Our Forever

OUR WEDDING DAY

The most important things to us was to keep our ceremony personal and ensure our guests had a wonderful time! We personally wrote our own vows that left each other and guests in tears. The ceremony was both meaningful and filled with light-hearted moments, that included a rap music mash up of Usher, Jay Z, Beyonce and Mario, delivered by James' sister.

For us the wedding planning journey was relaxed and stress free, we never lost sight of the fact that a wedding is only one day. We had an absolute ball styling our home and every little aspect had meaning, from the poolside ceremony to the wedding favours - a donation to the Heart Foundation. It was incredibly special for us to be married at the place we call home with close family and friends.

FINDING 'THE ONE'

On the 27th of March 2009 (6 years to the night we were married), James and I met on the dance floor of a party boat, just off Cunningham Pier in Geelong. James’ dance moves caught my eye, whilst my push up bra caught James’ attention.

After we had a little dance that evening we kept bumping in to each other. I had uploaded a photo of him on to Facebook that night with the caption 'My favourite dancing buddy'. James came in to my work to do his banking and I served him, as he was leaving he let me know 'By the way, my name is James.' It turned out we worked close by to one another. It felt like it was meant to be. A mutual friend Phoebe then encouraged us to meet up at Blue Martini in Geelong.

THE PROPOSAL

After five years of fun and adventures, James took my daughter (Mia) and I out for dinner at the end of Cunningham Pier. Upon leaving the restaurant, James asked ‘where do you think it was that we first met?’ Mia pointed to the water and said ‘out there’.

James then asked ‘was it about here that we boarded the boat?’ as he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. So many happy tears!

Then like the gentleman he is, James turned towards Mia and revealed a second box from his pocket, a stunning pair of diamond earrings and asked Mia if she would be his stepdaughter. The rest is a blur!

THE LEAD UP

James and I gave ourselves a year to plan everything, we found ourselves to be very organised and relaxed throughout the process. We paid for everything as we went, which helped avoid stress.

WEDDING STYLE

We envisioned a ‘whimsically romantic’ backyard garden party. We built a clear marquee and filled it with festoon lights – the perfect place for celebration and dancing! It was very important to us that everyone who attended had a blast. Our hashtag was #howmuchfundowehave

Our inspiration was our home. As it was a backyard wedding we wanted to keep it simple while complementing the excitement of sharing our love. We kept things very natural and earthy. Lots of timber and flowers.

THE DRESS

I saw it on Instagram and instantly knew that it was the dress for me. It is Berta 2014/2015. Featuring delicate long sleeve lace with a luxurious skirt that could be mistaken for soft fondant icing. Complimented with a gold bow and pearl belt. Fitted from neck to knees and finished with a humble train.

On the day I wanted to make sure Mia and my sister Melinda felt special too, Mia wore Dolce and Gabbana, while Melinda wore Zimmermann and looked incredible having just given birth!

TRADITIONS

James wore cuff-links that were handed down from a family wedding in 1907 and our ‘something blue’ was a cocktail James created called 'Bluca'.

We avoided all other traditions, opting to have photos before the wedding so our friends and family didn’t have to wait for us.

We asked our guest to dress in classic black and white / black or white to make up our bridal party. We only invited people we love and thought all our friends and family should be part of our party. We didn’t have ‘maids’ (I feel the term is dated) and we decided to have one best man, one best sister and one best daughter.

I asked James to plant a Maple tree in our backyard before the wedding, so if we ever had a little girl (who we knew would be named Maple) she would be at the wedding in one form or another.

FAVOURITE MOMENTS

Standing at the alter sharing our vows and looking back at our incredible family and friends. They all looked sharp in black and white. It was overwhelmingly beautiful to see so many tears of happiness shared. Entirely surreal.

THE MEANING OF MARRIAGE

Forever in love and friendship.

VOWS

I went from being a peacefully lost soul to finding you – my peaceful soulmate.
Thank you for all that you are! From the bottom of Mia and my heart thank you. We are grateful for all you do and love you.
James Bruscella, you are so easy going, although perhaps overly relaxed in the mornings, you are incredibly clever, completely selfless, positively delightful, inspiring and generally brilliant at life! Truthfully you are quite different from me in many ways and it blows my mind the depths that we understand each other.
There is something special in thinking that we are the first to feel this in love.
There is something thrilling knowing together we can conquer life’s obstacles.
There is something perfect when we share our most intimate moments.
There is something real knowing I can count on you with all my heart and soul.
There is something adventurous in the unforgettable laughter we share.
There is something spectacular to share with you each day.
There is something calming in knowing we will always be together.
There is something beautiful about the thought of growing old with you.
There is something wonderful each time we say ‘how much fun do we have’.
I love doing life with you.
I promise to always love you.

- Rhianna

The last six years have been an amazing journey.

You've allowed me to realise what love is.

That special feeling in my heart,

And I have it, even when it was falling apart.

All it took was a valve replacement,

To ensure our love could continue without displacement.

I promise to continue to love and care for you and Mia,

To be the best husband and father I can be, as we continue to be a family together.

I will be there to laugh with you when things are great.

And be there to support you when you are in a state.

I love that you are an honest, caring and thoughtful person and have brought continuing happiness into my life,

So now I wish for you to be my wife.

- James

WEDDING SOUNDTRACK

Walking down the aisle – ‘Love Sweet Love’ was played on the harp

First Dance – ‘Can’t take my eyes off you’ by Lauryn Hill

Cutting Cake – ‘Until the end of time’ by Justin Timberlake

Leaving song- ‘Drunk in Love’ by Beyonce

WHAT TOOK YOU BY SURPRISE?

That a backyard wedding meant hiring port-a-loos and all glassware. Even a backyard wedding needs a wedding planner or coordinator to ensure you can relax on the day. I was so organised I didn’t believe this would be necessary until a week before the wedding when I luckily found Shonel of ‘Nomad Styling’ who looked after everything from informing hiring companies where to place furniture to lighting candle. Shonel's incredible presence ensured James and I enjoyed our day.