Camille & Glen's Albany Elopement

When I first met Camille, I was so hopeful that she would choose the beautiful Pronovias Atelier Crepe gown. I loved styling her during her appointment and I just knew that if she chose this dress in particular she would feel amazing and so confident on her wedding day. Who else is in love with Camille's dress?

THE DRESS "I was originally looking for the real ‘in’ style wedding dress. The low front, low back, lace detail with the big fancy train…and I ended up with the complete opposite. I went into each bridal shop with an open mind and came out with the perfect dress. At the end of the day it was how the dress made me feel rather than what it looked like and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. I went to three bridal shops in total and tried on between 2-4 in each shop. Even though I had a picture in my head of what I wanted my dress to look like I ended up steering towards the more simple looking dresses. My gown was simply elegant! As soon as I put it on it made me feel sexy. It was so different to other dresses I had tried on so when I put it on it just felt ‘right’. The Samantha Wynne Pronovias dress really let me wear it rather than it is wearing me. It wasn’t bulky, it showed off my good bits and made me feel special. The other wedding dresses I tried on did not do that.

HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET? "We first met in Port Macquarie on the east coast. We were friends for a long time before we got together and tried to go our separate ways…but we couldn’t fight love so here we are! He is my perfect match (don’t mind the cliché). We both fell in love during our trip along the east coast of Tasmania in Sep 2017. We have so much in common and share similar values. Glen also makes me feel complete and calm in myself, I have never had that before. I never question our relationship. We have our ups and downs as everyone does but I know that no matter what he is there for me. We have a similar vision for what we want out life, and I am just so excited for it all to unravel in the years to come. Glen is my biggest support. He helps me to achieve my goals, both personal and professional, and is always there to celebrate my achievements, as I am for him. We are each other’s cheer squad. Glen knows me so well and what I enjoy in life. We just love doing life together."

THE PROPOSAL "I had no idea he was going to propose! We had just picked up the keys to our new house and just as I was putting the keys in the door, he got down on one knee. It was perfect!"

FAVOURITE MOMENT Saying our vows. We wrote our own and it really was the most emotional and special part of the day. Oh and getting caught receiving a sneaky bum grab during the photoshoot haha...made for some great photos though."

THE VENUE "We were originally booked to have our wedding at the stunning ‘The Gardens at Bullimah’ in Albany WA. We had a biggish wedding planned with beautiful catering, an amazing band and a dreamy venue. I had lived every moment in my head prior to the date (planning out the details makes you do that haha). I was absolutely in love with the day we had planned. All our guests, except for two couples, were all booked to come over from interstate and internationally. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, this day was not to be. After an emotional roller coaster of decision making, we settled on a sunrise elopement at our favourite spot in Albany, the old ruins of Point King Lighthouse. It was actually Jennifer, the owner of Bullimah, who gave me the boost to keep going with making something special.We shared our special day with our whole guest list plus others via zoom and had an epic but intimate ceremony of just 5 people. It was absolutely wonderful, and the dress was just perfect for this new setting. It was able to withstand the harshness of the location whilst being easy to slip on and off as necessary. The compliments came flowing in from everyone who watched on, saying it looked like a dress from a professional wedding photo shoot. And the veil! Omg it really did just take the photos to a new level! Thank you Sam for that advice!

I am still blown away by the flexibility and enthusiasm of my celebrant, Anna, and photographer, Holii! They jumped at the idea of a unique sunrise wedding and without them being on board with the idea the elopement wouldn’t have been possible. Oh and did I mention my amazing hairdresser? Kate came to my house at 4am to do my hair. It was just wonderful to share my special morning with such an amazing sole. 

All in all it wasn’t the day we had planned but Anna summed it up perfectly. “ I’m really excited, of course I’m a massive advocate for elopements, but I genuinely feel like you’ve turned a shit situation into a bloody epic alternative to what you’d originally planned. Plus, despite this shit-show, you’ll be MARRIED!”

FAVOURITE DETAILS "I got a lot of compliments on the fine detaining of the dress. It was the small touches on the dress which made it look so elegant. I also loved the classic mix of whites, silver and blue. That was our colour palate for the original venue but that mix of colours worked so well with our rustic elopement setting and the colours of the sunrise. Can’t go wrong with classic beauty."

ADVICE FOR FUTURE BRIDES "Go into the dress searching with an open mind! Give anything a go. Sam and her team know what they have and what will suit you. Be guided by their advice and you can’t go wrong! Book vendors early! I can’t stress that enough. Research who is well known and just book them. Don’t get caught up on the finer details early on, just get the right team around you then the rest just flows. Also, hairdressers are a wealth of knowledge. But the one detail I absolutely loved was my ring. Every time I look at my hand I remember the amazing morning we had and what it meant to us. It was a ring especially designed for me and it is something I couldn’t recommend more than anything. Invest in the ring!"

BEST WEDDING SPEND "The best spends were the ring, the dress, and the photographer."

"Each and every one of the vendors were not only amazing at what they do but so supportive and flexible. They are just an amazing bunch of people. 

Even though we didn’t end up using Bullimah as our venue our day wouldn’t have been the same without the team at Bullimah. They are a venue who communicates with you. When you are going through those finer details it is the communication and support from your venue that really puts you at ease and I can’t thank Jennifer and the team at The Gardens at Bullimah for their support."

VENDORS Photographer Holii + Ash from In The Wilds of Someplace Dress Samantha Wynne Celebrant Anna Cameron Hairdresser Kate Samiotis Jewellery Mark Blyth Fine Jewellery Flowers Lindy at Lush Floral Design