Real Wedding – Ashton & Tom, Melbourne VIC
Even through a screen, our real weddings all give us a strong sense of the couple and the prevalent emotion of their wedding day.
But some have us sighing, smiling and exchanging a happy tear as we read and scroll – Ashton and Tom’s blissful celebration was wholly the latter.
From the poignant moment Ashton realised Tom was her one to his beautifully considered proposal, this stunning romance was bound to underpin their dream day, adding a sense of magic to an already elegantly chic and effortless seeming soiree.
In Ashton and Tom’s words, you can’t control elements like the weather, but can you control the team of people who bring a wedding day to life – and in this instance, they had the A team. From Sally Hughes bringing the class and personal moments to the ceremony, Logan Entertainment providing the indomitable atmosphere via the soundtrack, Popovski creating Ashton’s stunning outfits, this day looked as epic as it felt.
And to capture it for forever, with stunning artistry, Nikki McCrone Photography and Ryan Adams are the ultimate choice.
The meeting.
October 2017 at the Sorrento Hotel. Ashton was on her footy trip, and Tom was on a bucks weekend. After chattin,g we realised we were staying on the same street in Portsea, and Tom came to our Airbnb with his friends for some fireball shots and beer.
The one.
This is what we had in our vows:
Ashton to Tom – I knew you were the one just a few months in, when we flew to Sydney after Dad had a stroke and was on life support.
I’ll never forget how you made sure to shake his hand, knowing it might be the only chance you’d ever get.
In that moment, I saw what kind of person you were and I will always appreciate how you supported me and my family during the hardest weeks of our lives.
Tom to Ashton – From the first birthday of mine we spent together where you went above and beyond creating clues for a whole days worth of fun and thoughtful activities, you have always known how to make a special occasion even more special, just like today.
The proposal.
Words from Celebrant Sally’s ceremony script – a great example of how good she is at her job!
“The occasion of Ashton and Tom’s engagement on the fourth of July 2021 was indeed another relationship highlight. Though they had already commissioned an engagement ring over a year prior, Ashton didn’t suspect that a proposal would take place during their weekend away at the Sorrento Hotel. She expected that Tom would have taken a knee on her 30th birthday the year prior, and when that didn’t happen, she didn’t think about it much at all.
The weather was average at best that weekend, however they still ventured out for coffee and meat pies. Tom had hoped they’d walk to the beach after that, however as it was so windy, he thought it wise to return to their accommodation and enjoy breakfast on the balcony.
As Ashton ate, Tom excused himself and took a moment to psych himself up in the bathroom. When he returned, he simply said “Baby” and then descended to one knee. Not surprisingly, Ashton started crying and asked, “Is this actually happening?”. Tom then asked the question and Ashton very happily said, ‘Yes’. Awash with shock and excitement they FaceTime’d their mums and siblings, Ashton’s grandparents and Tom’s cousins to share their wonderful news, and later celebrated with a lovely dinner at the hotel and a game of footy on the couch.”
Planning process.
Gave ourselves plenty of time and a little project for Ashton while she was on maternity leave after having Matilda in 2022, and then final planning while she was on maternity leave with Olivia in 2024/early 2025. A lot of it just consisted of us having couch conversations researching or deciding on what we liked or didn’t like. Our lovely vendors made it easy with questionnaires and briefing calls.
Style inspiration.
Elegance and simplicity, probably inspired by Gardens House, the venue itself, but also just who we are as people. We wanted it to be a practical and easy day doing the things we loved with the people we love.
Inspiration via real weddings was the most useful. We gravitated towards seeing what people had done in a non-traditional sense, but also found it useful to compare what we didn’t want. Everyone has different tastes, so it’s always good to create an ins and outs list. Instagram basically became our wedding magazine to trawl and find what we liked!
The ceremony.
The inclusion of our daughters as flower girls, the stunning backdrop at Gardens House, standing up the front of family and friends, just the two of us. Ashton’s brother walking her down the aisle in the absence of her late father. Everything about it felt perfect and like a dream!
The outfits.
Ashton and her mum went dress shopping when she was eight months postpartum and then went to see Stacey at Popovski, who reassured her that she would make the dress in two years to suit my body rather than my body needing to suit a dress. And another baby later, she did just that.
Favourite moment.
Our little family photos after the ceremony and before the reception. It was so fun with our little girls singing and dancing, and also our photographer and videographer, who are just laid back and fun people. We used that time for us all to get some food into us after dancing ,and also then having that moment to say goodbye to the girls as they went back to the accom with our wedding nanny, Bridget.
It was then just us for a little while, practising our first dance and being ridiculous while Nikki (photographer) directed us. The sun was setting, the gardens were stunning, and the full moon was visible. It was just perfect, and then we walked back to Gardens House to freshen up, and Ashton’s mothers group friend Lorena kindly bustled her dress while we ate some more, and Atlantic Group staff gave us Amaretto sours.
Meaning of marriage.
This is hard to answer because we both just see it as an official title to our already strong relationship. It was an amazing celebration, but given we had our beautiful girls already, we knew through the trenches we were in life together, as a team, forever.
Wedding soundtrack.
Flower girls/ our daughters (attempted) to walk down the aisle to London’s Song by Matt Hartke.
Aisle: Ashton walked down to Blackbird acoustic cover by Penny Sweet.
Signing: the lovely Mukul from Logan Entertainment played an acoustic cover of Bill Withers Lovely Day.
Recessional: with the girls in our arms was Innerbloom by Rufus (What so not remix).
Reception entry: You and Me by Disclosure (Flume remix)
First dance: Happy Accidents by Saint Motel
Funny stories or near disasters.
Our wonderful accommodation, United Places, which we cannot fault, had a fire evacuation just after we said goodbye to each other the morning of our wedding. So we ended up standing outside with Ashton’s makeup artist, waiting for the fire brigade to arrive, and discussing how Tom would climb the balcony to save the dress if it was a real fire!
Planning surprises.
Not necessarily planning, but the weather took us by surprise. Melbourne can be so unpredictable, but we were shocked it was sunny and a perfect 21-22 degrees with the temps dropping at night, but nothing our guests couldn’t handle with a warm coat, liquid spirit, dancefloor boogie and standing next to the heaters.
Words of wisdom.
Do whatever you want, not what you think you should do.
Last words.
Although you can’t control things like the weather, you can control the team of people who bring your wedding to life, and we are so grateful for every single vendor that worked with us in the lead-up and on the day. We were really deliberate in choosing people who were fun, funny, genuine and professional. They are all very good at their jobs but were relaxed in their approach in some ways, which made us all feel comfortable.
Unsure about how to approach the “kids at weddings” situation? We’ve laid out the pros and cons to make your decision-making easier, and the approach clearer.
ASHTON & TOM’S VENDORS
Ceremony location: Gardens House, Terrace Lawn at the back of the house – Megan Foley at Atlantic Group is a rockstar! Grateful for her bringing our vision for the ceremony and reception together.
Reception venue: Gardens House under festoon lights at the back of the house.
Celebrant: Sally Hughes – the BEST! It is honestly hard to put into words how good Sally is. This woman can plan AND execute! She’s fun, funny, and very good at her job.
Photography: Nikki McCrone – also the BEST! Gave us all the advice leading up to the day and just made the whole process a breeze. We had so much fun laughing with her and Ryan, and just appreciate her ability. She also turned our wedding photos around in five weeks! Unheard of!
Videography: Ryan Adams – the most beautiful soul. Cool, calm and collected. He was recommended by Nikki and we could see why in our first meeting. Our girls felt comfortable around both Ryan and Nikki which allowed for some beautiful footage. Ryan not only was wonderful to be around on the day, but he went above and beyond creating little videos for us and then in under two months produced incredible footage. We have mini films to treasure forever and the quality is amazing. Can feel the emotion through his production.
Florist: Petals and Frills (Van Le), a superstar mum! I was gobsmacked when I saw my bouquet and then when I walked down the aisle. She created the most beautiful florals and we really appreciate her and the team coming back to create mini flower bouquets for all the mums to take home.
Hair: Hair by JC (Jenn Chan), wonderful Jenn was flexible to switch styles on my wedding day to what we trialled. I trusted that she would be able to do it and also appreciate all the little videos she took of me getting ready. She was also a chill person who just added to our relaxed vibe!
Make-up: Makeup by Laura (Laura Young). I first met Laura through Flayr makeup in 2022, and then I used her for events and special occasions from then on. I think she was the first person (other than Tom) that I told when I was pregnant with our second daughter. It was a no-brainer asking her to do my makeup as I love her energy, her ability to paint my face and have a good time. Sadly (but also perfect), I was her last client before she moved to London, and I didn’t know this was happening until after she finished my makeup on my wedding day. It was hard to suck the tears back in! She is a beautiful person.
The dresses: Bodice, skirt, pants by Popovski; as well as flower girls dresses by Popovski all made from same duchess satin as wedding dress and pants.
Veil: Beautiful organza veil by Popovski.
Shoes: of all places Betts but their sustainable line Zeroe, and a cute pair of blue heels with bows from Lulus.
Rings: Ashton repurposed her Australian green sapphire and diamond engagement ring from Black Finch, and Tom’s ring is from ETERNL.
Suits & bow ties / ties: YSG Tailors
Catering & bar: Atlantic Group – Amaretto sours and Baileys espressos were elite!
Favours: Petals and Frills came back onsite to make small bouquets for all the new and old Mum’s who celebrated Mother’s Day the following day.
Cake / Cake topper: Get Caked by Lisa SO SO GOOD!
Stationery / Signage: Danger and Moon – brought together our simple and elegant vision from invitations to signage.
Entertainment: Mukul (acoustic) and Dani (DJ) from Logan Entertainment – also incredible people. Mukul was a late ring in because the original acoustic artist was sick but he filled the brief and suited our vibe! Can’t wait to watch him again in the future. Dani is just incredible. Made our planning process easy peasy and also brought the energy for our reception. Love love love!
Transport: Beautiful 1950s Rolls Royce from Always Classic Cars
Décor: Mother Nature with the stunning red autumn leaves! Otherwise nothing
Honeymoon: No honeymoon, but the day after our wedding, we hosted a recovery/ Mother’s Day breakfast at Gilson in South Yarra’s private dining room, with about 20 people total – from each side of our family. Then from Monday to Wednesday, we actually just dropped the girls off at daycare and went for brunch at Jake and the Beans Talk in Malvern East (highly recommend), followed by shopping and massages at Chadstone! And then sat at home eating all our delicious leftover wedding cake.
Wedding weekend accommodation: for Ashton, Tom and daughters Matilda and Olivia with nanny Bridget – United Places Hotel on Domain Road in South Yarra. Nathan Cowan and his team did everything they could to make our stay comfortable and perfect. From ensuring our daughters had what they needed to sleep well, to a beautiful bunch of flowers to congratulate us. Another contributor to the team of calm and good vibes!
Polaroid station: by Dekel at Polaroid 4 U, which was also our guest book
Nanny: Our magnificent nanny, Bridget from The Nuptial Nanny – holy moly, we had used the service before, and Bridget babysat for us to get to know the girls once, but it still amazes us at how quickly she bonded with the girls. She stayed at the hotel in a room with the girls to give us the night off before our wedding, and then also the morning of, we were able to go for breakfast together while she took charge of the girls. While still being able to make sure they saw mum and dad a bit, she kept them entertained and took care of them and is the girl in the orange dress helping them to the top of the aisle. She went above and beyond to keep the girls happy and comfortable, and they didn’t kick up a fuss at all when we had to say goodbye before the reception started – a testament to the bond Bridget built with them. She will be our first choice babysitter for years to come. Also highly recommend Rachel at the Nuptial Nanny, she runs an incredible business.
Stacey – Hello White Teeth Whitening provided us with awesome at-home kits to get our teeth sparkling on the day!
Platter n Boe: petite cheese plate and sandwiches delivered to our hotel door the morning of the wedding to keep us fed amongst the nerves while getting ready.
