Hey Gang, boy are you in for a treat today with this real wedding. If you’re looking for some wedspo that will give you all the good feels, do read on. Nick and Alyssia’s beautiful proposal and wedding certainly gave us those warm and fuzzy feelings we all crave. Their big day was hosted at WedShed Byron Bay wedding venue, Ancora, which offers both indoor and outdoor ceremony locations (an A+ in our books knowing you’re comfortably covered for any weather situation). Not to mention, they serve a mouthwatering Greek-inspired menu, packed with distinct Mediterranean flavours. We’re drooling.
Also, while we’ve got you, can we all group together to make it a thing that every wedding has to have a champagne popping shot in their gallery? See more below, beautifully captured by Rawn and Pallow Photography.
Hey lovely people, can you tell us a bit about how you met and the proposal?
Nick and I met at work. We worked together in different teams for about 1 year before being placed into the same team and fell head over heels and couldn’t wait to work with each other. We got engaged in Bali a year later. Nick had booked a beautiful villa overlooking the beach, however, it rained the whole time. After pretending to be sick and having to rush home for the night, I was keen to order pizza in bed. However, walked into the villa covered in flowers with our favourite music playing and a 7-course meal. Nick dropped to one knee and of course, I said yes.
Think we just got goosebumps. That’s so lovely. What DIY projects did you do accomplish for the wedding?
We did a lot of it our self. My dad hole punched leaf’s for about 4 months to create our own eco-friendly confetti. It was amazing. Thanks Dad! We also did all our own invites, seating chart, my mum and sister helped with making edible name place cards two nights before the wedding!
I was also 25 weeks pregnant when I went wedding dress shopping so couldn’t really try anything on, but I found a dress I liked and worked with the designer who took my ideas and was able to bring my ideas to life! I didn’t get to see my dress or try it on until the Monday before the wedding!
Epic, congrats on the new bub! What was your theme/inspiration/vibe for your wedding?
We are pretty casual people so we didn’t want anything over the top. We loved Ancora as a venue on its own and we didn’t want to take away from the venue. So we went for a tropical luxe theme with lots of greenery and a few pops of colour. The girls at Bunch It Up were amazing and all over our ideas.
It looked beautiful. Totally agree that Ancora is amazing on its own. What traditions did you involve during your big day?
We didn’t have too many traditions but I did wear my grandmother’s engagement ring and had my grandparent’s wedding photos incorporated into my bouquet.
LOVE the wedding photos idea, so special. What advice would you give to other couples leading up to their big day?
We had so much fun planning our wedding. Make sure you enjoy the planning process as well as the day. Visiting the venue a few times in the lead up really got us excited for our own day!
Great advice. What does marriage mean to you?
Marriage is about spending the rest of our life together with your best friend. Having someone always there no matter what. Laughing, crying, being silly, or even bringing each other back to earth! They are there every step of the way.
What was your favourite moment on your wedding day?
Seeing my husbands face as soon as he saw me as I started walking down the aisle.
Tell us any funny stories that surrounded your wedding?
During our vows we both wrote a ‘ninja vow’ for the other person to read without them knowing what it said prior to reading it out. Nick made the promise to not spend all our life savings on products that claim to grow more hair or protein shakes. And I made the promise to allow Nick to buy unlimited 4wd accessories and to become a Raiders supporter. (Go the Sharks!).
How did you Ancora and was the process difficult for you?
We had seen Ancora on Instagram and instantly liked the venue from the photos. I went to visit the venue and instantly loved it and knew we would be married there. I face timed Nick and he too thought it was perfect. We then attended a few months later and both couldn’t wait to marry there! The view is amazing along with the décor! Everything was perfect.
Ceremony song?
Home by Pete Murray.
First dance song?
Into you by Fabolous ft. Tamia.
CREDITS: Venue Ancora // Photography Rawn and Pallow Photography // Hair Inspired Artistry Bridal // Tan Spray Tan Co // Music Dan Clark Band // Arbour Stands Out of the Dark Event Lighting // Flowers Bunch It Up // Celebrant Modern Love Celebrant // Dress The GC Bridal Lounge.
