CALLALA BEACH COMMUNITY HALL
A little bit about yourselves: Andy is a surfer and woodworker and Bethany is a crafternoon, yoga enthusiastic who is passionate about the environment. We live an active, outdoor life, spending lots of time on the beach and exploring. We love music and puns and are always cracking jokes and having a laugh. We wanted to make our big day fun, filled with sentiment and meaningful for us and all of our guests.
Ceremony location: Callala Beach
Reception Venue: Callala Beach Community Hall
Why you chose this venue: It is a stunning view with such beautiful white sand. It was important for Andy to get married with the sand under his feet and it is one of the few places on the South Coast that you can have the beach ceremony and reception in the one location. The DIY potential was also a big plus for me as you could really make it your own.
How you met: We met 6 years ago at the Ocean Beach Hotel and immediately knew there was something special, I was about to depart on a big trip through South America, so we talked every day whilst I was over there and when I came home, I moved to the South Coast and in with Andy.
Who popped the question and how: Andy popped the question under Afu Auu Waterfall in Samoa, we then had a champagne picnic, packed in a handmade coconut leaf basket.
Was this a destination wedding?: We are not originally from the area, however we now consider ourselves locals. Though most people travelled to the wedding and we booked out the majority of accommodation in Callala Beach.
If yes why did you choose the NSW South Coast: Because it is just an amazing area with so much natural beauty and the most talented, loving vendors.
If yes any tips for planning a destination wedding: I provided guests a list of accommodation options when I sent out save the date invitations 1 & 1/2 year in advance. It can book out fast.
Wedding Theme/Style: Vintage Beach Boho
Best Parts of the day: Soo many, but a few favourites were sunrise yoga on the water and a massage before the makeup and hair stylists arrived, hearing the love felt speeches and being gifted a jacaranda tree by my hubby during his speech, the food – definitely the food, and spending time with all of our loved ones and dancing the night away with great music, complete with limbo, conga lines, macarena and stage diving.
Advice you would give other couples: Create sentimental moments you will cherish long after the big day is over that represent who you are as a couple. Keep lists so you have everything organised; research and anticipate things that can go wrong, as there will always be something. Have a backup weather contingency plan. Most importantly, enjoy the day and celebrate this special time together.
Inspiration behind the day: Creating a day that represented both of our personalities, Andy wanted a beach chill vibe and I was all about the DIY boho style of the day. We both wanted to make sure everything was environmentally friendly.
Special touches that made your wedding extra lovely: We asked Andy’s God Mother to be our celebrant, she wasn’t legally a celebrant at the time but we wanted her to be a part of our day, she was so amazing and has now officially become a celebrant. Lily Ever After had a great idea of attaching flowers to Andy’s old surfboards and hanging them from the roof – they looks so good on the day! We asked people to provide a song when they RSVP’d, we then provided this list to our bands to play and created a bonbonniere CD from the requests. We also did up an old canoe to hold the alcohol in and then took it for a voyage on our 6-month anniversary.
Any DIY projects: All of our decorations were DIY – many lovely crafternoons were had with family and friends prior to the wedding for it all to come together. I collected doilies from family members to make bunting and dream catchers, collected driftwood to craft wall features and teepees, and decorated jars to put flowers and candles in. I made hankies with their initials for all the key ladies to wipe away any tears and a made a frame to use for photos which had witty love related food puns for the guests to read.
Sources where some of the great detail s/inspiration were found: Family and friends gave us doilies and fabric and I used items from my grandmother to make decorations. I also sourced a lot from Op shops, markets, the south coast wedding Facebook group and a craft shop that was closing down - so I bought metres and metres of lace and ribbon. For inspiration I followed vendors I liked on Instagram, made lots of Pinterest boards and then recreated the ones I loved, with my own unique spin on them.
Where did you source your suppliers from? I got most of my vendors from the South Coast Wedding Fair, and a few from word of mouth. It was important for us to use local suppliers as there is such a great community on the South Coast who do such an amazing job at creating stunning weddings.
Vendors
Photography: Nora Devai Photography
Video: Dave Ashton
Cake: Decadence Cakes
Entertainment: The Castaways and Soul Tonic
Flowers: Lily Ever After
Hair: Maiden Hair
Make Up: Alyce Apps
Brides Dress: I had 4 dresses ( I just love fashion) – I wore my mums dress, one from Karen Willis Holmes, one custom made Indecisive and one I got at the wedding Op-shop
Bridesmaids dresses: Indecisive
Men’s wear: Ralph Lauren shirts with Connor chinos and blazers
Bridal Shoes: Betts
Rings: Bissett Jewellery and Manly Bands
Honeymoon Destination: Central America
Celebrant/Priest: Margaret Meehan
Decorations and Party hire: CreativeLee & Sweetie Petitie Vintage Caravan
Bomboniere: CDs and Stubby Holders
Misc: The Photobooth Team
Food: Bumpy Road Catering
Dessert: The Gelato Bike
Alcohol: The Drinks Man providing Simall Wines (amazing local wine)
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