Jenna & Colin - Allure Bridals 9473 Wedding Dress

How is this for fate…? This gorgeous couple is both from Zimbabwe, Africa. They met in London, England and now live and married in Finlay, regional Victoria, Australia. Explored the world together and seen a wide variety of breath taking sites and experienced a diverse range of cultures and yet Jenna + Colin’s love remained strong no matter where in the world they were.

#RCREALBRIDE Jenna wore the gown by Allure Bridals in 9473. The focal point of this gorgeous mikado ballgown is the illusion back, covered in lace appliques. Simplistic yet timeless is this striking ballgown.

Photography: Paul at Immerse Photography

THE FIRST SIGHT

We meet through flatmates while living in London. Although we are both originally from Zimbabwe, Africa, our paths didn’t cross until we were both living and working in London. The very first time that we met, was at a bar called Zulus in Putney. It wasn’t until about 5 months later when we met up again but after that, we saw each other pretty much every day. Little did we know that 12 years and 2 countries later, we would be living and married in Australia.

THE PROPOSAL

The proposal was at the Snowy River on my birthday in April 2017 on an unplanned camping trip with no internet or phones (nor electricity or running water). Colin had thought of everything, a meal that night over the fire, even mini bottles of Prosecco. The remote location made it very special and unique. In fact it wasn’t until the next day that we shared the news as we made a drive to the nearest village to call the family. Even though we had been dating for a while, it still came as a surprise.

THE VENUE

The large shed on our property! Shed on Finlay. We purchased our own property just 10 months prior to the wedding date; a purchase as a result of many years of saving, between us both working full-time since we were 18, totally of our own doing with no assistance from family. The wedding was also paid for by us, hence the venue is a very special place for us and we could prepare it exactly how we liked, to match our personalities.

FAVOURITE MOMENT

There is 3 special moments that come to mind from our big day, which were;
1. Colin and I opening up the shed before everyone entered, just the two of us, with the band playing Secret Garden by Bruce Springsteen.
2. The venue hands down was perfect for us, we both felt at home and the weather was perfect!
3. Colin’s neice carrying my wedding dress train, this wasn’t practiced nor was she told to, it was just a very cute, automatic act by her, which was so cute!

THE DRESS

The detail on the back of the dress was just beautiful and totally complemented the simplicity of the front. I loved many dresses but kept looking at this one and couldn’t get it out of my mind so I knew it had to be the one.

FINDING THE ONE

All of the staff were helpful and really listened to the style I wanted and also helped suggest dresses that would compliment my body shape. No one was pushy and I never felt rushed at all. Thank-you to all the staff for helping me find my dream gown, I felt like a princess on the day!

ADVICE FOR OTHER BRIDES

Pick your priorities and, make a list with the priorities in order and then spend the most amount of your time focusing on the top of the list. It can be impossible to cover everything, in budget and within the timeframe and the day goes by so quickly that its not worth getting swamped by every detail.