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Bernadette & Sam

 For me, a wedding is all about the feeling it creates. A feeling of warmth, a feeling of joy, a feeling of hope. Bernadette and Sam’s relaxed Margaret River wedding was all that and more. Each moment carefully thought through to make sure it reflected what they love about their life together and each moment beautifully captured by Merge Photography.

On how they met, Bernadette and Sam recount, “We met at school, became good friends and finally, after high school at age 18, I relented to Sam’s incessant requests for a date. After that it stuck. Having been together from the tender age of 18, we have seen so much of the world together and learned so much about each other in the process.”

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Bernadette found her wedding gown in London at Kobus Dippenaar “I was lucky enough to have lots of options as I shopped for my wedding dress in London with one of my bridesmaids. The simple dress selected was recommended by a sales assistant after trying on too many that just didn’t seem right. I loved the simplicity of the dress and it fit the setting of the wedding perfectly.”

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Bespoke Flowers created the bridal party arrangements for the day.

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Bernadette and Sam chose the family owned Arlewood Estate Winery as their wedding venue, noting,  “The venue is owned by Gary and Marian Gosatti (Sam’s Aunt and Uncle). During our search for a venue, Marian suggested the idea of having it at Arlewood and we fell in love with the idea. It was so easy to organise everything without needing to worry about someone telling us what we could and couldn’t do. It made the experience much more enjoyable.”

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Bernadette chose Real Love – Regina Spektor  for her walk down the aisle. “Bernie chose to be walked down the aisle by both parents, recognising the equal, important contributions they have each made in her life.”

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Maureen Nicholson officiated the ceremony,  Bernadette and Sam noting, “The ceremony was perfect. Our celebrant was the nicest lady in the lead-up and on the day. She made us both feel completely at ease, and really personalized the ceremony with what we wanted. We had our sisters’ read a children’s book ‘I like you’ which was so sweet and summed us up so well!”

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Of their photographers, the newlyweds note, “Merge Photography were amazing. We didn’t notice them during the ceremony, and the natural documentary style they use was just what we wanted. We hate having posed photos taken of ourselves, but they kept us laughing and feeling at ease. And we are so happy with the photos we received from them! It’s going to be a hard job narrowing down photos for printing.”

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bridesmaids in navy

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The couple planned their wedding from across the pond, and still managed to do plenty of DIY, noting, “Planning the wedding when we were living in London was not easy! We relied on recommendations and online blogs. Despite this, we couldn’t have been happier with all our vendors and they all contributed to making the day more perfect than we could ever have imagined.”

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“The flowers at the ceremony and reception were arranged by the bride, friends and family the day before the wedding. The fudge we gave as bonbonnieres was handmade by Bernie and the bridesmaids. All table decorations, seating map, table numbers were DIY and arranged by the couple, friends and family.”

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The wedding had a loose travel theme running through it, with the couple wanting to share their favourite places with their loved ones. Guests were guided to their tables by a world map.

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Sherbet Café and Bakeshop served up a table of the most delicious cakes and sweets checking off the couple’s requirements of good food and drink.

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“We had friends visiting from overseas and interstate, which meant so much to us. To have all our closest friends and family in the same place at the same time was surreal and so much fun! The speeches from our parents and friends were so heartfelt and thoughtful. We felt so loved and supported as we ventured into married life.”

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Of their first dance, the newlyweds remember, “We chose Dustin Tebbutt – Where I Find You. A really sweet, simple song with gorgeous lyrics. The dance is a bit of blur, lots of people watching and taking photos but still very special, in the middle of the grass dance floor under a giant gum tree.”

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Congratulations Bernadette & Sam! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us. Thank you also to Merge Photography for sharing today’s wedding!