Shannen & Anthony's Heartwarming Blush & Ivory Wedding

From a wine barrel guest book to spectacular chandelier centrepiece, Shannen and Anthony’s wedding offers the perfect fusion of elegant and rustic touches. With every detail thoughtfully planned, including the most divine, handcrafted wedding gown and a very special “something blue”, you can’t help but fall in love with this gorgeous couple’s celebration.

The Proposal

“We had organised a picnic at the beach with our two dogs Chloe and Nelly. When we went for a walk Anthony proposed to me. I was so happy I could not stop crying! We then drove home and he didn’t want me to call anyone, saying let’s just take this moment in and when we get home we will call everyone. He surprised me again because when we drove into our street I saw all of our family’s cars. He had arranged for everyone to surprise me and celebrate our engagement, it was the best moment!”

Wedding Style

“It was important that our wedding day reflected us as a couple, with a natural, elegant, uncluttered style. From choosing the limousine to picking chair covers, we decided details together. I also wanted our day to be very personalised – we had my horse Blue at the ceremony and he was used for photos afterwards. We both love horses and it made our day extra special.”

The Planning Experience

Shannen really enjoyed the wedding planning experience. “I made sure I took it all in and enjoyed it as it is something that only happens once. I tried to use local suppliers, such as the cake decorator and florist.”

The only downside? “I did give up a lot of my horse riding, especially as it got closer to the wedding -I just didn’t have time to do both.”

Involving Family

“My mother designed the wedding invites and ceremony programs. Both of our families were involved with just being there for us, helping with advice, hemming suit pants, dropping things off, feeding bridal parties! Without them it would not have gone as smoothly or been as fun!”

The Ceremony

“The ceremony had Americana chairs, ivory petals down the aisle and two large vases of baby’s breath on wine barrels. Aria Acoustic played ‘It Feels like Home’ when we walked down the aisle.”

After the ceremony, guests went up to the deck to drink, eat canapés and listen to live music while Shannen and Anthony took photos!

The Dress

“My grandma, a retired dressmaker, was involved from the start with my wedding dress and my bridal party dresses. She used lace from her dress, as well as my mother’s and auntie’s dresses. Once the lace design was complete, she started the long process of beading. The dress is absolutely amazing and it is my dream wedding dress! I felt like a princess.”

DIY Projects

“I took my horse’s horseshoes, cleaned them up and decorated each one individually for down the aisle decorations.
I also went op shopping and collected wicker baskets for carrots for Blue, wedding programs and petal cups.
My bridesmaids helped make the petal cups from doilies and then we used petals from our garden to fill them.
I had a bathroom basket filled with hairspray, deodorant, Panadol and other things that the female guests loved.
We also made the favours, three silver heart chocolates in small organza silk bags with a thank you card.”

Best Advice

1. Go with your first choice. I would pick something and then stress whether I’d picked the right thing. Everything we had was what we had chosen first and it was all perfect.

2. Enjoy the planning! Take time out to enjoy being engaged and enjoy looking at all the beautiful bridal magazines and blogs and getting ideas.

3. Be organised! I kept a wedding folder and started a wedding folder in my emails to keep track of everything. Even if it seems like you have ages to do it, make sure you do it as things book out quickly and the time goes very fast.

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