allowed at their wedding until a few weeks before. “This was a nightmare to plan and organise, as things were so last minute,” recalls Chelsea. “The favours were small white boxes that we filled with chocolate hearts and love heart sweets. We had five children at the wedding, and to keep them entertained, we created boxes for them filled with mini-colouring books, toys and sweeties. Our table plan was also a last-minute panic as several guests could no longer attend due to the pandemic. We wanted something personal to us, and since we’ve been lucky enough to have travelled to many places around the world together, we decided on a map from Paper Adventure Co. We used the places we’d previously visited as table names with a small sentence about each area.” The couple decided on an elegant and neutral theme for their décor. “The Mulberry Room speaks for itself, so we wanted to keep the embellishments paired back,” says the bride. “We had sash covers and white and pink flowers on the tables. On the top table, we had a spray in front of us, scattered rose petals and four vases for the bridesmaids to put their bouquets in.” Chelsea and Ryan chose a four-tiered cake from Iced Innovations. “We opted for lemon, chocolate and carrot cake which were all amazing,” Chelsea shares. “The top tier was reserved just for us. We took it home and enjoyed it over the next couple of days. The rest of the food was provided by Oatlands Park Hotel. We had a light starter of parma ham, melon, rocket salad and pine nuts. For the main, we opted for a slice of beef, roast potatoes and vegetables, with red wine jus and the chocolate brownie dessert was kindly created by the chef who knew we were chocoholics.” DRESSED TO IMPRESS “My dress was an Essense of Australia design from The Bridal Room,” explains the bride. “I wanted a dress that would suit my figure and height. The team at the boutique were amazing and incredibly friendly. The gown itself was covered in sparkles, which is exactly what I wanted. It was incredibly flattering, and the train was just perfect. I accessorised with an understated tiara from Lace & Favour, and the bridesmaids wore similar versions from Next.” Ryan chose a navy suit from Marks and Spencer and a small flower that matched the bride’s bouquet. “We wanted the four bridesmaids’ dresses to colour match my gown, so we went for a champagne design from House of Fraser,” adds the bride. “The dresses were comfortable and very flattering.” TIME TO CELEBRATE “We hired a DJ from JB Entertainment and a mirror photo booth,” recalls Chelsea. “Both were equally entertaining! The same day was the semi-final of the Euros cup with England VS Denmark. When the final result came through, and we knew England had gone through to the finals, the DJ played Football’s Coming Home, which of course got everyone on their feet celebrating.” MEMORABLE MOMENTS “The pandemic had put a downer on planning the wedding, but when it came to the day, we were just so happy that it was finally happening,” says the bride. “The bridesmaids and groomsmen were so helpful, and we honestly couldn’t have done it without them. We’re so proud of every single one of them!” The happy couple asked their videographer, Blondot Productions, to record their speeches. “The speeches were hilarious, and I’d highly recommend having them recorded to look back on,” shares Chelsea. “We’d seen that Blondot Productions had used smoke bombs in one of their videos, so we bought a white and pink version to try down by the lake in the evening. We tried the white one first as a trial, and it went well, although the wind wasn’t exactly going in the right direction. Ryan then let off the pink one and threw it behind him, straight onto my dress! When lighting a smoke bomb, you are supposed to throw it as REAL WEDDINGS 45
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