Is it just a ‘guy thing’ or does everybody think helicopters and lighthouses are cool!? Surely it’s everyone! Combine a Norah Head lighthouse wedding with a helicopter and whoa, that’s one cool wedding!
When first meeting with Amanda and Jeff and learning that not only were they planning to have a helicopter at their wedding, they told me Jeff was a helicopter pilot… awesome! I was rapt they chose me to photograph their day. Ok, ok. I know it’s more than just about the helicopter and there’s a couple in love that will be committing to each other for life at their ceremony. Did I mention Amanda will be arriving by helicopter to her ceremony….
I know this complete blog post will be a bit silly if I carry on so I asked Amanda and Jeff to share some of the details about their very cool wedding at Norah Head Lighthouse, the perfect location and backdrop for a wedding ceremony.
What’s the story behind the two of you, how and where did you meet?
Jeff and I met on a holiday in South West Rocks NSW.
I was away with a group of friends and Jeff, with his family, were on a site next to the family of one of my friends. We invited Jeff to join us at the beach and Jeff and I hit it off.
However, we lived in different states. I lived in Victoria and Jeff lived in Sydney, so we decided to try long distance which we did for a year and then I moved up to Sydney when we knew we were serious. We have been together for 9 years prior to getting married.
Can you tell me about the proposal?
Jeff had taught me how to ski at Falls Creek when we first started dating. The snow is something we both enjoy and Falls Creek is one of our favourite places to ski, so it seemed fitting to propose in a place that we both love.
The weather on the day was not the greatest up the top of the mountain so we had decided to head home. I was tired and had contemplated getting the lift down to the car park, however, I knew that was the only time we would get to ski that season so decided to do the last run. Jeff being the more confident skier would always ski in front of me and wait for me to catch up and then go again. On this run we got to an area where it opens up and you can stop and play in the snow.
When I caught up to Jeff he was standing there with his skis off, I was wondering what was happening and then he got me to take something out of his top pocket in his jacket which was a box and as I opened it he got down on one knee and proposed to me.
Where was your wedding ceremony and why there?
The wedding was at Norah Head Lighthouse which we spotted flying up the coastline from Sydney. We were looking for somewhere that we felt represented us and a place big enough for a helicopter to be able to land as it was the one thing Jeff wanted in the wedding.
Norah Head Lighthouse was perfect as it had beach views and an area where we were allowed to land a helicopter.
It’s such a nice spot with great views and a relaxed vibe. It also had two cottages that both sides of the family were able to stay in which added to the day.
Where was your wedding reception and why there?
Our wedding reception was at Soldiers Beach Surf Club. It was close to the ceremony and when Jeff and I walked into the building we knew it was the right place to have the reception. It had beautiful views of the water and a romantic feel to it.
Were you going for a certain theme or style with your wedding?
We didn’t have a theme prior to finding the venue, however, as we were getting married near the beach we went with a beach theme, with a second subtle theme of rainbow.
Can you tell me about your wedding dress and any advice you have for other brides looking for their perfect gown?
My wedding dress was purchased from Spurling in Parramatta. I didn’t think I was going to find my dress in this shop when I first looked around. I tried a few on but none were really grabbing me it wasn’t until I tried on a dress that they suggested, that I found my dress, it was hard to see myself in initially as I tried it on in a purple colour and then the same style in white and I knew it was perfect and would look good in ivory.
When I tried it on for my first fitting after my dress arrived, it was perfect.
The advice I would give other brides is to bring a couple of trusted people with you that will give honest advice and be open minded with your dress and willing to try on a few and not get the first dress you try – if you really want that dress then you won’t change your mind when you have tried others on.
Don’t feel pushed into a dress by the sales ladies but also be open minded to trying on some of their suggestions, it’s how I ended up with my dress. Also make sure the dress is comfortable, that you can move in it easily and sit and stand comfortably as well as making sure it sits comfortably and if going for a strapless dress, that you are not going to be pulling it up all night.
Where did you find your wedding shoes and do you have any advice for brides looking for their bridal shoes?
I found my shoes at Novo, I didn’t want to pay the ‘wedding’ price tag on shoes and I wanted something comfortable, which they were. I didn’t take them off all night and didn’t think about my feet being sore all night.
Do your research on shoes and what you want to wear on the night and remember that it is something you will be wearing all day.
Where did you find your jewellery and accessories?
I wore limited jewellery as I thought the dress was enough. I found my hair piece and earrings at Spurling. I wanted simple and elegant but not over priced and their accessories were reasonably priced.
Who did your hair and what led you to the style you chose?
My sister in law did my hair. I Googled lots of hairstyles and combined some of the hairstyles I liked. I wanted romantic and elegant hair.
Who was your makeup artist and what were your instructions when booking – what were you after?
My make up artist was Kirsty from Double Take Make Up Artistry. I wanted a natural look but something that made my eyes stand out.
Where did you find the guys suits? Were they purchased or hired and why?
We found the suits at Tarocash. They had a suit that we had in mind advertised in their window. The guys purchased them as we figured we would then have a suit to keep and they would be better fitted to the boys.
Can you tell me about your flowers and bouquets?
Originally I had decided on having frangipani and white lilies as I thought they would be nice flowers for a beach themed wedding.
That changed when I walked past a local store selling a bunch of rainbow coloured roses and I instantly fell in love with them and decided that they would be in my bouquet with white lilies and baby’s breath.
I’m not a big flower person so we only had bouquets for the bridal party and the flower girls and button holes for the groomsmen and fathers plus the mothers had corsages. I felt they were enough as the beach theme didn’t need anymore flowers.
The flowers were done by Floral Effects.
What led you to choose the wedding cake you did?
As I had fallen in love with the rainbow roses I had decided then to bring in subtle ways of including rainbows so had decided on a rainbow layered cake, however, I still wanted it to look beachy and elegant at the same time.
I found a cake designer through an online search and loved her designs. She was able to do a mock make of a cake and it was just what I was looking for. Mudda Cakes did a great job on the cake with white chocolate mud cake rainbow layered and a two tier cake with white icing and star fish and burlap to give it that beach feel.
Our cake topper was done by Personalised Cake Toppers and was made from clay as a keepsake and it was our way of bringing our beloved dog into the wedding.
What did you have for your Bomboniere?
Running with the rainbow theme, I had decided to do jars filled with M&M’s and jelly beans. I made the jars and labels that were personalised to our wedding which I found on a site called Zazzels. I lalso found a fabric that I cut to make lids so that the jars were beach themed and old school jam jar style.
They also served as our place cards.
Can you describe the photography part of the day?
Andrew was fantastic, you barely knew he was there as he didn’t get in the way of any of the days events and a lot of the guest raved about how good he was. Andrew was great at capturing moments and making you feel comfortable and getting the extended family to relax.
What led you to choose Impact Images for your photography?
I had done a Google search on local wedding photographers and had narrowed it down to two photographers who had good quality images.
We chose impact images because of Andrew. When we met Andrew, we both felt comfortable straight away and he had a natural personality that made people feel comfortable which is what we wanted, we didn’t want a photographer that did all posed photos which Andrew gave us that variety.
Can you tell me about your most memorable moment from the day?
The most memorable part of the day for me was watching my bride arrive by helicopter flown by Slattery Helicopters. Helicopters play a big part in our lives and it was only fitting that Amanda arrive this way.
It was a great way to make an entrance and it combined Jeff’s two loves, myself and helicopters. I think it made for an exciting surprise for our guests as only a few essential people knew this was happening.
Can you tell me a little about your honeymoon?
Our honeymoon was in Europe – we did a couple of days in London and then a 16 day bus tour around Europe.
What is the most important piece of advice you could share with brides to be?
Enjoy the day and don’t sweat the little things as the day goes so fast.
If you had the chance to redo the whole thing again, what changes would you make?
We loved our wedding there is very little we would change, the only thing we would change was perhaps a band as opposed to a DJ.
If you’d like to see more of our work, find more about what we offer and our pricing, head over to the wedding page here. And if you’re planning on having a helicopter at your wedding, you absolutely have to book me for your photography 🙂
