Real Wedding – Lana & Dave, Newstead VIC
Long time lovers, Lana and Dave, got hitched in the beauty of Butterland, Newstead’s historic butter factory. A stunning garden ceremony was followed by a fancy feast indoors, where bold, red blooms and lush greenery were the perfect compliment to this rustic, heritage venue.
Subtracting the formalities and adding a few personal touches is what made this stunning celebration an epic success. Master behind the lens, Marnie Hawson, was called upon to capture every divine detail.
In Lana’s words…
The meeting.
We met at a bar in Hawthorn 10 years ago. We spotted each other from across the room and went on our first date the very next day. Super keen!
The one.
I don’t think there was an exact moment. We just fit together so well and love the heck out of each other, it just kind of happened. That, and after this long we are still not sick of each other, which is a pretty good sign.
The proposal.
Dave popped the question on a rowboat in the middle of the central park lake in NYC. Pretty goddamn romantic if you ask me and hard to top in terms of happy moments!
The planning.
I started off just booking the big things that I knew we didn’t want to miss out on straight away. Venue, catering, band and photographer were up there. Then all the other things fall into place as time goes on and somehow all these moving parts come together in the end even if you don’t think they will.
Style inspiration.
The main things we wanted was a hell of a party with good food, wine and music with our closest friends and family. We wanted it to feel personal and intimate rather than “look” a certain way. We did little things like not having a bridal table, scrapped a lot of the formalities from traditional weddings and personalised all of our guest’s place cards and menus with funny personal quotes and messages. It was just “us”…but nicer. We nailed it.
The dress.
I went to One Day Bridal in South Melbourne and fell in love with the very first dress I tried on. So much easier than I thought it would be! The stylists there are so lovely and helpful. Brooke helped me realise that I am in fact, not boho just because I own one Tigerlilly cardigan and helped me find something that flattered my shape and suit my style. They just know!
Dave is a Tradie so doesn’t dress up very often, and wanted something extra special for the day. He had a classic black suit and shirt tailor made at Oscar Hunt.
Favourite.
Seeing the smile on Dave’s face when I walked down the aisle, sharing our vows and also taking a moment at dinner to look around and see everyone laughing, smiling and having the best time.
The meaning or marriage.
Forever with your favourite human. Always being there for each other and never taking the other person for granted.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Sweet Thing by Van Morrison
Signing: Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix
Recessional: Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder
First Dance: I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles
Any funny stories/near disasters.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am clumsy and a bit awkward at the best of times. If I made it down the aisle without falling over that would be a success. The wind picked up and my veil ripped off within 2 seconds of walking down the aisle which was a laugh. My Dad also stood on my train at the end which just made me laugh more, and my fake eyelashes took off too. Oh, and the PA stopped working so our celebrant just did a mic drop and kept going like the legend she is. It was a great ice breaker!
Planning surprises.
The kindness and generosity from the people around us. So many people are willing to help in any way they can and that was really special.
Words of wisdom.
Things don’t go right and that’s ok, just go with it; it’s perfectly imperfect! Don’t listen to what everyone tells you that you should do for your wedding. Make it about the two of you. You can’t make everyone happy so just make yourselves happy! Most of the little things you stress about don’t even matter, you just need the two of you and maybe a great d-floor!
For more elegant inspiration, check out Dana and Hugh’s Red Hill day, here.
LANA & DAVE’S TRIBE
Ceremony venue / location: Butterland, Newstead. Greg and Katie are the nicest people ever and were beyond fantastic. They helped the day run perfectly.
Reception venue / location: As above
Celebrant/Officiant: Our dear friend Audrey Buffet. She is down to earth, funny and French which is also a win. (Email: [email protected])
Photography: Marnie Hawson,who is so so talented and best photographer ever! She is so chilled and laid back so we felt comfortable around her the whole time, she blended in so seamlessly the whole time that we forgot she was there.
Styling: Ourselves
Florist: Katie Marx. Wow – the flowers were incredible. She transformed the space and made it just perfect. I just said to ‘go nuts” and she went above and beyond to make everything beautiful
Hair: Toni from 3 Blind Mice in Hawthorn. Toni is a family friend and my usual hairdresser which made me more relaxed. She got this. http://www.threeblindmicesalon.com.au/
Make Up: Our super talented and amazing friend Eve Gunson. Eve can paint a face!
The Dress(es): The Broome Gown by One Day Bridal.
Veil / headwear: For the fleeting time my veil was on, also One Day Bridal.
Shoes: Zomp in South Yarra.
Rings: Heidi Gibson Designs.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: They picked their own dresses to suit their shape and style.
Groomsmen’s suits: Their own.
Bow ties / ties: Groom: Groom – Jack London. Groomsmen – Grand Frank
Catering: Pot and Pan. One word. Amazing. Everyone was raving about how delicious our food was. We had shared mains and sides so it was like a big family dinner. And they are amazing to deal with. We had an ice cream cart from Icecream Social for desert which was very welcomed on a hot night.
Bar: We bought our own from Dan Murphys
Favors: In place of favours, we had a giant minibar/midnight snack situation on the way out. We had packets of chips, chocolates and drinks for people to take on the bus for the trip home. Who doesn’t love drunken Doritios!
Cake / Cake topper: My Aunty made our cake which was a delicious vanilla and salted caramel flavour.
Stationery / Signage: Papermarc in Hawthorn did such a great job!
Entertainment: Lark Music. Our d-floor was going off all night. Luke and the band kindly let a few of our friends make cameo performances including a very drunk groom.
Transport: Castlemaine Buslines.
Décor: The Small Things Co for candles and decorations.
Hire: Bendigo Party Hire for outdoor umbrellas, Simmons Linnen Hire for table cloths.
Honeymoon: Noosa for a mini moon, and overseas next year for a big moon!
