Real Wedding – Aimee and Ned, Vermont VIC
Aimee and Ned’s uplifting celebration is a vivaciously fresh harmony of modern elegance infused with genuine fun and effervescent feels. With stylist extraordinaire Black Finn Weddings at the helm, this is one glorious culmination of authentic emotion and visual bliss.
Not even a deluge of rain the morning of their dream day could stop Aimee and Ned and their friends and family from enjoying the sweetly stunning affair. Against the gorgeous setting of Ned’s family property, the party kicked off with a lighthearted, perfectly pitched ceremony by celebrant superstar Nat Sproal.
Aimee is a vision of chic contemporary style in her minimalist gown by Prea James Bridal from our friends at Bluebell Bridal. Casting an effortless silhouette, elevated with understated twist detail and on-point piecings, Aimee glows.
With the vibes high, the party just continued to intensify with Melbourne Entertainment Co making magic of the dance floor.
Scroll on to indulge in a beautiful endorphin hit as you soak up all the incredible images by lens legend Elsa Campbell.
The meeting.
We went to school together, but I (Aimee) was in the year level above Ned. It wasn’t until Ned finished school that we crossed paths at Falls Festival through mutual friends, and the love story began. Ned came up and formally introduced himself to me and said, “Hi, I am Ned; oh my god, you smell amazing.” I was a sucker for him then and there.
The ‘one’.
Aimee: The moment Ned told me he loved me, I knew he was the one. My cup never feels more full than when I am with him, and when he told me he loved me for the first time, I still remember thinking okay, he’s the one. This is pure magic.
Ned: I can’t think of a particular moment, but I did know very early on that Aimee was the one for me. Something a little later that solidified this was when my Nana was sick, and Aimee stepped up and helped everyone in my family through it. She is the most caring person ever, and that’s what I love most about her.
The proposal.
I had been waiting for a looong time for the proposal! And poor Ned had copped it left, right, and centre, with me asking when it was going to happen. In January of 2023 we headed off to Byron Bay for a week away. We landed, went for a swim in the ocean, and came back to the hotel for drinks before dinner. I was quietly devastated because I thought he wouldn’t propose because I couldn’t think where he would have hidden the ring. We were about to have a drink when he dropped down on one knee and asked me to marry him. A very easy yes. It was one of the best nights of our lives.
Planning process.
We felt super calm and organised in the lead up because we had all of our vendors and plans locked in very early; we also had Claire from Black Finn Weddings, our fairy godmother, that made sure everything in the lead-up ran seamlessly.
Style inspiration.
We always knew we wanted a cocktail style celebration and Ned’s family property had always been the dream venue. We wanted an effortless, timeless but fun aesthetic which came together perfectly on the day. Our amazing photographer Elsa shoots lots of fun and vibrant weddings so she helped influence our style for the night. We just wanted it to feel relaxed yet beautiful.
I was on Ivory Tribe daily looking at real weddings for inspiration. The amount of detail listed in the blogs as well as providing great references to vendors was super helpful. This is where we found our photographer Elsa who we just loved. The real weddings shown on Ivory tribe were so fun to look at in the lead-up. All the inspo!
The ceremony.
We had 20mm of rain on the day of our wedding, so it wasn’t exactly what we had hoped for! It was a really amazing moment when the rain cleared ten minutes before the ceremony began. They were able to open up the walls of the marquee, and the mood lifted. We had champagne for guests during the ceremony, so it felt fun, relaxed and intimate even with 170 guests.
Our celebrant Nat helped make everyone feel so comfortable. Our ceremony felt very real. Nat was incredible at rolling with the punches and adapting when things didn’t go to plan (like when the smoke alarm went off mid-ceremony and we had to pause for ten minutes so Ned’s dad could turn the alarm off!).
The look.
Aimee: I had a few dress fittings booked in, but within an hour of being at Bluebell Bridal, I had the perfect dress for me, so I cancelled all other appointments! I wanted something simple, comfortable and timeless and I knew Prea James Bridal was the exact designer I was after. A very simple but classic dress that I just love.
Ned: We had been to a few different places, but I ended up going with a Van Heusen navy suit that we found in Chadstone. I knew I always wanted navy because I am too pale to wear black! The suits looked great on all of us, so we were stoked to find them.
Favourite moments.
Aimee: Can I say all of it?! Speeches, probably, and then going straight into the best dancefloor was probably my highlight.
Standing there with Ned, listening to the people we love most say a few words about us, meant the world. And looking out to all of our guests just warmed my heart.
Our DJ and sax player from Melbourne Entertainment Co was phenomenal. He was the BEST and we all danced for five hours straight.
Ned: Seeing how happy Aimee was on the day. It was amazing.
Meaning of marriage.
Aimee: Knowing that it isn’t always going to be sunshine and rainbows, but having your person to ride those highs and lows with. Ultimately, knowing it’s not me against Ned against the problem, but us against any issues we face.
Ned: Having someone to share all the highs and lows with, everything we do is for the better of us as a team.
Wedding soundtrack.
Our aisle song was an acoustic version of Dela by the Beautiful Girls performed live by Olivia from Melbourne entertainment company.
Our reception entrance song was Signed, Sealed, Delivered done on the Sax. Again – our sax player was AMAZING. We didn’t do a first dance; we just wanted to be with everyone on the dance floor and share it with them all.
Funny stories or near disasters.
Definitely the smoke alarm going off mid-ceremony. Because it was at Ned’s family home, Blue Diamond catering were amazing at catering for 170 people in the family kitchen! The smoke alarm is SO loud and it went off right before our vows. It was actually a really funny moment. We had a little intermission mid- ceremony whilst Ned’s dad ran inside and turned it off. It gave Ned and I a chance to breathe, chat and soak it in.
Planning surprises.
It was a LOT more work than we thought. Claire from Black Finn Weddings was our savior in this department! I would recommend a coordinator to anyone doing a wedding on your own private property.
Words of wisdom.
Stay on top of everything with a spreadsheet! It was a lifesaver. And also, regular date nights to talk about things other than the wedding! It’s easy to get bogged down in it all, but remember to enjoy life outside of the wedding planning.
Wondering how to best ensure you’ve got that relaxed, radiant glow happening on your dream day? Here are our top tips for a stress-free celebration, starting the week of the wedding.
AIMEE & NED’S VENDORS
We actually had a real flow-on effect occur with our vendors. We found Elsa, our photographer, through Ivory Tribe. When we were chatting with Elsa, she recommended Claire from Black Finn Weddings, our coordinator, as well as our celebrant Nat. Claire then recommended the bar company, and it flowed from there! I am still so glad we found Elsa on Ivory Tribe. I feel like when all of your vendors are on the same page it brings it all together so much more seamlessly.
Ceremony & reception venue: Neds family home in Vermont
Celebrant: Nat Sproal
Photography: Elsa Campbell
Videography: Mitch and Nicole Weddings
Styling: Black Finn Weddings
Florist: Party Plants
Hair: Updos by Ash
Make-up: Makeup by Tahlia
The dress & veil: Prea James Bridal at Bluebell Bridal
Shoes: Mollini
Rings: Unique Diamonds
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Billy J
Suits & bow ties / ties: Van Heusen Black Label
Catering: Diamond Blue Catering
Bar: Finns Bar
Stationery / Signage: The Parker Effect
Entertainment: Melbourne Entertainment Company
Décor: Mostly DIY! We couldn’t find cafe tables that we liked, so we bought some and then painted them white. There wasn’t much, really; our beautiful florist Bec from Party Plants styled the place perfectly and then our coordinator went around and lit all of the beautiful pillar candles around dusk and it was just stunning. I bought most of these candles from marketplace.
Hire: Marquee Monkeys for our beautiful clear roof marquee, ceremony chairs as well as bar. The signage was done by The Parker Effect and we hired the “cheers to love” neon sign that went above the bar. Bar stools were from Celebrate Party Hire.
Honeymoon: A few nights initially at the W Hotel in Melbourne and a delayed honeymoon in Greece in June 2024.
Other: Stunning toilets (weird to say that!) that we hired from Gather Round Hire Company.
