ben got very creative & wrote most of the vows (haha!) We chose non traditional vows and it symbolised what we think marriage is.”
Of their photographers, Daina tells, “The Official Photographers, based in New Zealand, have a photography style that suited our relaxed wedding theme. Their photography is phenomenal and they are known for their ability to capture moments that can’t be created. We were so happy with Shannon & Aaron being their on our big day, they made us feel so at ease & we just had a ball with them. Also having them as a “husband & wife team” meant that we got many more photos than we ever thought we would get. We got such a surprise when we got our images! So so happy!”
Of the first dance, Daina explains, “We did a impromptu dance off between us after our first dance, people said to us after ‘Did you rehearse that dance? It was the best thing I’ve ever seen!’ we didn’t rehearse it at all, but had the most fun dancing and being silly, which is what we love to do at home!”
Congratulations on your marriage Daina and Ben! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to The Official Photographers for sharing today’s wedding!
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