Helena’s Story
Bride & Groom: Helena & Justin
Planning & Styling: Kashaya & Co
Gown: Monique Lhuillier
Venue: Café Sydney
Photography: Bayleigh Vedelago
Floral: Kashaya & Co
Videography: Soda Films
Make up: Chloe Langford
Hair: JaydeTurner Ledwige
How did you and your husband meet?
We got introduced by a mutual friend when Justin came to Sydney for work. I didn’t realise it at the time but our friend was trying to set us up from the beginning. It took a few times before we actually met as we kept missing each other but when we finally met it was a perfect match as we got along so well. We ended up spending a lot of time together when Justin was in Sydney and soon after that we started a long distance relationship between Sydney and Melbourne. We did this for over a year until two years ago I decided to move to Melbourne. It was the best decision as now I get to call Justin my husband.
How did he propose?
Before he proposed Justin flew to Brisbane to see my dad to ask for his permission to marry me. My dad and Justin had become close, and he asked my dad what he thought would be the best day to do it on our upcoming trip and dad suggested my birthday. Justin and I were in Positano and it was my birthday. We had a beautiful lunch at La Sirenuse and then Justin had organised a boat just for the two of us along the Amalfi coast. We were cruising along and looking at the beautiful coastline when he came out from the back of the boat with a ring box, got on his knee and asked me to marry him. I was so surprised and had no idea!! We had champagne, called our friends and family and then went for dinner and cocktails followed by a night of dancing in Positano. I couldn’t of imagined a better night, it was so special and even more so that I will always have that memory on my birthday.
What was your vision for your wedding day?
My vision for the day was an elegant venue and lots of flowers. We had so many friends and family coming from interstate and overseas we just wanted to give everyone an experience. Having it a Café Sydney was just that as the views and the food spoke volumes. I also said to Kashaya, I wanted bold colours and an abundance of flowers everywhere. We wanted the venue to be a feature but we also wanted the florals to be a feature also. We also had this beautiful dessert table, with cake, fruit, mini desserts, cheese and a 1m croquembouche tower which was surrounded with masses of flowers in all sizes and in brightly coloured reds, pinks and purples –it was just stunning and a total focal point.
Where did you look for your wedding inspiration?
I started by getting my ideas on Instagram and following a few different bridal pages, photographers, florists, etc and this gave me a good base. I really wanted a chic and elegant feel with bright florals so once I picked what I wanted I just let Kashaya work her magic from there.
For your wedding day what drew you to your gown from Helen Rodrigues Bridal?
I have always loved Monique Lhuillier’s elegant and classic designs. My wedding dress was part of the new Monique Lhuillier 2019 collection which I had seen online and immediately fell in love with. Helen Rodrigues was the only stockist in Australia to be receiving it but unfortunately it wasn’t coming until only a couple months before my wedding. I tried on a couple of other ML dresses with Helen but I couldn’t stop thinking of my dream dress. I decided to take a chance and wait until it arrived a few months before my wedding before trying it on. I’m so glad I waited for it because I couldn’t imagine wearing anything else.
When did you know your Monique Lhuillier gown was ‘the one’?
I always knew I wanted my wedding dress to be simple and elegant. I didn’t want any beading or too much lace and being a smaller frame I didn’t want to be consumed by too much fabric. When I first tried it on, it was so classic and it ticked all of my boxes. It felt so feminine but it was still sexy with a low back and low front. The dress felt like it was made for me and I just loved wearing it.
What was your wedding planning journey like for you? How far out did you start planning?
I started planning 8 months out. I knew we had to lock in the venue, photographer, church and wedding planner pretty quickly so we didn’t miss getting the ones we wanted. Once we booked in those everything was a lot easier to coordinate.
What was the biggest decision you had to make?
The location. We met in Sydney but we live in Melbourne so there was a bit of back and forth but we chose Sydney and I’m so glad we did.
What was the highlight of your wedding day for you?
Everything. Every moment was so special. From walking down the isle and seeing Justin to being surrounded by everyone we love in one place, it was just perfect.
Is there anything you would do differently?
Nothing, we couldn’t of asked for a better day.
Is there any advice you would give other #HRBride’s?
Don’t let the little things stress you out and have fun!!! It’s your day and everyone is there for you so enjoy every moment as it will be over before you know it.
