After a week of rain, and flash floods causing them to change their venue just a few days before their wedding it was an utter surprise and delight, that despite all the chaos, the sun came out right as they tied the knot, and it was every bit as wonderful as it should have been. “John says he will always remember how beautiful I looked and how lucky we were to have sunshine after a week of non stop rain!”

“The style/theme was nothing like we had planned! ” exclaiming Alana , who also had to contend with two wedding date postponements during COVID, “We all along wanted a country feel, having originally booked The Acre although 4 days out, the venue flooded along with our back up at Ancora. Our photographer and my hair stylist arranged The Galley, the morning of the wedding. Luckily the surrounding boats, jetty’s and water suited us perfectly as John and his family are fishermen.”

And when we say dream team of vendors, this really was one, because every vendor, including photographer Doe and Deer Photography stepped up to make the magic happen for these two – especially with what seemed like endless venue and vendor changes. And although it wasn’t what they planned (even their decor got stuck!) the end result was blissfully happy says Alana.  “I will never take for granted having our family and friends there to be a part of our special day. After all our postponements, it was the happiest ceremony and reception we could have possibly had.”

The pair first met when a friend set them up at a bonfire. “John arrived, we were introduced, he shook my hand and said nothing to me for the rest of the night!” laughs Alana ” Thinking he was not the slightest bit interested, he then messaged me on Facebook once I got home to ask me out on a date.”

The proposal? Also by the water. “John took me out to the beach at North Stradbroke Island. We were the only ones there. He wrote “Will you marry me?” in the sand and got down on one knee with my dream ring.”

Alana found her dream lace gown at Grace Loves Lace . She shares “I always imagined I would wear something simple and slimline. The service at Grace Loves Lace was exactly how I imagined it to be. My stylist was so lovely and I trusted her opinion and expertise. As John and I had to postpone twice due to COVID-19 and my family and friends being in Victoria, wedding planning for us was a very stressful time. My favourite part was having mum here to go wedding dress shopping with.”

 

“I always wanted dad to drive me to my wedding” remembers Alana. “He drove his 61′ Chrysler Newport all the way up from Victoria and drove me to the ceremony.”

The couple were forced to change their venue last minute, tying the knot on the day at The Galley. “We had The Acre booked for nearly 18 months which was our dream location for our ceremony and reception. The Saturday before the wedding, we made the call to relocate to Ancora, their alternative venue due to flooding and insufficient access. The morning of the wedding, the coordinator called to advise they could not provide us with a venue as Ancora too was flooding. Our photographer and my hair stylist rang around and came up with The Galley as our new venue. As my family and friends are from Victoria and we had guests from North Queensland all leaving the next day, we just needed anywhere to get married!”

Even the walk down the aisle was not Alana’s original vision. “I always had “Yours” by Russel Dickerson picked although as our reception was shortened, we decided to just have out band play for our ceremony and reception. I picked “Beautiful Crazy” by Luke Combs instead as Brook & Nat (of Montana Live Entertainment) had no time to learn my original song! (The Galley is a cafe only usually open to 3:00 pm. They so kindly stayed open for us until 7:00 pm!) Dad also walked me down the aisle.”

And aptly, as it should have, the sun sparkled down as the pair said their vows. “Our ceremony was perfect in the end. After the past week of rain, we were blessed with sunshine. Our celebrant read lyrics from “Making Memories Of Us” by Keith Urban which also played while we signed our certificates.”

The couple were wed by Yes I Will Marry You! – Liz Pforr who stepped in last minute. “Our fill in celebrant, Liz Pforr from Yes I Will Marry You! and our videographer, Geoff Schatzel from Motion Art were more than happy to step in and help us out. Our band, Montana Live Entertainment were always a must for us and they were amazing!”

The classic floral arrangements of roses were styled by Bloomin Marvellous. “We had roses. My all time favourite” notes Alana. “I wanted something neutral with a hint of blush and greenery to suit the wedding party outfits and our florist exceeded our expectations.”

If there is anyone who has the golden advice for your own wedding plans, it’s Alana. “Don’t stress out about the little things. You can plan every little detail but sometimes things do not always work out the way you hoped and that’s ok. In the end, you will be just happy and remember that you got to marry the love of your life which is what is important.”

 

What better recommendation could you get for a photographer than the one these two shared? “Our lifesaver! Not only is Toni the most beautiful person, but she is also incredible at what she does! Our photos are beyond what we ever imagined and we could not be happier! She made the whole day as relaxing as possible and made taking our photos with our bridal party so much fun! The effort Toni went to, to help out was unbelievable and we could not be more thankful.”

The couple were lucky enough to have Motion Art step in last minute and capture their wedding film. Says Alana “Not only did the venue call to say they were unable to provide a venue for us but our original celebrant called, unsure if she was able to make it to Coomera with the flooding and our original videographer was sick in the hospital! Again, our photographer and my hair stylist stepped up and organised another celebrant for us so we could be assured we could 100% get married and another videographer to capture our day!”

The couple kept their decor very simple, out of unexpected choice! “We had so many details which I organised myself although as all our decorations etc. were dropped to Ancora the day before, we were unable to get them back the morning of to set them up at The Galley!”

For their first dance, the newlyweds chose “Forever After All” by Luke Combs, having their band play it live for them, a moment Alana remembers as one of her favourite parts of the day.

The biggest congratulations to you both Alana and John for finally tying the knot! May the next steps of your life together run much more smoothly. Thank you both and thank you to Doe and Deer Photography for sharing such a lovely story with us today.