Real wedding – Emma & Timmy, Bellarine VIC
Emma and Timmy had never felt more in love than when they made their way into the paddocks on the Bellarine Peninsula for some fabulous photos with their photographer, Stefani Driscoll.
Planning a day that was full of warmth and fun, you could barely wipe the smiles from their happy faces as they celebrated with their much loved family and friends.
Emma and Timmy created a day that best expressed them as a couple and we think you’ll agree that the result was magic!
In Emma’s words…
The meeting.
Tinder! We both swiped right on a lazy Sunday afternoon from respective couches. We both call it efficient! Ha. Legend has it that Timmy did a fist pump with excitement. The rest is history! This was in July 2014. We chatted for a month over the app before we finally had our first date at Cabinet Bar in Swanston St. Many dates later, including fierce competitive dates bowling, golf driving range, horse racing and lots of food and wine, we had worked out we had met our match.
Timmy claims he sealed the deal after date 7 when he packed a surprise picnic with champagne and we spent the afternoon at Fairfield Boat House. Admittedly his homemade chicken sandwiches were delicious and it was a romantic setting! From memory he did look like the ‘cat that got the cream’ that day!
‘The one’.
Many qualities in Timmy demonstrated that he had great values that matched many of mine. Knowing he was the one, was probably about 4 months into our relationship. We were in love and so comfortable with each other that there was never a thought that it would end.
The proposal.
We were in Hong Kong at the end of an amazing trip to Mexico, Cuba and California. My Dad, sister and brother in law had met us there at the end of our big trip and as a celebration for what would have been mum’s 60th birthday. Timmy knowing that Hong Kong was such a special place for my family and especially my mum, had planned all along that this would be the place where he would pop the big question.
It was nearing the end of our holiday and we had decided to scale to The Peak to see the view over Hong Kong. We were on the top lookout, I was adorned with an audio guide tour and unbeknownst to me Timmy had maneuvered Dad aside to ask him for his blessing. Before I knew it Timmy was down on one knee and had proposed. He said ‘Would you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife.’ Of course I answered YES!
The planning process.
On and off stressful. We had an 18 month planning process from engagement to wedding and we needed it! Once the venue and big suppliers were locked in it relieved some pressure. We tried to remain very calm and organized but at times it felt overwhelming. Outsourcing a few tasks to my dad and sister definitely helped!
In the week leading up to our wedding once we had completed the remaining tasks, we had so much fun! It was fair to say the party started earlier than the big day!
Style inspiration.
Elegant, a bit rustic and timeless. We wanted a dateless colour palate and a relaxed feel.
The dress,
1 store, tried on 4 dresses, it was the 4th one!
My sister had got her wedding gown from Luci Dibella Design House 4 years prior. Luci and the team are incredibly warm, honest and create beautiful gowns. This was the only place I wanted to get my dress from. I knew they would have the perfect gown to suit me and my style.
Favourite moment.
So many to choose from! Definitely walking down the aisle and seeing each other for the first time, exchanging our rings with Timmy’s sound effects (ask Chloe!), first kiss, first dance ……
One of our other favorite moments of the day was going out in to the paddock at sunset for some sunset photos. It was just Timmy, I and our wonderful photographer Stef. We never felt more in love than in those moments and our photos definitely captured those feelings.
Meaning of marriage.
Love is infinite and marriage to both of us was an important way to commit and declare that to each other.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle – How sweet it is (to be loved by you) – James Taylor
Registry Signing – Touch of Paradise – John Farnham, Warm Love – Van Morrison
Leaving down the aisle – Signed, sealed, delivered – Stevie Wonder
Reception entry – Walking on sunshine – Katrina and the waves
First Dance Songs – You’re my best friend, Queen, Parent dance song– Stand by me, Ben E King, Sister dance – Proud Mary, Tina Turner
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Not that we can remember. Clearly everything was absolutely perfect!
Planning surprises.
There wasn’t really any, our wedding schedule checklist was helpful to eliminate surprises.
Words of wisdom.
It is your day and make sure you create the day that will best express who you are as a couple. Make sure you enjoy the every moment and role with the ups and downs. For all the girls out there – Just give your future husband a choice of the top 2 or 3 of everything. Too much information is too overwhelming for them!
Final words.
What a day! The most perfect and best day of our lives!
Crushing on a wedding on the beautiful Bellarine, then check out Ria and Billy’s barn wedding.
EMMA AND TIMMY’S TRIBE
Ceremony and reception venue: Terindah Estate – Great location on the Bellarine Peninsula. It really encapsulated everything that we were looking for in a venue. Ceremony with a great view of Port Philip Bay, drinks on the lawn overlooking the vineyards, a reception room with indoor/outdoor, great food (we went double red meat – lamb and beef!), great wine and a superb photo location.
A special mention to Tiffany Long – Terindah Estate’s Event Organizer. She was also one of the main reasons that chose the venue. We felt she was very organized, thorough and took a lot of stress out of the planning process.
Celebrant/Officiant: Chloe Jetson – Chloe is the most gorgeous person and by the end of our first meeting we knew she was perfect to be our celebrant. She is warm, organized, listened to everything we wanted in our ceremony and guided us on the areas we were not so sure about. She engaged with our families and friends at our rehearsal and on the big day delivered a perfect ceremony.
Photography: Stefani Driscoll – Stef is a very talented superstar! We felt so comfortable having Stef capture all of our most fun and intimate moments on the day. She was so warm, fun and creative. She let us be us and we thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent together with our bridal party and family during our photos. The end collection from the day are incredibly pretty, loving and capture both the energy and happiness we both experienced on the day. We were so happy with the end products and cherish the memories of the day.
Styling: Bride and Maid of Honor! Maybe we should start a business! The website is in progress. Ha!
Florist: Moss Industry – Danielle produced the most exquisite flowers. From the bouquets, the button holes, the arbor, the table flowers to that ORB!! She nailed the brief and every element was perfectly executed. She is a delight to work with, very creative and listens to your vision. We had so much trust that Danielle would deliver on the day and that she did! Her work was absolutely stunning.
Hair and Makeup: Rebeccah Vivian – Blondie Hair and Cosmetica – From the hair and makeup trial to the big day, everything was perfect. Bec and her team are incredibly talented and creative. We were so happy with all of our hair and make up!
The Dress: Luci Dibella
Veil / headwear: Fletcher and Grace – Hair piece
Bride’s Shoes: Alan Pinkus
Rings: Keschett
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Rebecca Vallance – Purchased these online through Iconic. I really wanted the bridesmaids to be in ivory or a neutral colour. These were a perfect cut to fit both girls. I wanted them to look elegant, feel pretty and to be comfortable on the day. I think we pulled it off!
Groom’s suit: Hugo Boss
Bow ties / ties: Groom – Georgio Armani (We wanted to get a big bow tie to match Timmy’s big beaming smile! The Armani one was perfect!)
Groomsmen – Hardy Amies
Groomsmen suit: Hardy Amies
Catering and Bar: Terindah Estate
Favors: The champagne was from Parkhill Cellars North Melbourne. These were unlabeled bottles.
Port was from Dan Murphy’s. We removed the labels.
Our personalized labels were created through Vistaprint. Cheap, easy to apply and delivered to your door!
Cake / Cake topper: Sweet Designs by Claire – We had a 3 level naked cake. The top layer was caramel, the middle layer carrot and the bottom layer lime and coconut. Claire was a delight to work with and she liaised directly with our florist to get the matching flowers to dress the cake on the day. During the selection process she supplied us with so many samples and even tolerated my husband requesting more! The cake was delicious!
Stationery / Signage: Paper Empire – After completing wedding dress shopping my sister and I popped into the Paper Empire on High Street Armadale. They had a folder full of examples that we selected from. I wanted simple, black and white. They were incredibly easy to deal with and had exactly what we were after. All communications were via email, they were very timely and efficient. I kept adding on items that I required and nothing was a hassle. All items came well packaged.
Entertainment: Band – The White Tree – After seeing The White Tree at a friend’s wedding this was an easy choice. We knew that they really knew how to get the party started and considering that we love to dance they were the perfect choice. They have so many options to the number of vocalists and instruments that you can choose in your band. We selected male vocals (Mark) with 3 in the band in total. Mark also played acoustic guitar at the drinks and canapes to set the mood for guests earlier in the evening.
In terms of song selection we gave a selection of 10 songs that indicated our style and our must plays. We also had a sequence of events including a song for the bridal dance, parent dance and sister dance! For anyone that loves Tina Turner they do a great rendition of Proud Mary!
Special mention to Mark at The White Tree. He really made our wedding a fun night with a packed dance floor until the end!
Transport: ABDA buses for guests. Wedding Jaguars of Geelong for Bridal Party
Décor: Candles and glass holders- Ikea / Chalkboards – Kmart /Barrels for the favours – Bunnings / Guest book – Kiki K
Honeymoon: Hawaii! Highly recommend Maui. Stunning, relaxing and romantic!
