“I purchased my dress from the Armadale store and had a fantastic experience. My Mum was with me on the day which made the whole experience extra special. I was served by Allison who was extremely helpful, recommending dresses to suit the style I had in mind and making me feel so welcome and special.” #RCREALBRIDE JESS RC – How did you meet Hayden? Hayden and I met at our local Soccer Club. At the time Hayden played in the same team as my brother, I played for the women’s team and my parents were involved with the club committee. Hayden took me on our first date to Walhalla, a beautiful heritage gold mining town in Gippsland. We instantly connected and knew that it would be the beginning of something special. RC – How did Hayden propose? In September 2014 we went on our dream holiday to Canada. In the beautiful Canadian rockies, we took a ride on the Banff gondola. While heading up the mountain with the most spectacular view Hayden pulled out the most beautiful ring and asked me to marry him. And I said Yes! It was a complete surprise to me and I was blown away! Hayden had been planning everything for months and I had no idea. He had designed the ring with a jeweller, kept it secret and before leaving for our holiday visited my Dad and asked him for permission to marry me. While on our holiday he knew he wanted the moment to be private but to be in a special location with an amazing view. He carried the ring around with him everywhere we went waiting for a moment he thought was perfect. And perfect it was! RC – Is there a particular reason as to why you chose your venue? We decided to have our wedding at Forest Edge in Gembrook. As soon as we arrived at the venue, looking at the spectacular view we knew it was the place we were going to get married. We both wanted a location / wedding that had a mixture of bush and country but at the same time a touch of class and elegance which is everything Forest Edge is. We always wanted our ceremony to be outdoors with a country view in the background. The gardens at Forest Edge was the perfect setting for this! Being able to have our ceremony and reception at the same venue was also important for us which Forest Edge was able to accommodate. RC – Your favourite part of the wedding? The whole day was magical. It was such a happy day with all our family and friends. Looking back getting ready in the morning with my bridesmaids and family was very special. Putting on my dress was an amazing feeling and Dad seeing me for the first time was very emotional. Hayden and I both loved our ceremony and probably feel that was the highlight for us. For me in particular having Dad walk me down the aisle and seeing Hayden for the first time with a big smile on his face was a moment I will never forget. RC – How did the dress make you feel? My dress made me feel beautiful, amazing and very special! I absolutely loved having it on. Its a feeling like no other having your wedding dress on and everything coming together on the day. I absolutely loved the soft tule, tight fitting body and the long train. It was everything I had dreamed of and more. RC – How was your bridal shopping experience? I purchased my dress from the Armadale store and had a fantastic experience. My Mum was with me on the day which made the whole experience extra special. I was served by Allison who was extremely helpful, recommending dresses to suit the style I had in mind and making me feel so welcome and special. I came on a Demetrios trunk show day so was very lucky to have come along as the dress I chose was only there that weekend! As soon as I put it on I knew it was ‘the one!’. My Mum also knew it was also the one as she said it was the only dress I had an emotional response to. The dress was Cosmobella 7771 without the sleeves. The alterations team in Brunswick were also fantastic as well recommending a few small alterations to ensure the dress was a perfect fit and stayed fitted nicely the whole day. RC – Tips for brides-to-be! Keep a to-do list! The last few weeks can make your head spin but having a list to refer to is very helpful. Enjoy the day and the weeks leading up to it. Try not to stress too much about things being perfect as you will have an amazing day regardless of things not going 100% to plan. Don’t rush into booking things. Make sure you explore all your options and are 100% happy with the choices you make!