An Australian Festival Wedding on Valentines Day
This couple spread the Valentine’s Day love during the St. Kildea festival in Australia. The pair tied the knot on the festivals main stage in front of thousands of people. The bride, Liz, wore a gorgeous Hayley Paige wedding dress, “Londyn“. We were eager to find out about the wedding so we did a short Q&A with Liz to find out all the details!
How did you and your husband meet?
Sam and I met fifteen years ago, when we were teenagers, and we became the best of friends. When we turned 18, our friendship blossomed into love. Four years after we started dating, Sam finally popped the question and of course, I said yes.
How did you decide to get married on the St. Kilda’s main stage?
We were on the beach and mum saw an article in the paper, calling out to any couples that would like to get married on the main stage at the St.Kilda Festival on Valentine’s Day. Sam and I decided instantly to apply and two days later we got a call from the celebrant, Kelli Rossi, saying we were accepted – suddenly, I had just 16 days to plan my dream wedding! We sent out emails calling for any vendors who would be interested in helping us and we were inundated with offers from bridal boutiques, photographers, hair and make-up artists… the list goes on! Sam and I were overwhelmed with the kindness of everyone that came forward to make our day one to remember. Everything came together so perfectly, like it was happening for a reason and was meant to be!
What was it like getting married in front of thousands of people?
It was magical, incredible, everything we could have wished for and more! Words simply can’t describe it. The amazing thing was we could invite absolutely EVERYONE! We invited our coffee shop guy, people I spoke to at the supermarket… I think my mum invited everyone she met since our wedding got the go-ahead! So many guests meant we could really share our love with everyone on Valentine’s Day, which was definitely the most rewarding part of the whole day. The crowd was incredible; they cheered the whole time and joined in with the festivities. Everyone was smiling and the crowd of thousands felt like friends by the end of it! It was nerve-wracking, certainly, there being so many people, but as soon as I saw Sam (husband) I was fine.
How did you come to pick Hayley Paige’s “Londyn” gown?
When we had confirmed the bridal boutique, Eternal Bridal, who would be sponsoring my gown, I looked at the dresses on their website every day. I was instantly drawn to the Hayley Paige gowns; which was lucky, as Eternal Bridal is the only store that has Hayley Paige in Australia! I read some advice of Hayley’s for bride-to-be’s; one of her tips was to try on dresses that you had never imagined yourself in, as you could be pleasantly surprised. I listened to Hayley Paige’s advice and selected 8 gowns that I loved, of all different styles. I didn’t look at the designer of any dresses and just picked what I was drawn to.
When I got to the dressing room, my selections hanging there and it turned out they were mostly Hayley Paige designs! There were at least 4 that were my favorites, but I knew I had to choose. I was just about to finalize my decision when I saw another bride-to-be in the dressing room next door in the “Londyn”gown and I simply had to try it on. As soon as the stylist zipped it up, I cried, as it was the dress of my dreams.
I truly have to consider renewing our vows every year at St. Kilda Festival so I can wear all of Miss Hayley Paige’s creations! To say she is genius, is an understatement!
