Real Wedding; Cheyenne and Aaron @ Bawley Vale Estate
About You Two;
Now, How did you two meet?
9 years ago at Hotel Illawarra – RETRO night. Aaron still recalls Shaggy ‘it wasn’t me’ blasting on repeat and my car roof sagging on his head as i dropped him home. The rest was history!
Who popped the question and how did it happen?
Aaron popped the question at the beautiful (and secluded) Whiting Beach in Jervis Bay – the conditions were idyllic.
We were gong to Airlie beach a week later so despite the picnic basket and bulging boardshort pocket – i did not suspect a thing! hahah
Aaron suggested a swim off the rocks and on the way he asked someone to take a photo. I usually have to beg for a photo so i instantly became suss. Next minute, Aaron was on one knee, I began screaming and crying. The by-stander amazingly switched from photos to video so we have footage to that perfect moment! We enjoyed champas and a picnic all afternoon in the sunshine. It was perfect.
Why did you choose your venue and how was the venue choosing process?
It sounds crazy, but we drove into Bawley Vale Estate and instantly said “it’s the one”. Following our visit, we cancelled all other planned visits. trust your gut!!!! We always wanted somewhere a few hours from home, ability to have the ceremony/reception at the same venue & close to the ocean for portraits. South Coast also holds a special place in our hearts so it just made sense and fell into place.
Quick Fire Questions;
How many wedding guests did you have?
114 total
Sit down or Cocktail Style?
Sit down – shared banquet
What month?
April
Planning The Wedding;
Was planning the wedding stressful or did you enjoy the journey?
Will planning a large scale event like a wedding ever not be stressful? hahah
I REALLY enjoyed some of the planning whilst other parts drove me insane.
Doing the planning in waves/blocks, making it fun with date nights, checking in with your spreadsheets once a week made the process more fun and less daunting. I always felt half on top of everything, but simultaneously, always had something to do!
Overall, i enjoyed the journey but it is SUCH a relief that it is over (and was a success) – can sit back and enjoy all our friends & family weddings now!
Massive shoutout to Wed Event Creators – the organisation and planning tools/assistance was life saving and wouldn’t have done it without them.
How involved were you both in the wedding planning, did one of you take more of the lead on certain aspects than others or were you both equally involved?
Being the organised control freak i am, i took the lead in most aspects. I always ran ideas/suggestions past Aaron and we made the majority of the decisions together. Aaron also helped me in so many ways and was put in charge of various tasks. As we always say – he is the calm and logical; i could not have done the planning without him!
What was the top couple of non-negotiables or important must-have’s at the wedding for you both?
Good Entertainment (sid the entertainer), Good Food (Rabbit and Co), Photographer Mitch Pohl, Coordinator for the day, Having sunnie (our groodle baby) at the wedding – no matter what they costed, to us, they were the most important aspects. We are of the belief that if the atmosphere and food is good, and drinks are flowing; nothing else truly matters. It is a celebration of love between two people, not a materialistic social media comp – in this day and age you have to remind yourself of this or it is easy to get carried away/doubt your decisions! and the budget could be truly doubled.
Tell us about your dress and that dress-finding process?
I went to sooo many bridal shops and tried on so many dresses. I loved the process and all places were amazing. They all made me feel attended to and assisted to make the right choice. It actually took me by surprise how long it took for me to find “the one”. Just reminded myself, not everyone will get that “yesssssss” feeling straight away (or maybe ever?); you just need to feel beautiful, comfortable and yourself. My dress needed major alterations before the wedding – if I had my time again, I would definitely go with custom-made (but still wear the exact same dress!!).
What sort of theme, vibe or style did you go for?
Timeless and classic for bridal party and the ceremony – black fits and white florals.
Party Colour Pop for reception – colour pop florals, candles and I changed into a short party dress.
To suit us best, the day aimed for a BIG PARTY filled with good food, good music, lots of bevs, love and happiness!
On the Day;
How did you both feel wedding morning?
Absolutely amazing – went against tradition and left our bridal party houses (after the night before celebrations of course) to sleep on the wedding property, just the two of us. Got a solid 8 hours of sleep and started the day relaxed and nothing but excited!
What was the best part or moment of your day?
TOO HARD OF A QUESTION. Every single second was filled with pure love and happiness. From the moment i woke up till the moment i went to sleep! All our vendors and family and friends were SIMPLY THE BEST.
There is NO better feeling than marrying your soulmate surrounded by your family and friends.
Walking down the aisle as a married couple, portraits down the beach (our happy place) or The first dance have to be the three stand out moments that i will never forget.
Anything you would change about your wedding or anything that didn’t go to plan?
Absolutely nothing – the greatest day of our entire life so far. Wish we could relive it 100 times over!
Are there any rituals, sentiments or traditions you incorporated into the day?
Nothing out of the ordinary – We did love having our flower girls involved and did Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue.
During our ceremony, we involved grandparent and a really close friend by “raffling” our witnesses – this was fun!
After the Wedding;
Describe newlywed life in a couple of words?
Prior to marriage – we had been together long-term with our fur baby and home. To be honest, not much has changed…happy as ever. To describe newlywed life, i would say it is pure bliss and the plans for “the Keevers” future just keep getting better and better!
Best investment or money well spent on the wedding that you made?
Photography and Videographer – priceless. One way you CAN relive the best day of your life over and over again.
Investing in a venue like Bawley Vale would be something i would do time and time again – will always hold a personal and special place in our hearts.
Ensuring we had good music, food, hair and makeup.
Budget-over, under or what you estimated?
Definitely over.
Credits:
Coordination/Set Up; The Wedding and Event Creators
Celebrant; Jacq Majer
Venue; Bawley Vale Estate
Florist; Ruby Oak Florist
Photographer; Mitch Pohl Photography
Videographer; Waymark Productions
Catering; Rabbit and Co Caterers
Bar Staff; Bawley Vale Estate
Cake; Sweet Art Creations
Entertainment; Sid the Entertainer
Makeup; Zoe Martin Makeup
Hair; Chloe Piche Hair
