see Christina’s dress before they were married but, aside from that, they didn’t directly follow traditions. “We chose a rustic theme that suited our venue, and added romantic touches in soft neutral colours with plenty of wildflowers,” Christina says. “We styled the venue making the most of what was already there including large wooden banquet-style tables that we loved. We added a table runner and flowers - I love flowers so it was hard to narrow it down but I chose a soft, romantic-style bouquet in pastel and antique colours. It included dahlias, peonies, sweet peas, stock, lavender, gypsophila, daisies and plenty of foliage. We also had antique glass bottles filled with these pretty blooms placed around the venue along with two large barrel arrangements filled with floral varieties for the ceremony and a garland for the reception.” Christina’s nan made their wedding cake which was a small three-tier, traditional Victoria sponge with vanilla icing on the top and pink icing roses. “We hired a mobile bar and supplied table drinks,” they tell us. LOOKING THE PART Christina wanted an untraditional wedding dress. “I visited our local dress shop to see if they stocked anything similar to my idea of what I wanted to wear,” Christina says. “I never imagined that the first dress I tried on would be the one I chose, but it was! I tried on plenty more to make sure it was the right decision. It had all the things I was looking for in a wedding dress and most importantly, it made me feel great!” Christina was gifted a beautiful diamond necklace to wear from Aaron’s grandma. “It had been given to her by her grandma and had been worn by the women of the family at their weddings so I felt honoured that she wanted to include me in this tradition,” Christina tells us. “I was also given a pair of earrings by my bridal party as my something new. I had a Cathedral-length veil which complemented the train of my dress perfectly. For shoes, I chose a pair of plain, comfortable heels because my dress was floor-length so the shoes wouldn’t be on show.” Aaron adds, “I decided I wanted a custom-made suit embroidered with a special message and it holds wonderful memories.” The couple’s groomsman wore similar sandy-coloured trousers with a white shirt, braces and a dark green bowtie to match the bridesmaids’ dresses while their pageboy had a similar sand-coloured suit with a green tie. “Our beautiful bridesmaids had emerald green dresses and I let them choose the style,” Christina says. “Our flowergirl had a similar green dress with a white tulle skirt. I also had a man-of-honour and his suit was emerald green to match the bridesmaids’ gowns.” 39 REAL WEDDINGS
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