How did he propose?
Josh organized a picnic at Polperro Winery. He hadn’t made it obvious he was going to propose because he lied and said it was a Groupon deal! It was also unsuspecting because Josh is always doing sweet things like this! The whole time I was thinking of how good a Groupon deal it was haha. We got there early at around 12pm so there wasn’t anyone there yet and set up our picnic at a nice secluded spot near the water. We set up the picnic and then he got the ring box out of his jacket pocket and proposed! It was better than I could have ever imagined but the beautiful picnic food went to waste because we both weren’t hungry after he popped the question – there was too much excitement!
Length of engagement?
9 months – we were initially planning on getting married in September 2020 but Immerse had a deal on for a couple of Thursday dates towards the end of 2019 so we thought why not! We loved having a shorter engagement, it kept the excitement from the proposal going the whole way until the big day and wasn’t hard to plan within that timeframe at all.
What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day?
We really wanted a simple style with a bit of a rustic feel, just simple but beautiful! I always imagined getting married outside but as soon as Josh and I walked into Immerse’s vineyard chapel, one of the most enchanting vineyard wedding venues, we were sold – it felt so magical in there, we actually didn’t even know what to say – we were a bit speechless! We also envisioned a small and intimate wedding as we both don’t love being the center of attention. We just wanted to have the people we love most be there to celebrate us!
What was the biggest splurge of the day?
The biggest splurge was the photographer! We decided to book Rick for his 10-hour package so we could get sunset and nighttime photos. It was definitely worth it to be able to have him there for the majority of the day and to capture so many special moments. I think the photographer is one of the most important parts of the wedding day, it’s what you’re going to look back on for the rest of your life. So definitely worth splurging on!
The only thing we splurged on that was outside the budget was the photobooth kombi van. Josh and I love photobooths at functions and when we saw this kombi van we loved how unique it was! This was definitely worth the cost, everyone absolutely loved it and just resulted in even more photos to keep forever! We also considered the photobooth for wedding and carefully assessed the wedding photographer cost to ensure we allocated resources to capture every beautiful moment.
Elegant Bridal Look
Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it:
I loved my wedding gown! But it was also an area I didn’t want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on. Luv Bridal has a large range of gowns for reasonable prices. Luv Bridal stocks Madi Lane gowns and all of their designs are stunning. I wanted something different which I why I loved the unique lace on my dress. I also wanted something loose fitting, so I knew I would feel comfortable on the day.
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Groom Getting Ready Photos
How did you save on costs?
I think the biggest way to save on costs is to be realistic and to not get carried away. For example, it was easy to look at invites that cost thousands and want them (they are stunning!) But the reality is they end up in the bin after the wedding day. Wedding dress/bridesmaid dresses and suits are important but again, they are only going to be worn once so that is another good way to cut down costs. I think you need to sit down, prepare a realist budget and try to stick to it. However, we are two accountants, so this is our strong point! I would also recommend getting several quotes so you can compare costs – especially for flowers and hair/makeup!
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Sweet Wedding Tradition First Look Photo
What were your favorite moments from the day?
The whole day was amazing – the ceremony was so beautiful and special but also light-hearted, the reception was amazing getting to celebrate with everyone but my favorite two moments were:
- First look – Seeing Josh for the first time on the day and having that moment for just the two of us (well and our incredible photographer Rick!) was really special. I feel like because it was just use we got to enjoy that moment for a bit longer then if we had of just seen each other at the ceremony.
- My other favourite moment was sunset photos – the whole day was so fun but also so busy and feels like it flies by. Sunset photos meant we got 15 minutes with just us and it was so peaceful and quiet at the top of the hill. I feel like we really got to soak it all in and we also got some amazing photos!
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Wedding Decor And Flowers
How did you choose your table decor?
Immerse is such a stunning venue that it doesn’t need too much to make it look amazing. For tables, we added grey tablecloths and had square tables for guests and one long bridal table. We carefully curated the wedding table decor, decorating guest tables with square wooden flower boxes, tealight candles, white napkins, round name cards, and wine cork as the guest gift. On the bridal table, we adorned it with flowers all along the front of the table and pillar candles.
Any DIY décor elements?
Immerse is already stunning so really didn’t need many additions. We added our own touches by the table elements, having a black seating chart, and setting up the wishing well table with photos of Josh and I.
What flowers did you use in the bouquet and at the venue?
Our flowers were consistent throughout the venue and bouquets. We wanted simple green and white with a pop of color which we chose to be orange! Flowers for the bouquet included white Lace and ambrosia roses, white lisianthus and Mattricaria, with Silver suede, pittosporum and Olive foliages to compliment. Flowers for the chapel were: Whitedelphinium, Ambrosia roses, white dahlias, and white hydrangea, with tall olive foliage, spinning gum, and silver suede to compliment. Flowers for the reception were the same as the chapel but in square wooden boxes on each table and along the front of the edge on the bridal table.
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Touching Wedding Ceremony
Can you describe what type of ceremony you had and how you were able to personalize it?
Danielle (our celebrant) was beyond amazing. We personalized the entire ceremony with her and there were so many special touches:
- We both secretly answered a list of questions she sent and Danielle collated these into the most beautiful but hilarious love story
- The ceremony included asking our parents for their blessing and making them promise to provide no-strings attached babysitting for all our future children and pets and unlimited use of the beach house
- We had two readings – one by my friend and one by my sister (who was also a bridesmaid). One was short and sweet and the other was sweet but funny. It was called “love is not beautiful” and is all about marriage meaning you see someone at their worst but that means you also get to see them at their best. I feel like it is so real and I loved that.
- We also wrote our “asking” together which I loved. I didn’t want it to be a generic “for better or for worse/to death do us part” I wanted it to be something that really meant something to us.
- Wedding party – There were three groomsmen and three bridesmaids. For our ceremony, we had the bridal party sit down after introductions which were different. We really wanted it to be just us up there – to show that it’s us vs the world.
- We both wrote our own personalized vows that were kept secret from each other. We were both so nervous as we don’t love attention and public reading. But I think we both agree it was the most special part – it’s not every day you get to tell someone how much you love them in front of everyone you love.
I feel like we were able to really personalize our whole ceremony and it made it so special. It was exactly what we wanted and was just us!
Vineyard Wedding Venue
Tell us about your wedding invitations – how did you choose them and what do you love most about it?
Wedding invitations were one of the areas we used to keep the budget down – we did a cheaper option from Zazzle. We chose green leafy borders and just kept it simple! For all details, we set up a website with withjoy.com
How did you come to choose the location and venue?
I took Josh to Immerse for his birthday (actually from a Scoopon Deal!) which was in January (2 months before he proposed). They were setting up for a wedding while we were at lunch and I couldn’t stop looking at how beautiful the venue was. The food and wine were also amazing which is something that is really important to us. I asked Immerse for their wedding details even before Josh proposed! When Josh proposed, we went to Immerse to enquire about detailed prices and dates but their minimum numbers in peak seasons meant we couldn’t have it on a Friday-Sunday. We looked at three other venues in Yarra Valley but none of them captured us the way Immerse had! We debated back and forth about having a Thursday wedding, but in the end, we decided to do it. I am so glad we did do it on a Thursday – It meant we got our dream venue for our dream day. And whilst people had to use more annual leave to attend, it was only the closest people to us, so the majority wasn’t phased!
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Wedding Couple Kissing
Name your wedding soundtracks:
The aisle entrance, signing and exit songs were performed by the extremely talented Brendan & Sabrina and they even learnt the entrance song for us! Our first dance song Josh picked. He had heard the song whilst living in San Francisco and it reminded him of us! I thought it was very sweet he had kept that song in his back pocket until we were planning the wedding! The last song was Shake it off by Taylor Swift as that was the song, we danced to the first night we kissed!
Aisle entrance: Acoustic version of Something just like this by the Chainsmokers
Signing: Perfect – Ed Sheeran
Exit: Just the way you are by Bruno Mars
First Dance: Yours by Russel Dickerson
Last Song: Shake it off – Taylor Swift
Wedding Cake And Food Ideas To Serve
What was the menu for the reception?
The menu was an alternating entrée and main and roving desserts. Entrees: Chorizo and manchegocroquetts& Vegetarian Gnocchi
Mains: Barramundi & Chicken
Roving desserts: Hot jam donuts and mini gelati
Describe the cake and cake topper:
Our wedding cake was made by Caked in Mud who is absolutely amazing. The bottom tier was a marble design with a plain white second tier. We then just had white flowers and a black topper from Etsy with “Mr&MrsSquillace”. The best part about the cake though was getting to eat it – it didn’t just look beautiful but it was so delicious too! The bottom layer was chocolate mud and with chocolate frosting and the top layer was red velvet with cream cheese frosting. Immerse was kind enough to put some back in our room after the reception was over and we were eating it for breakfast the next day!
In hindsight, anything you would have done differently?
The day was amazing and only a couple of slight hiccups! The main one being I wouldn’t overuse pimple cream the day before the wedding – I had used so much I burnt my chin!! Good thing I hired the most amazing makeup artist that was able to cover a completely burnt chin! There was also a little bit of confusion with the timing of walking down the aisle so I would have made sure I clarified that to the venue – but when you look back on these minor things, they don’t matter at all!
Where did you go on honeymoon?
Bali & Singapore – was the perfect honeymoon!
Any tips that you can give to future brides?
Try your best to enjoy every moment of it! Trust me, when it’s over you’ll wish you could do it all again! And try not to stress about little things on the day, when you look back on the day you will always remember the magical moments and not any little thing that didn’t go perfectly to plan.
If you could sum up your wedding in one sentence, how would you describe it?
The most amazing day of our lives! Can we do it all again?
WEDDING VENDORS:
Wedding Feature: Giant Invitations
Photographer: Rick Liston
Wedding Invitations: Zazzle
Dress: Madi Lane from Luv Bridal
Makeup: Cosmetique Makeup
Hair: Hair By Brittany
Shoes: Spurr
Groom’s Suit: Studio Italia
Groomsmen Suit: Daniel Hechter
Cake: Caked In Mud
Flowers: Flower of Yarra Glen
Ceremony And Reception Venue: Immerse in the Yarra Valley
Any Other Vendors: Photobooth – The photobooth girl
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