“The girls at the store was so helpful and professional, even the store was very busy the staff were very personal and made you feel so special.” #RCREALBRIDE JOANNE RC – How did you and your husband meet? We were actually high school sweethearts, becoming best friends firstly at the age of 14. John was so funny I loved that he made me laugh and I can be my true self with him. Our strong friendship turned into love quickly and we were together for 6 years before he popped the question! RC – The proposal? For my 21st and university graduation present John took us a beautiful holiday to Phuket, Thailand. Where there was a private romantic dinner set up at Katathani Phuket Beach Resort overlooking the gorgeous Katanoi beach. After the dinner we went for a walk along the beach where he went down on one knee and proposed to me with my beautiful perfect ring and I screamed yes with tears streaming down my face. It was such an amazing and romantic moment that we will always remember. RC – Is there a particular reason as to why you chose your venue? When we got engaged at Katathani Phuket Beach Resort in Phuket we instantly fell in love with the place, the surrounding views and the romantic feel of the resort. We decided to hold our wedding in the garden venue overlooking Katanoi beach where John proposed to me 2 years before. The wedding was so easy to plan, everything is laid out for you and the whole wedding planning team was so helpful, I did not stress one bit throughout the planning process. RC – Your favourite part of the wedding? From the baby elephant at the ceremony to the firework show at the reception still, my favourite part of the wedding would definitely have to be walking down the aisle and seeing my husband with so much joy on his face. When he grabbed my hand to take me to the alter he whispered to me ‘you look amazing’. RC – How the dress made you feel? The dress made me feel so glamorous, like a celebrity on the red carpet. I wanted to flaunt my curves on the day and it hugged everything in perfectly. Everyone kept saying how amazing I looked in my dress and how it suited my personality. My dress was everything I dreamt of I didn’t want to take it off when we arrived back to the hotel room. RC – Your bridal shopping experience? Mum took me on a 1 week trip to Sydney and Melbourne for wedding gown shopping. I tried on so many dresses it was exhausting, we went to so many different boutiques and appointments and tried on so many dresses and liked them but didn’t love them. The saying is true ‘when you know, you know’. I walked into Raffaele Ciuca, Brunswick Store location and saw so many beautiful gowns and selected three mermaid style gowns and the first one I tried one was the one. I turned to mum and said ‘we found it’ with the biggest smile on my face. The girls at the store was so helpful and professional, even the store was very busy the staff were very personal and made you feel so special. RC – Tips for brides-to-be! The biggest tip is to enjoy every moment, every smile and every second because it goes so quickly and when it’s done you only look back on how amazing it was and the negatives don’t even exist.