14th October 2012

Here’s how it all worked out…how we became involved with a ‘FAKE’ wedding!

Tawsha helped us get in touch with Kelli and Jonas when we were planning our Seattle wedding many moons ago…Tawsha and I instantly hit it off via email and stayed in touch ever since but never actually met! Sooooo, we always said if we had the chance we would try to meet up somewhere! We also got on so well with Kelli and Jonas that Seattle seemed the perfect excuse…we could catch up with everyone all at once!

When it turned out we would be footloose and Peggy free at the same time as the Wedding Preview Event we couldn’t resist and before too long we were (happily) roped in to being involved.

The Wedding Preview Event (WPE) is like an INGENIOUS wedding fair on acid! Instead of trawling around tables decorated with weddingy things and vendors selling ‘at’ you for a few hours the Preview Event allows vendors to showcase their amazingness! The WPE do this by getting lots of fabulous vendors on board and creating 4 very different weddings!
4 couples (this year, 2 real couples and 2 strangers paired to ‘act’ the part) walk down the aisle, are entertained and fed and have a wedding party with ALL of the jazzery you could have at your real wedding.

Each wedding is themed and has its own super-duper team. The event we were part of was IN. CREDIBLE! The result is a crazy fun inspirational atmosphere, the ability to see vendors ACTUALLY perform, and to see their products in action. From DJ’s, to cake makers, to florists, to dress designers, to photographers, to caterers, to entertainers…this thing is AMAZING and definitely the way I would love to choose my wedding vendors!

So we arrived with Kelli and the set up crew at 8 am in the morning and helped as much as we could with getting everything ready…we also FINALLY got to meet Tawsha! Of course it was like we had been friends for a year because we had been!
She laughed at our British accents and we laughed at their ‘Will call’ sign and we drank starbucks and built boxes for all the goodies that would be handed out at the event. We had a great time and we all know how time flies when you are having fun! Before long we were called to get ready for the main event. The room had been transformed from a blank canvas to a myriad of colours, lighting, different themes and music!

I was whisked away to the ‘Green room’ by Zerlinda from Laineemeg Bridal and fitted into a fabulous dress…with enormous breasts! We padded and stuffed until the dress ‘fitted’ and it was AMAZING! It was like the good version of having a pimple on the end of your nose…you know when you cant stop crossing your eyes to look at it!! Yup, like that! Within minutes I was bedazzled with jewels and within a couple more minutes back in my own clothes to get hair and make up applied!

Off the Beaten Path Artistry were great fun, we had such a laugh with them. Scotty did my make up, our wedding colour theme was Ombre so I wore delicate peaches and pinks and a kick ass pair of lashes. My hair was teased into a finger perm by Paula and pinned up with bright red, pink and orange flowers from Paisley Petals and then we all sat and drank wine while we waited for the time to get dressed.
Alex was dressed in a dapper suit (again from LaineeMeg Bridal) and I padded myself back into my dress for rehearsal. I also had the most wonderful pair of blue satin shoes to wear down the ‘fake’ aisle!

We ran through a quick dress rehearsal and were amazed by the transformation that had taken place in the once empty hall. Trapeze artists poured champage suspended upside down from a huge chandelier, lights twinkled left, right and centre and the black and purple punk rock themed wedding glittered in low candle light. Our theme was ‘Chromatic Chemistry’ with ombre hues. Our favours by The Sweet Side were test tubes filled with ombre coloured candies, Periodic table place cards, wonderfully ombre liquids in sciencey looking canteens and all kinds of treats like cake pops, sugar sticks, cup cakes and theme coloured candies (chocolates to us Brits).

Before too long we could hear the excited gaps of the guests as they began to file in in their droves. They collected their information booklets, business card packs and their ‘instructions’ to have a great time and that all vendors will be wearing black and available to chat to throughout the evening.

All of the couples were hidden away in the green room (well, at the bar) and we got our excited nerves on and at the sound of the musical cue, got into position for the main event.

One by one each couple made their way to the centre stage down the stairs in the front of the room. Lights blared, music set the pace and we minced, danced, rocked and skipped down the stairs and finally found our seats under the watchful eyes of the guests. Everyone got into the show, the gasps, applause and whistles were forthcoming and as the entertainers did their thang there was definitely a bit of dancing going on in the crowd.

Once the ‘ceremonies’ were over and the performances on stage had finished the guests were free to roam, taste, touch, partake in the ‘reception’ of each couple. We met with Lorena who came along to our Seattle wedding who came along to the WPE with her daughter (who is planning a wedding) and chatted with some of the guests. We met with Jonas and Mary and hit the photobooth HARD. All of the vendors were fantastic and put on an amazing show. My bouquet was to die for, the DJ rocked, Krista the photographer, well you can see how that went! We also had cake makers, caterers, wedding planners and a videographer covering the whole event!

We had an absolute whale of a time and could have partied on through the night with the team BUT, as is our life (never simple or dull) we had another plane to catch!

We were jumping on the red eye to New York that very night to have a very special wedding ceremony there with none other than Martha Stewart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Planners – Wedding Preview Event | Bridal and Groomswear – Laineemeg Bridal | Catering – Duos Catering | Dessert – The sweet Side | DJ – Magnolia Rhapsody | Floral – Paisley Petals | Food Truck – Veraci Pizza | Hair and Make-up – Off the Beaten Path Artistry | Photo booth – Fun Frames Photobooth | Photography – Love song Photo | Stationary – Chic Ink | Videography – Willowcraft Media