Real Wedding – Julie & Stewart, Curlewis VIC
Real Wedding – Julie & Stewart, Curlewis VIC
Real Wedding – Julie & Stewart, Curlewis VIC
Real Wedding – Julie & Stewart, Curlewis VIC

Real Wedding – Julie & Stewart, Curlewis VIC

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Julie and Stewart’s wedding was a relaxed and rustic affair with a touch of Macedonian tradition. The day started with a ceremony on a gorgeous private property in Curlewis, adorned with DIY’s created by the crafty bride and styled to perfection with the assistance Two of a Kind Events and She’s a Wildflower. It then ended at beautiful winery, Clyde Park, for  a fabulous reception.

All of the days magical moments were snapped by another tribe favourite, Hails and Shine Photography.

 

In Julie and Stewart’s words…

The meeting.

We started chatting on the Internet. Stewart and I laugh about this quite a bit. We are both teachers and he actually worked at the same school that I did for a while but I was on leave at that time so we never formally met. After chatting online Stewart asked me out on a date along the waterfront with Stewart’s dog Charlie (now our dog). We both felt that click on the first few dates and we felt comfortable with each other very early into our relationship.

The ‘one.’

When we both look back we really can’t pinpoint one single moment when we both thought this is “the one”. I think we both just knew we were right for each other. I loved every date we had together and how romantic and special each one was. We hit it off right from the start; on our 2nd date we secretly didn’t want it to end so it lasted the whole weekend. We have a lot in common and share the same values, morals and life goals.

Stewart sums it up well:
I knew Julie was the one when I couldn’t get her out of my mind. I really didn’t want a girlfriend at the time but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I even Googled ‘how not to get a girlfriend’, and told all my friends that I was hopelessly falling for this amazing girl. I used to imagine Julie was this torrent of water that was sweeping me away with her. At the start I was trying to row back to shore but the more time I spent with her the more I wanted her to carry me away.

The proposal.

Stewart proposed down by the water, the bay where I grew up, walking distance to my parents place. I did suspect something was going on the day that Stewart proposed; he was acting strange the whole morning. He wanted to go to my parents place near the bay and take Charlie our dog there, I really wasn’t keen for it as the weather was terrible and the night before I had my friend’s 40th. Stewart was really quiet before we left for my parents place and seemed stressed when packing a backpack to take. It took an extra 30 minutes to get to the bay, there was a cycling competition on and the highway was filled with riders. This added to Stewart’s stress levels. We finally got to our destination and walked to the water, I thought it was a little strange, as Stew wasn’t holding my hand as he usually does. Charlie was with us and was enjoying his outing. We continued along the little pier, Stewart kept looking at the patch of grass where he had left the backpack and couldn’t really stand still. We walked back to the grass and sat down. Stewart was staring out into the water and I asked if there was anything wrong? He said he was fine and suggested we see my grandma and leave. I was thinking “we came all this way and now you want to leave?!” I wanted to stay longer and I thought it was strange that he wanted to leave so quickly. He asked me to go and get Charlie’s ball so I did. When I turned around he was down on one knee asking me or rather telling me he needed to marry me! I said yes twice, my heart was racing I was so excited and happy I could not stop smiling. My eyes became teary and so did his. I will remember this beautiful day forever. The beautiful surroundings and the beautiful moment we had together.

The planning

We had just over a year to plan our wedding so that gave us a lot of time to book things in early and get the vendors and suppliers we both wanted. My family and friends kept on saying “gee you’re organized!”, but I think it was the teacher coming out in me. I loved planning all the little details! I love being creative and loved adding individual elements for the day. I enjoyed designing the invitations, seating charts and table numbers. Thanks to Paperlust Co who printed our invitations. They really helped me with the formatting when I was designing them, as I am not a graphic designer. I really learned a lot! I loved making the place cards too, each one was hand painted with watercolours by me! Maybe I got a little over it when I had painted 50 of them! But I got there in the end!

At times, it was a roller coaster ride; well it felt like that for me! There were certainly stressful moments; ups and downs and it did get emotional. We tried our best to keep it cool in the lead up to the big day. Things are so much easier though when you have your best friend with you and you are both working as a team. Our families were both amazing and helped with so many aspects to the day, especially my parents as we had the ceremony at their place.

Style inspiration.

Our theme was a relaxed, rustic vibe. I think there was a touch of Boho as well. I am an art teacher and an artist in my spare time. I loved creating the signage, invites and other bits and piece for the day. I collected a lot of “stuff” like old books, mirrors, jars, doilies, lace and the list goes on! I found old pieces of wood and timber that I hand painted as signage; I loved doing all of the small details. Social media really helped and I became a little obsessed with Instagram and Pinterest.

The dress.

I really didn’t know what I wanted in the beginning. I did try some dresses on that I thought looked amazing online but when I tried them on they didn’t suit my style or body shape. My dress was custom made by Karen and the team at Pearls and Roses Geelong. My sister who is into fashion and loves design spotted the fabric at Pearls and Roses. The dress originally came with sleeves and I got it custom made as a strapless gown as I didn’t want to cover my arms and décolletage. When I first tried on the dress I had the sleeves tied up behind me to get a feel of it strapless. Once I saw it on I fell in love and couldn’t imagine myself in anything else. It was so me! I did have all these appointments booked for boutiques in Melbourne but ended up cancelling them all! It was such an exciting day. My sister and mum came to all 5 dress fittings and were there every step of the way.

Favourite moments.

I loved walking down the aisle! I thought I would be nervous or emotional but I just couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Surprisingly, I was pretty relaxed! I also loved our first dance. It’s hard to pick one moment. Stew’s favourite moment was the vows and the whole ceremony. Thanks to Jo Betz who really captured our love story so perfectly.

Traditions.

I have a Macedonian background and throughout the day we included traditions. We had over 50 people for a catered lunch at my parent’s place where I was getting ready before the ceremony. It was busy! We had a mix of Macedonian and English music playing at the reception and everyone joined in for some traditional dancing!

Meaning of marriage.

For both of us marriage means love, friendship, commitment and family. It means being there through all of life’s challenges. Making each other cups of tea when times get tough.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: We found each other in the dark by City and Colour
Reception Entry: Rather be by Clean Bandit feat Jess Glynne
First Dance: Northern Wind by City and Colour

Funny stories/ near disasters.

Yes, there were a few near disasters! Stew’s stepfather wasn’t able to come to the wedding as he broke his neck in a surfing accident a few weeks before hand. We are really grateful that he is now well and recovering. This really stressed us out, especially Stewart, he was really upset Steven couldn’t make it. Also our groomsman had to be flown back to Sydney on the day he arrived in Geelong because of a family emergency. We had a fill in groomsman, however he didn’t arrive until the morning of the wedding day, so the boys all had to go into Geelong and buy him matching pants and accessories. Stewart was completely stressed the morning of the wedding. I had no idea this was going on. Sometimes things don’t go to plan! But that’s life! Go with plan B, C or D.

Words of wisdom.

No matter how much you plan before the lead up to the big day sometimes there are things that will happen out of your control! Deal with it as situations arise and move on, in the end all that really matters is your love for one and other.

When we started planning for our wedding I found everyone had a different opinions and suggestions. Step back, reassess and make sure you stick to what you both want, do whatever feels right for you as a couple.

Anything else you wanted to add?

Enjoy being engaged it’s a beautiful time!

 

 

JULIE AND STEWART’S TRIBE

Ceremony venue: Private property Curlewis

Reception venue: Clyde Park. Beautiful food and a beautiful, rustic venue with an amazing view.

Celebrant: Jo Betz. Jo is amazing,  our ceremony was absolutely magical!

Photography: Hails and Shine Photography. Beautiful candid moments captured perfectly. Their photography tells a story of the day.

Videography: Love Soldier. If you haven’t already check them out their videography is amazing!

Styling: On the day set up by Two of a Kind Events. Thanks so much to Micaela from Two of a Kind Events. Her styling and set up really made all of the bits and piece come together on the day.

Florist: She’s a Wildflower. Alice’s floral arrangements are absolutely amazing. So beautiful, seeing them in real life on the day was incredible. Each and every arrangement she does is so unique and special.

Hair and Make Up: Studio 2. Amazing hair and make-up! The girls are so lovely and do a fantastic job.

The Dress: Pearls and Roses. I loved every dress fitting at Pearls and Roses! I miss popping in!

Veil / head wear: Pearls and Roses.

Jewellery/Accessories: Stephanie Brownie and Samantha Wills

Shoes: Jakii Romace collection via the The White Collection.

Rings: Charles Rose Geelong

Bridesmaids dresses: Bridal House Geelong

Grooms suit: Eddy Elias Menswear Geelong

Grooms Shoes: Julius Marlow

Groomsmen suits: Conner

Bow ties / ties: Kfiatek gifted hands via Etsy

Catering: Clyde Park

Favors: Custom Favors Tea in test tubes, so adorable!

Cake/Cake topper: Flowers by Alice She’s a Wildflower

Stationery / Signage: The Bride and printing of invites by Paperlust.

Entertainment: DJ Goran Ristevski. Great MC and a fantastic DJ who really sets the tone for the evening.

Transport: Greater City Classics

Honeymoon: New Zealand and the Cook Islands




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