Taking part in the colourful finale of the Sapphire Coast Wedding Fair

Growing up I'd relished rom-com movies from Bride Wars with Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway to 27 dresses and all the other bride-to-be Hollywood films.

But on Sunday May 21 those childhood dreams came true as I was asked to not only model but act as ambassador for the Sapphire Coast Wedding Fair and Trail.

This was a privilege and one I was nervous about but thanks to Jess O'Donnell and Jen Svenoy from Sapphire Coast Wedding and Events, I was made to feel very comfortable and welcome in taking part.

It was all one big dream come true from sampling the wonderful spray tan of Femanetic Beauty to getting a stunning body paint piece by Netty Heinze-Graham, modelling the gown from CC Bridal to the princess-like hair and makeup created by Ree (Reham Wilson).

What made this so special, other than feeling absolutely spoiled, was that I not only got a great impression of what I wanted for my own wedding but also discovered the way our local vendors worked together.

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As a bride to be and also proud local it was a really eye opening experience to see the various services on offer in the Sapphire Coast.

It made me realise that there are many talented vendors for our special day and we needn't seek further afield for the talent was already here.

I was mostly glad to see vendors in the same line of work band together, no competition in mind, but just the intention of lifting each other up.

This was obvious to me when I was getting my hair and makeup done and looked around to see my fellow model friends getting theirs done by others vendors, who interacted with my artist and encouraged each other's work.

To see that friendly interaction and witnessing other vendors promoting each other on the weekend, supporting and working together made me realise that small towns really have something other places do not, a strong sense of community.

Now I cannot vouch for all country girls but personally I prefer myself some good sturdy boots, but get me into some heels and I'm a waddling goose!

So you can imagine my nervous anticipation of walking on the runway for the finale in heels. Luckily I took a very fancy glittery glass of bubbles before the moment came which helped take that edge off.

For those who don't know me I'm usually the one behind the camera, the hype queen behind the scenes - not the one who struts her stuff and act as a model.

Anyhow when the moment came I wore my block heels, not the stiletto kind or I'd end up on the floor.

As I carefully walked up the stairs I still managed to lose my balance as I stepped onto the stage, wobbling for a moment before being saved by the helping hand of Aimee Abraham who steadied me back up and gave an encouraging smile.

After an embarrassed giggle I straightened myself up and walked forward, as glamorously as I could to claim my place at the front, next to the two models which included beautiful bride to be Stephanie Thompson and one of my bridesmaids Ruby Jay.

Once there I spotted Tara Chiu from Daisy Hill Photography, whose smile behind her camera was so radiant it settled my nerves and I was reminded in that moment, that there was yet another talented local vendor who knew how to make people in the spotlight feel at ease.

Best of all though was the three women who'd supported me and the other models from day dot and they were Jess O'Donnell event organiser and owner and Carla and Cate from CC Bridal and organisers of the Fashion Parade.

Carla and Cate not only taught us a crash course of the runway but provided a selection of their finest wedding gowns for us to wear, showcasing a range of beautiful styles that I never would have expected in the Bega Valley. I thought I'd need to visit the cities for such a range.

To say they were professional and lovely women to work with is an understatement and after having tried gowns in their shop as a bride to be, I came to appreciate their many years of experience which they effortlessly bestowed onto customers and models.

The highlight of the event if I'm not mistaken was the trash the dress finale, wherein guests of the fair got to see a possible second and very colourful purpose for their wedding dress.

It came in the form of colourful powder and a lot of it!

As I made my way outside I proceeded to taking part in a very vibrant ending to the exciting day, which involved a group of girls throwing packets of powdered colour similar to the colour run events which were inspired from the long-held and beloved Hindu Holi festival.

It was a very fun experience and once all the colour had been thrown it was even more entertaining to twirl in the dress and watch as a cloud of coloured powder lifted around me.

The powder did go everywhere and while it was easy to wash off afterwards the dress was now completely re-purposed and a bit of a messy hazard to walk through the venue with.

Thankfully I discovered it was not the end of that beautiful dress, which was set to return home to the CC Bridal Boutique, where they'd put it on display to showcase the creative and fun idea.

Looking back on the day as a whole I would strongly encourage people to attend the Sapphire Coast Wedding Fair and Trail.

Whether you're getting married or not it's a very fun weekend from the trail which really made the difference to see the venues in person to the fair which offered such a broad variety of vendors that you had many intriguing services to consider.

And if Jess were to ask me to be ambassador or a model again I'd happily do it - I'd even practice my cat walk in heels at home - to overcome that goose waddle effect!

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