Thank you to everyone who entered the competition to win their wedding or anniversary celebrations photography for free. The purpose of the competition was to find people who have organised events that are personalised and unique. It was hard to narrow it down but in the end it was the entrants who had done the most to personalise their celebrations who made it as finalists. I have decided to give away two prizes – the wedding package and a package for the anniversary celebrations. There are 6 wedding finalists and 2 anniversary finalists.
The winners will be determined by the number of votes they receive on the Gemma Clarke Photography (GCP) Facebook page. You will need ‘like’ the GCP FB page before you will be able to vote. The direct links to each couple are shown underneath their description. Please ‘like’ your favourite couple from the wedding category and the anniversary category. You are most welcome to ‘like’ more than one couple. Many thanks for your support of these couples.
WEDDING FINALISTS
CHRISSY + PATRICK – November 2011 –St Francis Xavier, Berrima and Sylvan Glen, Southern Highlands – VOTE HERE
Unique things they love about each other
~ What Patrick loves about Chrissy – She has the ability to put others first and is the most unselfish person I know, she always makes lunches for two and she has the cutest bottom and I never grow tired of pinching it!
~ What Chrissy loves about Patrick – He has the kindest eyes and they just know how to make me feel better whenever I look into them, he gets along with everybody and can talk to anyone I introduce him to and most importantly he makes me feel like the luckiest person in the world!
How they met/Proposal story
~ “The typical friends of friends introduced us, but it took a house party with Cointreau, golf buggy’s and dancing in a half renovated kitchen with power tools for us to take the plunge and act on our butterflies.”
~ Their favourite place in the world, Wombarra, was the site of the proposal. The sun shone on the couple as Patrick got down on one knee and asked Chrissy to marry him. He then led her to a hidden picnic hamper with champagne, delicious foods, a heartfelt letter and some photos from a recent trip.
Details about the celebrations
~ Chrissy would like to wear her mum’s veil “she is one of the most influential people to me and I admire her strength and courage to no end.”
~ Flowers will be Australian natives likes Waratahs and Proteas to reflect Chrissy’s love of natives growing up near the bush. Many walks with her dad helped her to appreciate the rugged beauty of the Australian natives.
~ The bridal party will be wearing similar colour palettes of greys for the boys and neutral/pink tones for the girls.
~ The reception tables will be named after places in the world Chrissy and Patrick have visited from Verona, Italy to Tayrona, Columbia. There will be pictures to show their adventures.
~ In honour of a family with baking traditions, Chrissy and Patrick will make biscuits for their guests to enjoy.
SARAH + DAVID – Wedding – December 2011 – Boronia House, Mosman - VOTE HERE
Unique things they love about each other
Sarah loves: that David is a Mac FANatic! “If a product can come from Apple then that’s where we’re getting it from.” His great love of all things science fiction and fantasy and the way he can spend hours absorbed in another world. Sarah is now a convert!
David loves: that Sarah is “so compassionate that she used to cry as a child when it rained because all the homeless dogs would be cold and wet” and her ability to drink grown men twice her size under the table.
Their Proposal story
“We’d talked for a while about getting married as a celebration of our ten year anniversary in 2011 and agreed a proposal was never going to be a fit for us. We wanted to do this together and equally from the start – a mutual joining instead of one inviting the other in.”
They decided to make the announcement at David’s birthday celebrations and there were many tears of joy.
Details about the celebrations
~ Making this celebration personal is of key importance to Sarah and David. It is about celebrating 10 years of love and commitment as well as a lifetime commitment.
~ A work colleague will officiate the ceremony and Sarah and David will walk down the aisle together. A representation of how they love to do everything together!
~ King Street finds will be used to decorate the venue to show off the personalities of Sarah and David and the love of their local area, Newtown.
~ “We are having a chocolate, pink and (touch of) green theme – I get bright pink gerberas and green polka dot napkin bands and David gets the classic venue and colours that mean the pictures will look timeless when we reminisce in 20 years.”
~ David and Sarah are not going to sit on an elevated platform or a table by themselves– they want to be right in the middle of the action!
~ A fun bright lolly bar will be available to the guests so they can take home some great treats.
~ The couple will ask their guests to RSVP with their favourite song that will then be used to make up the mix for the DJ when the party starts.
NATASHA + CARA – Commitment Ceremony – August 2011 – Shellharbour, NSW - VOTE HERE
The things they love about each other
Natasha about Cara – “the way she just sits there and looks at me for hours; she is extremely funny all the time and when she randomly kisses me to make me feel safe”
Cara about Natasha – “her positive attitude towards life, her amazing eyes (when I first saw them they took my breath away) and her cute little laugh.”
Their Proposal story
It was their one year anniversary and Cara took Natasha to Shellharbour. As they enjoyed strawberries and chocolate and drank Mason Cara got down on one knee and read an amazing poem asked Natasha to marry her. The emotion was overwhelming and both started crying tears of joy.
Details about the celebrations
~ Cara will be wearing a suit and Natasha in a white dress.
~ The theme is the ocean and blue will be dominant throughout the day with blue bridesmaid dresses, groomsmen’s ties and decorations at the reception.
~ Cara has a great love for the ocean. Natasha’s grandfather who recently passed away also loved the ocean.
~ Star fish decorations will be apparent throughout the day including on top of the cake.
AMY + GREG – Wedding – December 2011 – Belgenny Farm, Camden- VOTE HERE
Unique things they love about each other
What Amy loves about Greg – the way he struts, the way he mocks the sound of the toll beeper and that he calls her bunny.
What Greg loves about Amy – The way she pouts when she is angry (it’s cute) and the way she krumps.
Their how they first met/Proposal story
~ Greg and Amy were both wearing converse shoes on the night they met and it was a conversation topic to break the ice at a friend’s party.
~ Greg proposed to Amy with a custom designed sapphire ring whilst in a helicopter over the Great Barrier Reef.
Details about the celebrations
~ Amy and Greg both love the outdoors and this will be reflected in having an outdoor garden ceremony on Belgenny Farm. And they will bring the beach to them with the boys arriving in a VW Kombi – an icon of beach culture.
~ To tie in with Amy’s sapphire engagement ring, blue will be the theme colour and reflected in the clothing of the bridal party. The flower girl will be wearing a replica of Amy’s flower girl dress worn for her Aunty’s wedding many years ago.
~ Hearts will be on the invites and placecards to represent the matching heart tattoos Amy and Greg have on their wrists.
~ Guests will be coming from as far as Russia and the Bahamas.
~ Greg and Amy both love cheese and therefore a cheese wheel cake with different flavoured cheeses on each tier were essential.
~ Vodka jelly shots will be served after dessert, as these were the first drinks Greg and Amy shared.
Photos courtesy of Joanne Costa.
SAMANTHA + JOE – Wedding – Catholic Church and Doltone House, Sydney – August 2011 - VOTE HERE
Cute things they love about each other
~ Willingness to have a joke and laugh with each other, the need to carry a tin of Eclipse Mints wherever they go and no matter where they do go, they always end up in a Hardware Store.
How they met/proposal story
~ Secretly set up by their friends this blossoming relationship led to a proposal on top of the Ferris wheel at Luna Park on 10/10/10 to a very nervous, afraid of heights Sam. It took 4 times for Joe to propose before Sam realised he had a ring in his hand!
Unique details about the Celebration
~ Vintage Pearls and Lace theme – I remember when I was a child looking at old photos with my grandma and the ladies loved to wear lace and pearls. By having this theme surrounding us on the day it will feel like my grandma is a part of the day.
~ Cars and Bikes – Being a mechanic, can’t help but have a love for cars and bikes. We will be having ‘hotted-up’ cars and Harleys escorting us throughout the day.
~ Italian Heritage – My cousins will be playing traditional Italian instruments to our Calabrian folk dance songs at the reception. They are called the Tumbarinu (Tambourine) and the Organetto (Organ).
MIKE + NIC – November 2011 – Wedding – The Oaks Church, Camden Airport and Gooligums in Belimba Park - VOTE HERE
Unique things they love about each other
What Mike loves about Nic – “She’s Loco” (she’s crazy sometimes). Nic’s dance… a cross between Eminem and Peter Garret (you have to see it to believe it). Her passion for giving”
What Nic loves about Mike – “The way he makes me laugh, so much so that I end up sounding like Mutley the Dog, the way he encourages me to follow my dreams and his very kind heart.”
Their how they first met/Proposal story
Mike and Nic met in high school. “Mike thought the only way to surprise me [with a proposal] was to catch me off guard (half asleep) so he asked me to marry him at the very early hours of the morning (2am) which was also the beginning of our big trip to Europe; it was a beautiful surprise and a great way to start our holiday.”
Unique details about the Celebration
~ The theme is simple, elegant and with a twist of the 1950s added in.
~ “We wanted to be surrounded by the beauty of the outdoors, so a marquee wedding was the perfect way to bring us closer to nature while still maintaining that simple elegant atmosphere.”
~ Tables will be decorated simply with an eclectic mix of jars and vases that Nic finds leading up until the wedding, holding fresh flowers.
~ Mike has arranged for photos to be taken with a restored World War 2 aeroplane at Camden airport, to incorporate our theme of the 1950s and Mike’s love of aeroplanes and flying.
~ Guests will have the opportunity to dance under the stars with a separate marquee with a transparent roof which will be installed over the dance floor for the wet weather option.
ANNIVERSARY FINALISTS
NINA + TIMO – Anniversary Celebration – July 2011 – Tampere, Finland - VOTE HERE
Their L-O-V-E: She loves him for being mad enough to take up any new challenge, defending his view to the end even when knowing really she has won, and believes he really does still love her more than his new Nokia. He thinks she’s cute when trying to curse in Finnish, loves her for cheering Finland in any game (unless against Ireland), and that it’s very cool to be kind of almost half-Irish.
THE CELEBRATIONS: Nina and Timo plan to celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary with a traditional Finnish lakeside cottage party. There’ll be toys & party games such as Finnish “mölkky”. They’ll be grilling sausages & peppers (capsicums), boating, swimming & of course sauna. The outdoor party represents Nina and Timo’s love of the outdoors from orienteering in the summer to skiing in winter.
As on their wedding day, there’ll be colourful bubbles in the air and also in the glasses! Their childhood bears Ted & Uppo (who were VIP wedding guests at the wedding) will host a teddy bear’s picnic in the trees. The colour scheme will be light & bright all day, from the invites, food & accessories through to the wonderful colours of the Finnish midnight sun.
JAY + JOUNA– Anniversary Celebration – July 2011 – Tallinn, Estonia - VOTE HERE
Their L-O-V-E: What Jay says about his wife: “She is my best friend, she’s sexy, a hell of a cook, and makes me the happiest person I can be.” What Jouna says about her husband: “He is an awesome adoptive kitty-dad, he gets excited about stuff like a little boy and he is a gentleman and ALWAYS opens the door for me.”
THE CELEBRATIONS: Jay and Jouna love the old part of Tallinn in Estonia with its medieval architecture and abundance of restaurants. They are lovers of good food. Jay even built their kitchen from scratch so both of them could cook at the same time! Jay and Jouna would love to celebrate their anniversary in one of their favourite cities in Europe. As they get off the boat from Helsinki, Jay wants to head to the market to pick daisies and make up a pretty bouquet for his wife. Then they will head to the flea markets and craft shops looking for little treasures to remember their day by. Ice-cream may be involved at some stage throughout the day including an intimate walk down the many cobbled streets.
Jay may even try to serenade Jouna by playing an instrument from a music shop. They are both big on taking pictures, so capturing them being photographers will be a great memory to have.
The day will conclude with dinner at their favourite Indian Restaurant with a “charming atmosphere and excellent food.”
I loved their willingness to try out something random like standing on a seat not sitting on it and also their relaxed nature. The day ran smoothly, no rain and the guests were having a blast. Verde Restaurant was very good – service and food and offers an intimate atmosphere for smaller weddings. Thank you Fiona and Shane for trusting me and allowing me and my ‘twin’ to be a part of your day.
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