Megan and Alex // Villa Botanica

Whitsunday Wedding Suppliers

Ceremony:  Villa Botanica
Reception: Villa Botanica
Celebrant: Deanna Kent
Photography: Fancy Photos Whitsundays
Wedding Coordinator: Villa Botanica
Decorator: The Event Company Whitsundays
Hair: Whitsunday Wedding Hair
Make-up: Airlie Beach Beauty
Flowers: Flower Hut
Dress: Accapella Bridal
Cake: Whitsunday Baked Creations
Accommodation: Pinnacles Resort

Please tell us a little about your love story, how you met, your engagement?

We met in Tokyo, Japan in 2015. We had previously met online and decided to meet up while Megan was on holidays and I was working as an English teacher in Japan. In person, we got along so well that we decided to give a long distance relationship a chance.

After a year of intercontinental dating involving hours of FaceTime video calls, travelling across the globe to visit each other and playing the video game DotA 2 together, Megan decided to surprise me in Japan for our one year anniversary and I in turn surprised Megan. I took her for a walk to our special park at sunset which overlooked the river running through my town and asked her to be my wife.

Why did you choose a destination wedding and what was the best thing about having a destination wedding?

We both wanted a beach AND garden wedding. Villa Botanica offered both as well as a wedding coordinator to help plan everything – meaning less stress for us! Also, it’s great because all our guests had a mini holiday (and they also had to commit to coming to the wedding waaay ahead of schedule, meaning fewer last minute guest list changes for us).

Had you visited the Whitsundays before?

Never – we just trusted the awesome photos we saw online.

How long did you stay in the Whitsundays and did you do any pre or post activities whilst here?

We stayed in the Whitsundays for eight days in total. We arrived three days before the wedding from Sydney via Hamilton Island Airport. The day after the wedding, 25 of our guests and us chartered a day trip with an Ocean Rafting which took us to Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet for some snorkelling.

Did your wedding have a theme or a particular style? Please give details if possible about styling, dress, jewelry etc.

We went for a boho yet classic style with lavender as our colour for the bridesmaids dresses. Megan’s bouquet actually had some exquisite light purple roses which matched perfectly and the bridesmaids had baby’s breath posies – something Megan had wanted for a her wedding as her mother also had these flowers in her wedding bouquet 30 years ago. The wedding dress was ivory lace with a patterned back and button detail down the spine.

How many guests did you have and was it cocktail or sit down? What was the reason behind these choices?

43 guests including a surprise guest – my aunty from Canada! She had flown in and luckily Villa Botanic was able to accommodate her easily within out seating plan – of round tables of 8-10 guests. We love a good hearty meal so sit down was the way to go for us.

Did you have a honeymoon? If so where did you go?

Going to Airlie Beach was already a mini honeymoon for us – and we wanted to spend extra time with our guests there. We plan to holiday in Europe later on.

What did you do for your hens and bucks nights?

One month earlier, I ran a Dungeons and Dragons campaign (with drinks) for my bucks at a friend’s place. That same weekend, Megan had her hen’s at their home with some of the girls even coming in from Melbourne and they made flower crowns and had a picnic at the beach.

What was your wedding budget?

That’s a secret – but it was worth every cent!

Where did you splurge and where did you save?

Our venue, Villa Botanica, tailored a package for us which included all the main things a wedding needs. So we didn’t really see it as a splurge as we chose the upfront payment with no surprises. We saved a little by designing our invitations and table seating plan online with Vistaprint, it was actually pretty easy.

Why did you choose your ceremony and reception venue?

Megan saw Villa Botanica advertised on her Instagram feed and it ticked all the boxes! On the day, the weather turned out to be perfect despite a forecast of thunderstorms and we couldn’t have asked for a better wedding day!