Real Wedding - Courtney & Evan, Red Hill VIC

July 23, 2018 In Real Weddings By Jo Betz

Real Wedding – Courtney & Evan, Red Hill VIC

Pulling a talented Tribe together, Courtney and Evan’s romantic Red Hill day was nothing short of magic.

Walking down the aisle, Courtney was an absolute vision in her bespoke One Day Bridal gown, and their mesh arbour, decorated with fabulous florals, created a beautiful backdrop to exchange vows.

Their reception styling was modern-luxe, creating a dreamy atmosphere with incredible accents of black, gold, blush and latte.

Stolen away for some perfect portraits by their talented photographer Katie Harmsworth, they then partied the night away with their nearest and dearest.

In Courtney’s words…

The meeting.

Evan and I met in 2011 at the ‘local’ nightclub, he was a resident DJ and I was a resident ‘patron’, the rest is history.

The ‘one’.

From the moment we met, we had a really strong connection, a connection that I had not experienced before. We had a lot in common, shared the same value’s and goals and as a result we formed an unbreakable bond.

The proposal.

Evan truly outdid himself with the proposal. We were heading to the USA in October 2016, New York was the first stop. Our second day in and visiting Central Park was on the agenda. As we were exploring Central Park, Evan lead me off the beaten track to a beautiful picnic, one that I did not think was for us. As I put my bags down to get comfortable, I turned around and he was down on one knee proposing to me with the rock of my dreams. After the proposal, to my surprise, there was a photographer hiding in the trees capturing the moment. I was truly blown away, as Evan is not the romantic type, but he truly made my Carrie Bradshaw dreams come true.

Planning process.

The wedding planning started as soon as we returned from the US in November 2016. Lots of research was in order to find the perfect suppliers. I certainly do think we got it ‘right’. We had the most amazing suppliers – special mention to Port Phillip Estate, Laura Harvey & Georgia Koschet from Weddings of Desire, Nathan Follett from Moon & Back Co, our Photographer Katie Harmsworth, One Day Bridal, our Celebrant & MC Nick Brown and lastly the band ‘The Party’. We were quite calm throughout the lead up to the day, we are very organised so we felt like we were on top of everything. It was only around the 8 weeks to go mark that I started to go into typical ‘bride’ panic mode.

Style inspiration.

The inspiration behind the style of our wedding was ‘modern luxe’. The Venue itself is modern compared to most wineries in the region. The wonderful Laura from Weddings Of Desire was the stylist for our big day, she was an absolute pleasure to work with and made our vision come to life. Black and gold were our key colours, mixed with white, blush and latte coloured flowers to create the perfect mood. The way Laura and her team transformed the space was incredible.

The dress.

I initially saw the lace my dress was made in on One Day Bridal’s Instagram, from that moment on I knew I had to have a dress made from this lace. The style of the dress that I wanted was different to what I had seen on Instagram, so the girls from One Day Bridal made my bespoke gown come to life. Special mention to Tessa and Dom from One Day for making the experience such an enjoyable one.

Favourite moment.

Firstly, the ceremony. We were extremely nervous about writing our own vows, but they were absolutely perfect – we were laughing and crying simultaneously, it was magic. Evan’s speech was also a highlight of mine, I was very nervous about what could come of it, but he seriously blew me away. The band ‘The Party’ provided the entertainment for the night, dancing the night away with our loved ones was also a major highlight for us.

Meaning of marriage.

To us, marriage certainly doesn’t change our relationship at all. Getting married was just the next step in making a lifelong commitment to each other, officially.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle – Fall At Your Feet by Crowded House

Anncouncement – My Happiness by Powderfinger

Reception Entry – Sing Hallelujah by Dr. Alban

First Dance Song – Sky Full Of Stars by Coldplay

Funny stories (or near disasters).

We had a near disaster. The wind picked up as soon as the ceremony was about to start and Evan’s vow card that our celebrant Nick was holding, blew away. When it came to reading our vows, Nick quietly said to Evan, ‘have you got your vows?’ As neither of us knew what had happened, we both froze and were in shock thinking Evan would not be able to read his. Luckily, being the organized person that Evan is, he had a spare copy in his pocket! Praise the Lord!

Planning surprises.

I was just a lot calmer on the day than I expected.

Words of wisdom.

Very cliché but breathe, take it all in, enjoy every moment.