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Writer's pictureKaren Partridge
Aug 20, 20237 min read

REAL WEDDING - SHANNEN & JACK - BROOKLEIGH ESTATE

MAY 13, 2023

What a hectic, but EXCELLENT day, we had with Shannen and Jack as they finally became newlyweds in their uniquely themed Gothic Celestial Wedding! This couple thrive on being chilled, laid back and relaxed and let nothing really phase them!

Shannen tells me she is not at all keen on being touchy-feely, or having lots of people around, and her favourite phrase is “CRINGE!” So as Queen for the day - you have got to give her credit!! A very unique and fun couple!

A lot of the elements of their wedding were DIY by the bridal couple (family and friends) adding an authentic and very personalised touch for things like the florals, table styling, music and MC etc. PROS OF DIY is a great cost saving way to do things, it also means people close to you can feel involved in the wedding (keeping it very unique and personal).

CONS OF DIY: The risk is DIY can also be a bit hazardous - when what you think is going to happen doesn’t and the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing! No matter how casual, relaxed and chilled you want your wedding to be, you will still need to have things in place to cover all the essentials and have contingencies on the day - this is where the advice of professionals and the use of a run sheet is invaluable. Every wedding has something that doesn’t go quite to plan, and things changing at the last minute with no plan B or C can lead to total confusion and a feeling of “shifting sand” for family and friends or other vendors trying to do their jobs with very little or contradictory information, because not all the ducks managed to line up correctly in the row - even though you thought you had it covered!

Luckily for this couple they also had selected a team of experienced, creative, professional vendors to support them and rely on, and I have to say, they ALL stepped up to the mark going above and beyond for this couple to work together behind the scenes with each other to trouble-shoot, problem solve and ensure everything came together in the end - so that the couple weren’t stressed and their day wasn’t held up or possibly ruined. Incredible professionals with fantastic knowledge, skills and huge hearts! The couple probably had absolutely no idea of many of the pressing issues that popped up unexpectedly - so they could just relax and truly enjoy their day - as it should be!

Surrounded by the love of family and friends who travelled far and wide to be there, Shannen (complete with blue hair) and Jack became husband and wife.

We wish them every happiness in their married life together and we are so jealous of their planned honeymoon in Japan at Cherry Blossom time - I wonder if I could fit in one of their suitcases?


Lots of Love Karen & Vince x


HOW THEY MET They met through mutual people, and had been together for 8 years when we first met them last year.

FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO AS A COUPLE They have a fur-baby, Echo (Kelpy Cross) who they would have loved to have included in the wedding but they felt she would be too boisterous to attend in person, opting for a photo of her to be displayed instead.

THE PROPOSAL Jack proposed in Feb 2022 down at the beach at sunset - he tells me he is pretty laid back, so he admitted it wasn’t well planned, and in fact he almost missed the sunset by the time he “got the balls” (his words) to do it! He gave Shannen a “present” and when she opened it and saw the ring, she cried and then said “Yes”.

THE DRESS When I first met Shannen she described herself as non traditional, more gothic or celestial. So I was very curious to see her choice of wedding attire, I actually thought it might be a black or red wedding dress - but I was wrong! The Bride’s dress was from Tuscany Bridal, with flattering lace sleeves and a train that was very easy to bustle. She had the look of a satin covered button-up back, but with the simplicity of a hidden zip underneath - absolutely brilliant! She looked very regal accenting her dress with a short beaded veil and a gorgeous celestial themed tiara complete with clear quarts crystal points. She chose to contrast the traditional bridal look with not only a black beaded necklace and celestial themed earrings, but those shoes - OH THOSE SHOES by Rogue and Wolf from Beserk Clothing and of course the sausage dog socks! I loved the individuality and uniqueness - it seemed very authentically Shannen!

HAIR & MAKEUP The Bride’s something blue was her hair, adorned by a quarts crystal moon and star tiara! She was getting ready in two locations - Lot 113 supported by Hair and Make-up Artists from Northern Beauty Bullsbrook - and then into their dresses at the Gatehouse at Brookleigh Estate. Hair and make-up is notorious for running over time in any wedding, so I always advise my brides to be first for hair and next for make-up - that way they don’t have any pressure or stress. Of course it is totally up to them when they schedule themselves. Unfortunately, the bride was still having her hair done without any makeup by the time we had to leave to get to the groom. Kindly, Jessica from Northern Beauty Bullsbrook offered to come across to the Gatehouse at Brookleigh Estate where we staged a quick touch up for the Bride’s make-up for her photos and video.

THE FLOWERS The bouquets and buttonholes were all white natural looking florals (latex I think they said) with a touch of greenery and were made by the Bride and the Best Woman. A gorgeous touch was the use of strips of fabric from the Bride’s Mother’s wedding dress to wrap the stems and then finish off with an ecru lace overlay. The Bride's bouquet also had tiny battery operated bud lights inside which looked absolutely magical as the light began to fade and night fell. These girls did a fabulous job - I was so impressed!

CELEBRANT Brent Dickson The Wedding Crasher was their celebrant and always the professional, he also made sure all the guest knew this was an “Unplugged” wedding and even helped organise everyone for the big group shot after the ceremony. What a legend!

ACCOMMODATION Lot 113 Wines and Hooker Wines in the Upper Swan Valley are just across the road from the wedding venue - so ideal for the bride and her attendants to spend the night before the wedding and get their hair and make-up done. The vineyard would have made an excellent location for some “fun” pre wedding shots but unfortunately the hair and make-up ran over time (as often happens) so we didn’t have time. From here the bride and her entourage went to finish getting ready and into their dresses at the Gatehouse at Brookleigh Estate.

THE VENUE - Brookleigh Estate is a romantic, French inspired Chateau set on a working equestrian centre providing a stunning backdrop to create lifetime memories. They offer couples the freedom to create the wedding of their dreams in their own unique way, with multiple locations available for the ceremony, reception and stunning portrait photography locales! The added bonus of being in the Swan Valley surrounded by vineyards, just 15 min from the airport and 25 from Perth City make this idealic location very popular, and when you add the advantage of some gorgeous on-site accommodation, it’s hard to beat! Jacquie (Brookleigh Coordinator) and Emma (On the Day Coordinator from I Do Crew) were both absolutely wonderful to deal with and ensured that the stunning reception marquee was up ready in the courtyard all set to go! Emma coordinated the ceremony up until the start of the reception entrance of the couple, and even though her services technically finished at that point, she stayed on to ensure that some hick-ups over who would be cutting and serving the wedding cake got sorted out for them! True professionalism and dedication.

CATERER - “Bringing People Together With Food” is the motto of the fabulous Michelina from Michelina Lawson Catering . She says its all about creating memorable experiences with food - and Vince and I are eternally grateful that she generously fed us when there was a mix up about vendor meals. The Bride had told us it was a buffet, it wasn’t, and despite no vendor meals having been subsequently ordered Michelina and her crew took pity on us - one of the little glitches of the night!

DRINKS “Vinnie” and “Frankie” are vintage inspired Caravan’s available from Caravan and Tonic. I’m not absolutely sure which one came to this wedding, I think it was “Vinnie”, assisted by Rodney and Amy tending bar. Caravan & Tonic is a bespoke event service provider offering premium packages through fully restored vintage caravan bars that can be tailored to suit any unique and personal needs. From beer and wine, to cocktails and coffee, bar furniture and lawn games - Vinnie and Frankie are equipped with everything needed to make an event unforgettable! Besides how could you resist them - they are just so dead cute!

CAKE The black cake and “till death do us part” black acrylic topper were the work of Tannika Ulijin from Tannika’s Creative Cakes! Very different and looked absolutely fantastic! I didn’t get to actually try a piece myself, but feedback from the guests I spoke with and the empty plates showed it was really yummy!

MC The Groom’s bestie since they were 12 years old was Emma Debbie and she was unexpectedly roped in to be the MC and the Family Photo Wrangler (another part of a wedding day which notoriously runs late due to having to “herd the cats”) when the original planning didn’t happen - she was amazing and really supported the couple in any way she could on the day! What an awesome friend to count on!

MUSIC The music was kept simple with Kyle, the Bride’s Brother, responsible by pressing play on Spotify!

MY FAVOURITE DETAILS All weddings have things that don’t go according to plan, and despite the little glitches of the day here and there it was an amazing day. Once again, I have to say how impressed I was at the professional vendors who all chipped in and pulled together to protect the couple and their day - awesome! The DIY aspects of the flowers and celestial styling were so well done by the couple and their family that they might have stolen the show - had it not been for Shannen’s shoes!!! I think they absolutely have to take the cake as my favourite details of the day!


Vendors

Photographer/Videographer West Coast Weddings

Wedding Planner/Coordinator I Do Crew

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