When he makes a 5 hour round trip it’s a sign of a keeper! Gemma and Elliot met on Tinder and as they say the rest is history! Gemma was a dream bride and we were able to customise her dream gown to achieve the style she wanted!
#rcrealbride Gemma wore the Ralea Gown by La Sposa which is a gorgeous satin princess dress with a V-neck bodice that is lightly draped on the front and back with a pleated skirt.
Photography by Samantha Simone Photography
THE FIRST SIGHT
Like all good modern couples, we met on Tinder. Elliott and I started talking on the app around the end of July, he tried to organize a few of dates with me, but I flaked on him. We finally had our first date on Wednesday 20th August 2014. Elliott drove 2.5 hours to take me out on a date. I booked dinner at a local beachfront restaurant, we then went to a small bar to spend some more time talking about life and our aspirations. We got along with so much ease, nothing felt forced and we got along so well. Elliott drove 2.5 hours back to his house. We talked every day until the weekend when Elliott drove back down, and the rest is history.
THE PROPOSAL
Elliott had been acting a little strange for a few days and I definitely picked up on that. It was our 3rd year anniversary, we had planned a nice dinner at one of our favourite restaurants in the city. I was getting ready for our night out and as I saw Elliott in the corner of my eye, I turned around and he was on one knee, I burst into tears immediately and said yes, a million times over. He later told me that he had attempted to propose to me earlier in the day, he was on one knee waiting for me to come into our bedroom, but I never did, so that’s how the proposal later that day happened.
THE VENUE
We knew we wanted to get married in the south of Western Australia, because that was where most of our family and friends live. We had been looking for a while for the perfect venue and had almost given up, then I saw Flutes on google maps. It was everything that we had envisioned, the only thing was that we couldn’t go and look at in in person. I sent my mum and one of my bridesmaids to have a look at the venue in person, so we could look on facetime. We knew instantly that it was our venue. We confirmed our booking only minutes after.
FAVORITE MOMENT
3 of my most favourite moments of the wedding day.
- The ceremony! It was perfect, every word chosen by our celebrant was 100% authentically us.
- I have 3 little brothers, and during the father-daughter dance my mum had organised for each of them to tap in and dance with me. She timed everything perfectly, my Dad danced with me for 1 minute and then each of my brothers dance with me for 30 seconds. I had no idea that it was planned, so when my first brother tapped in I immediately starting crying, and then it got worse each time my other brothers tapped in. It was so beautiful and a moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
- Prior to the wedding Elliott and I asked all our friends and family to learn “The Git Up” dance by Blanco Brown. After our first dance, that was the first song that played, we invited everyone onto the dance floor to join in. It was hilarious, our guests absolutely loved it and we all had so much fun doing it.
THE DRESS
My dress is the La Sposa Ralea dress, it was the opposite of what I pictured myself it. When I chose it to try, it was only to see what it looked like. I had my mum with me and as soon as I walked out in it, we both knew it was the dress for me. It was perfect! Such a classic design and felt incredible in it. I had 2 additional bridal fittings booked for the same day, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the Ralea dress. I made another appointment 2 days later to try the Ralea dress on again and ordered it on the spot.
FINDING THE ONE
Once my dress arrived I booked an appointment with the RC alterations department, I met with Rita and one of the seamstresses to see if a sleeve could be added to my dress, I loved it as it was, but I was feeling uncomfortable having my arms out. They both worked so hard to help me achieve the style I wanted. They got to work straight away and added a makeshift sleeve on my dress with a piece of fabric. It took no more than 10 minutes and it exactly what I wanted. When my dress was finally ready to be picked up, I had one final fitting, I had a complete WOW moment, everything was so carefully done, and you would have never known that the dress didn’t already come with a sleeve on it. It was honestly the perfect dress for me.
TIPS FOR ALL THE BRIDES TO BE
Make yourself a Wedding Day Manual!!! It was my life saver, it had everything in it, I had one copy with me, the groom, at the ceremony, and at the reception. My wedding coordinator loved me for it!!!
It had all the important info in one place:
Wedding Day Details, Song Choices and Music Playlists, Wedding Supplier Contact Information, Bride Wedding Day Details, Bride Tribe Contact Details, Groom Wedding Day Details, Groomsmen Contact Details, Bride Morning Schedule, Groom Morning Schedule, Ceremony Schedule, After Ceremony Photo List, Reception Schedule, Ceremony Seating Plan and Notes, Reception Seating Plan, Dietary Requirements, Menu and Drink Choices.
advice FOR ALL THE BRIDES TO BE
We both always say that Communication and Compromise is the key to any relationship, and so far that’s worked for us. But if you ask us in another 20 years we might give a different answer.
