Real Wedding – Olivia & Luke, Highlands VIC
For a joy-filled bliss fest, set against a truly magical country backdrop, look no further than Liv and Luke’s loved up celebrations!
This is a fabulously fresh take on a country garden party, injected with contemporary style through enchantingly eclectic detailing and a stunning juxtaposition of bottle green tableware and warm amber accents. Set within the raw, rustic surrounds of the Habbies Howe Shearing Shed, the effect is stunning.
The wedding party, in shades of warm burnished sienna and soft midnight blue, made for dynamic images captured by star photographer and Tribe fave Kyra Boyer. Having to cross a sweet stream before making their way up the aisle added even more whimsical wonder and fun to the day.
And of course, the centrepiece of it all was our simply stunning newlyweds, who set the tone for the whole day through their gorgeously genuine, beaming smiles from beginning to end. We love a day that obviously overflows with happy vibes, and this one left us feeling nothing but uplifted! Dip in for your own positivity hit.
The meeting.
We met at a uni dress-up party. I was a green alien, and Luke was Indiana Jones.
The ‘one’.
It was a combination of lots of little moments for me. Luke thinks it was when he saw me as a green alien.
The proposal.
Luke had planned to do it down on the coast. On the day, it was freezing and raining, but Luke stuck to his plan (even though I was very hesitant to get out of the car). He made the ring box himself out of granite from our family farm, which was really cool.
Planning process.
Mildly Hectic. Throughout last year we decided it would be best to have a small wedding ceremony, but when restrictions started to lift about six weeks before the big day, we changed our minds and went for it – it was a pretty wild ride!
We planned a string of events around the wedding too, so it was a pretty crazy time – but so worth it! We still can’t believe through all the ups and downs last year that we had a wedding like ours, an absolute covid miracle!
Style inspiration.
We got married on the farm where I grew up (which is now a wedding venue), so that was really special for me. I thought the farm, shearing shed and gardens were so beautiful that they were the centrepiece, and the style complimented that. My mum has an amazing eye for detail, so she did a lot of the styling – there were so many beautiful and fun touches that I loved.
The outfit.
It was a bit of a journey. It started with a lace jumpsuit and ended up with a satin gown! When Melbourne was going into lockdown, I raced up to Sydney Rd, and panic bought it before everywhere closed up. I was so glad that I did! I loved my dress, it was a very simple, classic style – and it had pockets!
Favourite moments.
Our aisle involved a creek, and I loved crossing over the rocks. When I popped up over the other side, I could see Luke, and I couldn’t stop smiling.
Meaning of marriage.
I would like to look back and see it as the moment in time when we started being a family.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Stubborn Love by The Lumineers
Recessional: Mess is Mine by Vance Joy
Reception entry: Send Me On my Way by Rusted Roots
First dance: Call You Home by Kelvin Jones
Funny stories or near disasters.
Oh boy! Covid wedding planning was just a year of near disasters, but we were very lucky! We were able to have our original date, and even though there were many special people who couldn’t be there, we felt so grateful for everyone who was. The day before our wedding, the NSW border shut, which meant about a quarter of the guests and a majority of my family wouldn’t be able to come. My cousin was the videographer too, so we actually booked our videographer the day before our wedding – thanks, Nathan!
Luckily, later in the day, we learnt there was a border bubble, and it was so bloody exciting to get phone calls from people saying they’d made it across the border.
I feel like all those ups and downs put a lot in perspective for the day and allowed us to enjoy it so much more.
Planning surprises.
I was really surprised at how much work goes into the planning, I knew it would be big, but I really underestimated how long it takes to do so many little things.
Words of wisdom.
We had new years with (most of) our bridal party a couple of days before, and I think having time with them was really lovely. They were all so amazing on the day, and it was nice for them to meet beforehand.
Considering following Luke & Liv’s lead and engaging a planner to help bring your dream day to life? We have some of the most organised folks around on our directory, all with a stunning eye for style and epic skills with a spreadsheet!
LIV & LUKE’S VENDORS:
Ceremony location: Habbies Howe. I know I am a bit biased, but I really think it’s the most beautiful place in the world.
Reception venue: Habbies Howe Shearing Shed. We had the reception in the shearing shed, which is heritage listed and one of the oldest shearing sheds in Victoria. It is such a unique space with buckets of charm and authentic rustic vibes – it was just magic!
Celebrant: Paul Bonadio, A Stand-up Celebrant. Paul is warm, genuine and absolutely hilarious. He wrote up our script quickly, and it was absolutely brilliant. The ceremony was so fun, and it just set the day up for so much happiness and laughter.
Photography: Kyra Boyer. Kyra is super talented and has such a great eye for capturing natural moments. The photos were beautiful, and she was able to capture so many little moments of the day.
Videography: Nathan Kaso. Nathan was a last-minute ring-in – Pretty impressive stuff to pick up the phone on New Year’s day and agree to film a wedding the following day! Nathan was a pro and kindly set up streaming for the people who couldn’t be there.
Styling: Mostly my mum, but also the amazing Sophie Walsh at White Top Venues. Together they were the ultimate dream team!
Florist: Allie Dempster, Flowers of Yarra Glen. The flowers were even more beautiful and cool than I could have imagined, and her ultimate superpower is knowing exactly what you want when you don’t know it yourself. She used a lot of unique and native flowers, which I have dried and still look so beautiful!
Hair: Nick Howard. Nick moved to near the farm during Melbourne’s lockdown and became a bit of a local legend. He’s super talented and super lovely. He’s moved back to Melbourne now and has a great hair salon in Armadale
Make-up: Johnny Thorpe Make-up. Johnny is a rock star! From the make-up room, all you could hear was giggling, and he made us all look and feel absolutely beautiful!
The dress & veil: Rafaele Ciuca
Shoes: Bared
Rings: Catanachs. Shout out to Liv at Catanach’s for making this a really fun trip!
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Damsel and Silk
Groomsmen’s suits: MJ Bale
Ties: Peggy and Finn
Catering: Megan, The Kitchen Door, Mansfield. Megan’s food was sensational; through the ever-changing guest numbers, she was so flexible and always cheery. We had so many compliments on the food from guests, and she went above and beyond.
Cake: My grandma made the cake and got it across the NSW border!
Stationery / Signage: G Made This. Georgia made the artwork for our stationery. She’s crazy talented and has so much passion for beautiful stationery.
Entertainment: Unplugged Entertainment. Leighton was really great at managing everything, and Lua Lua have the most beautiful voices and relaxed vibes. The DJ, Mark, we booked quite last minute because we weren’t expecting to be allowed a dancefloor and he was sensational.
Honeymoon: The Lon at Point Lonsdale.
Other: Sophie and Josh at White Top Venues – all-round wedding wizards! Soph and Josh from White Top Venues deserve the biggest shout out of all; they organised everything from staff to hire and all the crazy bits in between. I could not be more grateful to this power couple for planning our wedding- I definitely could not have done it without them!
