Monica and Trevor Carr on their wedding day at Halls Gap in the Grampians. (Picture: Robin Sharrock)
WHEN Monica Banner said to her parents at the age of 16 that she was going to marry Trevor Carr, the blond-haired boy she had laid eyes on that evening, they did not believe for a second that it would happen.
That is, not until the pair began dating three years later.
The couple, who first met at a family friend's party, reunited at a university orientation week 'traffic light party' when they were both 19.
"Unfortunately one of us was dressed in red (unavailable) and the other in green (available) but spent the whole night talking in the rain. By the end of that year he was finally single, and I got my chance," Monica said.
The couple dated for seven years and Trevor chose the Melbourne city skyline and the Yarra River at sunset during a 2010 heatwave to propose to Monica under a large oak tree.
In the lead-up to their wedding Monica made a scrapbook and meticulously detailed aspects she wanted incorporated into their wedding day. She even made her own wedding dress to scale from paper for her Blackburn seamstress Amber Taralaikov.
Monica's Grecian-style gown featured a sweetheart neckline with lace detail and a banded waistline, incorporating the same style as her mother's wedding dress.
The couple married on October 8 last year in Halls Gap and the Grampians provided a stunning backdrop for the ceremony and subsequent photos.
The Carrs chose a selection of their favourite gourmet cheeses, dried fruits, berries and chocolate-coated coffee beans instead of a traditional cake, and providing Carr's crackers at the couple's wedding was a personalised touch and a talking point among their guests, Monica said.
Monica's most memorable moment was seeing her husband cry for the first time since they had been together while saying his vows and during the speeches. "There was not a dry eye to be found as everyone felt the honesty and happiness which reined on the day," Monica said.
"There wasn't a single guest that hasn't declared the day to be the most sincere, joyous and a perfect union they have ever witnessed. Some have forsaken even their own children's wedding to emphasise the emotions of the day," Monica said.
The Warrnambool couple spent four weeks in Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore enjoying a lavish and adventure-filled honeymoon.
* You can vote for the Carrs or any of the other 18 Wedding of the Year entrants from June 8.
