Real Wedding – Alisha & Steele, Spring Hill VIC
Unbridled excitement, euphoric energy and killer looks encapsulate Alisha and Steele’s dream day celebrations.
Paying homage to their country roots, Camp David farm provided the ultimate setting for this epic party to unfold. Mountains of soft vanilla, blush and sweet apple florals are accented with touches of cornflower and cobalt blue, setting the tone for a celebration filled with romance but enhanced with the best upbeat energy.
Our own superstar celebrant Jo Betz launched the fun in a light-hearted, effortlessly joy-filled ceremony. And the occasion truly kicked off in style, with Alisha making a moment at the top of the aisle, looking every bit a chic modern goddess in her stunningly styled gown by Kyha. And, of course, the smile on Steele’s face was radiant in response.
From there, the party continued in the masterful hands of entertainers, Hey Jack, while our newlyweds snuck away for a portrait session to wow in the hands of Tess Follett, photography legend. Alisha appeared in her party fit, a stunningly sleek gown by Georgia Young, with a mini hemline wrapped to perfection in layers of soft draping – all topped off with a spontaneous chopped bob, a bold move that we absolutely love!
Scroll on for every epic detail.
The meeting.
We met at Future Music Festival in 2012. We are both from Shepparton but didn’t know each other at the time we met. A mutual friend introduced us in the Die Antwoord tent!
The one.
Steele and I didn’t start officially dating until February 2013. I felt like I knew Steele was the one when I first met him. He told our celebrant, Jo, that he also knew I was the one from early on in our relationship. I’m not totally convinced, given it still took him seven years to propose!
The proposal.
Steele proposed in January 2020 when I was six weeks pregnant with our daughter, Matilda. He tells me he had the ring for a few months. I know this is true because I opened the glove box to his car one day and saw the Anton bag in it! He told me to close it very quickly. The actual proposal took place while I was sitting on the couch in our loungeroom before we were due to have dinner with my family. We ended up telling my immediate family and Steele’s mum about the engagement and pregnancy on that day.
Planning process.
We went and met with Lori at Camp David Farm in May 2020 in between lockdowns and knew instantly that we wanted to be married there. The wedding was originally planned for 30 October 2021. We assumed 18 months would be far enough away for that “Covid thing” to be a distant memory. We were wrong!
With over two years to plan and organise everything, the lead up to the wedding did not feel stressful at all. Lori took care of the styling, signage, and flowers for us. She also sourced the caterer. She was amazing. With very little guidance from me, Lori always seemed to know exactly how I wanted things to look and feel.
Style inspiration.
Steele said he wanted to get married somewhere out of Melbourne with a lot of grass. I started looking for somewhere on the “Shepparton side” of Melbourne and came across Camp David Farm. The property is breathtaking. It has a country/farm feel, without being “too” country/farmy!
Overall, we just wanted everyone to have a relaxed and fun day. This became even more important after going through two years of Covid lockdowns and being separated from our friends and family that were in regional Victoria, interstate and overseas.
For inspiration, I really just scrolled Instagram and looked at blogs, like Ivory Tribe. I didn’t want to spend too much time worrying about little details and I felt confident that with all the amazing vendors we had working with us, the day would come together in the end.
The ceremony.
We wanted the ceremony to have a level of formality that was appropriate for a wedding but for the rest of the day to be relaxed with a party vibe. We chose to have our bridal party seated during the ceremony so that it was just the two of us up the front. This allowed our bridal party to watch the ceremony too. Our daughter passed Steele our rings during the ceremony which was also really special – mainly because I thought she might either throw the box or refuse to do it!
The look.
Steele didn’t want to wear a tuxedo so he worked with Mark at Menzclub to choose a suit that wasn’t too formal, but formal enough for a wedding.
Originally, KYHA Studios were making me a custom dress which was the same as the jumpsuit at the top but obviously had a skirt rather than pants at the bottom.
After everything was put on the backburner for a year when we moved the wedding, I saw that Georgia Young had released a dress called Cobalt which eventually became my reception dress.
Georgia has generously made me four dresses to wear to the Brownlow Medal over the years and I really felt like it would be nice to wear one of her bridal dresses at the wedding. I tried the Cobalt dress on and loved it. I knew I wanted to wear it to the reception, so I asked her to make it without the train. Once I made the decision to wear Georgia’s dress to the reception, I felt like I needed to wear something different to the ceremony.
In mid-2022, I went to have my fitting with Adriana at KYHA Studios who designed the original ceremony dress. I told her that I was thinking about wearing a jumpsuit, rather than a dress, to the ceremony. Once the shock subsided (the dress was already well underway, which I didn’t realise at the time), she instantly arranged for the skirt to be detached from the top of the dress so I could try it on with pants and get an idea of how it would look. As soon as I tried on the bodice with the pants, I knew it was perfect for me. I cannot thank Adriana and the team at KYHA Studios enough for running with my idea and encouraging me to just go my own way with the jumpsuit.
Favourite moment.
I was so excited to get to the ceremony and see Steele and all our guests. I was bursting to get out there! I also really loved the small period between our photos being taken and the reception where the bridal party was all together (inside and warm!) having a drink.
My hairdresser and I had been joking about cutting my hair into a bob for the reception in the lead-up to the wedding. On the morning of the wedding, I still hadn’t decided if I would go ahead with it. Pru waited around for our photos to finish in case I decided to go ahead with the chop. Before I changed into my reception dress, we did it. Steele (and Lori and Tess our photographer) had no idea any of this was happening, so it was a really fun, YOLO moment!
Meaning of marriage.
Steele and I have lived together since 2013 and obviously now have a daughter together so getting married wasn’t going to change life for us in any tangible way. That said, it was important to both of us to make that commitment to one another. I suppose it feels as though getting married binds you together in a deeper way.
Wedding soundtrack.
The music was one of the most important parts of the day for me and I spent a really long time choosing the songs and playing them over and over to make sure they were right.
Aisle: Stand By Me by Ben E King
Signing: Say You Love Me by Fleetwood Mac
Recessional: Cinema by Benny Benassi
Reception entry: Go Bang by PNAU
First dance: Simply the Best (acoustic) by Noah Reid
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Victoria was going through La Nina 3.0 at the time of our wedding. A number of our family and friends were travelling to Spring Hill from Shepparton which, two weeks before the wedding, was completely flooded. The rain really just continued from there on in. It was a top of 12 degrees the day we got married, which was a tad colder than I was hoping for, I have to say!
Planning surprises.
Probably just the cost! In a way, I think it was helpful from that perspective that we did need to move the wedding because basically all the deposits were paid in 2020 and then we didn’t need to make the final payments until closer to the wedding date in 2022 so it didn’t feel like such a huge blow all at once.
Words of wisdom.
Try not to stress about things being perfect. I think there is a lot of pressure on couples to have weddings that are bigger and better these days, especially given all the content on social media. You and your guests are what will make your wedding special and unique, and you can’t plan that.
In the lead-up to the wedding, I kept thinking, have I ever been to a wedding that felt disorganised? Of course, the answer was no. If you trust the people you are working with, your day will come together perfectly.
Beginning the search for your dream day team? It can be overwhelming sorting through the seemingly endless options when you first begin your planning. So, to make things simple, check out our directory – we’ve assembled some of the best in the biz, here.
ALISHA & STEELE’S SUPPLIERS
Most of the amazing people involved in our wedding I either knew or came recommended to me by friends (Tess our photographer, Nathan our videographer, Georgia the dressmaker, Jo our celebrant, Janet who is the best tanner in Melbourne, Pru and Ellen the hairdressers, Cherie and Steph the make-up artists, Wayne Lynch the jeweller and Jinal at Carousel Cakes). Lori at Camp David Farm was my own discovery and a dream to work with. Lori then recommended Hey Jack to me who organised our acoustic duo, DJ and Sax player.
Instagram and blogs like Ivory Tribe are really a wealth of information when it comes to wedding planning!
Ceremony and reception location: Camp David Farm, Spring Hill
Celebrant/Officiant: Jo Betz – Jo oozes warmth and fun from the moment you meet her, so many people commented on how amazing she was as a celebrant.
Photography: Tess Follett – Tess also photographed Matilda as a baby and is a Shepp gal. We adore her.
Videography: Moon and Back Co – Nathan is Tess’ brother and also from Shepp. We knew one another at school.
Styling & florist: Camp David Farm
Tan: I was tanned by Janet at Tan & Beauty Lounge in Kew. I have been going to Janet since 2013 and she is hands down the best in Melbourne!
Hair: Pru and Ellen at Co Studio, Melbourne – Pru did my hair for the ceremony and then cut it and re-styled it (in about 15 minutes!) for the reception.
Make-up: Cherie Green and Steph Osmond – Cherie did my make up for the day
The dresses: jumpsuit – KYHA Studios, dress – Georgia Young Couture
Veil and earrings: KYHA Studios
Shoes: My shoes were Valentino. The bridesmaids wore Bared. Steele and the groomsmen wore R M Williams boots.
Rings: My engagement ring is Anton. Our wedding bands were made by Wayne Lynch in North Melbourne.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: The girls all wore different dresses – I just asked them to find something in an olive / khaki tone.
Suits & ties: Steele and the groomsmen wore suits from Menzclub
Catering: Peter Ford Catering
Bar: All of the wine at our wedding (save for the non-alcoholic wine) was from Fowles Winery
Cake / Cake topper: Carousel Ice Cream Cakes
Stationery / Signage & decor: Camp David Farm
Entertainment: Hey Jack
Transport: The guests were transported to and from the venue on Dyson buses
Neon sign: Our amazing neon sign was made by Little Pineapple Neon
Hire: Elderberry Events and Memphis Hire
Honeymoon: Elements of Byron (Byron Bay) and Halcyon House
