Real Wedding – Bec & Tom, Wandin North VIC
The emotion of Bec and Tom’s wedding celebration is written all over the faces of those present. Pure joy was without doubt the order of the day and their relaxed approach to planning made for the biggest party of their lives.
Despite an electrical fire cutting the power to their reception, and a minor slip-up throughout the exchanging of their vows – these two kept smiling and remembered the reason they were there – being married to one another is all that mattered.
Catch the beauty of this sweet, simple and super happy celebration, as captured by Ebony Tannouri.
In Bec’s words…
The meeting.
Tom and I both moved to Bendigo to study at LaTrobe University in 2010, where we lived on campus. We were a part of separate friendship groups, until around mid year when we all started to hang out. We caught each other’s eyes then, hooked up on the Universal dancefloor (romantic, hey) and we never looked back.
The ‘one’.
We didn’t really know where we wanted to settle after we both finished Uni in Bendigo. I was working in Melbourne and Tom in Anglesea; so we took a break from working in 2015 and traveled Europe for six months, and figured we’d start fresh when we returned. When we came home, Tom scored a new job in Melbourne, we rented our first home together and we got our first fur baby. It was around here, when I knew I would marry Tom. But he has always been the one, right from the start.
The proposal.
Tom knew I was pretty keen to get married, and we’d been together for seven years at this stage. The night before, Tom and I drove down to his family home in Anglesea, we were stuck in traffic so I started telling him that I thought we should get married, how fun it would be and that it would be a great excuse to get everyone we love together and have a big party.
I had no idea, that in the car was my engagement ring, and in Tom’s mind he was thinking “she knows I am proposing tomorrow”. So the next morning we did what we always do, we picked up a couple of coffees and toasties, and took our dog Hilly down to Point Roadknight Beach for a walk. We finished our coffees and breakfast, when Tom randomly said he had a costume for Hilly (which I thought was hilarious, because he’s always telling me off for buying Hilly so many coats), so I closed my eyes while he put on this ‘costume’. I remember it crossed my mind..”oh my god, maybe he’s going to propose”… then told myself I was being ridiculous.
But when I opened my eyes, he and Hilly were in front of me, and Hilly had a bandana on that said “will you marry my dad”, with my beautiful ring attached to it. I’m glad no one was around, because I remember just blubbering and sort of yelling at Tom like “are you joking?”. I just couldn’t believe it!
The process.
We always knew that we would have a cocktail wedding, as we wanted the relaxed/party style vibe to the day, nothing too formal. We locked in the big, important things first so we organised the venue, band and food, then went from there. I had most things booked at least a year in advance, so then as we got closer to the wedding day, it was just the smaller things that needed to be sorted, and I could relax and enjoy the process. Everything just fell into place really easily.
Style inspiration.
We didn’t really have a ‘style’ we were going for, we went for more of a ‘feel’. Fun and relaxed – an afternoon in the sun with our favourite people, good live music and amazing food. We didn’t do anything with the woolshed at Wandin Park, it was perfect the way it was. Our (amazing) florist added the finishing touches.
The dress.
I spotted the dress online and booked an appointment straight away. It was in the afternoon, so my mum, sister and I did some looking around in the morning, but I didn’t LOVE anything. Finally we went to Suzanne Harward – as soon as I tried on my dress, I knew it was perfect. It fit like a glove, no alterations required, so I ordered it then and there. It was quite easy really – I knew what I liked and what I didn’t, so as soon as I tried on a dress I wasn’t sure about, I took it off straight away. My dress was so comfortable all day, and it’s now ready to be loved and worn by another bride.
Favourite moments.
Walking down the aisle and seeing all of our favourite people together, friends that came from interstate and overseas, and then Tom at the end waiting for me… crying. And then our sunset – Tom, myself and Eb, our photographer, wondered off to where we wanted our sunset photos – it was a perfect evening. We sat down with a drink and watched the sun go down, then had some photos before heading back to the reception.
Meaning of marriage.
I think marriage means more to us now, now that we’re actually married! After eight years together, marriage wasn’t about to change anything, and I guess that’s how I went into the wedding feeling. But now that it’s official, it’s a kind of feeling of security that we didn’t have before – we will always have each other to go through the good times and hard times together, and we’re the start of our future family. And its great to have a shorter last name!
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Bella by Angus and Julia Stone
Signing: Hold by Vera Blue
End of ceremony: Burn your name by Powderfinger
First dance: Sew my name by Josh Pyke
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Near disaster – we actually had a small electrical fire (just before sunset) and it blew out the power for the whole venue. Luckily my Dad and brother-in-law work with generators. Tom and I walked away with Eb for our sunset photos and said “we’ll be back when its fixed”, and when we returned, the generator was up and going and the power was back on! Funny – when I was saying my vows to Tom, I skipped his first name and called him by his middle name ‘Alexander’ instead of Tom. Luckily there were no Alexander Stokes’ in the crowd haha.
Planning surprises.
I don’t think there was any surprises – we were organised so everything went really smoothly.
Words of wisdom.
Don’t worry about the minor details, they will not cross your mind on the day. Get vendors that you can trust – and then let them do their thing! Find a caterer that will feed you all night! People kept telling us that we wouldn’t get to eat or drink on our own wedding day, but our caterers were checking in whenever they saw us with a plate of food and a couple of beverages all night!
We love how Bec has dared to be different with her bridesmaid’s frocks. For some more fashion inspiration and tips for dressing your dream team – click here.
BEC & TOM’S TRIBE
Ceremony and reception: Wandin Park Estate
Celebrant: Vanessa Parfett – I’ve known Ness my whole life, so it was super special to have someone officiate our wedding that knew us on a personal level. She created the perfect ceremony – a story about us that was a mix of serious and funny, casual and romantic.
Photography: Ebony Tannouri – the best in the business! A friend of mine recommended Eb and she exceeded all of our expectations. An absolute legend, easy going and bloody talented. Just look at our photos!!
Florist: Cassie and her team from Edward and I – Amazing florist who exceeded all expectations. I emailed her the week before my wedding and said “forget everything I’ve asked for, just do whatever you want with my flowers and have fun” and I still can’t believe how amazing our bouquets were. Incredible. And Cass was so lovely to work with.
Hair: Rachel Evans. I told Rach what I was thinking for my hair, and she did it exactly how I imagined (but way better). Professional, lovely, talented – everyones hair looked impeccable!
Make-up: Nicole Aquilina. Another incredibly talented woman – I felt flawless all day and she did everyones make up to suit them personally. My make up was perfect – there’s no other words!
The dress and veil: Suzanne Harward
Bec’s rings: Larsen Jewellery
Tom’s wedding band: The Gentleman’s Smith
Bow ties: Otaa
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Gorman
Menswear: MJ Bale
Catering: Hot Coals Catering – wow! So efficient, helpful, flexible and easy to work with! Who wouldn’t want wood-fire oven pizzas for dinner?! The food was incredible, the staff went above and beyond. I always had someone checking in to make sure I’d eaten enough, and when my hands weren’t full with food, they were handing me a drink! They even do a really nice tasting night that you can go to. Amazing.
Cake: Created by a family friend – a beautiful choc orange cake.
Wishing well: Sketch & Etch
Entertainment: Logan Ent. Dani from Logan Ent. was so lovely to work with – I threw a bunch of songs at her that weren’t on her list and she took them all on effortlessly. Amazing. We chose to have a duo play pre-ceremony, during and for canapes, and then they turned into a 5-piece band in the evening. Best dance floor ever!
Honeymoon: New Zealand – it was amazing!
