Real Wedding – Alli & Daniel, Brunswick VIC
With a background working in the wedding industry, Alli has seen it all. So when it came to planning her own wedding alongside her partner Daniel, the two of them knew where their priorities lay. They wanted to capitalise on time spent with their loved ones, a beautiful venue to showcase elements that reflected ‘them’ and they made sure to enlist the help of wedding vendors they trusted to make everything as seamless as possible.
With the likes of Louise Treacy capturing each fun-filled moment and Youki from Sugar Bee Flowers creating colourful floral treats for the eyes, the day was everything they hoped for.
The meeting.
We’re high school sweethearts and have been together for eight years now! Once we looked past the not-so-flattering school uniforms; neck ties and knee-length skirts, we realised we found each other pretty cute.
The ‘one’.
After university, we realised growing up alongside each other was a lot of fun. Things got serious when we became homeowners and puppy parents. We’ve always loved cheering each other on as we discovered our passions and careers, eventually becoming fully-fledged adults. So, it was a pretty easy choice to keep this going forever.
The proposal.
Sneaky Daniel planned a night away at a tiny home in Gippsland under the pretence of needing a break after a stressful month at work. By the fire, with our puppy Hazel watching the sunset behind the hills, Daniel got down on one knee and popped the question, with happy tears streaming down his face. Alli (and Hazel) excitedly said “Yes!” It was definitely the most peaceful, meaningful, and joyful night away. After waiting a while, Alli finally got her shiny diamond and the right to say ‘fiancé.’
Planning process.
Being the bride was extra special for me, as I’ve always worked in the event industry and have been part of countless beautiful weddings. As a Wedding Venue Manager with all the experience of wedding planning, we were very lucky to know what we were doing. From the start, we knew we wanted to focus on the most important wedding elements for us and completely forget the rest—no pressure to follow traditions we didn’t like. We chose to focus on marrying each other, wearing our dream outfits, drinking champagne, gathering all our family and friends in one room, and being actively part of the celebration with our guests. We steered clear of anything we felt was an unnecessary cost or a stressful activity, such as a bridal party, wedding cake, bridal introductions, or a first dance.
Even with our busy day jobs, we were always so excited about the time we spent planning, hanging out with our suppliers, and shopping for everything we needed. We made sure to keep the planning fun, easy, and meaningful. Fortunately, we knew some of the best wedding vendors who helped bring our dream day to life—and they did!
Style inspiration.
I LOVE big and beautiful weddings, and luckily for me, I get to see them all the time. It would have been VERY easy for me to go all out on styling, but I chose to pare it back and not go overboard so we could prioritise the budget on other important aspects. However, I still wanted a modern, elegant, colourful style with HEAPS OF BEAUTIFUL FRESH FLOWERS! It was a must that our wedding venue had nice white walls to complement our soft linen tablecloths, colourful flowers, coloured napkins, landscape menus, and twinkling candles. I selected all my favourite flowers and styling items, arranging them simply to make the room feel inviting and special. Special thanks to Sugar Bee Flowers and Bow Creative for bringing it together perfectly.
I’ve always kept up to date with blogs and magazines because I’m obviously wedding-obsessed. Most importantly, I focused on real weddings to see what other couples enjoyed and what they prioritised within their budget. It’s inspiring to learn from other real-life experiences and see what works well among all the trends and ideas.
The ceremony (& first look!).
Can I take you back a couple of hours? Because before our ceremony, we had the most gorgeous and heartfelt first look. In the rain, on the steps of Parliament House, we revealed our wedding looks to each other. All the tears, nerves, and bridal photos were out before heading to our ceremony. This made walking down the aisle much more fun and exciting.
Other significant moments included our dog Hazel walking down the aisle, showing off my custom-made dress, feeling the ultimate sense of love in our vows, and accidentally trying to kiss Daniel before our first kiss. The whole ceremony went by in the blink of an eye. We were so lucky to have Sam Lavery guiding us through it because we forgot everything we had practised.
The look.
My personal experience made me realise that wedding dress shopping kind of sucked! Every dress was not made for my body type, and it was hard to find what I had envisioned. After discussing my complaints and concerns, my fashion-designer sister sketched the exact dress I was dreaming of and suggested I find someone to make it. So, I immediately contacted an amazing dressmaker in Adelaide, Greta Kate, and she was excited to bring it to life! The whole process was comfortable, and I ended up with the most stunning, short, pleated tulle dress that fit me like a glove.
Daniel’s suit was also custom-made by the incredible Wei at Oscar Hunt in Prahran. He was beyond chuffed with the whole process and tried so hard not to show me photos of what he thought was a very sexy suit. He kept it a secret from me, and when I finally saw it on the day, I totally agreed—very sexy!
Favourite moments.
Our favourite moment of the whole day was definitely the personal and intimate first look. Our second favourite moment was joining all the guests for cocktails after the ceremony to really welcome and thank them.
Meaning of marriage.
We have lived together and grown up together for a long time, so I thought nothing was really going to change once we got married. However, marriage is the ultimate choice to not only support each other through our own journeys but now really take on everything together, united as one. Wow, that is the most secure, loving, and purposeful partnership to have. No matter what comes our way, we get to create the most amazing life for each other and with each other.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: The Vow by Ruth Anne.
Signing: Gold by The Dreggs (this song was playing during the proposal).
First Dance: This is How You Fall in Love by Jeremy Zucker (we did our first dance with all the guests together).
Funny stories or near disasters.
Daniel was sick throughout the week of our wedding. I think he was trying to get out of the busy schedule of running wedding errands.
Planning surprises.
As someone who already knows and loves wedding planning, it was extremely eye-opening to see how it actually feels to be the bride in the lead-up to the wedding day. No matter how organised and prepared you are, there will always be waves of mixed emotions—stress, anxiety, social pressure, family concerns, self-doubt, fatigue, excitement, love, and fun. It’s a lot to go through, and I would never want any bride to feel alone in that!
Words of wisdom.
Be led by the professionals! A wedding planner and good vendors have all the experience, ideas, advice, and skills that you don’t know you need to have a successful wedding. No matter your budget or the size of your wedding, I want everyone to have a joyful, stress-free, and unique experience. Ask the experts any and all questions to help guide you to your dream day! A wedding planner is a must-have to ensure they professionally deal with the problems, timings, and details.
Also, take time to prioritise and remind yourself of what really matters on your wedding day. Focus on loving and celebrating your future partner, family, and friends. Your heart will be extremely happy and grateful every step of the way.
Piecing a wedding together and knowing where to start can be an overwhelming experience, so enlisting the help of a stylist can make the planning process practically stress-free! Check out our range of talented Wedding Stylists here to help bring your vision to life.
ALLI & DANIEL’S VENDORS
Pre-ceremony venue: Dessous Wine Bar – Thank you, Charlotte, for looking after us so well.
Ceremony & reception venue: The Wool Mill – Thank you, Tayra for your attention to detail and endless support.
Celebrant: Sam Lavery – After working with Sam for previous wedding clients, I knew Sam was always the best! Professional, friendly and funny. He knows how to read the room, make everyone feel comfortable, ensure the focus is on the couple getting married and he did all of this perfectly for Daniel and I! Thank you Sam.
Photography: Louise Treacy Photography – Louise was my only wedding supplier that I hadn’t previously met or worked with before. And boy am I glad that I put all my trust in her!! I was always so excited to book her because her style on Instagram was exactly what I wanted – light, bright and natural. Since day one, Louise has been extremely kind, helpful, and organised. We couldn’t be happier with our absolutely beautiful photos. Forever grateful!
Styling: Alli curated the design herself, and Kath from Bow Creative coordinated the set-up on the day! – Kath to the rescue! I knew I needed someone with style, talent and attention to detail to ensure everything looked amazing on the day – obviously, I had to call Kath! Thank you for coming to coordinate the set-up, problem-solve, hold a high beauty standard and calm me down before walking the aisle!
Florist: Sugar Bee Flowers – Youki is one of my best friends, as we have not only worked in the industry together since day one, but I have also worked for Sugar Bee Flowers. Therefore, I know that Youki and her team are the best in the business and no one else could do my style better. Youki is always positive, calm, passionate and professional. Her talent and expertise is more valuable than anything, and oh my the flowers LOOKED SO PERFECTLY BEAUTIFUL. Thank you, Youki, Yoki and Choko.
Hair & make-up: Eloise Hogan Makeup – Since my first trial, Eloise and I got along so well. Honestly couldn’t of picked a more calm, considerate, professional and talented artist. I am grateful for how she guided me to the perfect look and then made myself, mum and sister feel so confident on the day! Thank you Eloise.
The dress & veil: Greta Kate – The best thing I did for my wedding, was get a custom-made dress from Greta. Watching it transform from a sketch, to a little piece of fabric, to a whole wedding dress of my dreams was amazing. Insanely impressed and grateful for Greta’s talent, kindness and time whilst I would travel back and forth to Adelaide. Thank you!
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Rings: Grew & Co – Custom-made all of our stunning rings!
Suit & bow tie: Oscar Hunt
Stationery / Signage: M H Events
DJ & photobooth: Heart Break Hotel
Transport: Melbourne Star Chauffeurs
Linen: Table Art
Pet sitter: I Do Paws
