It was New Years Eve when Nathan and Nicole officially met – they already knew ‘of each other’ but it was this special night that kick started their romance. “Both being very shy made things awkward, but after a few drinks we shared a New Years Kiss’, said Nicole.
They kept in touch for over 12 months, and then made a serious move in their relationship – Nicole changed netball clubs to be with Nathan (this is a VERY big deal in country towns!). “There was nothing specific (that made us know we were the one) but commitment from each other was what made us realise it was meant to be.”
Nicole and Nathan had an untraditional path to their wedding day, and I loved it. “So, we skipped the “proposal” part of our wedding. We purchased a ring together when our first child Lucas was 2 weeks old. We wanted to be married but didn’t really know how we wanted to go about it. Quite a few of our friends were getting engaged or married also, so we didn’t want to take their special time away from them. Our second child Kayla then came along, so it couldn’t happen then either! On the 4th anniversary of buying the ring in July 2015, we decided we finally wanted to get married.” And so, they came to me!
With a relaxed decision making style in the lead up to their wedding, they were looking for the same relaxed, loving vibe for their wedding day. The theming was pretty with a rustic charm, and Pinterest became Nicole’s new best friend in the planning process! “It’s all been quite easy, whenever I need a little help with decisions I ask my girls. The most frustrating part would have been the bridesmaids shoes! Sounds like a simple thing to find, but it wasn’t!”
As a family, they sourced props and used what they can of family heirlooms to add a super special touch to their wedding day. “One Saturday the myself, Nathan & the kids went scrub bashing to find special trees to cut & make our table centrepieces from. It’s all been great involving Nathan, Sandra, my mum & the kids in it all.”
The wedding planning had actually been kept a secret, except for those directly involved. “In October secretly myself & All, Hayley & Carissa ‘happened to be’ on the same plane heading to Adelaide together, to watch Dirty Dancing; aka, wedding shopping for 4 days.” Despite doing her research and hitting all of her bridal appointments, Nicole wasn’t having much luck with wedding dress shopping until they decided to fill in some time walking down King William Road. “We walked into a little shop on a corner and at the door as we walked in was a lady hand sewing beads onto a dress. While we were looking around she said she had 2 more dresses she was working on that were coming out in her November collection, as soon as she walked around the corner with it we all knew it was the one.” It was still full of pins being in the planning stages, but Nicole tried it on and everyone knew it was perfect. She went on to her next bridal appointment, but knew she was wasting her time there and went back to the store they luckily found, discussed how to make the dress reflect exactly what Nicole had been looking for with the designer who then took Nicole’s measurements, and she put down the deposit. Talk about fate!
It may have started out a pretty warm flat calm day, but no one let the dirt rolling across the bay that turned it to a super windy day dampen their excitement or love shared on the day. Lets be real, how amazing was the cake, dream catchers, chocolate bar, wooden pieces for table tops!
“We love that we make a great team. We complete each other as people and make each other very happy. We love spending time outdoors, whether it’s the beach or scrub, spending time with the kids as a family is what we love to do. Our world is completed, by not just each other, but our children.”
Wedding Dress: Anastasia Michos
Bridal Wedding Shoes: Tony Bianco
Bridesmaid Dresses: Joelene – After Dark Boutique – Light Grey
Bridesmaid Shoes: Jo Mercer
Jewellery: Samantha Wills and Liberte
Suits: Connor
Florist: Bay Funktion
Rings: Mazzucchelli’s
Cake: Sharnie Mahar
Decorator: Bay Funktion
Wedding Celebrant: Kayla Petty
Make up: Jess Burge
Hair Stylist: Shear Envy Hair Studio
Venue: Streaky Bay Hotel
Entertainment: Henry Smale
Wedding photography: Jade Norwood
