The Special Couple: Tala + Kyle

THE FIRST SIGHT

Kyle and I  met when we were 16 through a mutual friend, but we didn't have much to do with each other until we were 19. We had started hanging out in a group setting with our mutual friends and had become really good mates. When we turned 21, our friendships began to change. We had become closer and started hanging out at our favourite burger spot, just the two of us! One thing led to another, and here we are today!

THE PROPOSAL 

The weekend before his proposal, Kyle asked if I wanted to go to dinner on Friday and then go out on Saturday. Being the only girl in an Italian family, this was a big no-no. He began to ring my mum (me not knowing she was in on the situation) to ask and I got so angry at him I almost broke his finger trying to grab the phone! We didn't go to dinner.

However, a week later, Kyle asked me to go into the CBD for his weekly haircut and then take me shopping. Everyone that knows me knows that I consider shopping a sport so of course I was going! Kyle gets his hair cut but looks a little different, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. We went for breakfast, and afterwards, he said, "Let's go on a walk through the botanic gardens before shopping", so we strolled through the gardens & ended up at this beautiful park bench overlooking the opera house/water. As we sat there, I joked that I would propose to him. Suddenly he says "I have the ring in my pocket". I reached over to his pocket in shock and felt something but assumed this was his phone. I reached over again and made the same conclusion. The next moment, Kyle knelt before me and asked, "Do you want to get married now babe?" I was utterly shocked. I kept saying, "Oh my god, what is that! What is that?". We were both balling at that point!

THE INSPIRATION & VENUE 

The theme for our wedding was a dark winter romance theme. Think Alice in Wonderland with a gothic twist! We wanted our wedding to be just as different as we are and try to break away from the traditionalists' perspective of what a wedding should look and feel like. Our venue added to our gothic feel with its super branchy bare gardens & rustic style buildings. Our florals featured lots of plum colours, black, lattes & lilacs to project a modern take on the typical winter wedding. We tried to make our wedding as unique as possible by having odd numbers in our bridal party, having a non-religious ceremony (for Italians, this is a big deal), having a mix of men & women on my bridal party side (and my best friend dressed in drag) & ultimately just trying to include elements that reflected us as a couple. We wanted something unique, and I feel we created that.

THE BRIDAL LOOK & SAYING "YES" TO THE DRESS 

 I had every intention of wearing black and only black on my wedding day. I went to Eternal Bridal with preconceived ideas. When I booked my appointment, I saw the Allegra dress online and thought it was mine! When I finally saw it on the mannequin, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that this was my dress again. As someone from a fashion background, it had always been my dream to wear a Galia Lahav gown on my wedding day. I was right about Allegra. As soon as I put it on, without looking in the mirror, I knew it was it. The sample fits well. It wasn't white or black (it was blush) and had a dramatic yet feminine feel. We opened the curtains, and my parents started crying. We knew it was the one.

I was nervous it wasn't black, but I couldn't deny it was beautiful. We tried on the last dress in our selection of seven wedding dresses. Apart from Allegra, there was the lilac Athera ballgown. I had picked the dress because of its lilac colour. When I put it on, I couldn't decide whether I loved it more than Allegra. It was wild. I fell in love with two dresses that weren't black! I realised these dresses encapsulated a fun, edgy persona that was me but in bridal mode. They both had airy cloud-like fabrics, super dramatic skirts and sparkles. Fusae, our amazing Eternal Bridal stylist, brought over the most beautiful tiara I had ever seen. It mimicked the floral pattern on the Allegra gown. It wasn't too big or small, and it was so sparkly. To say I am excited to have this piece in my collection forever is an understatement!

In terms of hair & makeup for my wedding look. I am not a natural girl whatsoever. A dark lip is my nude, and a sleek bun is my favourite! I wanted to maintain this sleek and easy look for my wedding day but turn it up a notch for the occasion. My good friend and makeup artist Rajj understood my goth vibe, and we created a dramatic look that was also super familiar and normal to me. In the world of weddings, this is a bit different. A bold black smoked-out wing and a dark plum lip was our final look. It was important to me to have my makeup & hair as familiar as possible, given my dresses were quite different from my usual style. My brother then gifted me with the most obscenely stunning pair of Bulgari serpenti earrings I had ever seen. The symbol of the snake makes me feel like myself and gives me that goth glam mood I wanted. 

THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR DAY 

I had a few highlights from our day. The first was seeing my closest friends and family put in all their efforts to move our ceremony area to a covered spot in front of the lake as the rain began drizzling. It made me think that I am beyond thankful for our friends and family. They not only came to celebrate our day but cared so much to help out! The second was when Kyle smiled as I walked down the aisle with my father. I will never forget that smile and that expression in his eyes that was so warm and familiar. It was hard to notice all our guests staring at us at that point. The last would be an unrehearsed dip Kyle gave me as we shared our first kiss as husband and wife. He is very cheeky and full of surprises!

TALA'S WEDDING ADVICE

My advice would be to calm down. There are things on the wedding day that will go perfectly and things that won't. All that matters is that you're marrying the love of your life. Enjoy the journey and don't sweat the small stuff!

Tala wore Allegra and Aretha wedding dress from Galia Lahav. See more gowns from Galia Lahav Collection here. 

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