Kelsey & Aaron

It’s going to be a beautiful day when we can all gather together freely, and until then, we’re going to embrace every moment of the weddings that have been filled with hugs and love, just as they should be. Today’s happy couple, Kelsey & Aaron, tied the knot just before the heavy COVID-19 restrictions hit with full force. The couple managing to squeeze in their dream day, in the nick of time.

It was a stunning one too – at the ever beautiful Gabbinbar Homestead, with beautiful imagery by

Leah Cruikshank Photography. A day that was relaxed, elegant, and as full of love as it should be. And if you get the sense from these two, that their life together is just as easygoing, just as relaxed as their wedding, I think you’d be right – as evidenced by the way Aaron chose to pop the question! “I was sitting at home watching tv and Aaron got home early from work and seemed to be flustered walking around the house constantly asking me rather annoying questions (he was very nervous). He then finally asked me to look at him and when I did he was on one knee with a ring. I was so shocked I didn’t believe he was asking me to become his wife. I said yes!”

The beautiful venue of Gabbinbar Homestead was just what these two were looking for, tells the bride. “We fell in love with Gabbinbar the second we saw it online. It seemed to just be everything we wanted in a wedding venue. From the staff to the grounds everything was just simply amazing!!”

The groom wore pieces from Tarocash. Says Kelsey “We always wanted Aaron’s attire to be different from the groomsmen. He honestly just tried different combinations until we found the colours we knew we wanted. Choosing the boys’ attire was probably the easiest part of planning the wedding!”

Kelsey added sentimental touches to her day.  “I wanted to have something from both my grandmothers as they both couldn’t be there due to COVID-19. So they both gave me something special to wear. (Gold bracelet, and a broach).”

“To be completely honest the dress I chose was not what I expected to like,” admits Kelsey of her decision to wear a stunning strapless lace gown from Luv Bridal. “One of my bridesmaids asked me to try it on. Completely fell in love with it straight away and brought it at the end of my appointment. It was only the 5th dress I tried on and our first appointment!”

The bride and bridesmaids had their makeup styled by artist Tyneale Hahn Makeup Artist, just one of the ‘no regrets’ vendor decisions these two made, says the bride. “Honestly, everything just ran so smoothly!” reminisces Kelsey. “The intimate moments and the party celebration (reception) was everything we hoped for. I put so much trust in my Vendors and I left creative control and most of the decisions up to them – they are the professionals and they know best! It was like our day was a surprise to us as well! It was perfect!”

Kelsey walked down the aisle on the arm of her father to “Marry Me” by Train.

Kelsey and Aaron chose Jarrad Bayliss to officiate their day, sharing “We wanted our ceremony to be super relaxed and short. Our celebrant Jarrad Bayliss created the perfect ceremony for us. There was lots of joking to calm the nerves and lots of tears during those beautiful intimate moments. It was everything we wanted and more.”

Kelsey and Aaron made sure to honour very special guests, explains Kelsey “Aaron’s grandfather passed away 5-6 months before our wedding. He was probably the person who was the most excited about it! So we had a photo of him on the sideboard at the entrance of our reception and just made sure he had a special mention throughout our day.”

 

The newlyweds loved their choice of a photographer. “Leah was absolutely amazing! She is so patient and kind. We would pick her again a hundred times over to be a part of our special day!”

That incredible handing installation? The work of Le Sans Souci who styled the fresh flowers for the day, Kelsey noting “We had somewhat of an idea of what we wanted regarding colour and how big we want bouquets etc. Once we discussed all that with our florist Nadja from Le Sans Souci flowers, I gave her near-complete creative control as I had seen her work and knew she would not disappoint. I wanted it to be somewhat of a surprise for us to see on our wedding day and believe me Nadja went above and beyond! She created an amazing ‘floral cloud’ installation.

I think our favourite detail of the day was walking into our reception and seeing the work Le Sans Souci flowers and Gabbinbar did. From the hanging installation from the roof to the table settings everything was just amazing.”

There were no regrets at all for these two when it came to choosing their vendor dream team, says the bride. “I don’t think I could just pick one vendor, our day ran so smoothly because all our vendors were unreal and so good at what they do! Many reached out to me in the last week before (just as COVID restrictions started to come in) letting me know they were there for us for whatever we needed – that they would be there with bells on! I can’t tell you how much this eased my worry! Our Makeup Artist and Hairstylist were amazing getting ready – we had many laughs and it certainly helped us all worry less and enjoy being pampered. It was a great start to the day!”

For their dance floor debut, Kelsey and Aaron chose “Collide” by Howie Day, Kelsey sharing “Our first dance was short but intimate. Aaron & I  both agreed to shorten it so we could get all our loved ones on the dance floor with us.”

A big congratulations Kelsey & Aaron! Thank you for sharing the stories of your day with us! Thank you also to Leah Cruikshank Photography and Tyneale Hahn Makeup Artist for sharing today’s beautiful wedding with us!