Being a fashion blogger and all, and after working in the fashion scene for over five years now, Ally was able to benefit from her web of industry connections for the big day. She admits that when she booked the wedding venue eight months ago she already had a hairdresser, makeup artist and designer picked out thanks to her industry know-how. “I knew exactly who I wanted to use,” Ally told theFashionSpot.
But that doesn’t mean the planning was easy-breezy for the power couple, especially when it came to the dress. Ally dedicated six months to working alongside her fashion designer pal Stephanie Cherrington to create her dream gown. “I worked so closely with Steph to get it exactly perfect,” Ally said. The two trimesters of hard work paid off, resulting in a fitted lace dress with a flared tulle bottom making for a stunning mermaid silhouette. “It was everything I wanted and more.”
Stephanie also designed the bridesmaid’s pink-lace mini dresses with a subtle mullet hemline, which were then made by Vienna Johnston. Although Stephanie did a mighty fine job at dressing the bride and her bridal party, she doesn’t get all the credit as the hair, makeup and accessories, thoughtfully supplied by Samantha Wills, really brought every girl’s look together.
Carly Balchin, a hairdresser Ally met on a photoshoot years ago, styled hair for the bride-to-be, her mum, and the bridesmaids, and even gave Ally a haircut the morning of the wedding. That’s a lot of trust. “She is my go-to girl,” Ally said. “I knew she’d nail it no matter what.” Ally had similar faith in Sydney makeup artist Jenny Do, who worked her magic to enhance all of Ally’s best facial features on the day. “I know what I love in a make-up artist and Jenny is a true talent,” Ally explained.
Meanwhile her other half, Jonathan (affectionately known as JD), simply had to whip on a River Island suit, which was cuffed at the ankles and teamed with tan-leather lace-up shoes, to meet his lovely lady at the altar. “We went for a casual, yet pulled-together look,” Ally told us. “It was very JD!”
While many of us would suffer a minor freak-out just thinking about planning a wedding, especially to the standard of Ally and JD’s lavish day, the fashion blogger isn’t blind to the role their freelance careers had in easing the nerves. “I think fashion blogging and working for ourselves definitely helped with planning the entire day as we have to juggle so many things, so organising a big party kind of came easy,” Ally explained. “Until the last week when the stress hit.”
But it all came together perfectly, and Ally managed to have what she calls “the best day ever,” with the help of her octopus-woman organisational skills and talented circle of friends. “It was all worth it in the end. I just want to do it all again.”
