Real Wedding – Belinda & Adrian, Coldstream VIC
There is a real air of elegance about Belinda and Adrian’s Stones of The Yarra Valley celebration.
Their day was classic and sophisticated, with styling elements that brought a touch of romance, and Belinda no doubt, absolutely wowed all present in her custom Craig Braybrook Couture gown.
This has all the makings of a modern fairytale, and the gorgeous work of I Got You Babe Weddings tells the story perfectly.
In Belinda’s words…
The meeting.
Adrian and I met in February 2010 through my best friend, who is now married to Adrian’s cousin. My friend thought she would play matchmaker one day so she took her now husband’s phone pretending to be him and messaged Adrian asking what he thought of me after briefly being introduced at a music festival. Adrian didn’t remember me! Later that night he sent a friend request on Facebook and from there we arranged a first date at The Pier hotel in Port Melbourne.
Adrian and I had a lot in common. We both studied Marketing, had similar interests and both of us have an italian heritage. We could chat for ages to the point the some nights in the early days we would chat on the mobile for hours and then fall asleep on the phone.
The ‘one’.
Adrian has a very likable personality and I realised he was the one after our relationship got stronger over the years and he was that guy who made me happy and I loved and cared for. He was not only my boyfriend but my best friend who I trusted and was always there for me.
The proposal.
Adrian asked me to marry him whilst we were on a holiday together in Bali, Indonesia in February 2016. He took me out for a romantic dinner in Seminyak at The Samaya a beautiful resort with a restaurant overlooking the beach. He booked a private area that was over a little bridge on an island within the resort. We had a five course meal and after dessert he got on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was so happy and excited and couldn’t wait to get home to share the news with our closest family and friends.
Style inspiration.
Classic, sophisticated, romantic and a little moody.
The dress.
I absolutely loved my dress designed by Craig Braybrook. I always wanted to have a couture design for my wedding day and I had a good idea of the style of dress I wanted to wear. I began the process around 12 months prior to the wedding and I researched mainly on Instagram taking inspiration from international brides and fashion runways. I met with Craig Braybrook together with my Maid of Honour who was a huge influence on the style and design I was after as she comes from a fashion background and really understood what I had in my head and was able to translate it into inspiration pictures. I really enjoyed the whole process with Craig as he was so easy going and really understood what I was after. Craig really made an effort to understand what I liked and then ran with the concept and and took it to the next level.
Favourite moments.
That moment we first walked out of the Chapel together as husband and wife and seeing our family and friends.
Meaning of marriage.
To me it’s about finding that special someone to share your life with and making that commitment to love, respect and care for eachother. It’s the small things you do every day.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Sea of Love by CatPower
Reception entry: One Dance by Drake
First dance: Perfect by Ed Sheeran
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Prior to leaving my parent’s house for Stones it was raining. I panicked a little and my sister quickly went to the shops to purchase some large golf umbrellas. The weather is something you can’t control however I had wished that it would be a sunny day. Luckily enough it didn’t rain when it was time to leave and the weather was cloudy with a bit of sun which created the moody look for our pictures that I absolutely adored!
Planning surprises.
As organised as you may be there are always aspects of the wedding that need to be finalised within the last couple of weeks for example, stationery, finalising menus and seating charts. My tip is to try not to stress during this time and ensure to rest up and eat well, in the end it will all come together.
Words of wisdom.
Enjoy all the little moments of the day, everyone says the day goes by so quickly and it’s so true! Your wedding needs to be a reflection of you and your partner’s individual style so take the time to do your research and don’t rush the process, enjoy it
Have an idea of what you what your overall ‘look and feel’ should be and stick to it throughout the process, it’s easy to be distracted with all the beautiful things you will see on social media but if it doesn’t allign with your style it won’t work together on the day
Network with as many people as possible, friends and family who have been there and done it before, they are the people who will be able to tell you tips that you may not read about
We know you love a real wedding, so do we! For some more marriage magic, check out some of our most popular posts here.
BELINDA AND ADRIAN’S TRIBE
Location: Stones of The Yarra Valley – Apart from the stunning views and Barn, the staff at Stones were professional and so organised with everything we didn’t have to worry about a thing on the day. We had been to a friend’s wedding at Stones prior so we knew how superior the quality was going to be on the day. We had so many compliments on the food and drinks. We stayed the night in the honeymoon suite at The Stables next door which was stunning and convenient on the night. I highly recommend Stones as a wedding venue.
Celebrant/Officiant: Professional Ceremonies – David Schneider – From our initial meeting with David, I knew we didn’t need to look elsewhere. David is an expert in his field, extremely organised and did an amazing job on the day.
Photography: I Got You Babe Weddings – Lil and Stef were so great to work with on the day and easy going. Having multiple photos taken on the day can be overwhelming however Lil and Stef made us forget that it was happening. The standard of photography is next level and unique to other photographers with a candid moody style.
Videography: Tango Films – I was initially drawn to Tango Films after seeing some of their short films. I loved the creativity and uniqueness that they told a story of the day rather than shooting typical scenes. Lochie and Jay were so easy going and really captured our day perfectly.
Florist: Sassafras Wedding – Jess was so lovely and knew my venue really well which I thought was important for ensuring a smooth process for the day. I loved our florals on the day and especially the floral chandelier which really brought the venue to life.
Hair: Julia Cochrane – Julia has been my hair stylist for a couple of years now and I can’t recommend her enough. She is so talented and the best at styling wavy hair.
Makeup: Merton Muaremi Makeup Artist Melbourne – I loved the simplicity of my makeup look for the day, I was after something quite natural that made my features stand out. It was great to have a trial with Merton and I learnt a few make up tips in the process.
The Dress: Craig Braybrook Couture Amazing talent, Craig is so easy to work with and makes you feel comfortable from the beginning. I loved what he brought to life in the end.
Veil / head wear: Craig Braybrook Couture
Shoes: Jimmy Choo – I wanted a warm gold heel rather than white so I could wear the shoes post the wedding for special occassions. I tried my size on in David Jones in a different colour and then I purchased the shoes from the website Far Fetch and they arrived within a couple of weeks.
Rings: Kalfin Jewellery Melbourne – My engagement ring and our wedding bands were all designed by Kalfin Jeweller. We went to the store after receiving a recommendation from my mother in law’s friend. We were so happy with the quality and design of our rings.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Dion Lee
Groom’s suit: Germanicos Bespoke Tailors
Groom’s shoes: Aquila
Bow ties / ties: Bow ties were from Joe Black
Favours: Donation to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation. Each guest received a ribbon to wear on the night.
Cake / Cake topper: Cakes2Kreate – You would assume choosing a cake supplier wouldn’t be one of the more difficuly decisions however we met with about three suppliers and nothing compared to Cakes2Kreate. Lynette is very creative and was very patient with me after I changed my mind multiple times for the style of cake. Lynette bakes her cakes from scratch and has a wide range of flavours to choose from. We received compliments on how yummy the cake was. Lynette also organised cupcakes for my bridal shower.
Stationery / Signage: Studio Silva – I loved our invitation suite that Jessica created for us. To me, the invitation design was something I really wanted to reflect the look and feel for our wedding and I loved that our invitations were simple yet romantic. Jess also put together our save the dates, menus and welcome board.
Entertainment: The Baker Boys – We selected the Baker Boys after seeing one of their gigs. As our wedding crowd was a mix of young and old we didn’t want anything polarizing to either mix of people so we opted for live music. We were able to select songs from their playlist and we also requested several of our own. The Baker Boys were very accommodating of our requests and played brilliantly on the night.
Transport: Triple R Cars – Our driver to the Chapel was so lovely and friendly he made me feel at ease the whole way to the wedding not to mention the cars were classic and so beautiful.
Honeymoon: We travelled Italy this year in the middle of August for 5 weeks and visited central, south and north to places which included Positano, Capri, Florence, Lake Como we also visited Paris for a few days and our trip also included a short stay with family in Sicily and Rome which made our trip a very unique experience we will remember forever.
