Amy & Jared - Raffaele Ciuca Scarlett Wedding Dress

Another swipe right success! Hate online dating or love it, it’s indisputable that so many people have found their ‘forevers’ via a simple swipe. As RC Real Bride, Amy, tells us the instant attraction was undeniable – but I guess when you go on 5 dates in one week you can’t avoid but think these two people are falling into something pretty serious! Special mention to Jarred who incorporated their favourite animals – penguins, into his proposal to Amy. Good work Jarred!

#RCREALBRIDE Amy wore one of our own brands very beautiful and intricacy detailed. Scarlett by Raffaele Ciuca is one of those gowns that you only come across if you come in store. This elegant fit-and-flare gown is the perfect combination of sexy and striking simplicity.

Photographer: Immerse Photography

THE FIRST SIGHT

We met online by both swiping right! I have to admit I downloaded the application not expecting much out of it, however I was pleasantly surprised to find myself chatting and having so much in common with Jarred. We had an instant connection and were both distracted and less produtive at work those few weeks we were chatting before we met. We both knew from the first few moments of chatting that our connection was different, and special. On our first date Jarred arrived at my front door (I was living at home at the time), rang the door bell and introduced himself to me. On our first date, we went to get a casual drink and ended up chatting for hours. We both discovered that we shared the same favourite animal – Penguins! We ended up going to see the penguins at St Kilda that evening. We ended up going on four more dates that same week!

Real Bride - Amy + Jarred | Real Wedding Melbourne Mornington Penisula | Scarlett by Raffaele Ciuca

THE PROPOSAL

Keeping with the theme of penguins from our first date, Jarred had planned a special weekend away at Phillip Island, something I had never done before! I didn’t know this at the time, but he had booked a VIP tour for us. We arrived at the centre and were pulled into a special area with 3-4 other people. We changed into our penguin friendly camoflaging outfits with all our gadgets and were lead by a tour guide onto the beach afer dark and after the big crouds had gone home. With the exception of some infer infrared lights, we were sitting on a completely dark beach watching a colony of penguins migrate onto the beach. On our way up off the beach, Jarred asked me to stop and he pulled out a ring and asked me the big question! It was so romantic and caught me completely off guard, even though looking back there were so many cues! I didn’t know something was going on until the very moment he proposed!

THE VENUE

When looking at venues, we were both exactly on the same page in terms of what we were looking for. There was two key selection criteria – outdoors and wine! We are both huge outdoor lovers, and spend most weekends exploring different areas of Victoria. Red Hill and the Mornington Peninsula is our favourite weekend destination in Victoria. We looked at a couple of wineries in the area, however were completely sold when we saw Lindenderry. The grounds are absolutely breath taking, with so many different locations available to capture beautiful photos. The winery had also just gone through a renovation at the time, and we thought it was the perfect balance of that old cozy winery feel with a modern, elegant touch. Not to mention the most important part of our decision, the wine! It was delicious.

FAVOURITE MOMENT

If I had to narrow it down to a few favourite moments it would have to be when we were alone by the lake, having our photos taken after just becoming husband and wife. I still remember the sounds of frogs in the pond, the gentle rustling of the trees and birds. It was such a special moment that we often reflect on. Another favourite moment was our Bedeken (known as the ‘Veiling Ceremony’ in Jewish religion). Keeping with Jewish tradition, we had spent the week of our wedding apart, so this is the first time we had seen each other!

THE DRESS

I never believed this to be true, but as soon as I tried on my dress I knew it was the one I wanted to get married in! It was one of those situatins where the dress I chose was one I wouldn’t have even tried on if my mum hadn’t pushed me to! It was completely different from what I expected to like. I hadn’t seen a dress like this before, it was different and the perfect balance between sexy and elegance. I loved so many things about the dress, such as the four layers of gorgrous lace fabric which created a three-dimensional appearance. I loved the side lace panels and the beautiful, long tail. I only tried on a few dresses before deciding on the one! I tried on all the dresses I thought I would like the first time I visisted the store, I then went back a few days later with my maid of honour saw the dress on a manaquin in the store and thought why not! Moments later I had chosen my wedding dress!

FINDING THE ONE

The ladies at RC Armadale were friendly, attentive and supportive. Every staff member I dealt with was patient and super helpful. I felt like a princess on the day!

ADVICE FOR OTHER BRIDES

Don’t sweat the small stuff! It’s so easy to get consumed and overwhelmed by all the little things involved in a wedding. So much effort and time is spent on these kinds of things and on the day, you don’t notice them in the slightest! We managed to plan our beautiful wedding without a planner because we both used our own individual strengths to take responsibility for certain parts of the planning. For example, I organised the flowers, signage, menus ect and my husband did all the background work such as budgeting and schedules. Because we were both so involved in all aspects of the planning, we felt that our wedding was a true representation of us aad the things we love.