Real Weddings

Article by

Dani Connor

Posted on

16/05/2023

Posted in

Real Weddings

A marriage celebrant herself, Prue sure knows her way around a wedding. Three months pregnant when Dave popped the question using his doggo Sadie to carry the engagement ring (cuuuute!), Prue had an “ugly cry, before saying yessss”, and the pair got planning. It may have taken five years until they finally said I do, but it was sure worth the wait. In the country town of Mulwala in NSW’s Riverina district, Prue and Dave celebrated with pizza, tequila shots and a whole lotta love. Thankfully for us, Miranda Stokkel caught the good times on camera…

THE VENUE “It was hard to find a venue that was ‘us’ and would fit the amount of people we had on our guest list. Lots seemed too rustic, too formal, nothing was really standing out. Being in the industry, I almost had too many ideas…Then a celebrant friend did a wedding at the Blacksmith and I saw it on her Instagram story. It looked like the perfect blend of us. Relaxed, almost Bali vibes outside, sleek and stylish inside, casual but not too casual. It was so perfect, we booked it without even seeing the venue in person.”

THE DRESS “I wanted something very effortless and thought I had found some good options and decided to take our four-year-old daughter, Jasmine, shopping for the final decision. Jasmine didn’t really like either of the dresses. Just a little heartbreaking… She wanted mummy to wear sparkles! So I tried on a beaded dress and Jasmine’s whole face lit up. She was jumping up and down in the spot, overwhelmed with excitement. But I didn’t like that dress or any other beaded dresses on offer. Days of Googling and Instagram stalking followed. Seeing how happy Jasmine was, I was determined to see that bright smile on our wedding day but not at the risk of wearing something I didn’t feel comfortable in. Finally, & For Love came up – sequins for Jasmine, cool, effortless cuts for Mummy!”

MEMORABLE MOMENT “We did tequila shots literally two minutes into our ceremony. Dave and I are known for being the people who shot rounds of tequila on a night out. Our friends hate it but secretly love it. We really believe tequila is the ultimate party starter so kicking everything off with tequilas was only fair. And lots of our friends said the moment the tequilas came out, they were thinking ‘okay, we are here to party’.”

WE’RE GLAD WE…“Made an effort to have speeches wrapped up by 7:30. As a cocktail event, we didn’t want people standing around too long. We did two sessions of 30 minutes for speeches split up by dancing and by 7:30 everyone was free to party the night away.”

A WORD OF ADVICE… “It’s so easy to get caught up in all the Instagram hype and Pinterest boarding but unless you have a team making it happen, you’re better to stick to the things you love about weddings. And balance them against the things that reflect you as a couple and do those things really well.”

STANDOUT VENDORS “Our photographer Miranda Stokkel. We booked Miranda partly for her talent but mostly for her awesome personality. She really adds a layer of X-factor just by being who she is. She was so cool and calm in the lead up. Everything was a breeze. Our wedding party, other friends and family all picked up on her sweet nature. So many people said how nice she was and how fun she made everything.”

Our gal Miranda Stokkel works some serious magic behind the camera! If you’re keen to have her shoot your special day, don’t delay, jump over to her directory listing here, and fire off an enquiry. You won’t regret it. Looking for more epic vendors in the Riverina? Head here.