Jenny and Craig's Pittsworth Spring Wedding

Jenny & Craig

Craig proposed after what was, to me, the best day ever. He began by picking me up and presenting me with a beautiful bouquet of purple flowers (my favourite colour). We drove to a very special bottle tree that is just outside of Pittsworth. This tree was planted on the day Craig’s grandfather was born, and has grown into a gigantic tree. This is the place Craig took me on a picnic more than four years ago, when he officially asked me to “go out” with him.

From there, we drove on to Queen Mary Falls. It was pouring rain, so we were the only living souls game enough to brave the trek to the lookouts. Unfortunately, my favourite track was closed – the one that takes you to the bottom of the waterfall. I had wondered at the start of the day whether it was going to be a special occasion, but when Craig didn’t propose at either the bottle tree or the waterfall, I thought that he had just planned a wonderful day for no other reason than to spend some quality time together – driving, exploring and laughing together.

From the Falls, I thought it would be a long drive home to Toowoomba, but Craig had other plans. We continued heading south, until we crossed the border into New South Wales. Both being red-blooded Queensland supporters, there are few reasons to head into “Cockroach” territory. Luckily, visiting Byron Bay was at the very top of my New South Wales list!

I have always had a fascination with lighthouses, so when Craig set up a picnic for us with prime lighthouse views, I could not have been happier! Or could I? We enjoyed a lunch that was reminiscent of our bottle tree picnic, then strolled along the lighthouse pathways. It was at the lookout directly below the lighthouse that Craig chose to get down on one knee, and pop the most important question anyone has ever asked – “Jen, will you marry me?” Cue the clapping from the onlookers who had gathered, as well as a resounding “YES!!!!” from me!

I am still not over how beautiful my engagement ring is. Craig designed a dainty ring that is perfect for me. He consulted various experts for design ideas, and then a master jeweller created the ring of our dreams. Just quietly though, I do think that the sparkling rocks on my finger took more than one design for Craig to be content. The fourth or fifth design was “the one”.

For Craig’s ring, we could not go past anything other than one of the many interesting and unique rings from Mens Rings Online. Nathan and Tess were great to deal with, and were consistently prompt at responding to our various queries. Thanks to their great service and willingness to help, Craig will always have his special ring to remember our promises to each other.

Craig and I had lots of fun putting together our big day. Of course we came across some challenges, such as black or charcoal for the suits, red velvet or caramel mud cake, and whether we should get the eight hour burn candles or the twelve! I like to think we embraced these challenges and simply kept reminding ourselves that this was our own adventure to choose. The weeks and months rolled by and before we knew it, the 24th of October had arrived.

Our special day started with a short drive from Toowoomba, through the picturesque countryside to a small town called Pittsworth. Craig’s extended family hails from this small country town, which allowed the guys and gals to get ready in the comfort of family homes, which were also conveniently either side of the church.

We have many talented friends, many of whom were able to make themselves available on the day to make it beyond incredible. Lisa from Champagne Brides applied her amazing make-up skills. Kylie from Clay Hair by Kylie was able to tame our locks into works of art. Paul and Bec from The Finches Photography captured our priceless photographs throughout the entire day. They were all amazing and made for a memorable day.

To help brighten and colour our day, my very talented Mum put together all of the flowers into wonderful arrangements. This included buttonholes, church arrangements, and reception flowers, not to mention bouquets for myself, and four bridesmaids – my two dear friends and two dear sisters. We agreed on variations of purple and pink lisianthus, gypsophila (baby’s breath), carnations, iris, gladioli and umbrella ferns. Craig’s clever Mum sewed the kerchiefs and bowties for Craig and his three groomsmen – his best mate (and honorary brother) and two younger brothers.

My bridesmaids were dressed in full length chiffon dresses, which were carefully fitted by the wonderful ladies at Wedding World, in Toowoomba. The Purple Storm fabric, which was quickly nicknamed “Cadbury Purple”, came out rather blue in most photographs, but I still could not have been happier with the gorgeous purple colour that my beautiful friends and sisters got to wear.

My dress also came from Wedding World. I could not describe it in exact terms, except to say that it was a full length gown, fully covered in lace, with a sheer back, and was sprinkled with beautiful beading, Swarovski crystals and sequins. It fitted me perfectly and it felt truly amazing to be wearing such a beautiful dress that I knew Craig would also love. Craig’s groomsmen were smartly dressed in skinny charcoal three – piece suits with black tux piping from Roger David. Their suits were complemented by an ivory shirt with the slightest polka dot pattern.

Whilst attending a christening in 2014, we both fell in love with an old Anglican church in Pittsworth, built from blocks with high, timber ceilings and finished with beautiful stained-glass windows. It just so happened that Craig’s Nana and Granddad were also married in this church. It didn’t take us long to realise that this is where we wanted to make our promises to one another in front of our family and friends. Thank you to St Andrew’s Anglican Church, and especially Father Garth Shaw for marrying us on a lovely spring afternoon.

From the ceremony we travelled back to Toowoomba, stopping at a couple of prearranged locations on our way to the reception venue. First stop was a stroll through a number of the graffiti covered alleyways that Toowoomba’s CBD has to offer, followed by Lake Annand and the surrounding parklands. Both of these locations allowed for a great contrast of photos for The Finches who captured all the fun that we were having with each other and our bridal party.

From here it was a short walk to our reception venue, Regents on the Lake, overlooking the fresh and lively gardens surrounding Lake Annand. Col from ME-N-U Catering created hearty meals and jaw-dropping desserts for us and our treasured guests, whilst also setting up the beautiful venue. Madonna from Elegant Weddings and Events provided a touch of class with the chair covers and sashes. Lucy from Sunshine and Buttercream created a scrumptious and beautiful cake for us to share with our family and friends.

After the big, happy, love-filled day that it was, we both needed some time to ourselves to enjoy the start of our marriage. Our honeymoon was spent at Salt Beach, which will always remain a special place for us and will be revisited time and again no doubt in the future.

Altogether, we could not have asked for anything more from our day. To celebrate our love for one another and make our promises with our special family and friends was amazing. We look forward to what life may bring, and are just excited to be able to start living life together now!