illusion back was accented with delicate crystal buttons. It was the right amount of sexy sophistication plus the intricate beading made it really pop! I accessorised with a chapel-length veil, my hair down with loose curls and butterfly and white orchid clips.” Chris chose a powder blue linen suit from Hawes & Curtis. “He matched it with some cool brogue trainers,” reveals the bride. “He was going for a laid-back entrepreneur look.” TIME TO CELEBRATE “We had violinist, Zara Lim, play our processional, recessional and first dance song,” recalls Marisa. “She messaged me in the weeks leading up the wedding, sending me audios and videos of her playing to make sure I was happy with her renditions of two songs from The Greatest Showman and From This Moment by Shania Twain. It was so special hearing the string notes echo across the stunning landscape with the sun beaming down. After that our guests had an hour to enjoy the 158-acre park, so they entertained themselves while we went off with our photographer for some stunning shots.” MEMORABLE MOMENTS “We weren’t nervous at all,” remembers the bride. “There was no pressure for things to be perfect since there was only 16 people, so it was a chilled wedding! We have been best friends for so long, that we acted the same on our wedding day as we do every other day! Reading our own vows to each other during the ceremony was our favourite part of the day as it was so meaningful and romantic. We felt really euphoric, gazing into each other’s eyes. Although I was mildly distracted by my mother-in-law in my eyeline crying the whole way through!” Although things went wrong on the day, it was still perfect. “I decided once we got to the venue to go the toilet before the ceremony, and I couldn’t hitch the dress up,” says Marisa. “Poor Chris had to help me out of the whole dress in the disabled toilet. Not at all a glamorous experience to start the day with. This was followed by my dad making jokes while he walked me down the aisle instead of paying attention and looking at the photographer. The violinist’s stand almost blew over and would have smacked my brother in the head, but her quick reflexes caught it before serious brain damage was inflicted! My godfather, who was the celebrant conducting the ceremony, lost the rings for ages, and it ended up being in one of his pockets. Later, as we darted down the hill on a golf cart, my bouquet launched off and bounced away, luckily the videographer grabbed it because I didn’t even notice!” “My only sibling made a very meaningful speech that I didn’t expect and was very unlike him,” shares the bride. “He said that he remembered that I always protected him when we were kids when he got bullied at school. Even when I wasn’t with him, he felt my presence close by, so he felt safe. His speech wasn’t planned, which meant that brave spontaneity came from the heart, which I feel made our bond that much stronger.” REAL WEDDINGS 45
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