Emily & Paul
January 17, 2021
Emily wore the ‘Venezia’ gown from the Atelier Marie Claire Collection by Dylan Parienty
How did you meet your spouse?
We first met on Bumble. After some cheeky banter about Paul’s next tattoo and the deal breaker neck or hand spots for Emily (just a joke), a first date was arranged. Emily was held up at work that night and thought she wouldn’t hear from Paul again after messaging him she’d be late for their first date; but like a true gentleman, Paul was happy to hang around at work for a little longer. Following the first date sharing a few wines together, both Emily and Paul quickly called the people closest to them about how well the date went.
Tell us about your proposal
Emily was given a mug when she was in her early 20's as a Christmas gift with the saying "I'm single" and on the bottom of the mug it said "Not desperate". After a period of time together, Emily told one of her friends that she was so happy in the relationship and maybe it was time to get rid of that mug. Her friend, Peter, told Emily, you keep that mug as insurance until he puts a ring on it. Paul told Emily that he would one day make her break that mug and even went so far as to one day, put a card with her ring size in the mug. On the night of the proposal, Paul had organised a lovely little get away down the coast. Apparently Paul can't keep any secret because Emily had a feeling that something was going on. After a trip to the peninsula hot springs, as we sat by the fire together, Paul presented Emily with a large gift bag. From the bag, Emily pulled out her "I'm single" mug and a hammer, as Emily turned to Paul, he had the ring out ready to ask Emily to marry him. The next morning, Emily smashed the mug and got some action shots in doing so. Paul later replaced the mug with one that said “future Mrs Marks”, he first wanted to confirm she wanted to take his name.
Tell us about your wedding dress. How was your experience when you were searching for "the one"?
I have always loved an open low cut back. I knew that it was a feature I wanted. I also knew I wanted something slim but not silky where I wouldn’t be comfortable on the day. I went to an extensive list of bridal stores, I tried on so many dresses where the back was beautiful, train was long but perhaps the front wasn’t right. I then tried on my dress at the Sposa Group, just a short walk from work. The dress was much more modern in style than I would have expected to go for– the fit was perfect, the dress had several layers, the beading and lace so detailed but soft, delicate and feminine. The glimmer in the dress hard to catch in photos but enough to catch your eye in the sun. The pattern was modern but not heavy. The ivory colour suited my pale skin, and it was just perfect. My floor length dress, was comfortably fitted, with a stand out low v back fitted with boning, low v front with sheer in the middle, and a beautiful train that fanned out from a single point. The train extended to a round shape. In our ceremony, the celebrant told the story that on my first date with Paul, I actually parked out the front of Sposa Group to meet him at Santoni, I peered in the beautiful windows - amazing it ended up being where I found my dress.
Describe a favourite highlight or two from your wedding day
Seeing Paul for the first time of course! Also after having our wedding cancelled, then getting it in later due to the pandemic - it was the first big event all back together. Having all of our family and friends together was more than I could ask for, we had so so so much fun!
Do you have any advice for couples currently planning their wedding?
Enjoy the process together. We had the best time going out to all our favourite venues to test the food, meet the staff and discuss the options of the day. Coombe was the first venue we visited, that didn’t mean we stopped sampling every other winery option in Melbourne. We had so much fun together. Find a venue and suppliers that you get along with and have trust in. The wedding coordinator at Coombe knew every part of the venue and every step of the day, we were always left feeling like the day was going to run perfect whenever we spoke with her. If we didn’t have the confidence in our coordinator, we would not have booked, and we would have had a difficult time being married during a covid year – we were completely support by all our suppliers throughout the process of postponing and things being up in the air. Our celebrant stood to the side of the aisle and had us stand together facing our guests, not our back to them. This simple, non traditional arrangement meant we could see our guests smiling, waving, crying with happiness – it made the entire ceremony so special – it’s a special part of the day we remember. When things go wrong or change, your guests wont know, only you will. By the time the wedding comes around, enjoy the moment and allow the day to just happen so that you can enjoy your time as a newly married couple.
A few more words to share...
The red rose in Paul and Emilys sets were as a special touch we chose as a sign of remembrance for Paul's father. Red roses were Harry’s favourite flower and he tended lovingly to the many rose bushes he had in his own garden. It was a beautiful touch that incorporated a special person missing without overdoing it. Structured, asymmetrical and romantic floral arrangements were built onto stands and positioned either side of us to the ceremony. They were then bought inside the reception venue to be repurposed into smaller vases and dotted along the guest tables. Finally they were all wrapped at the end of the night for our guests - make the most of your beautiful florals! Finally - once married people tell you how it's just the same as before but with a ring. It's not, don't listen - we were on cloud 9 for MONTHS. Make sure you get away even for a few days straight after to soak in the bliss together. We ate wedding cake in bed for breakfast and loved just saying 'husband' and 'wife' to each other.....I also practiced signing my new name at the pool bar ;)
