Mark was her friends neighbour and fate had them come together. Now after 7 years, they tie the knot on a stunning beach in Sorrento and there’s even a helicopter involved! #RCRealBride Belinda wore the stunning Hadley gown by Maggie Sottero. This alluring fit-and-flare features striking lace motifs, a low back, and a sexy sweetheart neckline accented with a shimmer of sequins and beading. Finished with covered buttons over zipper closure. Photographed by Sorrento Weddings THE FIRST SIGHT Mark and I met through a mutral friend, that lived next door to one another. While I was visiting my friends, he would often be over there, as he was visiting . I can remember my friend said to me at the time ,“You should date Mark because he would be such a good boyfriend.” I remember being attracted to him, but nothing started between us straight away. We started talking when he saw me standing on the side of the road (I was waiting for my parents to pick me up), he sent me a facebook message asking if I was okay or needed a lift. He drove a van at the time, and I didn’t feel comfortable getting into a van with a boy! From here we kept talking and started our relationship. We went to Balsamic in Ringwood for our first Coffee date, I remember being really nervous about what to wear! THE PROPOSAL Mark proposed on a holiday in Bali- after many failed attempts (unbeknown to me at the time), I kept spoiling his plans to propose! He ended up asking me over dinner at KU DE TA, where he needed to go to the toilet (I thought he was sick, because he looked pale) and when he came back he was on one knee and in a word vomit kind of fashion, blurted out “Will you marry me?” I initially thought he was joking! At the time we had been dating 6 and a half years and living together for 2 years. I honestly thought he would never ask! THE VENUE I always knew I wanted to marry Mark down the beach. We spend our summer down in Dromona, so it is a special place to us. I checked three places before choosing Hotel Sorrento, but it was honestly their wedding planner, Bek who won me over. Her professionalism was exactly what I was after, and knew I could trust her with making our day special. She made sure that she could cater for any request to the best of her ability. I also liked the freedom I had of styling the venue. FAVORITE MOMENTS My favourite part of the wedding was the quality time I spent with my dad, minutes before I walked down the aisle. We were both so nervous! We bumped into a local hens party, which the hen offered me a champaign to help calm the nerves! It was a really special time to spend. Dad and I also did a ‘funny father daughter dance’ which was just hilarous! I also enjoyed the raw emtion of the ceremony- watching the raw footage afterwards made it seem more real. It was beautiful to see Mark so emotional, along with everybody-including myself! Hearing Mark read his vows that he had written himself was also really special. I knew it was something he was nervous about, but to hear him say such beautiful things is something I’ll never forget. THE DRESS I had the most amazing experience at Raffael Ciuca choosing my dress. The customer service by Ellen was which ultimately made my decision so much easier. My dress was the third one I tried on. I had a vision of wearing two dresses to the wedding, which Ellen made possible without me having to purchase two dresses. I loved that I felt like a princess, then could change my look for the ceremony. I couldn’t decide what exact look I wanted, so I loved that I got the best of both worlds. I loved the train of the Maggie Sottero dress, it really added such a beautiful feature! FINDING THE ONE It was everything I hoped it would be- absolutely perfect! Ellen was wonderful to work with, and made such a memorable and emotional experience so much better! She would find dresses that had the things that I love, and didn’t have the things I didn’t like. It was her mission to find the perfect dress for me. I cannot thank her enough! ADVICE FOR OTHER BRIDES You do you- make your day about what you and your partner want and what reflects yourself as a couple. A tip on how to keep a happy relationship? Compromise.