Real Wedding – Hannah & Tim, Coburg VIC

The buzzwords at the heart of Hannah and Tim’s wedding planning were bright, fun, and a little bit retro – with a shying away from traditions that didn’t feel like them. The result? A truly vivacious celebration that perfectly blends vintage chic with elegantly bold style and pulses with an infectiously magnetic joy.

At the helm of their talented team of vendors is the Post Office Hotel, who eases the planning process with an A+ list of recommended suppliers. While Love Alfalfa and Bangin Hangins bring the vibrant palette to life, and music masters One More Song provide the ultimate soundtrack, this dopamine hit of a day is as stylish as it is fun.

Hannah’s stunning gown by Honeymoon Studios defines her chic look, while Tim cuts a sharp, timeless figure in his MJ Bale suit.

The magnetism and happiness between these two newlyweds give us all the feels, captured to perfection through the talented lens of Had to Be You Weddings.

The meeting.

We met at a music festival in 2011 after being introduced by a mutual friend (the original Tinder!).

The ‘one’.

When we realised that our lives wouldn’t be complete without the other person in it.

The proposal.

Our proposal happened at home in the middle of covid lockdown! Tim had cooked dinner and, because he was a brewer at the time, we always had weird, new beers in the fridge that he would get Hannah to try. Unbeknownst to her, the beer on that night had been specially brewed for the occasion. The beer Tim gave to Hannah was called ‘The Proposition’ and whilst she was quietly reading the can, Tim got down on one knee with a beautiful ring.

Planning process.

We are both pretty easy-going and made a promise at the beginning to not get stressed out by the planning process. We had a vision of what we wanted our day to look like and what time of year we wanted it in. Our first step was finding a venue we loved which we were lucky enough to do early on in the process! They provided us with a recommended suppliers list which we used along with Instagram searches, and together we managed to put together our dream wedding with the most incredible suppliers.

Style inspiration.

We wanted something really bright, fun, non-traditional and a little bit retro.

We found real weddings the most useful when planning our big day! Using these as inspiration made it feel realistic and attainable.

The ceremony.

Our ceremony was special to us because our celebrant was one of our best friends so this allowed for some really wonderful, personal and funny stories! We also wrote our own vows and heard each other’s for the first time during the ceremony which was so lovely and meaningful.

The outfits.

Hannah knew exactly what she was after in a wedding dress! She had found her dream dress several years ago whilst searching non-traditional wedding dresses online and came across a local Melbourne designer – Honeymoon Studios. Event when trying on several dresses, she knew all along she would end up with the dress she had seen all of those years ago. The dress comprised of a bandeau top, midi skirt and complete with an floral tulle overlay (with hand sown 2D flowers from top to bottom! To top off the look, Hannah wore some slow sling-back heels, a white headband and pearl earrings. So dreamy!

Tim knew that he wanted a two tone suit with a modern 50’s vibe. He went for a grey blazer, white shirt, black tie and black pants. Overall a pretty classic look in his opinion.

Favourite moments.

Our favourite moment of the day was seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony! We decided to not have a first look, so it was such a special moment to see finally see each other as bride and groom.

Meaning of marriage.

Having someone that you can always rely on, no matter what. Getting to spend the rest of your lives by each other’s sides.

Wedding soundtrack:

Aisle: Baby I’m Yours by Arctic Monkeys. We chose this as this is a cover of a 60’s classic by our favourite band.

Reception entry: You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall and Oats. Such a fun song to boogie to!

First dance: Eight Days A Week by The Beatles. It is a song everybody knows and you just can’t help but dance to it! Also, we love The Beatles and the lyrics are so sweet.

Funny stories or near disasters.

Thankfully it was very smooth sailing for us. One funny story/ near disaster was that the best man travelled all the way from the United States for our wedding – he arrived in Australia but his suit did not! It got lost in transit but he managed to find and buy a new one the day before the big day!

Planning surprises.

How fast the day went! In the lead-up I think the one piece of advice we would consistently receive was to slow down and take everything in on the day because it goes by so fast – and it really did!

Words of wisdom.

Don’t get caught up in a timeline! Don’t rush through things because at the end of the day, none of the guests will even notice! Just enjoy it.

For a similarly bright and bold celebration, this one located in a country setting, check out Claire & Brady’s stunning marquee celebration.

HANNAH & TIM’S VENDORS

A lot of our suppliers were chosen from the recommended suppliers list given to us by the lovely folks at our venue, The Post Office Hotel. We felt that a lot of these suppliers had a great relationship with the venue and thereforE would make it as stress free as possible for us!

Ceremony & reception venue: Post Office Hotel, Coburg. We had the absolute pleasure of being looked after by the incredible Aja Hosking. She took care of putting the entire day together, there was nothing too big or too small.

Celebrant/Officiant: Kumar Marfartia, Kooms the Celebrant.

Photography: Had To Be You Weddings– Laura McGuire. Laura was just incredible from start to finish! Her energy was unmatched and months after our wedding we still have guests asking for her name because of her sunshine personality and beautiful photos. She is so kind, patient and a genuine talent.

Florist: Love Alfalfa.The amazing Elle at Love Alfalfa created the most beautiful flower arrangements. She just instantly got the memo with very little direction.

Hair: Amanda Audrey Hair. Amanda was an absolute professional! Hannah loved the way she styled her short hair on the day and the beautiful up-dos she did on her bridesmaids were perfect.

Make-up: Bella Lewis Makeup. Bella is so fun, energetic and an absolute magician- exactly what you need on your wedding day! She did the most beautiful natural make-up for Hannah and her bridesmaids.

The dress: Honeymoon Studios. Andria Kiefer is the super-talented designer behind Honeymoon Studios. Her calming nature made the whole process so incredible easy. Not to mention she created the most beautiful dress.

Shoes: Famous Footwear

Rings: Windfall Jewellery

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Billy J

Groom’s suit & tie: MJ Bale

Catering & bar: Post Office Hotel

Favours: Handmade lolly boxes!

Cake / Cake topper: Good Good Cake. Pip created a stunning two-tier cake with a square shaped bottom layer, heart-shaped top layer. She matched the colours of the cake to our beautiful flowers and roof decorations!

Stationery / Signage: Post Office Hotel. The Post Office Hotel created all of our signage (entry, bar and food).

Entertainment: One More Song. We had the super talented Eddy Mac DJ our reception! We had two meetings with him prior to the wedding, he completely understood the vibe we were going for and absolutely nailed it on the night! He had everyone up dancing.

Décor: Bangin Hangings. The lovely ladies at Bangin Hangings set up such a beautiful aerial display inside the venue and above the dancefloor. We can’t imagine the space without it.