HR Real Bride Nicole wearing Monique Lhuillier
“I cannot thank Helen and her team enough for helping me find the dress I have always dreamed of I knew I wanted a Monique Lhuillier gown for a long time and as soon as I saw this gown I knew it was the perfect one for me! I called Helen’s team and they said it had literally just arrived for the Trunk Show and I was able to seamlessly book an appointment for that weekend. It was the first dress I tried on and I immediately fell in love! Helen’s team made the whole process so seamless and it was utter perfection when the gown arrived and after the final alterations were made it truly fit like a glove and I got so many compliments on the day about how beautiful the gown was! I couldn’t recommend Helen and her team more. Thank you for much for helping with the magic of our day.”
Bride & Groom: Nicole and Matt
Planning & Styling: Pia and Jade
Gown: Monique Lhuillier
Accessories: Wedding & engagement rings: Camelot Jewellers, Brides veil: Christie Nicole Bridal, Brides earrings: Natasha Schweitzer, Bride shoes: Jimmy Choo, Grooms watch: Tissot.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Anna Quan (maid of honour), Pretty Lavish (other bridesmaids)
Venue: Mona Farm
Photography: Siempre Weddings
Videography: Soda Films
Floral: Pia and Jade
Hair: Symplicity Hair Studio (Teresa Vincent)
Stationary: All stationary including our wedding website, invitations, menus/place cards and signage we’re all designed by myself with illustrations hand drawn by my mother (Jarka Jedelsky)
How did you and your husband meet?
We met in July of 2016 whilst on a two-week interdisciplinary design course in Greece. Both of us went to get a drink from the bubbler atop the Acropolis in Athens at the same time and were like ‘oh no, you go first’. Then we spent the following two weeks on the Greek Island of Kefalonia.
How did he propose?
We were on holidays with my sister in New Zealand and Matt had developed a plan a couple months before to drive north of Queenstown to Fox glacier and get a helicopter ride up to the glacier and propose there. When arriving in town weather was terrible and there was not much to do in the town, so it could’ve been difficult to make a plan B. Whilst at breakfast the next morning Matt went to go check on the status of the helicopter flights planned for that day and unfortunately, discovered the flight had to be cancelled due to high winds and clouds.
He quickly managed to get my sister run out to grab some champagne and chocolate whilst I was distracted and decided on a new plan. We decided to hike up the mountain to a glacier viewing spot in the most beautiful forest. Once we arrived to one of the lookouts, the view was amazing and I turned around to see Matt on one knee, very confused at first, I finally caught on and was completely ecstatic!
What was your vision for your wedding day?
As we we’re getting married at the end of February I had a strong vision that I wanted the theme of the wedding to feel like the end of summer in the country. The overall theme was classic romance and all the styling was chosen to encapsulate this. My bridesmaid dress colours were inspired by the beautiful pink Coach House that Mona Farm is so famous for. Using this as a starting point, I chose 4 different shades for my 5 bridesmaids, emulating the colours of the setting sun, with yellow, gold, soft pink and a warm terracotta. These colours we’re then carried through into the florals which we’re reminiscent of wild flowers (cosmos, roses, chamomile) in a country garden, Pia + Jade absolutely nailed this brief! All our stationary was designed by myself with hand drawn illustrations done by my mother which felt so special and personal. The table settings also carried the colour scheme throughout and once again Pia + Jade knocked it out of the park with the addition of candles, ribbons and summer fruits (peaches & nectarines) with pearl detailing to really tie everything together.
Where did you look for your wedding inspiration?
Instagram and Pinterest were major sources of inspiration and over the last few years I had saved some of my favourite photos from a lot of real brides that I had seen. Seeing so many real bride stories over the last couple of years really helped me find my favourite vendors and choose a style that I felt really suited myself and Matt as a couple.
What drew you to your gown from Helen Rodrigues Bridal?
Years ago, I was watching an episode of The Hills and they mentioned the designer Monique Lhuillier and I always remembered her and would always be drawn to her bridal gowns as they were timeless, beautiful and depicted a sense of classic romance which I found was a strong theme throughout our wedding aesthetic.
After I got engaged, I was looking at her gowns as I was quite sure that I would be choosing a Monique Lhuillier dress for my wedding day. I was on Instagram one day and Monique Lhuillier posted the dress and I immediately looked for Australian boutique that carried her pieces. Once I saw that Helen Rodrigues carried her designs I called straight away to see if they would be getting the dress and I was in luck! That weekend they we’re holding the Monique Lhuillier Trunk Show and I could get an appointment and it was the first dress I tried on! I bought it that day and it felt amazing!
What was your wedding planning journey like for you? How far out did you start planning?
We got engaged in August 2022 so we had a year and a half long engagement. The first step in planning was finding our perfect venue and then everything fell into place from there. Mona Farm was the second venue we went to see and we instantly fell in love with it! Once we selected Mona farm, soon after I found my dream dress and then the decision on all our other vendors came quite quickly after that which felt amazing and helped make the whole planning process feel quite seamless. We opted not to get a wedding planner and planned the wedding ourselves (with a very detailed and organised spreadsheet) and the help of the wonderful team at Mona Farm.
What was the biggest decision you had to make?
Choosing our venue was the biggest decision we made for our wedding as once we locked in Mona Farm we used the style and location of the venue itself to inform a lot of the decisions that followed.
What was the highlight of your wedding day for you?
Seeing how much our guests seemed to enjoy the whole experience! We invited everyone for a three-day event, where we met at the local pub at Braidwood the night before for drinks and dinner and everyone got to meet and mingle which felt really special and we loved being in the town so everyone could get a feel of Braidwood. The wedding day then felt like everyone knew each other so well and it was a big party with lots of love, dancing and singing, followed by a recovery day with all our favourite people again. We had the most wonderful guests and they all made Matt and I feel so special!
Is there anything you would do differently?
There is absolutely nothing we would do differently, we felt like the whole experience came together seamlessly and was honestly the best time of our lives.
Is there any advice you would give other #HRBride’s?
My advice would be to just trust your instinct! I hear a lot of stories that brides tend to go with the first dress that they find because it’s the style that feels most ‘you’ and I feel like that’s the most important way to feel on your wedding day. Of course, try as many dresses as your heart desires but once you found ‘the one’ know that you chose it because you love it and do not let any opinions cloud your judgement.
