Pastel, sea blue and a barefoot Sorrento beach wedding
Dani and Darcy got married on the beach in Sorrento, and we can’t think of a better place for this pair.
Surfers, lovers of the ocean and clearly not ones for taking things too seriously, they embraced the setting with a palette of soft blues, pastels and sunset pinks, while the boys arrived looking rather dapper – mullets and all.
There’s plenty to love in the details, too. Scallop shells collected by the couple became place names after many, many hours of cleaning, while Dani’s Lola Varma silk corset and bubble-hem skirt was every bit as dreamy as it sounds.
The shoes came off for the ceremony, the dancing carried on into the night, and somewhere along the way this beautiful wedding became one amazing party.
Tess Follett captured it all, and we’re slightly obsessed with how much personality comes through in these photographs.
A little Sorrento sunshine, a lot of fun, and a couple who made the day entirely their own.
The meeting.
We met at high school when we were 14, where Darcy would follow me around class trying to steal my answers. We didn’t get together until after high school, which was a shock to all of our friendship group when it finally did happen.
The one.
I have such a vivid memory of asking my mum, and her advice being “choose the man that never lets you down”, and Darcy has always been that from the start. I think we both knew from pretty early on.
The proposal.
We already had a trip planned to visit our friends who were living in Darwin, and at the last minute, Darcy gave them a heads-up that a ring was on its way in the mail. After a few attempts to pick it up, including getting our wonderful jeweller, Chloe McColl, involved, they managed to collect it just in time to pick us up from the airport and drive us out to Robin Falls in Litchfield National Park. Darcy proposed with sweeping views of the National Park as the backdrop, champagne in plastic flutes and our special friends there to celebrate with us.
Planning process.
We had a reasonably quick turnaround from engagement to wedding day, around nine months, which suited us as it kept the planning momentum going. We were so fortunate to have just experienced a very fun run of friends’ weddings over the summer, which definitely helped guide our own planning process. We ended up using the same celebrant, Meg Turville, and DJ, Joey Lightbulb, as some of our friends because we knew, having seen them in action, there was no one else we wanted more. We contacted them to lock in our date even before we’d chosen our venue.
We tried to be quite decisive and strong in our decisions because there is truly an endless trove of choices. We always came back to our three priorities: the music, the setting, and the food and alcohol.
For the venue, we originally looked over on the West Coast of Victoria around Anglesea and Torquay, but eventually came to the realisation that we could choose The Baths, a whole ten minutes from our doorstep, with the same oceanfront views. The Baths also has the benefit of being tucked away in a little nook, protected from almost all winds, which was always going to be an important factor for a beach ceremony.
Style inspiration.
For us, we always knew it had to be a beach wedding. As surfers living on the Peninsula, it’s the place we spend all our spare time. We really felt that the unique location of The Baths, right on the water, did all the styling for us, so we leaned into the beach theme with lots of blues and pastel colours. The bridesmaids were in a palette of sunset pinks, while the boys scrubbed up well, mullets and all.
We also dove for scallops to use the shells as name places, cleaning the mossy shells for hours. They ended up being a lovely take-home gift for guests, as well as a fun but very labour-intensive DIY activity.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was held next to the venue on a private section of the beach. We had eskies for the guests, with Joey Lightbulb playing upbeat, summery tracks to set the mood. We were so lucky with the weather — it was a hot, sunny 21 degrees in the afternoon, with a slight sea breeze to cool everyone down. Most of the guests kicked off their heels in the soft sand for a barefoot wedding, which was exactly what we wanted.
It felt relaxed and completely true to us, with Meg spinning our tales into a funny, heartfelt ceremony that had us and our guests laughing and crying at all the right moments.
The outfits.
I personally found picking the dress one of the hardest parts of the process. I’d been a bit trigger-happy and put a deposit down on the first dress I tried on, but found myself still looking and enquiring about others (never a good sign!). I’d always admired Lola Varma, even before we were engaged, so I made the call to go with my maid of honour(s) to the Melbourne showroom. It was definitely love at first sight with all of their dresses! In the end, the clear winner was a silk corset and bubble-hem skirt that rippled and flowed and was so much fun to twirl and dance in. The hem fell just above the ground, which was also so practical for a beach ceremony and dancing the night away.
For Darcy, one of my MOHs picked him up and drove him to a suit shop, forcing him to try on a handful of suits. A beige suit that fitted him like a glove was the standout. He apparently had many a groomzilla moment before the wedding, freaking out that the beige colour was too much – but it looked so good.
Favourite moment.
So many moments. My dad driving two of my oldest friends and me to the venue, clutching hands in the backseat in shock. Turning the corner at the aisle and seeing Darcy in his suit, and being so surprised, and shocked, at how good he looked.
Another vivid memory is walking into the venue for the first time before the guests arrived, with just me and our florist and close friend, Giselle from Spice Flower. We had given her free rein, and she created a vision of blues, yellows and whites that popped against the blue water surrounding the entire venue.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle song: Donna Lewis – I Love You Always Forever
Reception entry: Cher – Believe
First dance: Raye – Where is My Husband
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Oh gosh, definitely a few here. The weather the day before the wedding was horrible – stormy, rainy and cold, and it was definitely a nervous week watching the forecast and hoping it wouldn’t be delayed. Darcy had also left his wedding band extremely late and was saved on the day by our good friend and jeweller, Til Foley, who heard about it two weeks before at a party, quickly crafted the band and delivered it the day before.
We also made our own wedding cake, a classic choc ripple cake, because it’s a birthday tradition in Darcy’s family and very nostalgic (and easy!). When we planned this, we also saw that Arnott’s did a GF choc ripple biscuit and assured our gluten-free guests they’d have their own cake! Sadly, Arnott’s had actually discontinued its GF choc ripple range in the past year… which we didn’t realise until the day before, when it was too late to find a backup option.
Planning surprises.
Honestly, the organisation in the last month was a shock! The meetings, the run sheet and the timings feel like the side of weddings no one talks about. Full appreciation, going forward, to any wedding I attend for the work behind the scenes.
Words of wisdom.
The vendors you choose really are everything so take your time choosing wisely. They are the ultimate hype crew, organisational wizards and work tirelessly in the background to make everything feel, and be, seamless.
Dani and Darcy’s Vendors
Ceremony and reception venue: The Baths, Sorrento
Celebrant: Meg Turville (Aisle and Row) – As mentioned earlier, we saw Meg and Mikey (Joey Lightbulb) at a friend’s wedding so locked them in straight away / based our wedding around their dates!
Entertainment: Joey Lightbulb (Mikey Cahill)
Photography: Tess Follett – I’d actually seen Tess and fallen in love with her photos many years back, but assumed she would be booked out for our dates as photography was one thing we left later than we should. By our good luck, she was just flying home from an overseas wedding and agreed to squeeze in our wedding. Tess is an absolute powerhouse and such a talented photographer. As two people who don’t love being photographed, she really took control in the best kind of way, which we were so grateful for. She made the entire process feel natural and fun, and was so efficient with the portraits that we didn’t miss a precious moment of the reception but got my favourite photos of the day. She is a true professional, and we all adored her. Our album is so special to us and our families, and will be treasured for life.
Florist: Spice Flower – for florals – no question, use Spice Flower. She’s our dear friend and so SO talented. As i mentioned, we just set her loose and she created the most breathtaking bouquets and table arrangements. She is so passionate about what she does and will go above and beyond.
Hair: Peninsula Bridal Hair
Make-up: Sophie Knox
The dress: Lola Varma
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Rings: Chloe Mccoll and Til Foley
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy
Suits: Cambridge
Cake: DIY
Stationery / Signage: DIY
