Real Bride Sheridan wearing Monique Lhuillier Buttercup
“From the moment I got engaged, I knew that I would be getting my dress from Helen Rodrigues Bridal. Helen stocked my dream designer, Monique Lhuillier and I had read other testimonials boasting such an amazing experience at HRB. Their brand knowledge and working with all different shapes and sizes is part of the reason why I knew HRB would be for me. I had mixed feelings about trying on bridal gowns, I was excited because I wanted to find my dream dress and feel beautiful when doing so but was apprehensive about things that would fit me and had this idea in my head that trying on gowns would be scary, nothing would fit and the experience would be deflating. This was not the case at all and Helen assured me of this when speaking with her over the phone before flying up to Sydney. I felt nothing but confident and beautiful when trying on gowns and the experience was very empowering and we had many laughs along the way. Helen and her team went above and beyond to track down my specific dress and get it sent to Sydney so I could try it on. I only went to Helen Rodrigues Bridal in Sydney, I didn’t need to try on any more gowns anywhere, they were it for me. Thank you!”
Bride & Groom: Sheridan Henderson and Oscar Sendin-Henderson
Planning & Styling: Weddings of Desire
Gown: Buttercup by Monique Lhuillier
Accessories: Jimmy Choo shoes, Natasha Schweitzer earrings, Eitani Engagement ring and wedding band and Maison Francis Kurkdijan fragrance (gentle fluidity).
Bridesmaids dresses: Bec and Bridge
Venue: Family property, Mount Martha, Victoria.
Photography: Evia Zachariah
Videography: Travis Burns - Mr B Creative
Floral: Flowers St Germain
Marquee: Tierra Events
Catering: Finesse Catering, Oyster Lux Oysters and Bianco Latte Gelato
Cake: Miss Tribe Drinks Tea
Musician: Adorn Strings
Hair: Salon Forma
Makeup: Cosmetique
Stationary: Ivory and Stone
How did you and your husband meet?
We met at our local pub, Hotel Brighton where we both worked as bar tenders whilst studying at uni. Oscar was 19, I was 23 and it certainly wasn’t love at first sight for Oscar but I definitely grew on him. We had both come out of relationships 6 months before we met and didn’t want anything serious. We started as friends and one thing led to another and we have been together ever since.
How did he propose?
Oscar proposed to me at one of my favourite wineries, Point Leo Estate. I had made the booking because one of my best friends was here visiting from LA (she helped organise the ring with Oscar and she brought it over with her from LA). I wanted to take her somewhere nice and have some wines, we invited my parents and sister as well because they all live in Mount Martha and my Dad is obsessed with the gardens at Point Leo Estate. Oscar had his hands in his pockets the whole time, could barely look at me in the eye and wasn’t talking at all, acting so odd. The group peeled off from us, Oscar started speaking, “so, we’ve been together for 7 years” and then he stopped and we kept walking. About 100 metres later, he began again, from the top of the script, “So, we’ve been together for 7 years” and again stopped. I knew at this point he needed some help, I asked him if he had a question to ask me, he told me he did and he got down on one knee. Oscar is very shy and basically the opposite of me, proposing at a public place in front of strangers and my family was so nerve racking for him but he knew I would have loved it.
What was your vision for your wedding day?
My vision for our wedding day was Italian garden party with some fun and novelty aspects, a little bit festival like (but classy) and a huge party. which make the day extra fun. Weddings of Desire nailed the brief and I was so happy with how everything looked. We had our family horses in the paddock next door and some carrots for guests to feed them. We had our Oyster shucker from Oysterlux who everyone adored, he was a real showman; and finally our gelato cart from Bianco Latte with all our fave flavours. I always wanted the big 3 pole tent/marquee with the flying flags and was adamant on floral printed table cloths which were a custom design by Table Art. As cheesy as it sounds we also wanted the day to be filled with a lot of love and we wanted people to be able to see and feel that, that was really important to us and our families.
Where did you look for your wedding inspiration?
All I had to do was look to my “saved” images and albums on Instagram where I already had an abundance of inspiration, spanning back years and years. When I got engaged and the wedding day became real, I looked back on some of my fave instagram influencers and their wedding days to get some more inspiration. Tash Oakley was my inspiration for hair. I loved Montarna Pitts marquee and I have Stassi Schroeder (Vanderpump Rules) to thank for the table cloth inspiration. I also saw a lot of inspiration from following most of my vendors, Weddings of Desire, Helen Rodrigues Bridal, Flowers St Germain and from following numerous photographers.
What drew you to your gown from Helen Rodrigues Bridal?
Okay, the gown. I have followed Monique Lhuillier for years and saw this gown posted back in 2022 as part of her Spring 22 collection - the Buttercup. I was not even engaged at this point but I knew that dress was top of my list for when the day came. I had already done my research and knew that Helen was the only stockist of Monique Lhuillier in Australia, so when I got engaged in Feb 2023, my first phone call was to the lovely team at Helen Rodrigues Bridal to see how we could get this gown. I knew I wanted to wear Monique Lhullier and therefore knew Helen would be my lady to help my dreams come true. Not only did I walk down the aisle in Monique, but I wore my dream gown that I had loved since 2022 and Helen and the ladies made it happen, specifically asking for the Buttercup to come to their store for the Trunk Show. I tried on 4 dresses, Buttercup first, followed by 3 others which were also printed and super beautiful. Im very decisive when it comes to clothing and fashion and this was no different, I loved it and we said yes to the dress.
What was your wedding planning journey like for you? How far out did you start planning?
We probably started planning our wedding about 11 months prior to the day. I knew some of the important things I needed to lock in first; the planners, photographer, caterer. I was very active in helping Weddings of Desire plan my day and I wanted to also try and use local vendors around Mount Martha to support our local community. We used Finesse catering who are based on the Mornington Peninsula for our Italian family style dinner. Adorn Strings for our string quartet were also local to the area, as well as some of our crockery and glassware. Oscar was not overly helpful (I didn’t mind), he had his specific jobs, finding the celebrant and DJ. He was also the bank manager and sometimes got in the way when I would make financial decisions that he didn’t think were reasonable, flower budget was our biggest tiff (I won). I work full time as a paediatric nurse so planning in between work did get stressful and I have never sent so many emails in my life, having Laura and Amy from Weddings of Desire helped take some of that stress away - planning a wedding on a private property is a lot of work.
What was the biggest decision you had to make?
The biggest decision for us was probably our guest list and how many people we were inviting. My parents own the property and they set us a limit of 120 guests, something Oscar and I could not stick to and didn’t feel comfortable with. We increased the number to 150 and broke the news to my parents. By the time we sent invites out, we had invited 184 people, which made us both very nervous because we had to increase everything after we had already locked in our numbers at 150. On the day, we had 170 guests and we were so happy that we invited everyone we wanted, no regrets!
What was the highlight of your wedding day for you?
I got asked this question a lot post wedding day. I would have to say that my highlights were walking down the aisle with my dad (I love the spot light) and seeing Oscars face and seeing him cry when he saw me, I loved that. Its probably cliche but I also loved the speeches, hearing all of our family and friends speak and their beautiful words was touching - Oscar family are very emotional, every single one cried when speaking and Oscar was also an outpour of tears, I love that about him. Finally, dancing and catching up with everyone in and around the dance floor once all the formalities were over, we had an outdoor dance floor with festoon lighting and the weather was so perfect for it.
Is there anything you would do differently?
I would do nothing different whatsoever, except maybe invite some more people, the more the merrier.
Is there any advice you would give other #HRBride’s?
If you are going to get married on a private property definitely get a wedding planner! I didn’t even think of satellite kitchens, generators, lighting and toilets when planning the wedding, you need someone who knows their craft. Have fun with it and try to enjoy your day without stress, make sure to take it all in because it goes so quickly. Have a pair of sneakers handy, I had my Adidas Samba’s ready as soon as I got to the marquee which was the best decision I made all day. Finally when it comes to buying your dress, pick something that you feel great in and that your going to feel comfortable and confident in all day - follow your gut and know what shapes suit your body, if you don’t, its fine because that’s what Helen and the ladies at HRB are amazing at. Im not a size 8 and have a curvy body, and have always been good at picking shapes that suit me and give me confidence, Helen really empowered this and made me feel so confident and beautiful when trying on gowns, which is something I was actually dreading.
