Real Wedding – Alana & Tom, Bellarine VIC
It was a dream team of Tribe talent at the helm to bring Alana and Tom’s beautiful Bellarine celebration to life.
Beginning with a gorgeous gown by Georgia Young Couture and makeup by the master that is Hilary Holmes, Alana made her way down the aisle towards her happily-ever-after, Tom, and you could not wipe the smiles off their faces.
It was Celebrant Chloe who lead them in a love and laugh-filled ceremony, as they exchanged vows and then embraced their family and friends, lapping up the congratulations that came their way.
Of course, the florals is what really took this wedding day to the next level and we think you will agreed that Floral Architecture have absolutely nailed it when it comes to beautiful blooms.
Georgia Verrells snapped this stunning couple and the results are romantic and a true reflection of their love. But the day didn’t end there. Instead they hit the dance floor all night long with The White Tree who played hit after hit before sending them off into the night.
The meeting.
Tom and I met at a friend’s birthday party when we were just young 17-year-olds. Our love story didn’t blossom until a few years later after high school when we had our first kiss in the middle of a sticky dance floor at pub in town for uni night. As they say the rest is history and this year marks our 10 year anniversary.
The ‘one’.
Tom and I have been best friends for what seems like forever. Our relationship has always been easy, and we understand each other better than we perhaps know ourselves sometimes. I couldn’t imagine life without Tom by my side. When you know, you know.
In Tom’s words, ‘he just knew’.
The proposal.
I had booked a holiday for Tom’s birthday up to Noosa for a week. Noosa is one of our favourite places and I thought it would be nice to enjoy some time away to celebrate. Tom clearly had other ideas for this week away.
On our first morning in Noosa, Tom took me for an early morning walk up through the National Park to a beautiful look out that views the Noosa main beach. Stunning. So stunning, in fact, that all I was interested in doing was taking the most amazing pictures to send to my girlfriends and then rushing off to the breakfast pancakes I had read all about the night before. Clearly, I was very unsuspecting of what was about to happen.
Tom had been talking to me for a few minutes whilst I was enjoying the views, me not entirely listening at this stage. To my surprise when I turned around, Tom was one knee and proceeded to say many more beautiful things to me. Tom asked me to marry him and I couldn’t have been more ecstatic. (also mortified I hadn’t been listening to him the whole time). After seven years of dating I couldn’t have been more excited to plan the rest of our lives together.
The process.
The planning process was really fun. I am a fairly organised person and straight away we booked in the venue and our amazing celebrant, Chloe. We had an idea of how we wanted our wedding day to look and feel but we weren’t sure how to bring all of the ideas together and co-ordinate such a special day.
The beautiful girls at Storytime Weddings & Events were the perfect duo to bring all of the ideas together into one vision. Bec and Tegan worked closely with us over many months and assisted us in planning all aspects of our day. The girls had thought of every fine detail and were happy to co-ordinate and discuss our vision with the other vendors to create the perfect day for us.
We were able to enjoy the lead up to our wedding with close family and friends without the stress of coordinating the biggest event of our lives.
Style inspiration.
Minimal and modern.
The look.
My dress was a beautiful Georgia Young Couture gown. I loved all of Georgia’s designs because they were modern and contemporary but also had a mix of geometric patterns to be a little bit more individual. Georgia’s Carlton studio was so beautiful and an amazing experience from start to finish. As soon as I tried on her gowns I knew I would find my perfect dress here. The ‘Waldorf’ gown was so beautiful and I knew it would be the perfect dress for me.
Tom wore a beautiful black tuxedo from MJ bale and looked so handsome.
Wedding soundtrack.
Ceremony: Hands I can hold by Ziggy Alberts and Can’t help falling in love by Elvis Presley (performed acoustic by Troy Elliot).
Reception entry: You make my dreams come true performed by The White Tree
First dance: Stand By Me performed by The White Tree
Favourite moments.
Our favourite moment was seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony. So many emotions and such a special moment to share with our closet friends and family.
Any funny stories (or near disasters).
On the morning of our wedding Tom picked up the keys from our honeymoon suite and decided on his return he and the boys would go for a swim at the beach. Sun was shining, perfect day for it! Tom unfortunately had swam in the only pair of jocks he had packed himself for the day of the wedding! Luckily we have an awesome best man who kindly gave Tom a pair of jocks for the day!
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage to us is a forever commitment to adventure through life together, sharing our craziest thoughts, laughter and dreams with your best friend.
Words of wisdom.
Enjoy the process and don’t be afraid to ask some special friends for their help and advice along the way. Plan your wedding day in stages and ticking things off your list of ‘to-do’s’ over several months makes the process seem far less daunting.
Most of all, have fun with the lead up to your wedding day because it will all be over so quickly.
Want a day filled with romance like the celebration of Katrina and Hugh in Red Hill? Check out their wonderful wedding day and be inspired for your own.
ALANA & TOM’S TRIBE
Ceremony and reception: Terindah Estate – the most beautiful location with a view of Corio Bay and the You Yangs.
Celebrant/Officiant: Chloe Jetson – Chloe is truly an amazing wedding celebrant with a real passion for love and weddings. Chloe is inspired, and a fabulous support throughout the wedding processes and especially on the day. We couldn’t thank Chloe enough and highly recommend her to anyone.
Photography: Georgia Verrells – From the first time we met with Georgia, we knew she would be the right photographer for us. When we mentioned to Georgia we have a border collie that we were thinking of having in some of our wedding photos, she was so excited for us and helped in any way she could to make it happen. What a legend! We are certainly not a couple who are comfortable in front of the camera, but Georgia made us feel relaxed and we had so much fun with her. Golden Hour – need I say more. The most amazing time of our wedding night, captured beautifully. Georgia is a true talent and has a real passion for weddings!
Styling: Storytime Wedding and Events – Bec and Tegan were the most amazing duo to work with. From the beginning of planning our wedding they took our vision and ideas and made it into magic. Every aspect of the planning was made easy by their experienced and skills as wedding stylists. Bec and Tegan co-ordinated with every vendor and created the most amazing event space. We loved what they put together and highly recommend them to anyone seeking an event styling team.
Florist: Floral Architecture
Hair: Rococo Hair Lounge Ballarat
Make-up: Hilary Holmes Makeup
The Dress: Georgia Young Couture – From the moment I stood in the Carlton studio I knew I was in for an amazing experience. Georgia’s collection of dresses are stunning. Minimal, modern, contemporary and all over amazingness ! My appointments were always on schedule and we were always given time to enjoy the moment. ‘saying yes to the dress’ was so easy. The studio with the pink door made my dreams come true and I instantly fell in love with my gown. Thanks Georgia x
Veil / headwear: Georgia Young Couture
Shoes: Sophia Webster – My best friend and Maid of Honour purchased the most amazing pair of rose gold leather wedding shoes for me as a surprise! Stunning! Comfortable and a shoe to dance the night away in.
Rings: Duffs Jewellers
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy
Menswear: MJ Bale
Cake: Diane Rinaldi (family friend)
Stationery / Signage: Abbey Lane Design – Abbey created not only a beautiful invitation for us to share with our guests but worked closely with the girls at Storytime Wedding and Events to create beautiful stationery and signage to feature throughout our wedding that flowed seamlessly with our vision. Abbey was so easy to work with and is talented with her bespoke designs.
Entertainment: Troy Elliot (ceremony) – a great friend of our who was happy to play any song that we desired to create the perfect ceremony for us. He is a truly gifted musician.
The White Tree (reception) Mark and the members of The White Tree sure know how to create an amazing party vibe. We had a six-piece band and loved dancing with them all night.
Honeymoon: Noosa and Byron Bay
