Grace and Troy promised forever surrounded by their loved ones at the beautiful Connemara Country Lodge. Their wedding day was filled with love, laughter, and celebration, with these photos capturing a glimpse of the special moments they shared with their nearest and dearest.
Grace looked stunning in her custom Washington gown by Forget Me Knot. She personalised the design by replacing the original Washington bodice with Brisbane's notched scoop neckline, narrow straps, and exposed boning, while removing the belt detail. She kept the luxurious Italian satin fabric and the beautifully draped fit and flare skirt, creating a stunning silhouette, and added covered buttons flowing all the way to the end of the train. The result was a gown that was truly her own, made possible through the customisation options available with our Forget Me Knot collection.
Enjoy scrolling through the highlights of their special day, learning more about Grace's wedding dress journey, and reading her heartfelt advice for future brides to be.
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
I think most brides have an idea of what sort of gown they’d like to wear, but it’s a completely different story once you try them on! I thought I’d be full princess until I tried on a fitted dress and realised that was what I needed.
I had been researching corset style bodices with exposed boning and saw that Astra had a similar style. Unfortunately, my size wasn’t available to try on, but Ilyese had the idea of trying on a dress with a similar skirt and overlaying the bodice so we could envision it. The process was like little light bulbs going off, and in the end, I ended up with a custom Forget Me Knot gown, combining the top half of one dress with the bottom half of another. It was truly perfect!
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
I’d gone to a few places and was never really sold on any of them. My cousin had gone to Astra Bridal a year earlier and had such a great experience, so I ended up booking an appointment, and the rest is history!
From my very first appointment, I never felt like just a number and truly felt cared for. My experience was so positive and supportive.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
We had known of each other through mutual friends and high school, but we didn’t start seeing each other until we met again at a friend's 21st. We bonded over our favourite music and talked for so long.
The proposal came on New Year’s Eve, some seven years after we had been together. He proposed, and I immediately asked him if he had called my parents. Safe to say, he made a hurried phone call to my parents in the middle of the night, where they were both over the moon!
We had a very long engagement after purchasing our first home, but eventually decided it was time to make the wedding happen!
What was your favourite part of the day?
I actually don’t think I can pick a favourite part. Seeing Troy for the first time as I walked down the aisle was surreal, our ceremony was perfect, the speeches were truly special, and our reception was epic!
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
I got picked up by the girls in the morning, the sun was shining, and we really didn’t have much to do. It was a super chill morning. We had a couple of glasses of bubbles with the girls, spent time getting pretty, and then, before you knew it, it was time.
My brothers walked me down the aisle, as our dad passed away a couple of years ago and our mum passed away really unexpectedly a few months before the wedding, so that was really beautiful and a testament to my brothers. We actually did a first look with my brothers, and it was so cute. I’m so proud of them.
My mum was supposed to organise the flowers for the wedding too, but one of my bridesmaid’s family gifted us our flowers by Poppy in April, which was so incredibly generous. She made sure I had some bright pink flowers for Mum and a white rose for Dad in my bouquet.
Our celebrant was actually Troy’s sister, which was really special. We had also hidden our rings under one of the seats, so we didn’t know who would be our ring bearer until they were called upon to look for the rings, which was super fun!
At the end of our ceremony, we handed out shots and toasted our marriage with all of our guests. Our reception was amazing, and I’m so pleased we chose Mitch French as our musician. He is so talented and is able to read a crowd really well. We even requested a Rage Against the Machine song that he had never played with his drummer before, and it was a highlight of the night!
A special mention to Kevin and Grainne, who own Connemara Country Lodge. They welcomed us into their home with open arms, and it truly felt like we were getting married on an uncle and aunty’s farm.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
Honestly, don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s easy to get wrapped up in Instagram Reels, TikToks, and social media telling you what you should do and what you should have. All you really need is good food, good music, and all the people you love there, and you’ll have the most incredible day!
Oh, and you’ll also need your marriage licence to make it official, but you get the idea!
