After three magical years together, Marcus began planning a proposal for the love of his life, Anna.
"The day he proposed was a complete surprise. Marcus organised red roses and a stretch limo, he was waiting at the front of my house. I had no idea where we were going and I was so excited. Our first stop was Frappe Cafe Bar, where we met and he had a love letter there for me to pick up. I got emotional reading it, he wrote about our journey of getting to know each other and falling in love. It was very special.”
After the first stop, Marcus organised for the limousine to take Annoulla (his nickname for Anna) to Wendy’s Secret Garden in Lavender Bay. It was a spectacular sight to see, overlooking the Harbour Bridge and amazing city of Sydney. Marcus set up a picnic underneath a handmade banner that read 'Anna will you Marry Me?'
“My heart melted when he got down on one knee and asked to marry me. I paused dramatically just to keep him hanging then of course I said YES and he picked me up, kissed me and spun me around. It was so magical, I will never forget the feeling, I was floating on cloud nine,” Anna recalls with a huge smile.
The couple settled on a wedding date, the 30th of October, 2017.
"The entire process was fun, we did it all together. We knew the church service would be held at Saint Spyridon, that’s where my parents got married,” Anna says. They spent the first couple of months looking at venues, potential photographers and other suppliers for the wedding. They knew they wanted the reception to be at Doltone House, Sylvania Waters from the moment they walked though.
Anna and Marcus desired a classic, simple and modern wedding, as they didn’t want anything over the top, just a timeless memory to cherish forever.
In preparation for the big day, Anna recalls “getting my dress made was one of the most enjoyable parts of the process. I knew when I went to Bizzaro in Earlwood, that Mary would make my dream dress. I explained my vision and inspiration, she instantly knew what I wanted. She made my dream come true and I saw it come to life. It had all the elements I wanted, it was a princess gown but not too over the top. It was elegant with a little old school glam. I loved it and it was so comfortable. I also loved my veil that was trimmed with beautiful French lace.”
“I love my shoes, I wore Valentino points that I know I can wear over and over again, and they are also very comfortable. I got a hand-made hair piece from Stones of Atlantas, Mel designed it and created the perfect piece for my big day. In addition, I wore the bracelet given to me by my family on my engagement and earrings from my mother in law. On the morning of the wedding I received a special surprise from Marcus, a love letter and a Chanel bracelet,” Anna reminisces.
Both Marcus and Anna love their Greek culture and this was a big part of their special day, where there was plenty of Greek music as well as a Bouzouki player, “we wanted to embrace the Greek kefi. That was one of my favourite elements from the reception.”
Their first dance as husband and wife was to “Every time we touch,” an acoustic version by Cascada, a song that Marcus and Anna loved and felt suited them most.
For Anna, the stunning bride, her favourite moment was when “I saw Marcus at the church, instantly all my nerves went away in that moment and it felt so magical marrying my best friend with all our family and friends. Such a perfect moment.”
For the honeymoon, Anna and Marcus travelled to the USA where they spent Christmas in New York and New Years in Miami. They also went to Orlando and Vegas and ended their honeymoon in Hawaii.