lovestruck by salt magazine - winter 14

A WEDDING FEATURE WITH

WINTER ’14

60 KEEPING IT REAL Jen and Derik Steyn share their online, real life wedding story. 66 FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE Laurie and Joan Bruhl have shared a lifetime of love and travel. 68 TO HAVE AND TO HOLD Fashionable, must-have products for the loved up. 70 MAGIC MAKER Dot & Birdie do far more than brides’ hair and make-up.

IMAGE COURTESY OF TOM HALL, TOMHALLPHOTOGRAPHY.COM.AU

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KEEPING IT REAL

Love found online WORDS ALEX FYNES-CLINTON

Jen Marmion

&

Derik Steyn 13 July 2013 Noosa Heads

IMAGES COURTESY OF KRISTY, ANOOSA.COM PHOTOGRAPHY

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In the era of sordid Snapchat soirées and frisky Facebook flirtations, internet romance is no longer taboo territory.

BUT FOR LOVED UP pair Jen and Derik Steyn, the glow of a computer screen was perhaps the last place they imagined finding love. The two, who celebrate their first anniversary in July, met on dating website E-Harmony after encouragement from family.

“I was lying there on the couch one Sunday.

I was living in Brisbane and Jen was living in Adelaide,” Derik says. “My son’s wife piped up and said ‘I think we really need to get your dad on a dating website’.

“They thought it was a big joke and they got me onto E-Harmony. I was sort of half asleep, so I didn’t say anything. They made me a profile and put in my likes and dislikes, because obviously they know me better than I know myself.”

The rest is history. Derik connected with Jen instantly and the two began what would become an extraordinary romance. Not more than a year later, they were strolling down the aisle to be wed. >

WEDDING DAY ROLL CALL RECEPTION & CATERING The View Restaurant, Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa, Noosa outrigger.com PHOTOGRAPHER Kristy - anoosa.com photography anoosa.com MAKEUP Stephanies Ocean Spa, Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa, Noosa stephaniesoceanspa.com.au EVENT STYLIST Splash Events splashevents.com.au

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“It was an amazing connection,” Jen says.

“We talked back and forth for a couple of months – communicating, emailing, talking on the phone and from that standpoint you get to know the person really well. I would fly up to visit and Derik would come down to see me in Adelaide.

“There’s an element of trust and sincerity involved. You’ve got to be willing to put yourself out there.”

The couple was married in Noosa last year after a whirlwind engagement. The premiere Sunshine Coast tourist destination holds a special significance as the place they first spent quality one-on-one time together after weeks of long-distance contact.

St Andrew’s Anglican Chapel played host to the ceremony, with Jen’s two adult children helping her put a unique spin on traditional proceedings.

“My father flew from Glasgow to be there and my son flew in from the States.

Thankfully, it was a beautiful day – Noosa really put it on for us,” she says.

“My daughter was my maid of honour, or the wing woman as she liked to call it, and my son walked me down the aisle. It was very special. I talked about it with my father and he agreed. I really wanted to have my son play a special role.” >

ABOUT THE VENUE Jen and Derik spent their first night as husband and wife at Noosa’s Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa. Rooms have views of Noosa National Park and the nearby coastline and take in a swathe of five star facilities.

PLAYLISTS Entrance Pachelbel Canon D Signing of the Registry Beautiful World, La Vien Rose, Wedding March Organist Marcia Dorricott

The reception was hosted at the hotel’s The View restaurant.

“If you’ve got a smaller group it’s very intimate,” Derik says. “We had a stunning dinner and the wines were amazing. We were at an intimate venue called The View. There were great speeches and the rest was just having fun together.”

The Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa in Noosa hosted the couple’s 50-odd guests for the reception, with plenty of good food and heartfelt speeches.

“If you’ve got a smaller group it’s very intimate,” Derik says. “We had a stunning dinner and the wines were amazing. We were at an intimate venue called The View. There were great speeches and the rest was just having fun together.”

Derik talks glowingly about the love between him and his wife. Their connection is conveyed through hints as subtle as a liking of the same coffee to those as obvious as the regular knowing looks shared across a table.

Jen shares his sentiment. She says their romance, the second marriage for both, has filled her life with optimism and brightness.

“It’s nice to get a second chance in life and meet someone who’s so perfectly matched,” Jen says. “We’re very blessed. It doesn’t matter what stage of life you’re at – it just gives you hope really.”

For more information on Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa, visit outrigger.com 66

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FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

, e v o l e v ha l e v a r t l l wi

WORDS LINDA READ PHOTO KATE JOHNS

The top secret military weapons testing range at Woomera is not an idyllic setting for a young couple with a baby.

BUT FOR LAURIE AND JOAN Bruhl, living at the rocket range in the 1950s was just another step in a colourful life journey which they have undertaken, unswervingly, together.

Laurie, 90, and Joan, 86, met in the bush town of Kogan in southwest Queensland.

She was the 19-year-old newly arrived school teacher at the town’s one-teacher school, whose luggage had been temporarily lost. When the luggage finally arrived in town, local lad Laurie, an excellent horseman and champion tennis player, offered to take it to her.

So began the courtship which would become the hundreds of stories, memories and precious fragments of history celebrating their 64 years of marriage this year.

A defining element in their life together has been Laurie’s career in the Royal Australian Air Force. Joining the RAAF towards the

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end of WWII, Laurie remained in the air force for 28 years.

He remembers well the moment, when he was aged about 11 or 12, that he knew he would become a pilot. A Gipsy Moth (“like a Tiger Moth”) plane made a visit to his home town, and he and two of his mates climbed all over the plane in amazement.

Joan credits commitment and flexibility as being key ingredients to their marriage’s success.

“You never thought that you could break up a marriage,” she says. “You just have to pack up and go. There’s no option. You never thought of there being any option. I’d just say ‘oh well, we’re going’.”

“We all said ‘I’d love to fly that thing’,” says Laurie. “And we watched her go, and take off down the flat, until it was a speck in the sky.

Joan agrees that Laurie cut a dashing figure in his RAAF uniform, but says with a wink: “But don’t tell him that.”

“I became a pilot, one of the other boys became a pilot and the other one became a navigator.”

She tells a story of the time in Newcastle, New South Wales, when she was waiting to hear from Laurie, who had been posted there.

There was a slight problem though – Laurie had a stutter, caused by being forced to use his right hand as a child, even though he was left-handed.

“They said ‘how can you expect to be a pilot when you stutter on the radio?’,” he says.

Laurie overcame his stutter with sheer determination, and went on to have a distinguished career as a pilot and air traffic controller. During his career, Laurie was posted to towns and cities all over Australia, and also to Malaysia for three years, accompanied by Joan and later their two children.

Their wedding itself was delayed when Laurie was sent to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. “He was meant to be there for a month, so the wedding was still going ahead,” says Joan.

“But they sort of forgot about calling him back after a month.”

Finally the wedding went ahead on July 15, 1950, in Toowoomba, beginning a life of travelling – and often sudden separation – for the couple. They had to adapt quickly to change at a moment’s notice.

“I waited and waited to hear from him, and finally found out through the Air Force that he was in hospital. They didn’t think to tell me,” she says.

One of their posts was for two years in Woomera, the military rocket range in remote South Australia. With their baby son in tow, Joan would pick Laurie up from the “top secret” base where he worked. She also taught art on a Saturday morning at the local school.

In fact, although Laurie’s career dictated where the family lived, Joan maintained a successful primary school teaching career right up until the couple officially retired to the Sunshine Coast in the 1980s.

Ever the teacher, after moving to the coast Joan became a qualified lawn bowls coach, a sport she excelled in, and won the title of Queensland Bowls Coach of the Year.

Laurie, a champion tennis player who has played competitively since he first joined the air force, still plays tennis several times a week at his local club at Coolum, where he is regarded as one of the leading figures of the game, and was named Tennis

Seniors Queensland Senior Player of the Year in 2006.

Known as ‘Laurie the Line Lobber’, for his famous lob shot over his opposition’s head, he has dozens of trophies, awards, and photographs spilling from the cabinet to mark his talent and achievements as a tennis player. One photograph is marked ‘The Woomera Rocket Range winning team, 1958’, which is proof of Joan’s statement that “Laurie won’t go anywhere unless he can play tennis”.

And Laurie’s tennis career has not been without a brush with celebrity for the couple: while they were living in Malaysia, the couple hosted tennis greats Neale Fraser and John Newcombe who were there for the Malaysian Tennis championships.

Now grandparents and great grandparents, Laurie has a pearl of wisdom on how to make a relationship last. He says, simply: “Give and take.”

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TO HAVE AND TO HOLD

DRESS

to impress

E TO HAV AND TO HOLD

Aside from your wedding day there aren’t many occasions you can wear lace from top to toe. Unless of course you get a call up to the Oscars, in which case we recommend you wear as much lace as possible!

If you want the elegant romanticism of lace, but don’t want to look like a bad ’80s debutante, Maggie May Bridal has you covered. Their winter collection is full of romantic, ’70s-inspired bridal couture. The thick, cotton lace ‘Anastasia’ gown with long, delicate sleeves will keep teeth chattering at bay at your winter nuptials. And hey, if Kate Middleton can rock a long sleeve … maggiemaybridal.com

Here’s our pick of fashionable, must-have products for that loved up occasion.

photo by Bronwyn Townsend

GO GLAM

Sick of seeing cocktails in Mason jars and rustic mismatched furniture at weddings? Nicole Hopkins, managing director of Splash Events, says the times they are a-changin’ and old-fashioned glam is bang on trend this winter. “It’s all about sparkles, mercury silver, mirrored surfaces, smoky grey, pastel tones and vintage whites,” she reveals. Her tip for the best way to achieve this look? Use lighting to capture the mood. She recommends using hanging candelabras and mercury tea lights to create different tones and dial up the romantic ambience. “To complete the theme we work with textures throughout by carefully embracing sequins, crystal décor, heavy fabrics and lace,” Nicole says. “A small touch of baby’s breath, soft pink and white roses are the perfect finishing touch.” splashevents.com.au

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the perfect shoe

If Cinderella taught us anything it’s that the perfect pair of shoes can change your life. If you’ve trawled the shops for your ‘big day’ shoes and haven’t found the right pair, take things into your own hands. You can make your own glass slipper with Shoes of Prey, using their 3D shoe designer – you can choose the shape, colour and height to suit and fashion them out of luxe materials like Italian silk, shiny calfskin leathers, diamantes, bows and silk rosettes. You can design and mock up a 3D image of your shoes online and order samples to help the decision-making process a little easier. shoesofprey.com

Something sweet

Forget handing out scorched almonds or mass-produced chocolates in a chiffon pouch as wedding favours and replace them with New Farm Confectionery’s handcrafted marshmallows. Made using real fruit and oils, these cute pillows of sweetness are gluten free, dairy free and free of pesky artificial flavourings and colourings. If you’ve got a pastel palette, consider flavours like blackberry, blueberry, Madagascan vanilla, mango, passionfruit and raspberry to complement your wedding theme. newfarmconfectionery.com.au/marshmallows/

AMBIENCE TO BURN Like buying a house, the perfect wedding venue is all about position, position, position. And when the temperature drops, you want your event to be as cosy, and delicious, as possible. Harry’s on Buderim ticks all the boxes with award-winning food served in a spectacular location. This beautifully restored Queenslander dates back to 1892 and overlooks the lush, green Buderim Forest Park. Its wide, open verandas are the perfect spot to host a large sit down function, or for something more intimate, their cosy internal room can be set up around the roaring fireplace. Owner Tony Lauriston believes winter weddings are more atmospheric and this season he’ll warm up guests with seasonal flavours like grilled Mooloolaba King prawns on a cauliflower puree, braised beef cheeks and warm, gooey chocolate fondant for dessert. harrysonbuderim.com

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MAGIC MAKER

IN LOVE AND LOOKING FINE WORDS LINDA READ PHOTOS ANASTASIA KARIOFYLLIDIS

If there’s one day in a girl’s entire life that she could choose NOT to have a bad hair day, it would have to be the day she gets married.

THIS IS THE DAY she sparkles in front of the gathered crowd, radiating with beauty, positively bedazzling her groom and drawing gasps of admiration from onlookers – not to mention having it all captured on hundreds of photos, the proof for generations to come that she really was the most beautiful bride ever. (Sorry fellas, it really is all about the bride.)

It’s a day, more than any other, she needs to look perfect.

Beauty therapist Jenny Henderson and hairdresser Mel Handschuh understand this very well. They understand it so well, in fact, they have made it their business to have brides looking and feeling their absolute finest on the day of their dreams.

Yes, they are about beautiful hair. Seriously beautiful, photoshoot-ready hair. And exquisite nails. And perfect golden tans. But they are about so much more than that.

According to Jenny and Mel, the dynamic partnership which is Dot & Birdie, it’s about embarking on a journey with the bride-to72

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be. It’s about listening, sharing, love and friendship. And it’s about laughing. A lot.

Dot & Birdie, a hair and beauty salon, opened 18 months ago in Maleny and specialises in pre-wedding bridal pamper packages and bridal hair styling.

Jenny describes the pamper packages as “part of the journey” to the wedding day. They are usually accompanied by a high tea, served in lovingly collected vintage china and glassware.

“They are here for hours; we have to give them something to eat,” says Jenny. “And you really get to know them. You hear the banter.”

Brides from everywhere come to Dot & Birdie, as Maleny fast becomes a popular wedding destination. They have brides from North Queensland, the Gold Coast, South Africa, and recently, according to Mel, a “run” of brides from Mt Isa. “I think everyone is different and everyone brings a different energy to their wedding day,” says Mel. “When they come here they get a really grounding experience.”

There is certainly a palpable positive energy at Dot & Birdie, no doubt largely generated by the laughter which radiates easily from Jenny and Mel. But there is a quieter side to them as well, which reflects a deep compassion and understanding. Many of Jenny and Mel’s clients have had cancer, which has prompted them to explore using chemical-free products.

“Watching our beautiful clients go through what they’ve been through, we think we’ve got to be offering something more,” says Jenny. “That’s our journey. One of the things we’re really passionate about is trying to offer [products] that aren’t going to infiltrate our systems.”

With more than 20 years combined experience in the hair and beauty professions between them, Jenny and Mel are well placed to understand what makes a happy bride, and what is needed to make the bride-to-be her beautiful best on the ‘big day’.

“When they arrive here, Nanna’s with them, Mum’s with them.

The champagne gets popped here,” she says. “Sometimes we take the bridesmaids out of the room and just hold the bride’s hand and say ‘take a deep breath, I’m getting you a glass of wine, and just chill out’. And they sigh with relief.

“We have beautiful brides in here. Their journeys are amazing.

And all ages – my oldest bride was 72.” >

OPE NI N G H O U R S LUN C H W E D - SU N

•

D I N N E R W E D - SAT

AVAI L A B L E FOR W E D D I N G S & F U N C T I O N S

Family owned and operated

by Anthony and Aletta Lauriston 11 HA R RY ’ S L A NE BUD E R I M ( O F F L I N D SAY ROA D)

|

P 54 45 6661 |

www.harrysonbuderim.com

Like us

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If Dot & Birdie sounds like two old friends meeting for a chat, that’s exactly what Jenny and Mel intended. The name of the business was the result of a lengthy brainstorming to think of two names which would evoke the feeling of two old friends coming together.

Jenny and Mel’s own friendship was forged when each was a client of the other when they worked in separate businesses.

“Mel was my hairdresser and I was her beautician,” says Jenny.

“Then it turned into the last appointment and a bottle of wine, and it evolved from there.”

“Two friends come together – that’s us,” says Mel. “And two friends can come here to catch up – like Dot and Birdie. We wanted people

Noosa’s North Shore

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Architecturally designed and eco-friendly surroundings located on the breathtaking Noosa North Shore.

Beautifully appointed homes spacious enough for extended families, groups of friends or executive meetings.

90 Beach Road, Noosa North Shore T: 1300 882 093 E: info@beachroadholidayhomes.com.au W: beachroadholidayhomes.com.au

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“

WE HAVE BEAUTIFUL BRIDES IN HERE. THEIR JOURNEYS ARE AMAZING. AND ALL AGES – MY OLDEST BRIDE WAS 72. to feel warm and happy, and we wanted people to be relaxed.”

”

It worked. When you step into the salon, housed in a bright red renovated Queenslander, decorated in a style that Jenny and Mel describe as “retro, vintage, a bit quirky”, you feel a little bit of magic.

Multi-coloured bunches of fresh roses brighten corners; postcards with scenes from the 1950s and ’60s adorn the walls. Bay windows, vee jays and honey-coloured timber floors, all beautifully restored to their original beauty, provide a perfect setting in which to expel any pre-wedding jitters.

Mel defines the magic as “just being sincere. We genuinely care.”

To which Jenny adds, “If you’ve got the love, people will feel it.”

And love is really all a girl needs, after all, to be a picture-perfect bride.

Dot & Birdie, 35 Coral Street, Maleny, 5499 9424. dotandbirdie.com.au FOR EXTRA SALT visit saltmagazine.com.au to see more images of Dot & Birdie.

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