“I had a wonderful experience, I was lucky to have the same bridal consultant on every visit. She was really attentive and made me feel so good in my own skin. I chose my dress without my mum or bridesmaids (who were all in New Zealand) but I left feeling so confident about my choice. A big thank you to the other bride and her mum who complimented me in my dress, encouraging me to take a second look and fall in love with my dress.” #RCREALBRIDE LISA RC – How did you and your husband meet? I met Nathen nearly 9 years ago when he was running a nightclub back in Auckland, New Zealand. RC – The proposal? The proposal happened 7 years into our relationship on the Yarra River Footbridge in Melbourne. We had been out earlier that night and I swore he was going to drop down on one knee at dinner. He threw me off so well that when he finally popped the question I was so shocked I burst in to tears. He had the ring loose in his pocket (carrying it around for 3 weeks waiting for the right moment-and I cant believe he didn’t lose it!). Its an amazing pear shaped diamond and I absolutely adore it. A year later he had a lock engraved with our initials which was super sweet- our “love lock” is now secured in the spot where he proposed. RC – Is there a particular reason as to why you chose your venue? We had a lot of guests travelling from New Zealand where we both are from. We wanted a venue where we could have the ceremony, photos and our reception all in one place to make it easy for people from out of town and minimise stress for us. The Terrace in the Royal Botanic Gardens provided all of this (and more). We chose Australia Day weekend as the city is so much fun during this time and chose to have the wedding close to the city (and where we live) so our guests could spend time around the wedding exploring Melbourne and falling in love with all of the things that have kept us from moving home. We also love that when your in the gardens you have that feeling of being out of the city when you are actually so close! RC – Your favourite part of the wedding? Standing next to Nathen just after I walked down the aisle to him and looking around at our guests together. I felt so much love in the faces of our family & friends and was totally overwhelmed, that was such an amazing feeling. Other highlights were seeing how proud our parents both were (especially my dad), spending time with my new husband on a punt cruise. We also managed to squeeze in some special time with our bridal party and their partners after photos finished. We opened some champagne and got to sit back and relax before heading into our reception. Highlights are actually endless! RC – How the dress made you feel? Elegant, timeless and classy. Everything that I wanted in a dress. I loved the fabric and beading and of course the front split (which showed off my beautiful Swarovski Crystal shoes). RC – Your bridal shopping experience? I had a wonderful experience, I was lucky to have the same bridal consultant on every visit. She was really attentive and made me feel so good in my own skin. I chose my dress without my mum or bridesmaids (who were all in New Zealand) but I left feeling so confident about my choice. A big thank you to the other bride and her mum who complimented me in my dress, encouraging me to take a second look and fall in love with my dress. RC – Tips for brides-to-be! Try different styles, don’t be afraid of fabrics that might be considered unflattering. I was completely set on a lace sweetheart neckline but ended up with something completely different. My celebrant gave me the best advice of all, in our rehearsal she said to me that my walk down the aisle was a walk worth thousands of dollars-so not to rush it and to take it all in. Everyone said I looked so confident and calm, so her advice really helped me to make the most of the moment. Make sure you have a few special moments when its just the two of you. We took a ride together on a punt boat and also snuck outside for some special sunset photos and remember you can’t control for everything so in the few weeks leading up (if your meticulous at planning) you have to let it go, most of the time it will end up better than you originally planned!