And to celebrate, I wanted to officially publish Michaela's stunning blog on her wedding! A love story and words of wisdom direct from the bride herself.
Every aspect of the wedding was all about effortless LOVE, and being with those that meant the most to them.
With the venue being right on the beach, guests indulged in beautiful food whilst listening to live music, surrounded by the relaxing views of the ocean.
The styling was all about beach elegance, and whilst Michaela did some DIY styling herself (which can be tough!), she still kept calm and carried on!
We could all benefit from some of Michaela's words of wisdom and tips for planning brides!
Alison xx
As our "official" new years eve meeting had taken place on a basketball court, Scott proposed in such a sentimental way. He proudly made a big sign in the shape of a basketball that said in lit festoon light globes "Will you marry me?" He tied it to a tree on a cliff top overlooking the ocean at Shellharbour NSW where he surprised me with an engagement ring by the incredibly talented jeweller Matthew Ely www.matthewely.com.au.
Choosing the wedding venue was a no brainer for us. Scotts Head, a stunning coastal village up the Northern Coast, was the beach where my Mum and Dad met as teenagers. It's a beautiful place that Scott and I had both been visiting on weekends away from Sydney since we met. We both love the ocean and spend all of our spare time at the beach, so it just fit us perfectly.
We had 7 bridesmaids and 4 groomsmen. It was important to us to have our closest friends standing next to us on the day and we weren't fussed on having exactly even numbers.
About an hour after choosing my Pronovias, Perfect Day Bridal www.perfectdaybridal.com.au wedding dress, my Maid of Honour and I went shopping and found the beautiful bridesmaid dresses by Shona Joy www.shonajoy.com.au.
All of the dresses were in a stunning Oyster colour and we were able to choose 4 different styles which was perfect for our beach wedding.
Scott wanted to incorporate his Scottish heritage into his outfit, but wasn't completely sold on the idea of wearing a kilt, so he opted for a subtle tartan suit. Trying to find a tartan suit in the boutiques at that time was near impossible (of course they are everywhere now!), so we decided to have it tailor made to measure, and found Institchu tailors www.institchu.com who were reasonably priced and very helpful.
Choosing the groomsmen attire was harder as we never really liked the casual beach wedding look. It couldn't be too formal, but we definitely didn't want the shorts, thongs, untucked shirt look either. We opted to have the boys wear the same tartan pants as Scott's suit with a tailored white shirt and grey suspenders.
Alison recommended Kimberley from the Marmalade Sky www.themarmaladesky.com.au for our bridal party flowers, who was fabulous!
From the very first meeting, both Alison and Kimberley really understood the style we wanted to achieve and it's clear they are truly passionate about what they do!
Our wedding completely decked out with Australian native flowers. I love proteas, so the main flowers used throughout were of course various kinds of proteas, such as king proteas and repens proteas. All the foliage was mainly silver dollar gum, leucadendron and
thryptomene.
The tables were styled with timber name plates, minimalist menus and table numbers with gold accents, crystal cut glassware and white candles.
We positioned the bridal table in the middle of the room with guest tables around us, as Scott and I never really liked the idea of being front and centre on a table for all to look at. Plus we thought it was nice to include the partners of the bridal party. They were all such close friends it was just like a big family dinner.

If you can, enlist the help of a wedding planner like Alison Hughes Weddings. It was such a huge help to be able to bounce ideas off a trusted experienced professional. The endless list of industry contacts, the budget spreadsheets and checklists she provided me with were also helpful.
Finally, Ben Wyeth our photographer was so easy going and captured the day and night perfectly. Looking back on the photos from the day through his lense is just like reliving the day.
Michaela xx
Ben Wyeth Photography www.benwyeth.com.au
Wedding planning and floral styling
Alison Hughes Weddings www.alisonhughesweddings.com
Bridal party flowers
The Marmalade Sky www.themarmaladesky.com.au
Bridal Gown Boutique
Perfect Day Bridal www.perfectdaybridal.com.au
Groom & Groomsmen Attire
Institchu www.institchu.com
Bridesmaid Dresses
Shona Joy www.shonajoy.com.au
Décor Hire
Rosie Pose Event Hire www.rosieposeeventhire.com.au
Make up artist
Project Make Up www.projectmakeup.com.au
Hair Stylist
Blondies Dolls www.facebook.com/blondiesdollsnambuccaheads
Celebrant
Kim Piper www.kimpipercelebrant.com
Cake
The Sugar Kitchen www.thesugarkitchen.com.au