“Gonna take her for a ride on a big jet plane”
– Angus and Julia Stone
There is nothing like wanting to start your life with your best friend, and wanting that life to start NOW! Some people spend years planning the wedding of their dreams, Shannon and Dylan, did it in just FOUR MONTHS!
Red Vans, picnic vibes, coffee sack races, speeches in the garden and a whole bunch of awesomeness, made Dylan + Shans wedding untraditional and true to them in every single way. Pour yourself a cuppa before indulging in this wedding goodness!
Photography by : Kristi Smith Photography
Venue: Lythwood Lodge | Flowers: My incredible Aunt and very good friends including,
Teraza Blair from Crystal and Vine | Cakes: Cake It | Videographer: Shot by Milton Media and edited by a great friend, Avi Mack | Coffee: Ground Coffee House | Music: DJ Fuego Heat | Make up and Hair: Kelsey Rose Hair & Makeup
Hooray: Hey guys! Tell us about yourselves.
Shannon: Our names are Shannon and Dylan. I met Dyl about three years ago at one of his comedy shows. A close friend of mine (who was my maid of honor) took me to his show. I remember so clearly asking my friend who he was. I didn’t see him again after that show. About a year and a half later, our paths crossed again and this time we were both staying in each other’s lives for good! I even remember telling a friend of mine that he was going to be my boyfriend one day! So I unashamedly “slid” into his DM’s to hang out. A few months later, we started dating and about 8 months into our relationship he proposed. We have been together for a total of 15 months now.
Hooray: Tell us about your proposal
Shannon: Dylan took me and a few close friends to a very special farm. Early one morning, we all went down to the lake for a picnic breakfast. Everyone starts sitting down and I remember Dyl just trying to get me to sit. A few minutes in, our friend Cam starts walking down to the lake playing my favorite song, Jet Plane by Angus and Julia Stone. Now this song has been my favourite FOR YEARS! I couldn’t understand why he would choose that song out of all songs to play, until Dyl turned me around and got down on one knee! To be honest, everything after that was a joyous blur. Needless to say, I said yes.
Hooray: Your engagement ring and Dylan’s wedding band are so unique. Can you tell us more about the design of the both of them.
Shannon: Thank you so much! Dylan had my engagement ring made with family stones. The tourmaline stone (the red one) was my moms wedding stone, the diamonds were from my gran on my mom’s side and the material used were from his gran’s wedding band. I ended up getting Dylan’s ring made as a signet because he has always liked the style, we are both very sentimental so I got his (now our) family crest engraved in it with the idea of it being passed to our children one day.
Hooray: What was the one non-negotiable of your wedding?
Shannon: Non-negotiable? I would say that no matter what people said or suggested, we wanted our day to represent who we are as a couple and to be as authentic as it could be.
Hooray: How did you choose your photographer?
Shannon: I’ve loved Kristi ‘s work for a good while. Her work is different from the usual, her tones are everything. So it was pretty easy.
Hooray: Be honest, how many hours did you spend on Pinterest?
Shannon: I feel ashamed to tell! Honestly, way too much but even more honestly? I think it took a lot of joy out of the preparation leading up to the wedding. I definitely see the good in looking at Pinterest for ideas but at the end of the day it’s your day, not Pinterests. And for me, I’m such a perfectionist so I wish that I spent less time on it.
Hooray: What made you decide to do a picnic style setting for your pre-party?
Shannon: We wanted a comfortable yet intimate and interactive pre-reception, whereby people could mingle with whom they chose and there was always something to do. This meant that we got to avoid those situations of awkward silence and having people not knowing what to do with themselves. Also, who doesn’t love a picnic?
Hooray: A SACK RACE!? How amazing! Who’s idea was this? Tell us all about it!
Shannon: We wanted something unconventional for the garter toss. We had seen something similar in a previous wedding and with my husband being in the coffee industry, we thought it would be quite fitting to do the race in coffee bags.
Hooray: We counted 5 cakes, were they all the same flavour? Or different?
Shannon: They were mixed, we had two flavours as options. They were chocolate and vanilla.
Hooray: Tell us about your bridesmaids and groomsmen? Could you share with us the best and worst of your experience?
Shannon: They were AMAZING! Seriously, they went above and beyond – and through that, they have become family. Best part would be the preparation leading to the day, the late nights of jamming to Kendrick Lamar and folding origami birds. The worst? I think the only “worst” thing was that most of them lived out of town but it actually wasn’t really felt because they made all the effort in the world to be present as much as they could.
Hooray: How many origami birds did you end up folding?
Shannon: We folded about 500/600 birds and it took us about 60 hours over three months. On the set up day three of our cars broke down, so a 10 hour set up turned out to be 3 hours before the day, so only about 200 were hung up.
Hooray: What role did your parents play in your wedding? Did they contribute financially?
Shannon: The roles that my parents played were amazing. My mom was integral in the designing and making of my wedding dress and the bridal party outfits. My dad was there always, if I needed ice-cream at 11pm because of wedding stress, he was in the car getting me that ice-cream with a smile on his face. They did contribute financially and just for that, I am forever grateful. They made sure that we didn’t have to go without or get second best.
Hooray: Your mom made your wedding dress? How special! What made you make this decision?
Shannon: I was very intentional on trying to find something that was “me” and I couldn’t find anything! So my mom made the most perfect dress for me, with hand sown details. It’s not the only thing my mom made though! She also made my veil, the four bridesmaid dresses, my grey furry shawl and the two flower girl dresses (all within our four months of being engaged)
Hooray: The biggest hurdle you faced planning your wedding?
Shannon: Biggest hurdle? Was to come to the realization that our day is our day and not to try and make sure that everyone there will be happy with the way we have planned the day out. We are both people that want to make sure that people’s needs are met before ours. So that was a pretty tough one
Hooray: Tell us more about your song choice for your First Dance.
Shannon: Our first dance song was a very special one. It was Jet Plane by Angus and Julia Stone. There is some history behind that song. So I have always loved that song (and that band) and when they came to SA, a friend of ours gifted us with tickets. We went to see them and I didn’t think they would play Jet Plane and they did! When they did, I literally ugly cried into Dylan’s shoulder through the whole performance. It’s such a special song to me, it only seemed fitting to have it as our first dance song.
Hooray: The one thing you would change about your wedding if you could travel back in time
Shannon: I wouldn’t say change but would rather do. And that would be rehearse the ceremony! You would think it would go down well but with all the emotions going crazy your mind goes to a gooey lovely mess. It was a great laugh forgetting things and waiting awkwardly for something that was supposed to happen, happen.
Hooray: And lastly, the best moment of your wedding day?
Shannon: There are two defining moments for me. As I got out the car, our pastor met me there to try and calm my nerves and pray for me before going down the aisle. I will never forget what he said to me. He said, “This day is going to go by so fast, so make sure you taste it, breathe it and feel it.” Those words really defined the rest of the day for me. I became so intentional on being present in the moment with my husband, together. He also pronounced us as “Mr. and Mrs. Wood” (which is my maiden name) so that made my dad very happy! It was a good laugh. Oh! Another favorite was being serenaded by my husband during our first dance to, of course, Jet Plane.
We absolutely love the magic that you two share, Shannon and Dylan.
Never lose your spark and continue the love for years to come!
Thank you for sharing your day with us!
xxx
Venue: Lythwood Lodge | Flowers: My incredible Aunt and very good friends including,
Teraza Blair from Crystal and Vine | Cakes: Cake It | Videographer: Shot by Milton Media and edited by a great friend, Avi Mack | Coffee: Ground Coffee House | Music: DJ Fuego Heat | Make up and Hair: Kelsey Rose Hair & Makeup