Real Wedding – Amelia & Joshua, Lorne VIC

Josh and Amelia’s dream day has it all; relaxed romance, sweet style and lashings of epic fun, all against a backdrop of blissfully beautiful coastal chic.

With Laura from Weddings of Desire at the styling and planning helm, this celebration was bound to be one low in stress and high in style. Anchoring the aesthetics is a vibe of vintage seaside, accented with hues of striking cornflower blue.

The florals are an incredibly unique and stunning concoction of creamy white blooms, lush greenery and blue upon blue. From vibrant azure accents to striking cobalt and soft ultramarine, the effect is blissfully beautiful. Contrasting to perfection are tablescapes of creamy textures, warm timber and vintage accents.

After a fun-filled ceremony by celebrant Kahani, the loved-up newlyweds took a moment to take it all in with photographer White Shutter, who created a vision of oceanic splendour in an epic series of portrait shots.

And our personal favourite moment of this divine day? When gorgeous Amelia dropped her skirt mid-reception to reveal a killer playsuit, ready to dance the night away with her handsome husband. For all the fun and fabulousness, scroll on!

The meeting.

We first met at high school when I was in year 11, and Josh was in the year below me. However, I actually met Josh’s Mum two years earlier on a three-week school trip to Fiji (where I had the one and only asthma attack of my life whilst snorkelling, and Josh’s Mum had to swim me to shore). Although we were friends at school, it wasn’t until Josh was fast running out of time to organise a date for his year 12 formal that one of his mates suggested he ask me. We started dating two weeks later.

The ‘one’.

There was no one defining moment when we knew we’d found the one, but rather a realisation over time that we didn’t want to live without each other.

The proposal.

Following the extended lockdown in 2020, we went to Lorne at the first opportunity we could.  Josh was really keen to go to the Californian Redwoods out the back of Apollo Bay for a picnic, but I was less interested. He convinced me to come by offering to make high tea sandwiches (think ham and pickles, coronation chicken, and cucumber and cream cheese) for a picnic. When we got to the forest, it was super busy with a group of loud girls discussing their wild night, seemingly following us, which I found funny, and Josh was freaking out about – not the most romantic backdrop for a proposal!

We wandered through the forest and up a little path away from the crowds, and Josh popped the question there. My first response was to ask, “does my Mother know about this?” before I promptly said yes!

We ended up taking our picnic to an area closer to Apollo Bay and enjoyed the sandwiches (and champagne that Josh had managed to pack without me knowing!) with no one else around.

Planning process.

I had followed Laura from Weddings of Desire for some time and knew that I would love to have her help with our wedding. We contacted her the week after Josh proposed and trusted every decision she helped us make. Our original date was in October 2021, but we had to delay by three months due to Melbourne still being in lockdown. Fortunately, we only had to delay once.

We had dinner with our bridal party and parents the night before, which was really special as we were able to share stories and reminisce with those most important to us. Following dinner, the whole bridal party stayed at the house, and we all got ready together the next day (although I made sure Josh didn’t get any sneak peek of my dress prior to me walking down the aisle!).

Style inspiration. 

We both love the colour duck-egg blue, and all our styling was based around this, from the floral selection to the invitations and bridesmaid dresses.

We wanted a formal look but a relaxed vibe. Whilst the surf club ensured that it was going to be relaxed, we wanted everyone to dress up and to have the opportunity to bring out their lockdown purchases!

For inspiration, looking at real weddings on the surf coast was really helpful, especially for finding a photographer and photo locations. We were also so lucky to have Laura to help us make decisions.

The ceremony.

Our ceremony was at my parent’s holiday house, where we have spent a lot of time. For us, it is and always will be a special place, and we will forever be reminded of our wedding day every time we go there.

We wanted our ceremony to be a celebration of us, and Kahani was brilliant. She wove our story into the ceremony perfectly and kept it light but also really heartfelt. We played rock, paper, scissors to decide who would read their vows first, which kept it fun.

I also couldn’t get Josh’s wedding band on, which was very funny and also made for some great photos!

The look. 

Josh wanted something classic, but that would stand out from the groomsman. We met with a few tailors and were looked after by Steve from Oscar Hunt, who helped kit Josh out in a navy velvet jacket.

My priorities were comfort and danceability. I visited numerous dress shops but couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I designed my outfit with Eva Tomala. I wanted something simple and classic that was easy to move in, so we designed a playsuit with a removable skirt over the top. It ensured I had a beautiful outfit for the day, but I could hit the dance floor later whilst still wearing my ceremony outfit!

Favourite moments.

When I removed my skirt after cutting the cake, surprising Josh and our guests.

Our sunset photos with Anne were also really special as we were able to have 20 minutes, just us, having fun and taking in the fact we were married!

Meaning of marriage.

Committing and formalising your relationship with your best friend and creating a life together that you know will have challenges, but ultimately there is no one else you would rather have by your side.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: I’m With You by Vance Joy

Signing: Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen

Funny stories or near disasters.

We had 71mm of rain on the day of our wedding, with no wet weather option planned (it was the middle of summer!). However, Laura and her team we absolutely amazing and worked their magic to move the planned ceremony location from the grass lawn less than 90min before the ceremony. Josh, the groomsman and my dad were also putting up a tarp until about 45min before the ceremony! Thankfully, it stopped raining during the ceremony, and it ended up being a lovely evening with a gorgeous sunset for photos!

Our original stationery and signage for the day did not arrive. Thankfully, Laura organised replacements in time (it was hand calligraphy name tags for 96 place cards, the food and drinks menus, the seating chart, welcome signs, etc.) and got them driven from Bendigo to Lorne in time for the wedding. We actually didn’t find out about this until we spoke to Laura after the wedding!

Planning surprises.

How involved Josh was! I didn’t think he would have as many or as strong of an opinion on styling details and vendor selection.

Words of wisdom.

Make decisions as early as you can. Look at other weddings to find the style/vibe you are after – then look at the suppliers, and if you like what you see, enquire with them as soon as you have picked a date.

Things will go wrong on the day, be it the weather, your stationery not arriving, or some other small issue. Laugh about it, and remember it will make for a great story that you will always remember.

The day goes so quickly, and you constantly want to talk to people, so make sure you take the time to eat.

Love Amelia and Josh’s super fresh blue-hued colour palette? For a tonal triumph that will really make an impact, check out some more of our favourite real weddings using this sweet shade, here on the blog.

AMELIA & JOSH’S VENDORS

Ceremony venue: Private residence, Lorne

Reception venue: Lorne Surf Life Saving Club

Celebrant/Officiant: Kahani Celebrant. Kahani is a brilliant up-and-coming celebrant on the surf coast, and we could not recommend her more highly. She was also unbelievably helpful in planning the ceremony and writing our vows

Photography: White Shutter Photography. Anne made us feel comfortable and relaxed as we are normally two people that shy away from the camera.

Styling: Weddings of Desire Laura and her team were amazing, both in the lead-up and on the day, whilst setting up in tough and wet conditions. They transformed the surf club, and the pack down and clean-up of both venues was extraordinary and much appreciated.

Florist: Georgia Ko Floral Design (through Weddings of Desire)

Hair & make up: Blondie

The dress & veil: Eva Tomala Couture Eva’s guidance and knowledge of design and seamstress skills ensured the dress fitted perfectly and was exactly as I envisaged.

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Rings: Paul Bram

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Zimmerman

Suits & bow ties / ties: Groom: Oscar Hunt;  Groomspeople: The Coachman

Catering: RK Catering Group

Bar: Lorne Surf Life Saving Club

Favours: Three Foxes

Cake: Cake made by the bride, Decorated by cousin Jess

Stationery / Signage: Invitations – The Paper Empire; Placesettings/signage – Through Weddings of Desire

Entertainment: Lark Music

Décor: Memphis Hire

Honeymoon: Hamilton Island