Butter yellows and vineyard views at Zonzo Estate
With sweeping vineyard views, glowing festoon lights and a packed dance floor, Sophie and Brandon’s wedding at Zonzo Estate was the perfect mix of romance and celebration. Drawn to the venue’s charming chapel for an intimate ceremony, the couple also loved the relaxed outdoor spaces where guests could mingle and enjoy the stunning surrounds. The day was beautifully captured by Jessica Rose Photography.
A standout moment for the couple was seeing each other for the first time down the aisle before sharing heartfelt vows with loved ones. Sophie looked incredible in a timeless strapless gown, complemented perfectly by her bridesmaids in soft yellow dresses, while Brandon channelled his inner James Bond in a tailored suit from Institchu.
Their styling featured dusty pink and white rose bouquets paired with lush greenery and subtle pops of blue throughout the day. As the sun set, the newlyweds shared a beautifully rehearsed first dance beneath twinkling festoon lights before Logan Entertainment’s DJ and saxophone set brought the dance floor to life.
Their top wedding planning tip? Set aside weekly time to plan together and treat it like a date night to stay organised and enjoy the process along the way.
The meeting.
We met at a mutual friend’s birthday in 2016! We immediately hit it off and became good friends.
The one.
It was never one particular moment, rather a steady build-up of small but special moments that made it so easy to fall in love.
The proposal.
We were in Daylesford celebrating our 7-year anniversary, as it’s one of our favourite places to spend a relaxing weekend together. While I (Sophie) had been secretly hoping Brandon would propose sometime soon, I certainly didn’t expect a casual walk in the gardens to lead to a romantic picnic set-up looking over the mountains with the sun shining and celebratory champagne waiting. Brandon got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. We spent the afternoon celebrating together, enjoying the beautiful picnic and sharing in the details of how he pulled this off without me having any idea!
Later that night, Brandon took us to a special dinner reservation he had booked for us. We turned up at a seemingly ordinary pub in Daylesford, which quickly turned into happy tears when we walked in to find our entire family waiting to surprise me. Brandon knew how important family is to me, and it was truly special that he’d organised for everyone to be there to celebrate our engagement together. I can’t believe no one let it slip, especially my mum and sisters.
It will forever be one of the best days of our lives that will always have a special place in our hearts.
Planning process.
It all started with the shared vision of a winery wedding. Somewhere summery, inviting, with a relaxed yet enchanting atmosphere. We spent many weekends exploring the wine regions of Victoria to scout the perfect venue for our special day. For us, the venue was the crucial piece of the puzzle that we needed to lock in first. We eventually visited Zonzo Estate and immediately knew this was the venue for us. We secured our date for the March long weekend and then commenced the fun task of planning all the finer details.
We particularly enjoyed selecting our wedding rings together, choosing our cake flavour, designing our own invitations/stationary and styling our wedding website.
We made it part of our weekly routine to steadily plan our dream wedding. We made sure to pace ourselves so we could enjoy the process and feel organised as we approached the big day.
Style inspiration.
Our inspiration was centred on a summery, winery, wholesome vibe! We wanted a celebration that felt like us. A mix of traditional and modern components, with a stunning backdrop and delicious food! We loved Zonzo as a venue, and this was a key inspiration for us when it came to planning the finer details. We wanted a warm, inviting space where our guests could mingle both indoors and outdoors, with a picturesque vineyard backdrop.
We wanted to incorporate classic components such as the beautiful Capella Chapel as our ceremony location, dusty pink and white roses for florals, and we skipped the first look to keep the aisle moment extra special. However, we also put our own modern spin on things, such as no one walking Sophie down the aisle, a fun mash-up for our first dance and the addition of a saxophonist accompanying our DJ – which the guests loved!
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was held in the Capella Chapel at Zonzo, which is a gorgeous modern chapel that overlooks the vineyards. We had two beautiful flower towers with dusty pink and white roses, mixed with greenery and pops of pale blue and DIY-ed our own entrance mirror positioned at the chapel’s entrance. For our music, we had a live singer and guitarist, who performed a beautiful rendition of Can’t Help Falling in Love.
The moment we saw each other at the end of the aisle, it felt like time stood still just for us. It was such a special moment that we will forever cherish. It was incredibly heartwarming looking out to see all our favourite people gathered in one room to celebrate and witness our marriage. Our celebrant, Ashley, did such a beautiful job in telling our story of falling in love. We both enjoyed the process of crafting and reading out our personal vows to each other before we were officially declared husband and wife. Such a special part of the day and the perfect start to the celebration of our love!
The outfits.
Brandon: I asked around to everyone I knew who had either been married recently or wore suits often, and one particular name kept coming up, Institchu. I went in for a consult and designed my tuxedo, made from Australian wool. I picked the darkest black you could get, shiny lapels, customised inlay and embroidery of our names and wedding date. When I tried it on for the first time, I genuinely felt like James Bond!
Sophie: No bridal boutique came close to my experience with Gemma at Ivory Thread. She is extremely knowledgeable and offered such valuable, genuine advice. It ultimately came down to two dresses but on my second visit, I knew that my dress was the one. I truly felt like a princess! I especially love how my dress had a modern twist on an otherwise classic style and I received so many compliments from guests saying how well it suited me and my style.
I had my heart set on pale yellow dresses for my bridesmaids right from the beginning, and the girls all looked stunning! My mum ended up being my ‘something blue’ in a beautiful Carla Zampatti gown.
My ‘something old’ was my grandma’s gold ring, which we tied to my bouquet. Such a special way to keep her close to my heart on my special day, as I know she was watching from above.
Favourite moment.
We honestly can’t pick just one moment! The whole day was amazing, and we were blessed with beautiful weather while celebrating our love surrounded by our nearest and dearest. However, seeing each other down the aisle was a moment we will never forget. We deliberately decided not to do a first look for this very reason, as it made that moment so magical.
We also loved performing our first dance, as we’d been practising for months!
Meaning of marriage.
For us, marriage symbolises a lifetime of joy, true love and laughter together. It means that we are committed to one another through everything, the highs and the lows and everything in between.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle entrance: Can’t Help Falling in Love – Kina Grannis
Aisle exit: Today Was a Fairytale – Taylor Swift
Reception entry (bridesmaids/groomsmen did a fun dance): It’s Raining Men – The Weather Girls
Reception entry (Sophie & Brandon): When Love Takes Over – David Guetta, Kelly Rowland
First dance: Tenerife Sea (Ed Sheeran) mixed with Lay All Your Love on Me (ABBA)
Sparkler exit: Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Only one small thing comes to mind; because Healesville is quite a small town, it just so happened that some of our wedding guests had booked an Airbnb right next to where the girls were getting ready. This meant that the bridesmaids had to stay vigilant to make sure the guest didn’t see any spoilers!
Planning surprises.
We didn’t think we would be such perfectionists about the smallest things. I’m talking, changing the hue of a wedding invitation by one fragmentary centimeter of colour to get the perfect shade of yellow. Just the sheer amount of work it takes to make one day happen took us by surprise, so many decisions, little and big, that go into making the day happen.
We now have so much respect for the level of detail and planning that goes into a wedding. Big shout out to our friend Meg who shared her amazing wedding planning template, which helped us gather all key info in one place to ensure everything on the day ran smoothly.
Words of wisdom.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to your friends and family for support with ideas, decisions, help with vendors or DIY jobs. Keep it consistent, make sure you do that little bit of planning each week and don’t forget to make it fun – like a date night with a nice dinner and a glass of wine, which will make the whole process so enjoyable.
Final words.
We loved every second of our special day! Future couples should soak up every moment of the process – it’s such a special time and honestly brought us even closer together.
Sophie & Brandon’s Vendors
We used a mix of TikTok, Instagram and word of mouth to find our suppliers. Early on in our planning journey, I (Sophie) also attended a wedding expo, which provided some helpful suggestions and ideas. The most helpful resource for us was word of mouth and seeking out suppliers we liked from real weddings that we’d attended.
Ceremony & Reception venue: Zonzo Estate. The team at Zonzo are highly experienced and make the wedding process so easy and smooth, from planning right up to the actual running of the day. They were super responsive and helpful, not to mention flexible with the timeline on the day when things didn’t run precisely to schedule. All our guests raved about the beautiful venue and delicious food. We particularly loved having the option of doing our first dance out underneath the stars!
Celebrant: Ashley Mimma was amazing to work with from the beginning of our journey all the way to the big day. She made everything so simple and guided us through every step, always answering any queries that we had. We knew we wanted a calm, professional and genuine celebrant and Ashley was the perfect fit! She was proactive, organised and kind and we would highly recommend her to future couples seeking a personalised, genuine feel for their ceremony.
Photography: Jessica Rose Photography. We knew we wanted Jess to photograph our wedding from before we were even engaged! Jess was the photographer for Sophie’s cousin’s wedding and we absolutely loved those photos and knew we wanted a similar style for our wedding. We were so pleased to discover Jess had availability on our date and honestly had the best experience with her. Jess is incredibly skilled at what she does and is also an extremely friendly, easy going person – the perfect person to have around on your wedding day! We are over the moon with the images and couldn’t recommend Jess more highly.
Florist: Flowers of Yarra Glen. Allie perfected our floral vision! She offered really valuable advice, such as suggesting we include subtle pops of soft blue in the flower towers to tie in nicely with the soft yellow bridesmaid dresses. We didn’t have to worry about a thing on the day, as everything was set up beautifully.
Hair: Hair by Christine D. Christine was honestly amazing. She is incredibly skilled at all sorts of hair styles and experienced with all hair types. She helped create a calm, enjoyable atmosphere at the girl’s house the morning of getting ready and ensured all 6 of us had perfect hair ready in time for photos. She brought my vision of soft hollywood bridal waves to life! Christine is genuine, professional and so talented – everyone looked beautiful and commented on how Christine was the perfect choice!
Make-up: Natasha Sana Artistry. From the moment I met Tash at my trial, I knew I had secured the perfect person to do my makeup for my big day. Tash is professional, knowledgeable and kind. She genuinely cares about her clients and goes above and beyond to ensure everyone is happy with the final product. Tash was also super helpful with recommending suitable products for my skin-type. My wedding morning with my bridesmaids and mum was so relaxing and this is in large part a testament to Tash’s organisation, skills and calming presence. We all looked and felt our absolute best – I would book Tash again in a heartbeat!
The dress: Ivory Thread and the dress designer was Elli Nicole Bridal. I’ve mentioned above how special my experience was with Gemma at Ivory Thread. She is an angel and so incredibly knowledgeable and genuine. I adored my dress – it was the perfect dress for me and made me feel like a real-life princess! So soft and elegant, yet playful and fun. My getting ready outfit was from Homebodii. Pearl earrings were from Mejuri.
Veil: Also purchased at Ivory Thread from Madam Tulle.
Shoes: I wore two pairs- Steve Madden and LMS Shoes. The Steve Madden pair were perfect for the ceremony and tied together with my pearl earrings The LMS pair were a comfier (but still gorgeous) option thanks to the ankle strap and I switched to this pair for our reception entrance and beyond.
Rings: Cullen (Sophie’s) & Giannis Jewellers (Brandon’s)
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Billy J. The girls tried on so many yellow bridesmaids dresses before we found the perfect one, which happened to be the most affordable option! Definitely don’t discount the cheaper options as they may end up surpassing the quality of the more expensive brands, which is what happened for us.
Suits: Institchu. I had asked around to a lot of friends about suit recommendations and Institchu was a recurring name. The staff were super friendly and walked us through all the different suit styles, lapels, shades, materials. They made the whole process so easy to construct the perfect suit for the big day for myself and all the groomsmen. The turnaround time of 6 weeks to get a custom suit made and another 1 week for alterations was a perfect turnaround time, plus free alterations leading up to the day for any weight fluctuations was a nice peace of mind too. When we tried on our suits, we were blown away with the quality and care for detail.
Bow ties / ties: MJ Bale
Favours: Homemade heart-shaped cookies made by Sophie’s sister! So yummy and tied in perfectly with the pops of yellow (think limoncello, bridesmaids etc.)
Cake: Cakes by Elise M. Elise created the most exquisite, stunning cake for us that tied in perfectly with the theme of our wedding. She used fresh flowers, soft pinks and texture to create a masterpiece! We also had so many compliments weeks after our wedding about how delicious the cake was. We’ve frozen a piece to share on our anniversary and can’t wait to relive the special memories when that time comes. We would recommend Elise in a heartbeat and will definitely be using her for other celebrations and events.
Content creator: Capture Collective. Chanel captured all the important moments on our day and worked so seamlessly with our photographer, right through from getting ready to the end of reception formalities and our first dance. We’ve loved watching all the content back and reliving the special moments together.
Entertainment: Live musician for ceremony & canape hour: Lily Georgia. We saw Lily 18 months before our wedding singing in Sorrento and when we heard her singing one of our favourite songs we knew we had to book her. Her voice is angelic and so versatile, singing every song we requested without the slightest hiccup. She was super professional and friendly and made our ceremony feel inviting and romantic.
DJ & Saxophonist: Logan Ent. We saw Dani performing at a friend’s wedding and her vibe was electric; we were immediately convinced she was who we wanted to DJ our reception. Dani was super organised and professional and ensured the music for the night reflected our style.
Transport: McKenzie’s
Dance lessons – Dance with Taryn. Taryn did a fabulous job choreographing our first dance. We knew we wanted a mix of classic and fun and when we proposed our songs to Taryn, she was completely on board. She helped us perfect the dance whilst ensuring the process was fun and not too overwhelming. The dance lessons together were a highlight in our wedding journey.
Honeymoon: European summer (can’t wait!)
