Real Bride

#EnzoaniRealBride: Jenn + Ryley

Surprise, Surprise!

There was something in the air that night. We feel it was fate using its strings to pull its magic. Time stopped, and that's when Jenn and Ryley decided this may just be the one. There's a surprise at every corner in Jenn's adventures with Ryley. Are you ready for a twist?

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

Wow, where do I even begin? I was working on the Super Yachts in Croatia and by some absolute MIRACLE, after being out at sea for 3 months, the owner’s wife decided to fly from Croatia to London to get her hair done! Why not?!

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

This was completely bizarre and out of the ordinary, yet the team pulled into the marina and off she went. What was more of a miracle was when the owner said the team can have the night off, plus the following day off from work! We were shocked and didn’t actually know if he was being serious! Nonetheless, we put on our prettiest dresses, got ready and decided that if we only had this one night off, we were going to make the most of it.

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

So our team caught a cab 40 minutes away from our yacht to a little town called Spilt. Here we danced the night away and just as we were leaving to catch a cab back home, I turned around to say something to my friend and that’s when I saw him. He was so handsome.

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

Then I did something completely out of the ordinary! I pointed at him and said, “Him. I want to kiss him.” My friend, who was highly intoxicated at this point, shrugged and briskly turned around and marched over to him. I followed in horror! “Can you please kiss my friend,” she slurred at him. I wanted to die.

This was so so so so embarrassing. I pretended to not hear what was going on and carried on talking to his friend Tyler (the MC). All of a sudden, Ryley stepped between the two of us, gently grabbed my face in the palm of his hands and asked: “Can I kiss you?” I was so dumbfounded. All I could do was nod.

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

That’s when it happened. He kissed me and my world changed. It was like I had known him all along. Maybe in a past life? It was insanely magical. We both looked at each other, stunned at what we felt and what had just happened.

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

He smiled and said, “Hello, I am Ryley.”

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

He blew me away. I literally pointed at him and said: “That’s him.”

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

I don’t think we had an official first date. It was more like a “first weekend” haha. It was when he picked me up at the airport (had me waiting for 1 full hour - I actually thought he had stood me up! I had flown all the way from South Africa to visit him here in Australia and then when I landed at the airport, he wasn’t anywhere to be found).

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

We stayed in Sydney that weekend, where he showed me all the touristy sights and where we actually got to spend time together and fall in love. We walked around the city holding hands and I remember just how much I loved that feeling of being with him.

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

Wow, the best day of my life. I think I loved this day so much because it was so unexpected and it was something that was on the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember.

The Proposal:

Ryley woke me up at 5:30 am when we were on holiday in South Africa. I remember being slightly annoyed at his alarm clock going off so early and asked him why on earth has he set an alarm that early when we are on holidays!

He smiled and said he has a surprise for me because I always book our holidays and have surprises for him, so he wanted to do something for me! Immediately I wasn’t annoyed anymore! I jumped up and started asking a million questions! He wouldn’t tell me anything.

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

We climbed into the car and he started driving - he wouldn’t let me see his GPS in case I guessed where we were heading to. As soon as he took one specific turn, I said, "A Spa Day!” He knows how much I love spa days and when he turned off to the vineyard countryside, I just knew this was what we were going to do. As we were driving, I pointed out a little shop on the side of the road and said they have lovely cheese and meats there and we should do a tasting one day. He put on his indicator and said: “Okay, let’s go now.”

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

I was SO CONFUSED! I kept saying no no no, just keep driving to the Spa, don’t turn off onto dirt roads at 6:30 am in the morning in some deserted location! This is South Africa after all! You can’t just pull off anywhere you want. He insisted. I started by explaining that the place won’t even be open yet, but he ignored me and parked the car.

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

He climbed out and said, “We are here,” with a big smile across his face. I was even more confused. We climbed out of the car - it was still pitch black outside - and we started walking towards two other men standing near their bakkie (what you Australians call Utes). The three of them all smiled at me, and Ry laughed and said: “She still has no idea what we are doing here.” I giggled to be polite, but in all honesty, my brain was working overtime to try and figure out what we were going to do and why we were talking to these strange men.

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

Ry hugged me and pointed at the branding on the car door. It said “Life Ballooning” and had a picture of a HOT AIR BALLOON!!! I gasped! No WAY!!! I hugged him and everyone laughed at me and off we went to the location where we were going to set up from. The lovely gentleman made us coffee and we sipped on that whilst they set up this amazing balloon. Soon we were in it and off the ground and soaring in the air. It was breathtaking. Ry knew this was something I had always wanted to do!

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

We flew gently through the air, taking it all in and just as the sun started to peer above the mountains in the distant, Ry hugged me tighter and asked if I was happy. “It’s perfect,” I whispered to him. “Can I make it more perfect?” he said and spun me slowly around. There he was, on one knee, holding a box towards me and he said, “Jennifer Arlow, will you grow old with me?”

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

We were going to hold our beautiful wedding in South Africa (as that is where I am from), but due to unfortunate circumstances, we had to cancel that. That's when we decided to hold a SURPRISE wedding at our Engagement Party. All our friends and family thought they were coming to an engagement party and then I walked down the aisle! The look on their faces was beautiful!

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

We also decided to hold our wedding at my husband's childhood home and we wanted to do as much as possible ourselves. With the help of our immediate family, we brought our fairytale wedding to life!

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

My most memorable moment, I would have to say it was when the celebrant pronounced us as Husband and Wife... It was like as if it all hit me in one moment. The whole morning seemed surreal and it didn't feel like I was getting married until that moment. I burst into tears. It was so beautiful and definitely my favourite moment of the entire day

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

I choose the beautiful Juri dress to wear on my special day! This was actually the VERY FIRST dress I had ever tried on and a dress I had saved on my Pinterest account way before I was even proposed to! After trying on the Juri dress, no other dress could compare and that's when I knew that it was the one!

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

Don't spend too much time trying to find the "perfect" dress. Find something that makes you feel beautiful, because no matter what - your hubby to be is going to love it anyway!

Featured above: JURI Gown | Blue by Enzoani

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VENDOR CREDITS

Photographer: Gui Jorge

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Videographer: Capture Creative

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Enzoani Retailer: Eternal Bridal - Sydney

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Florist: A Beautiful Occasion

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Hair: Thanh Vo

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