A villa in Tasmania, by way of Tuscany
There’s something undeniably romantic about a Tuscan-inspired wedding, and Ella and Grantt’s Tasmanian celebration captured that feeling beautifully. Planning from rural Queensland, the couple had their hearts set on a European-style celebration, and Villa Howden was everything they had dreamed of.
With the creative eye of wedding planner and stylist Gee from Dear Leone, their Italian-inspired alfresco vision came to life through long reception tables, shared feasting, soft pastel florals and thoughtful details, creating a romantic and intimate garden soirée.
Wanting their day to feel more like a beautiful family dinner than a formal reception, Ella and Grantt created a relaxed celebration centred on sharing good food and time with their closest friends and family.
One of our favourite details was Ella’s gown and the clever way she created two bridal looks from one dress. For the ceremony, detachable off-the-shoulder straps, an overskirt and a custom lace-trimmed veil created a romantic, dramatic look, before being removed for the reception and replaced with a chic chiffon neck scarf for a simple, elegant finish.
With David Muir behind the camera, the romance of the setting and the beautiful details were captured alongside the genuine joy of two people marrying their best friend.
The meeting.
We actually matched on Tinder first, but never really got around to talking. Then one of our mutual friends introduced us during a night out and the rest is history! Looking back, it feels like we were always meant to find our way to each other.
The one.
It sounds corny, but I think I always knew. Before Ella and I even started dating, I told her, “The next person I have a relationship with, I’ll marry.” Thankfully, I stayed true to my word. She’s everything I could have hoped for and more, and I couldn’t be happier that she’s the person I get to spend my life with.
The proposal.
Grantt: I proposed at one of Ella’s favourite places in the world on her birthday. I had planned a day trip to Great Keppel Island and intended to propose on her favourite beach, but the day didn’t exactly go to plan. In total, I had three different attempts to ask the question, with Ella unknowingly doing her absolute best to avoid being proposed to!
Eventually, after a conversation about our future together, renovating our home, and starting a family, I finally found the perfect moment. It wasn’t extravagant or overly planned in the end, but it was simple, genuine and incredibly special – exactly the way it was meant to be.
Planning process.
Ella: After getting engaged, I already knew exactly where I wanted to get married. I had always dreamed of a European-inspired wedding with a Tuscan feel – beautiful villa architecture, arched windows and doorways, cobblestone pathways and terracotta roofs. A few years before we got engaged, I came across Villa Howden on Instagram and instantly knew it was everything I had imagined, but right here in Australia!
After Grantt proposed, I took a chance and messaged a girl whose wedding I’d seen there, even though we’d never met. She was the kindest soul and generously shared so much information and advice. She was the ultimate girls’ girl, and I’m forever grateful because she was the one who recommended our wedding planner.
Looking back, that one message ended up shaping so much of our wedding journey. Without that recommendation and without Gelisa (Wedding Planner – Dear Leone), we simply wouldn’t have had the experience or the wedding day we did. Like most couples, there were definitely moments when the planning felt overwhelming simply because of the number of decisions involved. Thankfully, we had the most incredible wedding planner, who managed everything from the planning and styling through to coordinating and setting up on the day. We trusted Gee completely, and she brought our dream wedding to life.
Style inspiration.
I had always envisioned an outdoor Italian-inspired alfresco wedding. I’ve always loved the timeless elegance of white, green and black, but I also wanted to incorporate a romantic garden soirée feel through soft pastel tones. I created a vision board that captured the aesthetic, mood, florals, colour palette and all the little details I had imagined for our day. I sent it to Gee, and she worked her magic, transforming it into something even more beautiful than I could have dreamed.
Grantt and I have never been people who love being the centre of attention, so creating an intimate experience for our guests was really important to us. Through following bridal accounts on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, we discovered the idea of having one long reception table and a shared feast-style menu. We immediately fell in love with the concept because it felt less like a formal wedding reception and more like a beautiful family dinner with our closest friends and family. Looking at real weddings gave us the most inspiration because it helped us visualise how ideas would actually come together on the day.
The ceremony.
Perfect is probably the only word to describe it. Every vision I had for the ceremony was brought to life by Gee. The weather was incredible, the venue looked stunning and we were surrounded by the people we love most.
We were fortunate enough to have Rachel as our celebrant, and it genuinely felt as though she’d known us for years. She made the ceremony feel so personal and meaningful. One of our favourite touches was that she included a cut-out of our dog, Arnie, so he could still be part of our wedding day. It was such a thoughtful gesture and meant so much to us.
The outfits.
Grantt had his suit fitted locally at Stewart’s Menswear in Rockhampton. They were able to source exactly what he was looking for and tailored it perfectly. He couldn’t have been happier with the result.
As for me, I always knew the style of dress I wanted, but I also loved the idea of having different looks throughout the day. Unfortunately, Grantt informed me I was only allowed one dress, so I had to get creative!
My mum and I visited four bridal boutiques across Brisbane and the Gold Coast before finding “the one.” I kept telling Mum that I’d find my dress at our final appointment, Sphere Bridal Gallery, and somehow, I was right. The very first dress I tried on was the Jane Hill Huntleigh gown, and I knew it was the one.
To create multiple looks from the one dress, I worked with Kim Marcel on custom alterations. For the ceremony, we added detachable off-the-shoulder straps, an overskirt and a custom lace-trimmed veil by White Etoile for a dramatic bridal look. For the reception, I removed the additional pieces and paired the strapless Huntleigh gown with a chiffon neck scarf to create something simple, chic and elegant. Kim’s alterations were absolute perfection and brought my vision to life exactly as I’d imagined.
Favourite moment.
Without a doubt, the ceremony. Walking down the aisle, seeing each other for the first time and holding hands throughout the entire ceremony is something we’ll never forget. Despite being surrounded by all our loved ones, it felt like it was just the two of us. We barely took our eyes off each other. There was such an overwhelming sense of excitement knowing we were about to marry our best friend and begin the next chapter of our lives together.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage, to us, is about marrying your best friend – the person you choose every day through all of life’s highs and lows. It’s built on loyalty, unconditional love, honesty, trust and compromise. It’s knowing you have someone by your side no matter what challenges come your way and celebrating every milestone together. More than anything, marriage means building a life together; creating a home, growing as individuals and as a couple, and supporting each other through every chapter.
Wedding soundtrack.
Walking the aisle: Stargazing (Moonlight version) by Myles Smith
Recessional song: You Make My Dreams (Come True) by Daryll Hall & John Oates
Reception entry: September by Earth, Wind & Fire
First dance: Stargazing (Moonlight version) by Myles Smith
Planning surprises.
Probably what most couples would say – the cost of everything! Part of me wishes we’d incorporated a few more DIY elements, but planning a wedding in Tasmania while living in rural Queensland made that quite difficult. Looking back, though, we don’t regret a single dollar we spent. It truly was our dream day, made possible by an incredible team of vendors who exceeded every expectation.
Words of wisdom.
If it’s within your budget, book a wedding planner. While it can feel like an additional expense, having someone to guide you through the process and manage all the moving parts is invaluable. Our planner removed so much stress and allowed us to genuinely enjoy the experience.
Another piece of advice would be to secure your must-have vendors as early as possible. Even with a wedding planner, if there are particular suppliers whose work you absolutely love, don’t hesitate to reach out yourself once you’ve locked in your date. One of the best decisions we made was choosing vendors who genuinely cared about our wedding and were passionate about what they do. Many of them had worked together before, which created such a seamless and welcoming atmosphere throughout the day. It honestly felt like a group of friends coming together to create something special.
Most importantly, choose people you feel comfortable with. The vendors who surround you on your wedding day play such a huge role in the overall experience, and we were incredibly lucky to have a team that brought not only talent but also so much joy, energy and warmth to our celebration.
Ella and Grantt’s Vendors
Thank you to our incredible team below – for your talent, your heart and for making our wedding everything it was. Once I had secured our venue and wedding planner, finding the rest of our supplier team became much easier.
I actually found our photographer by looking through the photographers my wedding planner followed on Instagram. As soon as I came across David Muir’s work, I knew he was the perfect fit for us, so I made sure there was a date available that suited the venue, planner and photographer before locking everything in.
After securing those key suppliers, the rest of our wedding day team fell into place quite naturally. Most of our suppliers were recommended by our wedding planner, Gee, or discovered through Instagram via tagged photos, vendor recommendations and real wedding content. Instagram was definitely the main resource I used throughout the planning process, along with the trusted recommendations from our planner.
Ceremony and reception venue: Villa Howden, Howden, Tasmania
Celebrant: Rachael Calvert Celebrant
Photography: David Muir Photo
Content Creator: Special Day Content
Planner/Coordinator/Styling: Dear Leone – Gelisa Venegas
Florist: Form Florals
Hair: By Brookelle Hair
Make-up: Jacqui Bradfield MUA
The dress: Huntleigh Designer Jane Hill from Sphere Bridal Gallery
Dress Alterations: Kim Marcel
Shoes: Verali
Veil / headwear: White Etoile
Rings: Cullen Jewellery
Suits: Stewarts Menswear
Catering and bar: Sabre Catering
Cake / Cake topper: A Tiny Bit Marvellous
Stationery / Signage: Sage by Annalise
Entertainment: XO Sounds – Laura & Joe
Décor: Dear Leone, Table Art, Rendr
Hire: Salters Hire
