Straight out of a fairy tale, Erin Holland married Ben Cutting in a gorgeous Byron Bay ceremony, where she wore not one, not two, but three stunning wedding dresses.
WATCH BELOW: A look at Erin Holland & Ben Cutting’s stunning Byron Bay wedding
“They all had a completely different character and style,” the former Miss World Australia tells WHO, reflecting on the three dresses she wore on the day she wed the Aussie cricket star.
Having been a bridal model, Erin has tried on hundreds and hundreds of wedding dresses in her life, and said she really wanted something she hadn’t seen and worn before.
Giving the style team the direction of a “modern day Grace Kelly” for the first dress, they then went for something “more sleek and sexy” for the second one, and something “cute and modern” for the third dress.
“I really felt like I got the best of all the worlds in terms of bridal fashion,” Erin adds.
All three of Erin’s gowns were J’Aton Couture, with the first one taking the term ‘one-of-a-kind’ to a whole new meaning. According to the celebrity bride, designers took “bits and pieces” of a 200-year-old tablecloth that had just been “lying around” in a mill in France.
“It’s actually two ends of a really, really old tablecloth pieced together to give that sort of sculptural neckline from the high neck all the way down to the bodice,” the 31-year-old explains.
“So it’s actually two bits of lace brought together and then sealed – that’s how you get that beautiful sort of semi-circle idea and I hadn’t seen that anywhere before which I absolutely loved.”
Erin adds that they added a few little extra details to the dress, including her’s and Ben’s initials on one side of the bodice, and on the other side was an ‘I do’.
“It was just really beautiful little details – it really was more than meets the eye.”
Since tying the knot in a lavish ceremony, Erin has been “living vicariously” through all the photos and videos of the special day, as she has been separated from her husband.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Ben pretty much since the wedding, he left two days later to go overseas and play cricket for six months.”
“So [married life] doesn’t feel any different at the moment,” she says.
While it’s tough, Erin explains that the distance isn’t an “alien experience” for the couple, as they’re used to having to spend chunks of time apart due to their jobs.
“It was such a high and then it was a such a low to have to say goodbye but the reality is he’s in the twilight of his career.”
Erin adds that due to COVID restrictions, Ben can’t come home in between tournaments as he only gets a few weeks off at a time, and that “there’s no point in spending it in hotel quarantine” only for him to need to leave again.
“It’s not ideal but it’s just the reality of it,” the TV presenter said.
The newlywed is not entirely alone however, as she has a gorgeous 12-year-old rescue dog, Sicari, whom she shares with Ben.
“I’ve been getting up home to Brisbane a lot on my weekends when I can to see our baby girl,” she explains.
“It sort of gives me a little bit of a connection to home too which is nice and to Ben even though he’s away for such a long time.”
While the newlyweds had hoped to include their beloved pup in their wedding ceremony, Erin explains that as she nears her 13th birthday, Sicari “would’ve hated” to be in a situation around new people and places.
“As much as it would have been lovely to have had her there, I just can’t do it to her – she would’ve hated it. She would go hide under someone’s chair and refuse to come out,” Erin said.
She adds that the way she deals with Sicari’s anxiety is with PAW by Blackmores, which is a new range of natural pet healthcare products, developed by vets and inspired by nature.
“If she had a few of those [on the wedding day] I’m sure she would have been fine,” Erin said.
With Sicari playing a big part in both her’s and Ben’s life, Erin says that furry family members are “just as important” as other family members.
“Particularly after lockdown, we’ve really realised what an important part of our lives our furry friends are and we place such an emphasis after having a really difficult year on our health and mental and physical well-being so surely our puppies play a big part in that,” she said.
Research by Blackmores also suggests that while mental health issues are the second most common condition reported by dog owners, almost half have never considered or thought about the mental health of their dog.
“You would never let a family member sort of carry on not feeling 100% 24/7 – why do we not do the same thing for our dogs?” Erin said.
Want your own fairytale romance? Sign up for eharmony today!
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
