CHARLENE + TOM

Charlene and Tom were squad mates at the Victoria Police Academy and got engaged on August 3, 2021 in their home in Swan Hill. They were living there for work at the time and were in lockdown. They had a trip planned to Hamilton Island but unfortunately it was cancelled due to Covid-19. Apparently Tom was going to propose there.

Charlene had just come home from work and there were fairy lights on the living room floor spelling out “Will you marry me?” It was very unexpected.

The style inspiration for the 100-guest wedding was romantic. Charlene is a very easy-going person so she wanted colour and wanted it to be fun but fairy-tale-like at the same time. She wanted pinks with pops of red and when she came across florist Jess’s Instagram page, she fell in love with her work immediately. Charlene was inspired by her very quirky style with many beautiful flowers and knew she wanted something similar for her wedding.

Charlene bought both her ceremony and reception dresses from Pearls and Roses. The designer for her ceremony dress was Lana Grace Bridal, based in the Ukraine. The dress is named Tonia, it is off-the-shoulder with beautiful floral detailing and a long train. Charlene also wore a long sparkly veil and sparkly heels – she loves sparkle.

For the reception, Charlene wanted to change so she could dance around easier and again, wanted sparkle. The designer of the second dress was J’adore – it was a midi-length sparkle outfit. The bride changed into shorter length white satin mule heels with pearl beading to match her earrings.

The bridesmaids had sage-green Shona Joy dresses. Charlene wanted them to be comfortable, so she told them to choose whatever style they wanted and pair it with nude heels.