Creating Holiday Memories at Home

I have some very exciting news to share with you all! I was recently invited to become a Brand Ambassador for the gorgeous UK wall interiors group,  Graham & Brown. Of course I said yes straight away - as I am building a house, I had already stumbled across some of the gorgeous Wallpaper Graham & Brown has on offer in my many hours spent researching decor for our new home. So I am super thrilled to be working with the talented team and be able to share with you my favourite designs and decorating inspirations on a monthly basis.

Some background on the company - Founded in 1948 by Harold Graham and Henry Brown, the brand has grown with it's customers and offers fashion-forward designs across 4 continents and 65 countries throughout the world. Wallpaper, Kids Decor, Wall Art, Paint and Home Accessories are items that Graham and Brown specialise in and everything they do, they do it well!

Each month I will be sharing my ideas and thoughts on a particular design trend, as a part of Graham & Brown's Year in Design initiative. This month, I am exploring the 'Horizon' trend. Nature is a big influencer in a lot of people's decor, and personally, I love to create subtle reminders of special vacations and trips within our home.

As we were married in Hawaii at the beginning of the year, the Hawaiian Islands hold a very special place in our hearts. If I ever find a Hawaiian scented body wash, candle, soap - you name it - I will most likely purchase it as a little daily reminder of our magical trip.

When I spied the Honolulu Palm Wallpaper by designer Julien MacDonald, I was in love.

"This ultra hip palm leaf wallpaper design hits the tropical fashion trend of the moment, this gorgeous design is very versatile allowing you to create real drama with the darker colourways or a more subtle effect with the neutrals. With a glittering background and metallic embellishments to the leaf it's got to be the hottest look of the season. This statement wallpaper design in palm green, white and metallic looks fabulous on all four walls, or if you prefer you can use as a feature or parallel wall utilising the Disco white design as the coordinate. This design would look perfect in any room of your home, and better still so you can spend less time decorating and more time relaxing we've produced the collection using our paste the wall technology which means it's far easier to hang and remove, so what are you waiting for embrace your inner glitter" 

 Given that our new house is still a month or two away from being finished, I am going to create a mood board based around this amazing wallpaper. I could see this statement wallpaper as a feature in a guest bedroom or even to make a Home Office feel fun, cheerful and inviting.

{from top left and clockwise}

Honolulu Palm Green Wallpaper, Graham & Brown

Map Printed Canvas, Graham & Brown

The World Wall Art, Graham & Brown

MAP Shaped Letters, Graham & Brown

Our Wedding, Kualoa Ranch, Ashley Goodwin Photography

Aloha Pillow (already owned), Target

Oahu Candle, Glasshouse Fragrances

My Hawaiian Memories...

Our Hawaiian Wedding

Aloha!

Those of you that know me, know that I am recently married. My Hubby and I had a a very short engagement and decided to do things slightly different to the 'traditional' wedding. Hubby and I have always had an open communication line about our wedding, even before we were engaged. I have never been a big 'wedding' girl, and although I love attending weddings and celebrating love, I had never fantasised about 'my day' and all that comes with it, I just dreamed of actually being married.

After many, many talks, run throughs of several different scenarios, we decided on what we felt was perfect for us, and like to call a 'Backwards Wedding'. The ceremony part of our wedding was done in private (just the two of us) on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. So in essence, yes we eloped. Prior to our departure to Hawaii, we had what the majority of our guests thought was our 'Engagement Party' (one in Western Australia and one in Victoria to cater for all of our loved ones), and we surprised everyone with our wedding news on the night. As you would imagine, we were faced with a room of many stunned and shocked faces, tears, laughs and cheers. Our engagement - turned - wedding celebrations were some of the best nights of our lives, and we wouldn't change a thing for the world.

When the news broke, many of my girlfriends had the same questions. Are you wearing a wedding dress? Do you have a photographer? Are you getting married on the beach?!!? You are SO not a beach girl... Do you have a minister?  What about your hair?? Makeup?! How did you organise it? and the most frequent of course was: Why??! When you hear the word 'Elope', many minds turn straight to a runaway bride, Vegas, bad photographs and unhappy families. Before sharing some of our beautiful photos (which in themselves manage to diminish all preconceived ideas on eloping) I thought I would answer these questions and explain how eloping doesn't have to involve some guy dressed as Elvis.

Did you wear a wedding dress?

Yes. I am not a Princess dress type gal, and was always going to choose something sleek and classic. I turned straight to one of my favourite Australian Designers, LOVER and fell in love with the Marianne Dress. I ordered it in a heartbeat and luckily it fit like a glove and was perfect. Yes - this is a very 'simple' dress in terms of a wedding dress - but it is 'me'.

Did you have a photographer?

UMMMM... Yes.  Photos are very important to me (my iPhoto catalogue could easily tell you that) and I pretty much like to document everything. Many people don't know this, but we changed our wedding date to suit our photographer. I am the type of person that researches everything to the absolute core. Planning a Disney vacation? I became a Disney expert. Buying a bed? I became a bed expert. Getting married in Hawaii? I became a Hawaiian Wedding Photographer expert.  Many, many hours were spent researching and stalking other people's Hawaiian weddings, and guys, I found the Holy Grail. Ashley Goodwin is beyond amazing, and if you know anyone planning on getting married in Hawaii, recommend her one thousand times over.

Did you get married on the beach?

That would be a no. Not that there is anything wrong with getting married on the beach - I think it is beautiful! But as my friends pointed out, I am not the quintessential beach girl by any means. I am pale, don't really like the sun with out a hat and love heels. Again, I researched quite possible every wedding location on every Hawaiian Island. And settled on the amazingness that is Kualoa Ranch (and I promise it's not just because Jurassic Park was filmed there...). Photos do not do this place justice at all. We were absolutely dwarfed by the landscape and our breath was literally taken away. There are several venues to choose from on the ranch, and we decided on Hale Moli'i. For those movie fans reading along - it is the location of Kate Hudson's wedding in You, Me and Dupree. Anyway.  It can be quite tricky finalising the details of your wedding via the www, and Heather at Kualoa Ranch was more than helpful and patient when I was deliberating between two different locations.

Did you have a minister?

Yes, our Wedding Planner (which I will get to in a moment) matched us with the most perfect Wedding Celebrant. Kahu Bruce gave us a truly spiritual, meaningful and personal ceremony, with elements of Hawaiian culture and tradition tied in. I couldn't recommend him more.

Did you have your hair and makeup done?

Of course! It was my wedding day and I wanted to look my best. I found Leslie Fair after (surprisingly...) extensive research and knew she was the gal for me. Leslie is the sweetest and really listened to what I wanted in terms of my look, and I also trusted her input and suggestions.

How did you organise it?

If you haven't guessed by now, I am a Type-A personality and like to have everything organised and researched to the tee. There were some things with a Destination Wedding that I wasn't 100% comfortable in organising myself, so enlisted the help of the amazing Kibby from Oahu Wedding. This was seriously the best money we spent in regards to our wedding, and having Kibby there to help us prior to and on our day was amazing. She organised flowers, Kahu Bruce, coordinated our vendors, transport, wedding licence meeting and also supplied us with a time line of events for our day. She was such a darling and could not recommend her and the rest of the girls at Oahu Wedding more.

Why??

This is a very personal question with a very personal answer, but in a nutshell, it is what we felt was right for us. It had nothing to do with our families not getting along or disapproving of our marriage, it is quite the opposite in fact. If eloping is something you and your Fiance are considering, the best advice I have for you is to block out all outside noise and decide what is important to you as a couple, and to do it for the right reasons.

Now! Time for the photos. As mentioned earlier - all photos were taken by Ashley Goodwin. Enjoy!!