Ellen and Alex said "I Do" in front of family and friends at the beautiful Landing at Homebush. Their day was filled with love and joy, reflected in their bright smiles as they explored the lush greenery of their venue.
Ellen charmed in Isabel by Forget Me Knot, a stunning satin A-line gown featuring an elegant sweetheart neckline and crossover collar detail that flows into romantic off the shoulder sleeves. The train adds the perfect touch of dramatic elegance, while the pockets provide a lovely, practical addition to this classic gown.
Keep scrolling for pictures from their special day and insights from Ellen about finding her dream dress.
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
I had saved a photo of a wedding dress I loved when we first got engaged, but since it was three years later when I went wedding dress shopping, I didn't want to show it. I wanted to try all styles to see what looked best on me. When I put on Isabel by Forget Me Knot, it was everything I had envisioned myself looking like as a bride, and it happened to be nearly identical to the photo I had saved three years earlier. The dress is timeless and elegant. The sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder sleeves gave the dress a beautiful, romantic look and feel. It gave me the WOW factor I was looking for without being too over the top or uncomfortable as I was going to wear my dress for the whole day. I was over the moon to say yes to this dress.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
My experience at Astra Bridal Wellington was lovely! I was lucky enough to work with Lisa, who made finding the perfect dress so easy and stress free. Astra Bridal was the first and only store I had booked an appointment with, and I ended up leaving my first appointment with a dress! I brought my mum, my maid of honour, and one of my bridesmaids along for my appointment. Lisa made me feel so comfortable throughout the process and allowed me to voice my concerns about dresses we were trying on. With each concern, she was ready with an alternative option or customisation that could be made. After trying on the dresses that I had picked out via the website prior to the appointment, Lisa was able to get a feel for the style I was after and pulled out one final dress to try on. The moment I put on Isabel by Forget Me Knot, tears started streaming down my face; this was the dress I had been dreaming of. Once I purchased my dress, Astra provided me with a list of trusted seamstresses that previous brides had used, which made finding one closer to me so much easier. Thank you to Lisa and the Astra Bridal team for bringing my dreams to life! You helped make me feel like a princess.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Alex and I met in 2014 through Facebook after I had sent him a message because I thought he was cute, haha, but since we were young, nothing really happened until we reconnected later and started dating at the end of 2015. From that point on, we have been pretty inseparable. We moved in together and got our first fur baby, Tac.
In July 2020, Alex proposed to me while we were with his family at his grandad's house. He got down on one knee and proposed with his great grandmother's engagement ring. It was perfect. Before getting married, we decided to buy our first home together, and once we had ticked that off the bucket list, it was finally time to begin the wedding planning! We tied the knot at the end of 2023, exactly eight years to the day of when we started dating. I feel pretty lucky that I was able to find my person at a young age and that we can experience all of this crazy life together.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Gosh, that's a hard question because so many moments of the day were magical and perfect! Other than marrying the love of my life, my favourite moment was when we had our first dance. We can't dance for the life of us, but we gave it a crack and had a lot of laughs along the way. After we had our moment on the dance floor alone and everyone joined us, I recall turning around and seeing all my family and friends dancing with their significant others. That was the moment it hit me, and I thought, "Wow, this is everything I had been dreaming of for all those years." All the hard work of creating this day was so worth it. I will cherish those moments forever.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
The wedding day could not have gone any better. The day before our wedding and the day after were rainy, but for our day, the clouds went away and the sun shined brightly for us. The day started early for my mum, my bridesmaids, and me. We were at the venue from 8am, getting our hair and makeup done while we ate nibbles and sipped champagne. It was perfect spending the morning of my big day with some of the most special ladies in my life. The boys, on the other hand, enjoyed a nice sleep in and a quick round of golf before getting themselves ready.
Kelsey was an absolute angel; she stepped in to do all of our makeup at the last minute as my original makeup artist came down with COVID the day before the wedding. Clare was so lovely to work with as well; she created a beautiful updo for me and created the styles my bridesmaids wanted. Our garden ceremony was fun and lighthearted and matched our vibe perfectly. We were married by my long time friend, Holly, who personalised our ceremony to reflect who Alex and I are as a couple.
After the ceremony, the rest of the day just flew by! Our photographer Nika took photos of us with our bridal party, family, and friends around the many beautiful locations our venue has to offer before entering into the reception. The drinks were flowing, the food was divine, and the dance floor was ready for the party to begin!
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Soak in and enjoy every moment - from the planning, to the creating, to the decorating, and the day itself! This day is for you and your husband or wife to be, so make it how you both want it and don't worry about what anyone else will think. Don't let the wedding planning stress you out, find the fun in it! (I've enjoyed it so much that I've now looked into wedding planning!) All the best for your weddings to come; I hope they are everything you have dreamed of x
