essense of australia style d2603+

Real Essense of Australia Bride Nicole + Austin

A super romantic Hawaiian proposal, an ultra dreamy wedding dress shopping experience and a wedding that topped it all of! We’re so obsessed with bride Nicole and groom Austin’s wedding we just had to share! Navy and blush accents played off of Nicole’s gorgeous Essense of Australia gown, while a Texas BBQ buffet added much-needed personality to the nuptials.

essense of australia style d2603+

 

The Proposal

From the groom: Maui is a very special place to Nicole and her family, and in 2018 I was lucky enough to go with Nicole and her dad for the second time and felt that the timing was just too perfect to pass up. So in early May I started working with Lauren B Jewelry to design the perfect ring – but don’t worry, Nicole made sure I knew exactly what I was looking for.

essense of australia style d2603+

 

The next month, Nicole also decided she wanted to take photos on the beach while we were on vacation, and had already set up a time with a photographer. Luckily, I was able to find the photographer’s Instagram so we could figure out how I was going to pull off a surprise proposal.

essense of australia style d2603+

 

During the shoot, everything was going perfectly except for the fact that I was having to move the ring box into different pockets every five seconds so that Nicole wouldn’t see it. Honestly, I still have no idea how that worked! About halfway through our session, while standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean, our photographer had us turn away from each other under the guise of wanting to “capture our reactions when we see each other”. In hindsight, I’m lucky to have such a gullible wife because Nicole didn’t suspect a thing – especially after we faked her out a couple of times. But on that third and final turn, the photographer gave me the thumbs up, and I dropped to my knee. The second Nicole turned around, I forgot every word of my two-paragraph proposal and instead just started with “HI”. A few screams and OMG’s later, and I finally got my “yes”.

essense of australia style d2603+

 

Finding the perfect Essense of Australia wedding dress

Being a curvy/plus-sized woman, dress shopping was always something I feared about the wedding planning process. After a lot of research on local bridal salons, I decided on the Bridal Boutique in Lewisville due to their huge selection of gowns and a range of sample sizes. My bridal style was very classic and romantic; I knew I wanted traditional elements like a long train, lace detailing and a veil, but I also wanted some modern elements like off the shoulder sleeves and sparkle. My dress was the first one I tried on and it was like stepping into my dream – the dress flattered my body shape, had all the details I hoped to find, and made me feel like a princess.

essense of australia style d2603+

 

The Wedding Details

Our wedding colors were blush, gold, and navy and was held in a newly constructed manor-style venue. It was important to us that the wedding be traditional but not feel too stuffy. Some of the more “casual” elements included our dinner buffet of Texas BBQ meats, sides and traditional fixings, late-night taco bar, outdoor lounge area, and live party band.

essense of australia style d2603+

essense of australia style d2603+

The most special memory of our day was our first look. Austin had no idea what type of dress I chose so it filled me with joy to see his face light up when he saw me for the first time. It was also very calming to have a few moments to ourselves to really take everything in.

essense of australia style d2603+

essense of australia style d2603+