RACHEL & CHRIS

May 25, 2019

Tell us your love story. How did you meet?

We met very randomly at a local music festival in 2014. Chris approached me at the bar and took me on the slingshot ride. About a year later, the stars aligned and we hit it off. Chris knew very early he’d found the one and I couldn’t imagine life without him so marriage was often spoken about.

The Proposal – him or her? Was it a surprise?

Chris meticulously planned the proposal so much that he changed overseas flights to ensure he could propose on 01/07/2017! I didn’t pick up on that but I did know the very moment he was going to propose. All the questions he asked me in the lead up were a dead giveaway but he just wanted it to be perfect. He proposed in Bali at sunset over the water and it was truly perfect, except that Chris had his phone in a low hanging pocket on his pants on the knee he knelt on. His phone was drowned but lucky we had given mine to the photographer to take “romantic sunset photos” before he proposed so we got some lovely proposal photos too.

Where did you spend your honeymoon?

We spent our honeymoon close by at Hamilton Island. It was easy to just jump on a boat after our wedding and go to the island, and where else in the world is more beautiful than the Whitsundays. It was the perfect place to relax and be together.

Why did you choose Earlando? Was there something that made it stand out from the other venues for you?

Earlando was the first venue we viewed with our wedding planner and we immediately loved it. We liked that it was exclusive and we could have both the ceremony and reception in one location, making it hassle-free for our guests. When we viewed the venue, we enjoyed a drink in the “hutchy” with the gorgeous blue water in our view. This is exactly what we wanted our guests to experience.

Did you have a theme to your wedding/wedding styling? What inspired this?

I knew I didn’t want coloured flowers and preferred greenery and foliage. This was a perfect match for Earlando because it is so breathtaking that you really didn’t need a lot for it to be beautiful.

As we started picking all of the other details, especially the dress and groomsmen attire, we ended up with a natural and white pallet, and a bit of blue for the ocean. So it was a bit boheme but still modern and chic.

What was your favourite part of your wedding?

Chris’s favourite moment was me sliding the wedding band onto his hand. He wanted to look at his ring every day in the lead up to our wedding. He was so excited about it and finally being husband and wife. My favourite moment was definitely the photo tour with my new husband. We took our photographer’s suggestion to do this part on our own without the bridal party and it was the best decision. It allowed us to be so in love with each other and enjoy the complete bliss that is being newly married. I even had a teary moment with Chris because I felt so much love toward him and so grateful that I had found him.

Tell us a funny story about your wedding day!

All our guests had to take buses to the venue and home again, and we caught the bus home with them too.

On the bus ride home, a big group of us sang all the way back to our rooms. We knew this would be a lot of fun so we weren’t going to miss it for the world. Some of the songs were a little cheeky and of course the “Old Town Road” song did not go astray, even though none of us knew any of the words except the chorus.

Do you have any advice to future Earlando wedding couples?

I was really glad we based our styling especially the flowers, to match the venue. Earlando is so breathtaking in itself that you don’t have to go over the top with decorating. Taking the bus with your guests on the way home rather than travelling separately as the newlyweds is also so much fun. Ben & Teena were kind enough to provide each bus with more drink and water for the trip home and everyone had a blast.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Earlando is also a unique venue because the owners, Ben & Teena, are such warm, kind and generous people. While they work hard to keep everyone happy all day and night, they end up becoming part of your celebration. Many of our guests had lots of nice things to say about their interactions with them during the night. I think their commitment and care to your day is refreshing and one of a kind.