Real Wedding – Eloise & Joel, Bellarine VIC
After meeting and remaining friends for a long time, Eloise and Joel couldn’t fight the inevitable; love. With the help of some of the Bellarine’s top wedding vendors, an incredible event was created that exceeded Eloise and Joel’s expectations.
Pink and peachy florals teamed with candles and fairy lights set the scene for their romantic ceremony and reception, held at the breath taking Terindah Estate. Enchanted Wedding Photography were the perfect choice for capturing this enchanting celebration.
The meeting.
We met at a music festival through mutual friends and remained great friends for a long time.
The one.
The more time we spent together, the more our friendship grew into something more and this has formed the beautiful relationship we have today. Filled with lots of laughs, fun and adventures!
The proposal.
Joel proposed at a restaurant in Lygon Street where we had our first official date, at the same table on the sidewalk and all. It came as such a surprise I couldn’t even answer before the waitress asked us if we would like to see the dessert menu! She quickly realised what was happening and disappeared before coming back with champagne to celebrate. Joel had organised chilled champagne and a spa waiting for us back at the Metropol, but promptly passed out on the bed from all the excitement before I had finished talking to friends and family!
The planning process.
Looking back I really miss the planning process, even though I always complained about it at the time! I loved injecting our personalities into the little details and we were so lucky to deal with the most incredible suppliers who really made it so easy for us. Joel is really cruisy and most times thought I already had my mind made up about something before I offered him the options (probably true), so he basically let me take the lead on most things! I also had help from my wonderful family and friends.
Style inspiration.
We based our styling around the beautiful floral mood board that Courtney from The Jungle Room created, with bright pinks, lush reds and peach tones. She actually took my breath away when we arrived into the reception! Courtney constructed the most incredibly lush floral chandelier which hung from the rafters over the dancefloor and included so many more surprises for us on the day. After the sun went down, the room had a romantic, shimmery feel from a copious amount of fairy lights and candles. At the end of the day we really just wanted to have a massive party with all of our favourite people in the world, so we were happy as long as there was beautiful food, lots of drinks and music that made you jump off your seat! It was honestly the funnest day ever!
The dress.
I’d spent a whole day in Melbourne looking at different bridal boutiques and trying on dresses before I was ready to ditch my last appointment and go out for a wine with the girls! But as soon as I walked into One Day Bridal in South Melbourne I knew it was going to be a totally different experience. Kyha is the most incredible designer and I fell in love with every single one of her dresses! The girls also made me feel so welcome and actually just sat down with me and chatted and laughed. One Day Bridal Stylist, Brooke, chose a few designs for me after I couldn’t possibly pick between them all and I found my dress there and then. That special moment really does happen! My ‘Lola’ dress had a beautiful, buttery, copper silk underlay which gave the dress a nude look underneath the French lace. I didn’t think I could fall in love with it more until I saw my own made-to-measure gown come together. I can’t recommend the whole experience at One Day Bridal enough. I miss them!
Favourite moments.
My favourite moment would have to be finally seeing Joel when I started to walk down the aisle. He is very traditional and didn’t want to see or speak to me for the whole day and night before the wedding! We missed each other so much but it was just the best when we finally got to the ceremony, all of the butterflies melted away at that moment. I also loved sitting back with Joel when everyone was eating dinner and just looking at everyone we love laughing, hugging, celebrating and smiling. It made our hearts sing!
Traditions.
Joel’s family is Italian so we incorporated some Italian traditions into the day and night. My favourite would be getting bound together in ribbon during our first dance. And dancing with everyone to the crazy Tarantella!
The meaning of marriage.
The meaning of marriage for us is unconditional love and friendship.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Just a Boy by Angus and Julia Stone
Reception entry: King Kunta by Kendrick Lamar
First dance: You’ve got the Love by Florence and the Machine
Father daughter dance: Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones
Funny stores/near disasters.
There is always going to be a couple of things that don’t go to plan on the day, but my favourite (and not anywhere near disastrous) was the best man dropping the rings when it was time to hand them over – hilarious!
Words of wisdom
Try and get everything finalised at least two weeks or even a month before the wedding and look after yourself! I got very rundown and sick in the lead up and was running around during the last week trying to put the finishing touches on everything, get to all my appointments, welcome family and finish up work. I only took the three days off before the day thinking I didn’t want to be sitting around stressing out, but you really need to take some time to look after yourself. As fun and exciting as it is, it does get a bit much!
The beautiful Bellarine boasts wedding venues a-plenty – see more from the stunning region here.
ELOISE AND JOEL’S TRIBE
Ceremony location: Terindah Estate
Reception: Terindah Estate
Celebrant: Nicole Penning
Photography: Enchanted Wedding Photography
Videographer: Bottlebrush Films
Props: Memphis Hire and Dress My Wedding
Florist: The Jungle Room
Hair: Ally Barbagallo from Blush Bar
Make up: Emma Roberts from Studio 2
The Dress: One Day Bridal
Veil: One Day Bridal
Accessories: I wore my great grandmother’s pearl earrings and my engagement ring. My mother-in-law also surprised me with a garter that One Day Bridal made to match my dress.
Shoes: Wittner
Rings: Charles Rose
Bridesmaids dresses: Zimmermann and my gorgeous nieces wore Tutu Du Monde.
Menswear (shoes, suits, bowties): Eddy Elias
Catering: Terindah Estate
Favours: We had delicious watercolour cookies with gold leaf from Loveit Cakes.
Cake: We had a semi-naked cake topped with fresh flowers from Loveit Cakes. Each tier had a different flavour: white chocolate raspberry, chocolate mud and salted caramel. Sonia’s cakes are the yummiest!
Gelato cart: Bianco Latte
Stationery / Signage: Month of June Design
Entertainment: We had acoustic guitarist James Sidebottom and DJ Ai who really knows how to get the party started!
Transport: Joel organised all of the vintage cars which were so beautiful! We also left the reception in sitting on a haystack in an old Chevrolet truck with just married on the window and tin cans hanging off the back!
Honeymoon: Mexico, Cuba, Miami, New York for Christmas and Vegas for New Years.
