Real Wedding - Dana & Hugh, Red Hill VIC

April 23, 2018 In Real Weddings By Natalie Drum

Real Wedding – Dana & Hugh, Red Hill VIC

Being married on the Mornington Peninsula was a no brainer for Dana and Hugh. Having spent some sentimental time in the region throughout the early days of their relationship, it meant the world to celebrate their special day back where it all began.

With simple styling in the ever-elegant combination of white and green, their day was classic and timeless.

Taking some time away from their reception celebrations to enjoy a quiet moment and soak up the day, Dana and Hugh had Alex Motta on hand to capture it all.

In Dana’s words…

The meeting.

Hugh and I meet through friends, 6.5 years ago. We first met on a night out but really didn’t like each other. A few months later a friend suggested we would really get along, so like any modern relationship Hugh sent me a message on Facebook and it went from there.

The one.

About six months into our relationship we had a chat when I asked where things were going and if it was serious for Hugh, he said yes so I asked if he knew that meant we’d have to get married and he said ‘yep,’ and that was it!

The proposal.

It wasn’t too much of a surprise as I’d designed my own engagement ring. But it was our 5 year anniversary so after a nice Greek dinner (we always go out for Greek for our anniversaries) I was sitting on the couch when Hugh walked in and I asked him “Are you going to ask me to marry you?” he said yes and asked me! It was all such a blur but I had always told Hugh that I didn’t want him to ask in front of anyone else so I’m forever grateful we were at home. Also I’m very hard to surprise so I was always going to know when it was going to happen!

The planning.

Hugh and I always planned to get married on the Mornington Peninsula as we had gone on a lovely trip there in the very early days of our relationship. We visited a few wineries but always had our hearts set on Polperro. Our planning was pretty relaxed until about six weeks out when it all started to get a bit crazy! I’m organised by nature but my suggestion is to be as organised as you can because the last few weeks are mayhem. Another suggestion is to start dance classes earlier than us (we started 10 days before our wedding!).

Style inspiration.

I always knew that the flowers would be white and green only! My favorite colour is grey so the stationery colour choice was easy. I guess I wanted it to be classy and classic, I don’t want to look back in 30 years and think yuck! Why did I pick that? I just went with my gut and tried to keep things understated.

The dress.

Well it was actually my second wedding dress! My first wedding dress arrived a few months before the wedding and as soon as I opened the box I absolutely hated it. I called my mum in tears and she said put it back in the box and don’t look at it again, so I did! The next week I went to Rachel Gilbert and found my dress. I wanted to keep things simple so my flowers would be the focus. I was so happy with the fit and it was pretty comfortable for a wedding dress.

Favourite moments.

Taking a few minutes during our reception to go out at sunset and take photos just the two of us. It gave us a few minutes to stop and take in just how big your wedding day is.

Meaning of marriage.

For Hugh and I we both feel that simply, things are always better when we’re together.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Bloom by The Paper Kites

Signing registry: Magic by Coldplay

Ceremony exit: Better Together by Jack Johnson

First dance: Lets Stay Together by Al Green

Funny stories (or near disasters).

Well we were meant to get married in December 2017 (not Feb 2018) and in July 2017 our first wedding venue cancelled. Polperro saved the day for us and we were able to change venues and move the date to Feb. It was a blessing in disguise for us as on our original wedding day in December was one of Melbourne’s wettest weekends on record! We were thanking our lucky stars that it wasn’t our wedding day.

Planning surprises.

Just how busy/crazy/stressful it would be and how quickly the day of your wedding goes. Everyone had told me this but it really does just go in a flash! You’re running on adrenalin all day and for me it felt like I blinked and it was all over.

Words of wisdom.

Just enjoy the process, celebrate every little moment because it is gone before you know it. Don’t stress about the small stuff and go with your gut!