six-ty candles

Sharny + Keon

S A T U R D A Y  1 2  M A R C H  2 0 1 1  

 Just like a scene straight out of a John Hughes teen movie, it all started at a dance for Sharny and Keon. While working in Mt Gambier, she a WIN television journalist, he a Bureau of Meteorology observer, the pair shared many an interview. So when Keon's big chance arrived in the form of a charity dance called, 'Swinging with the Stars', he didn't hesitate. At the end of the night he finally found his nerve and asked Sharny to dance.

The proposal happened on a weekend away in the Grampians and was just as sweet and romantic as the start of their relationship. Keon led Sharny in the dark to their treehouse accommodation, where he had lit sixty tea light candles, for the sixty more years he wanted to spend with her, leading up the stairs to the loft. There he sat Sharny down, dropped to one knee and asked for her hand in marriage.

Sharny and Keon knew from the start that the most important part of planning their wedding was finding the right photographer and videographer. After all, those are the memories of the wedding that will last a lifetime. Photographer Ben Clark worked alongside videographer Rob Tremelling, to make sure every aspect of the couple's big day was captured.

The couple were married in Laughton Park Gardens in Yahl, followed by a reception at The Barn Palais, Mt Gambier. The theme was Classic Romance, and they celebrated theirs with 101 of their closest friends and family. The bride wore a Demetrios gown from Raffaele Ciuca in Melbourne, complete with Mantilla veil. Her bridesmaids each wore a pastel-coloured gown, one peach, one pink, one lilac, to match the rose bouquets. And the groom and his groomsmen all wore suits from Raffaele Ciuca as well.

The moving ceremony included personalised vows, lyrical poetry readings by the best man and maid of honour, as well as plenty of tears from the happy couple and their guests. The emotions of the wedding day even caught Sharny by surprise, “I didn’t think I would be nervous on the day, but nerves and excitement began to kick in on the way to the ceremony. Walking down the aisle was a surreal experience and the ceremony was so emotional... I should have packed a tissue”.