Real Wedding - Tanya & Ben, Warnambool VIC

June 14, 2016 In Real Weddings By Jessica Brawn

Real Wedding – Tanya & Ben, Warnambool VIC

If you asked Ben and Tanya what the inspiration was behind their wedding day, it was simple – their life together. They wanted their guests to walk away feeling like their celebration completely embodied them and was authentic at every moment.

In a sweet coastal setting, the relaxed pair danced the night away with their loved ones and made memories to last a lifetime.

Talented shutterbug Sheree Dubois was there to capture all the magic.

IN TANYA’S WORDS…

The meeting.

Ben and I met whilst I was a hairdresser; though it was a year before we were both single and ended up together. It think Ben was 16 and I was 17.

The ‘One’.

I’m not entirely sure, we moved so fast and had only been together 3 months before I fell pregnant with our beautiful daughter Milan (now 7). I guess I never really asked the question, more so just eventually realised there could have never been anyone else be all that Ben is.

The proposal.

The proposal took place on the 26th of June, 2010 at the Deep Blue Resort in our hometown. Ben wanted to take me away for the weekend but Milan was only just over 1 and I wasn’t ready to leave town without her just yet. Instead we settled in for a cosy get-in, roughly 4kms from our house. In all honesty I was slightly suspicious. However, this faded by the time Ben switched the light on in our suite, just before we fell asleep, to kneel on the side of the bed and ask the big question. It felt so natural and bizarre all at the one time. It was so surreal.

The planning.

Ben and I planned absolutely everything together. In the last eight years we have really become a team, so our planning was relatively smooth as we generally like the same things and have the same taste (or maybe Ben has just learnt to appreciate my taste). Our ideas were similar and we really wanted the same things

Style inspiration.

Our life together was our inspiration. Similar to the home we have built together, it was equal parts us and the things we like. We really wanted our family and friends to walk away saying ‘that was so them!’ We wanted it to feel authentic and really simple with original touches.

The dress.

We were really running out of time so as a family we set out one day to pick the dress. I was still breastfeeding our son our entire family of four took the trip to Melbourne. It was a real non event to me at the time but now I look back, it was perfect. I’m best at doing things last minute and that’s how the day was. It was just me and my daughter with some help from Amy, the assistant at The Bridal Atelier. I placed my trust in her knowing what she is selling and giving me truthful advice. I was 6 months out from the wedding and knew my time was up. I paid the deposit and didn’t sleep a wink that night after freaking out that that was it, I had done it, it was happening and that was the dress I was wearing. The hardest part of picking a dress was not being able to get Ben’s opinion. At the end of it all I didn’t care what anyone else would think of it, only what he thought, but I could never ruin the excitement of him waiting until the day to see it.

Favourite moments.

By far, it was saying the vows we had written together. Our ceremony just felt so amazing, it is the most attention you could ever be paid as a couple. All eyes are on you, yet looking back it feels like it was just the two of us standing there, taking in the moment like we were in a world of our own. I don’t think in the lead up we ever imagined it to be so special. We spent so much time making sure a belt would look right and changing our mind on flowers and looking at different varieties of leaves. All of that feels so irrelevant now, compared with the importance of the promises we were there to make and how sharing them in front of our loved ones would feel so special.

The meaning of marriage.

This is a hard question and we have really struggled with it. To be honest, marriage hasn’t change a lot in our life, only that we now share the same name along with a memory of a beautiful day, a few months of good laughs and minor arguments planning it. We already have shared so much and I already felt like I had someone to face the world with, someone that knew all about me and loved me regardless, someone to make the cup of teas and someone to tell what to wear, so there really wasn’t much more that we needed. The idea of marriage was really just to make it official and to make one and other a permanent part of each others family. It was also to share with our family how much we love one another and to show our kids what to strive for in life; to love and to be loved unconditionally.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Fire and The Flood by Vance Joy
First dance: Accoustic version of Hold On by Drake

Funny stories/ near disasters.

There are many things that could get a mention, especially when getting married with a six year old and ten month old! Let’s just say the pre-wedding events included two wobbly teeth, a bra being sewn into the dress two hours out from the wedding and smelly nappy on the car ride to the ceremony!

Words of wisdom.

Spend money on your photographer. It’s the most important vendor in our opinion, every thing else is really chosen on trends and what your taste and style is at the time, but good photographs are timeless.