Suspended lilies and a pleated Danielle Frankel gown
It was only fitting Tilly and Tyler were married at a winery.
Lake Breeze has been woven into both their lives for years – Tyler growing up among the vines with his dad, and Tilly finding a home in Langhorne Creek and spending eight years working at the winery. There was never really anywhere else they could have said “I do”.
And what a wedding it was.
A bride in the prettiest pleats, Tilly’s Danielle Frankel gown set the tone for a day where fashion and styling took centre stage. With Tilly as the creative force and Tyler backing her all the way, Lake Breeze was transformed into a work of art – from a floral ceremony installation that felt like a stage to cascading white lilies suspended throughout the reception.
But beneath all the beauty was one very clear brief: make it romantic, make it elevated, and make it a bloody good party.
With hand-designed details, wine made from grapes picked from their parents’ property, family heirlooms woven throughout and a tambourine-filled entrance to the reception, they delivered exactly that.
Captured by the talent that is Kinship by Kristy, our jaws are still on the floor after seeing this day.
The meeting.
Tyler and I met properly for the first time while working as kitchen hands/waitstaff at the Bridge Hotel in the second half of 2014. Tyler would have been 16, and I, 15. It must have been a Tuesday night, because that was always the night he worked to help bring the kegs up from the cellar, and I was just covering a shift for another staff member.
I remember blushing to myself all evening while washing the dishes in that tiny little kitchen, but I didn’t have the nerve to say much more than the initial ‘Hi’ after being introduced. It wasn’t until Tyler was 19 and I was 18 that we started talking.
The one.
Tilly: I can’t remember one specific moment, more like a culmination of many little ones.
Tyler: I remember from the start. I didn’t know it at first, but looking back now I just remember thinking, hey – this girl is pretty good, but I realise now that young naïve me just didn’t realise that she was the one.
The proposal.
It was on our five-year anniversary. Tyler also happened to be graduating from his Master of Viticulture and Oenology, so I romantically got to sit in on the graduation ceremony for two hours. I really didn’t mind, though, because I was so proud!
Little did I know, he had borrowed a ring from his mum, and it had been sitting in his pocket since about 8am.
I should’ve seen it coming, because that evening at dinner at a restaurant called Fino Vino, there was nothing he said no to. They had a $100 steak special on that evening, which we shared with some charred Brussels sprouts and duck-fat potatoes, paired with a 2018 Janere Falanghina. Criminal to pair such a steak with a white, but he let me have it. This wouldn’t be far off my perfect meal.
After dinner, Tyler drove us back to my parents’ place in Langhorne Creek. I had slept pretty much the whole way home and got out of the car to walk inside. Tyler got out of the car but had left his lights on. I was half asleep still, so just said, “Your lights are still on,” and kept walking.
Tyler just stood in the headlights and said, “I know,” which made me turn around and say, “Well, turn them off.”
I didn’t realise that he’d left them on in the hopes that his dashcam would still be recording (spoiler: it wasn’t). He got down on one knee, I think I said, “Of course,” and the rest is history.
Even though we didn’t end up getting the moment captured on camera, it was so perfect. Just the two of us in the quiet of our hometown, under the stars.
Planning process.
For us, it could have only ever been at Lake Breeze. Being a member of the Follett family, Tyler grew up helping his dad, Tim, in the vineyard. His first ‘real’ job (aside from pruning vines, packing and labelling with his dad) was working in the restaurant. My family and I moved to Langhorne Creek when I was 12 years old, and it became an instant home for us. I’ve been working at Lake Breeze for eight years (pretty much since Tyler and I have been together), first as a waitress and kitchen hand, then as a member of the Cellar Door team and currently as the Cellar Door Manager. Needless to say, it’s a pretty special place for both of us. Tyler is also lucky enough to still have all his grandparents with us, and they all live very close by, so it made a lot of sense logistically.
We’ve both had the privilege of working many a wedding at Lake Breeze, so we went into our planning with two main goals. One, have a wedding that is utterly authentic to us, and two, create an event the likes of which Lake Breeze has never seen. Tyler really gave me full rein with the creative side of planning, but every decision we made was made with intention and made together.
We wanted every part of our day to be an experience for our guests. I found that every new task gave me an opportunity to one-up myself creatively. It started with our save-the-dates, and then broadened to our invites, our wedding wine labels and our menus. It was really important to me that I was able to do as much of the work for our wedding as possible, so I designed and printed them all myself.
It became a game by the end: how can we make this even better? What more can we do? Did this mindset lead to a bit of extra stress along the way? Most definitely. But what a privilege it was to be stressed about marrying the love of my life!
Style inspiration.
We wanted the style of our wedding to feel romantic and elevated, but also to be a bloody good party too. Grapes and fruit have definitely become a trend in wedding styling recently, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to style with them. With both of us working in the wine industry, it would be criminal not to!
We wanted every part of our day to have a touch of us in it. It started with our save-the-dates. I designed essentially what was a playing card. The artwork was a culmination of us. From our hobbies and jobs to niche jokes about our childhoods, it was truly authentic to us. Once we had the original design, we took it and ran. The invites were next, then the food menu and bar menus.
Our favours were bottles of Shiraz, made by Tyler and me from grapes picked from our parents’ property, and we were lucky enough to have everyone involved in making the wine in attendance at our wedding.
Two of the barrels in the barrel wall on the terrace were the barrels Tyler and I made our first two wines in. Our mirror welcome sign now belongs to my parents but was my grandfather’s, and the car I arrived in was the same model he used to drive.
We had my grandmother’s grand piano, the piano I learned to play on, moved to the terrace for cocktail hour, with the incredibly talented Kym Purling playing for the afternoon.
The ceremony.
We were lucky enough to do things a little differently at Lake Breeze. We had our ceremony on the terrace directly outside the Cellar Door. This meant I got the perfect ‘door opening’ moment. We had guests up on the balcony looking out over the ceremony and vineyard, which created a great confetti moment. Tyler had put up some stacks of barrels to separate the ceremony space from the cocktail hour space, which was closed off with draping. It felt so intimate and special. Looking out over the vines on such a perfect day felt like pure magic. We didn’t tell either of our mums that we wanted them to be our witnesses but had our celebrant Corey surprise them. Both my mum Karlene and Tyler’s mum Dionne did so much to help in putting the day together, it felt like a truly special way to honour them both.
The outfits.
I originally had my heart set on a different gown by Danielle Frankel. My mum and I flew up to Brisbane to visit Bloom Australia and try the Eloise gown on, but after trying it, I was so underwhelmed. Not to say that this dress was by any means underwhelming; it just did not suit me at all.
We tried a few different styles, and Sam from Bloom was a godsend! She showed us the Sinclair gown, and I could not stop thinking about it. I tried a few other dresses on from other studios, but no matter what, I couldn’t take my mind off those stunning pleats!
My mum and I chatted all the way home, and by the time we landed in Adelaide, I had an email drafted and ready to confirm the Sinclair gown!
Favourite moment.
Tilly: It’s so hard to choose just a single favourite moment, but I have a few that spring to mind. It sounds cliché, but the first was when the doors opened just before my dad walked me down the aisle. Seeing Tyler at the end, with all of our family standing there. The weather was so perfect, and the glory vine over the Cellar Door at Lake Breeze had gone the most perfect burgundy colour.
The second was seeing the reception space for the first time. We’d set up the tablecloths on Wednesday, and Georgia from Lake Breeze suggested that, if it was possible, I should stay away from the reception area until Saturday. Everything was starting to fall into place, and everyone around us made sure that I went nowhere near the reception area. I had been so involved in the planning and styling of the day, so it was such a magnificent treat to have the surprise of the full reveal on the day.
We stayed together the night before at Old Bull Creek Retreat in Strathalbyn. Waking up early and having a peaceful start to the day felt like the perfect way to set the tone for the rest of the day. We watched the sunrise from bed together, had a coffee and some breakfast as the day got brighter. It was really nice to spend that time just as us.
Tyler: The moment we entered the reception. Georgia surprised us by getting all the guests to stand up on their chairs when we entered, and to walk into that, with all of them banging on their tambourines, was incredible.
Meaning of marriage.
Tilly: Marriage to me is all about bearing witness to the wonderful person you’ve chosen to live your life with. You’re promising to watch them grow and live their life, and to choose every day to love and learn with your person. It’s about growing into two halves of a greater whole.
Tyler: It’s both everything and nothing. Nothing changes because I’ll wake up beside the same person I love, and we’ll continue building the life we’ve already created together. But everything changes because, in that moment, we make a promise that reaches beyond today – a promise to Tilly, to our family and to each other. A promise that says: of all the paths life could take, I choose you, always.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Wash – Bon Iver
Signing song: Our time is Short – Gang of Youths
Recessional: Tongue Tied – Grouplove
Reception: Can’t take my Eyes Off You – Franki Valli
First Dance: Le Symoblique – Gang of Youths, which transitioned into Let Me Down Easy – Gang of Youths as a perfect dance floor opener for us!
Funny stories (or near disasters).
There are a couple that spring to mind! One of my beautiful bridesmaids, Jess, was pregnant and due on our wedding date! We had many a chat in the lead-up, and I wanted to make sure Jess knew that if at any point she wasn’t feeling up to it, I would completely understand if she needed to pull the plug. I seriously would not have minded if Jess had told me that morning that she wasn’t feeling up to it. Her and her baby’s health were more important to me. Being the absolute trooper she is, Jess was there for hair and makeup at 6:30am and stayed right through until after the main course at about 8:30pm! Jess’s gorgeous little baby arrived the following Tuesday.
The second was walking face-first into an espresso martini on the dance floor! My face was dripping, and it had saturated the front of my dress! Luckily, I did have a second outfit. I thought I wasn’t going to end up changing into it as I was having too much fun, but an espresso martini shower was the universe’s way of making me change. Carla Zampatti to the rescue.
Lastly, I managed to do my knee while doing the limbo on the dance floor. Luckily, it was just a small meniscus tear, but enough to make hiking in Freycinet over the next week difficult!
Planning surprises.
It got pretty overwhelming at times. I must admit that I didn’t make it easy on myself by doing pretty much all of the stationery and styling myself, but even so, there are a million and one decisions to make, and so many people have opinions. I think it’s easy to get swept up online with trends and feel like you’re not doing things right. Taking a step back and taking the time to not be in active planning mode was incredibly important!
Words of wisdom.
Enjoy every second of the insanity that is the lead-up. What an incredible privilege it is to be stressed about marrying the love of your life and celebrating with those you love. Take the day as slowly as possible, and don’t take the quiet moments for granted.
From Tyler’s perspective, just say yes. Do what you can to help and just be there with your wife the whole way through. Help her stay organised to avoid being overly stressed in the lead-up, because life already has enough going on.
Tilly and Tyler’s Vendors
Ceremony and reception venue: Lake Breeze Wines
Reception venue / location: Lake Breeze Wines
Celebrant: Corey Billows
Photography: Kinship by Kristy
Videography: Lachy Films
Styling: Tilly Maywald/Georgia Fairhead
Florist: Bloomhaus ADL
Hair: Hair by Amanda Muss
Make-up: Johnny Thorpe MUA
The dresses: Danielle Frankel, Carla Zampatti
Veil / headwear: Danielle Frankel, Carla Zampatti
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Rings: Everett Brookes
Bridesmaid’s dresses – if applicable: L’idée Woman
Suits and accessories: Peter Shearer
Catering and bar: Lake Breeze Wines
Favours: Tilly Maywald and Tyler Follett
Cake / Cake topper: Clodagh Riley (bridesmaid)
Stationery / Signage: Tilly Maywald
Entertainment: Kym Purling (Pianist), Dylan from Tennyson Events (DJ)
Audio Guestbook: Off the Hook
Transport: Impressive Impalas of Adelaide, Waikerie Coaches
Hire: Adelaide Wedding Hire, Adelaide Hills Party Hire, Olympic Hire
Honeymoon: Freycinet, Tasmania
