Earlando > Real Weddings  > Shannon and Connor

Shannon and Connor

Tell us your love story.  How did you meet?

The connection was instant from the first day we met at the beach for ice-cream. Since that day, we have been pretty much inseparable. 

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

Connor proposed in the most unique ‘Shannon like way possible’ I’m absolutely obsessed with Vegemite and we were on a cruise through the Bahamas when he proposed to me with a jar of Vegemite labelled /Marry Me.’ 

Where did you spend your honeymoon?

We spent our Honeymoon on The Great Barrier Reef in a underwater hotel room, We then stayed at a zoo in a room where we could feed Giraffe from our balcony and another room where the Lions Den was outside our window. We also stayed in the Blue Mountains, Sydney, Broome including other places in the Kimberlys.

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

We chose Earlando as it had everything in one. It literally has everything anyone could want on their Wedding Day. The venue is one of a kind where you can choose to have your ceremony, reception and photos at so many incredible locations on the property. You have so much choice its incredible but my favourites to choose from are: The garden and the hutch on the hill with unreal views, the beach, the tree canopy where the guests hang out after the ceremony, the cattle yard and the jetty. The landscape absolutely anywhere you go at Earlando is amazing and photographs perfectly. I seriously can not believe we got so lucky getting married there.

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

We did have a theme, it was inspired by the Bell Tent we hired through Teepee Weddings and Events and the Wedding Dress I chose. We went with a Boho theme that Azure Weddings and Events decorated for us. It was so perfect and we couldn’t have been happier. 

What was your favourite part of your wedding?

Its hard to say, the whole day was just everything we could have imagined and more and we just loved everything.

Tell us a funny story about your wedding day/wedding planning!

We booked Earlando in Florida after we got engaged without ever having seen the venue. Lucky for us we were absolutely blown away on our first visit. 

Connor wanted to make the Wedding Cake out of Woolworths Mud Cakes. That would have been a VERY big mistake. Our cake was made by Whitsunday Baked Creations who we can not fault at all. The cake was so delicious and ourselves and our guests loved it.

Do you have any advice to future Earlando wedding couples?

Definitely use Earlando’s recommended Wedding Planner Breanna Hinschen at Plan My Wedding Whitsundays. She was absolutely worth every cent and I could not have imagined the day without her. She put my mind at ease and helped out in so many different ways. We are so grateful we had Bree as a Wedding Planner, she is so professional and organised and made our day run so smooth and  stress free, I seriously can not recommend her enough.

I would also recommend booking everything as far in advance as possible to avoid  disappointment. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We would love to thank the whole team at Earlando. Teena and Ben especially. I truely can not thank them enough, they helped make the whole wedding process a stress free event. From the very moment we met Teena she just put our mind at ease with her easy going nature and made us feel like absolutely nothing would be an issue for both herself and Ben. Teena and Ben were so understanding and helpful when we had to postpone our wedding due to COVID and when the day finally did arrive they were so warm and welcoming. Throughout the whole process of the wedding rehearsal and the wedding Ben and Teena went above and beyond to make sure our day ran as smooth as possible. I can not fault a thing. So many guests have commented on not only how beautiful the venue is but on how organised and smooth everything ran. There is so much to thank both Teena and Ben for. It was the most amazing day imaginable.

WEDDING TEAM: Photographer: Through Their Eyes Photography // Videographer: Weddings by Hello Blue // Stylist: Azure Weddings & Events  // Entertainment: X-Ellent Effects and Entertainment // Caterer: White Cornerstone Catering // Florist: Sofi & Flora // Celebrant: Deanna Kent