Sandy & Will

It was the most beautiful Autumnal day on the Gold Coast when Sandy and Will said their vows. In a day that was filled with Old Hollywood glamour, plenty of cultural traditions and a beautiful love story, it was just the right way to embrace the season. Klee Photography captured every beautiful moment in stunning colour as Sandy & Will planned a day so beautifully theirs. Scroll on for all the beauty.

Sandy and Will’s story began on Tinder, we’re including a segment from their ceremony to share how these two met, as told by Celebrant Just Jess . “Clearly, they both swiped right and from there, with a gentle nudge from Kitty, Sandy initiated a SAFE Sunday Tea date, JUST in case things went south and she needed a quick exit with loads of witnesses.

Luckily, the conversation just flowed and they started to learn that they had heaps in common. It felt comfortable and like they had known each other for years. They met up again not long after at Habitat for what they call their ‘official’ first date where there were more laughter and jokes and the time just flew on by. Sandy distinctly remembers Will smoothly holding her hand as they were leaving the restaurant. Didn’t feel creepy or too soon, it just felt, RIGHT.

Will’s initial feelings for Sandy was that, DAMN this woman’s too good for me, she’s got style and she is super hot! It didn’t take him long to realise that she also had a heart of gold and after getting to know her, he felt deep down that all he wanted was to know more about this gorgeous woman. Sandy’s initial feelings, not that either of them has changed these feelings, just so you know… but that Will was soo sweet and attentive. And of course, Sandy didn’t buy into it! She was sceptical at first as no one is a perfect gentleman, although soon realised that there was no hiding it, he WAS the perfect gentleman and he certainly was not pretending to be someone he wasn’t.”

The day before their wedding, Sandy and Will held a traditional Chinese tea ceremony with their close family and friends.

Will wore a classic black suit with black bow tie by Ferrari Formal.

Will popped the question in October 2017, here’s how he did it – also in celebrant Jess’ words. “Will and Sandy had landed in Bali for a friends’ wedding. Throughout the trip, Will was a nervous wreck, not that he thought he was showing it of course.

Will’s first giveaway was the room safe. He never let Sandy near it and was always blocking her view so she couldn’t see inside.. something was up and Sandy was all over it like white on rice. She bit her tongue and let Will continue his stealth-like secret agent manoeuvers, to see what he would do next! They had just come back from a big trip to Ubud and all their friends were going out to Jimbaran Bay which is renowned for its fresh seafood. Everyone left their belongings in the car, like their jackets and inexpensive items, but Will did NOT want to leave his backpack in the car. He insisted he took it with him and everyone else shrugged it off, they were hungry… but Sandy… well, this was another clue for her to decipher.

While they were waiting for their food, Will decided now was going to be the time and took Sandy for a private walk. Then the weirdness started. He was talking about all kinds of things, reminiscing everything they had achieved together and said that he wanted to be together forever! Sandy thought, well this is my chance to finally get it out of him and said, in the only way Sandy would know how…” if you want to be together, then where is my ring?” and with that, a synchronized bend of the knee and the exact ring Sandy had been dreaming for, waited impatiently on his index finger. He asked her the question and here we are today!!”

With classic elegance in mind, Sandy went to Helena Couture Designs to design and make her traditional gown. She says “I chose Helena Couture Designs as my designer for my wedding dress because I knew that I wanted something more custom fitted. I went to the first consult with a dress in mind plus a budget and Helena was honest in letting me know how I could achieve this, which I appreciated a lot! Helena and I designed my dream dress together from scratch and her creativity blew my mind! I would highly recommend anyone to go see Helena if they are searching for a well-priced custom design dress and you are based in Brisbane/Gold Coast! Helena is honest, reliable and such a great person to talk to!”

The couple chose an all in one venue for their wedding at RACV Royal Pines Resort. Sandy says “RACV Royal Pines on the Gold Coast was such a beautiful venue to hold our wedding. Not only could we hold our ceremony in the beautiful gardens but also our reception at one of their beautiful rooms. We wanted our guests to be able to relax, stay in the one spot and have the option to stay at the hotel on the night of the wedding which a majority of our guests decided to do. So we quickly enquired and wanted to find out more about the venue. The staff were wonderful and accomodating throughout the experience, they just made it so easy for us on the day and our Butler just took care of everything when it came to all the little things and making sure things were running as smoothly as possible.”

Sandy walked down the aisle by herself, remarking “I walked down the aisle to the violin version of Sia’s “Titanium” so I wouldn’t start crying but instead, feel pumped and ready to go!”

Sandy and Will were married by Jess Dowell – Just Jess. “Our ceremony was intimate, honest and true to our love story. Our family and friends loved how put together and simple our ceremony was, the stories were funny, the vows were emotional and we came out of it with dried rose petals all over us!

The couple kept their banter going right through the ceremony, remembers the bride. “I choked up a few times while I was doing my vows and started to cry a bit, I remember at one point Will told me to relax but I told him “no, you relax” which made our audience laugh as well as made me laugh and get through the rest of my vows.”

“Enjoy the day the best you can, just relax because you have planned it for so long, you deserve to!” advises Sandy. “Let whatever happens, happen because at the end of the day it’s one big party to celebrate you and your favourite person in the world!”

The blooms on the day were styled by W Events Group. “I chose Burgundy & Blush/Peach David Austin Roses, Purple Snap Dragons and Green Foliage” explains Sandy.

Sandy and Will adored their photographer Kristy, sharing “Kristy was so fantastic, so creative, so easy going and knew exactly where the money shots were! Kristy was the one to suggest for me to place on my traditional Chinese jacket over the top of my wedding dress which I had never thought of myself, but the photos turned out so beautifully, she is a genius!”

These two made sure to put their touch on their day. “Will and I spray painted all of our guest name tags as well as spray-painted our guest dropbox which came with spray-painted red hearts to write their names. We also bought and wrapped all our guest gifts which included a spoon and chopsticks with cute Chinese characters that represent husband and wife.”

Sandy tells “Our first dance was to Bruno Mars “Versace on the Floor” and I think we were both thinking “don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall”, it was a very simple first dance and we got it out of the way as we entered the room.”

The finishing touch of this tale? A beautiful film captured by Red Door Studios.

Congratulations Sandy & Will! Thank you for sharing your day with us. Thank you also to Klee Photography for sharing today’s beautiful images.