The Details
How did you and your partner meet? Andrew and I met through mutual friends, while we were both on Christmas Holidays, on the beach in the Mornington Peninsula.
How did he propose? During a weekend away at my parent’s holiday house at Lorne, and after a very long and beautiful day of site seeing down the Great Ocean Road, Andrew proposed at one of our favorites places in Lorne at Teddy’s lookout.
What’s your most important piece of advice for creating and maintaining a strong relationship? I have only been married for a short time now, but Andrew and I have been together for many years. I would say that the most important part of maintaining a strong relationship would be to never take yourself or your relationship too seriously and don’t forget to have fun.
Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it: The most important thing to me when I chose my gown was how I connected with the designer. I had a vision in mind, but it was up to the designer to lead me on the journey. Leah was laid back in her approach and not OTT, and that was super important to me. My dress was different, I hadn’t seen anything like it and I was so happy with the outcome.
What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day? I had always envisioned my wedding day to be a laid-back type of glamourous styled one. A winter style winery was perfect for this, and Stones of the Yarra Valley nailed that brief. Stones can be anything you want it to be. Our hanging chandelier of florals with tea light candles, along with drooping fairy lights, really set the mood. There was an open fire pit outside the back doors overlooking the vineyard, it was perfect.
What was your favorite moment from the day? Fireworks, of course.
I’m a sucker for those big, bright sparkles in the sky, and Andrew knows this. Part way through Andrew’s speech, he surprised me and our guests with a show of amazing fireworks over the vineyard. It was magical.
Any DIY décor elements? All in all, the team at Stones are amazing event coordinators. They prompt you with things that you haven’t even thought about in terms of décor… but some things that we added were fairy lighting, outdoor fire pit, bird cage for “wishing well” …. etc.
If you could do it all over again, what would you change? I can honestly say, I wouldn’t change anything. Nothing is perfect but to us, our wedding day was stunning and most importantly, it was a huge celebration with friends and family, filled with love, laughter and of course, great food and wine.
Any tips that you can give to future brides? Be organized – there is no fun in last minute stress sessions. In the last 6 months, set your ‘to do’ list and order it in priority. The highest priority items, set to action 6 months prior, and work the list backwards so that you have certain things to action, every month. Plan to have a blank ‘to do’ list two weeks prior, because things will pop up.
The Team
Dress: Leah Da Gloria https://www.leahdagloria.com/
Makeup: Cassandra Lusi
Hair: Rokk Ebony
Shoes: Valentino
Accessories: Tiffany & Co
Personalised Wedding Gifts: Adorn Invitations https://www.adorninvitations.co.uk/
Bridesmaids Dresses: Adrianna Papell
Grooms Suit: MJ Bale
Photographer: Darin Collison http://darincollisonphotography.com.au/
Video – Life in Light Films
Menus & Place Cards: BWedding Invitations http://www.bweddinginvitations.com/
Cake: Cakes by Raymond Tan (@rymondtn)
Food: Stones of the Yarra Valley
Flowers: Blooming Brides
Ceremony Venue: St Mary’s Star of the Sea, West Melbourne
Reception Venue: Stones of the Yarra Valley https://www.stonesoftheyarravalley.com/
