All aboard our wedding day journey

By Sonja Kowanjko

 

Sonja says:

"As soon as Sharni and Colin met, they knew how to put a smile on one another's faces. So when they became engaged and were planning their wedding, the most important thing for them was to put a smile on their guests' faces also.

Enjoy reading their story."

 

All Aboard!

Our wedding day journey

From the first time I met Colin, we were both in hysterics. Dressed in a koala suit at the 2001 RSPCS micro-chipping day in Frankston, Vic, I spotted a band set up with their equipment, ventured over, grabbed the drumsticks and starting banging away.

Colin- the drummer- laughed and said I was crazy. Later that day, we got to talking some more and realised how much we had in common. After graduating from the Academy of Performing Arts, I was doing various gigs and Colin was a roving comical musician in his group, Wacky Entertainment.

A couple days later I was shocked when Colin rang me- I hadn't given him my number! He'd managed to get it through someone else and I agreed to go out to dinner with him.

Turning into a fabulous night, even hitting the dance floor where I taught Colin to salsa, I couldn't wait to see Colin again. And our next meeting, a proposed "short" coffee, lingered on, turning into a dinner date also.

Days later Col invited me to one of his gigs- where we shared our first kiss. I'd never felt so instantly drawn to someone so quickly- Col made me laugh like never before and we were instantly a committed couple.

Over the years following, we fell more and more in love- and never stopped laughing!

We bought a home together in late-2005 and when my 30^th birthday approached in April 2006, we enjoyed cocktails with friends, followed by a ghost tour of Melbourne.

Col suggested we continue partying on; guiding us to bowling alley he said was open. As soon as we arrived I was shocked we were escorted to a private room.

When the clock struck midnight, Col was the first to do a birthday speech for me. Saying he wanted me to know how much he loved me, he asked I turn around and have a look at the end of the bowling alley.

On a big screen Col had asked me marry him- and was down on one knee presenting me with a ring! Of course I said yes and my birthday also turned into an engagement party.

Setting our wedding date for February 10, 2007, the hardest thing was deciding on a location. Col and I wanted to steer away from everything traditional, and wanted something that represented our personalities- fun!

We wanted our guests to feel like they were at a big party, and also wanted to create a great experience for them. We searched receptions, tourist locations and wineries before coming across the tourist bureau in Daylesford, Vic.

Learning there was a hall up a hill in Bullarto, which we could charter a train to take all our guests to, Col and I instantly loved the idea.

And as soon as we checked out the Bullarto train station we were 100 percent convinced. The station was old-fashioned, enchanting, romantic and simple, on the edge of a lush, green rainforest. Trekking up the 50-metre hill to the hall, we were even more in awe.

We loved the idea of taking our guests on a magical journey as we'd envisioned. And to make it even more fun, we decided not to tell our guests where they'd be going for our wedding! Our invitations, in the form of train tickets, had print asking our guests to "join us as we embark upon the next part of our journey."

All they knew was to arrive at Daylesford train station at 3.30pm with their tickets.

On our wedding day Col met our guests at Daylesford, while I waited at Bullarto. Our good friend and celebrant, Ros, told the guests they needed to "find the bride," rounding them into the train. After their 25-minute journey, our guests arrived at Bullarto train station, where Wacky Entertainment performed as they led everyone down to the tracks. I appeared at the end of the platform, meeting Col and Ros in the middle where we exchanged our vows.

Leading our guests up the hill to the reception, the rest of the day and night was one, huge party. The entertainment and laughter continued on the train ride back, with Wacky Entertainment performing and everyone singing along.

Our wedding day was magical and as for Col and I, we continue to make one another laugh each and every day, and are more in love than ever.

Sharni Cameron, 31.

 

Here's how we put our wedding "journey" together:

 

Bomboniere

We didn't have any bomboniere, but to thank our guests for their gifts we gave them all a short DVD of the wedding day, edited by our videographer on the day.

 

Cake

We didn't want a traditional wedding cake, and because Colin is half-French we were keen to have certain flavours of France. So we opted for one of the best French Patisseries in Melbourne, Filou's Patisserie, to make us a Croquembouche cake.

 

Ceremony Location

We held our ceremony at Bullarto Train Station. It is the final stop on the Daylesford Tourist Railway line and considered a public space, so we just asked for permission to hold our ceremony and there was no cost involved. 

 

Celebrant

Our celebrant, Ros Mackay, is a very dear friend of ours. She is also an actor, and therefore a wonderful youthful celebrant.  She has the ability to make a couple's wedding personal, memorable and intimate.  Her website is www.rosalindmackay.com.au.

Reception

Holding our reception at Bullarto Hall, we chose the venue because we wanted to have a space where we could create our own personal flavour, with decorations, food and drinks, and not be limited by the venues already established relationships.
We also believe that food is an extremely important aspect of a wedding. Gary Thomas, a local caterer from Daylesford, catered our wedding and specialises in finding local organic produce. The food was divine!  Website: http://www.spadetoblade.com/

 

Decorations

Because we hired a hall, we loved the fact we had to decorate it completely ourselves, allowing splashes of our personality throughout. Solution Red provided most of the furniture, I sourced a lot of items myself, and then we used local suppliers to help with the rest. Peter from Appletown Party Hire was so helpful, as was Sari from Wombat Hill Nursery. Because my wedding dress had Japanese obi sash worked into the bodice I wanted to continue that theme with the table runners, so I sourced some obi sashes from Kazari warehouse, and had them make the runners up for me- they looked beautiful.

Solution Red- www.solutionred.com.au
Vivid lanterns - www.vividroom.com.au
Appletown Party Hire - (Email) info@appletownpartyhire.com.au
Wombat Hill Nursery- www.wombathill.com.au
Kazari Warehouse - www.kazari.com.au

 

Bride & Groom's wear

Bride

I didn't want to be a traditional bride, and my suppliers helped me create that less-traditional look. Wombat Hill Nursery worked with me to create the bouquet, and other flower arrangements, and JD Mannington- www.jdmannington.com - created such a beautifully classic yet colourful headpiece. Not to mention my gorgeous wedding gown from Mariana Hardwick! Web: www.marianahardwick.com.au  
Groom

Col's suit was from Raffaele Ciuca- www.raffaeleciuca.com.au - and his shirt was from Henry Bucks- www.henrybucks.com.au.

 

Hair & Makeup

Special Touch Events- www.specialtouch.com.au - helped me find my makeup artist, also where I had my nails done.  

Makeup (Beau) - 0402 927 954
Hair (Mirsad) - 0409 970 262

 

Invitations

We made our own invitations on Photoshop, using an old-fashioned train ticket to create the effect we wanted.

 

Music

Because Col and I are both performers, music was extremely important to us.  We had Wacky Entertainment- www.wacky.com.au - entertaining guests upon arrival at the Daylesford Railway station. They then performed during the ceremony along with two of my dearest friends, also professional musical theatre performers.

At the reception we had Anthony Jaye's group Fresh- www.talentsolutionsdirect.com.au - creating a fabulous party atmosphere.

 

Photography

Our photographer- Vicki Jones Photography- doesn't normally do weddings as she specialises in corporate events, however we know her from the corporate scene.   

 

Transport

A car wasn't necessary for our wedding because all of our guests took the train, so our only transportation was the hire of the train from Daylesford to Bullarto, an extremely unique experience.  We did this through Daylesford Spa Country Railway - www.chtr.org.au

 

Accommodation

Because Daylesford is such a popular weekend destination, they are well set up for accommodation, which is why it became a great option for us as all our guests decided to make a weekend of it. All accommodation was booked through www.dabs.com.au and www.dayget.com.au.

 

Honeymoon

We went on a wonderful 3 ½-month round-the-world trip!

"So with the goal of creating a non-traditional, fun wedding Sharni and Col definitely did just that. Their idea was unique, their guests had a ball and a weekend away, and everything came together even better than they expected. Their wedding day definitely was a memorable journey."