Real Wedding – Callum & Alannah, Yarra Valley VIC

When it came to Callum and Alannah planning their day, they set four big tasks to tackle first – their venue, celebrant, photography and music, and then let the rest of their planning fall into place.

Hailing from Melbourne, they knew that Victorian weather can present four seasons in one day, so it was important to them that their ceremony would be indoors, and Zonzo’s iconic Cappella was the perfect location to create their romantic and refined vision.

Alannah was a dream in her d’Italia gown as she made her way down the aisle to Callum, before Marry Me Megan lead them through a ceremony that was filled with laughter and emotion.

Their styling was impeccable, soft tones were weaved through their florals and stationery, before leading their guests to hit the dance floor to epic entertainers Melbourne Entertainment Company with photography favourite, Liz Barnes, there to capture the day in all its glory.

 

The meeting.

As our celebrant, Megan put it, we are a modern Tinderella story – we met seven and a half years ago.

 

The proposal.

Callum planned a picnic on our ‘anniversary’ in the Mornington Peninsula. The weather wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t deter him from setting up a ‘bachelor’ style scene and proposing on the beach, with celebratory bubbles to follow.

 

Planning process.

We were extremely relaxed during the planning. We made sure to lock in our Big 4 – venue, celebrant, photography and music, early on and just planned all the other details as they came up. Using our venues list of preferred suppliers was a great advantage as well as connecting with suppliers online.

 

Style inspiration.

After lots of Instagram adventures, we decided on a modern romantic theme for the wedding. We styled it around our venue choice and were drawn to soft tones for our florals and stationery.

 

The ceremony.

As Melbournians, it was so important to us that we were married inside! The Cappella at Zonzo’s is such a stunning space, with gorgeous views. Gillian, our florist did such a beautiful job of styling the altar for us. We absolutely loved that Megan provided us with such a personalised story to tell our friends and family, getting to know her so well before the big day made our ceremony much more intimate – her presence made sure there was lots of laughter and emotion during the ceremony, our beautiful Grandmothers were also there to witness our ceremony. It was a wonderful way to honour these beautiful women in our lives.

 

The outfits.

Fitting in with our modern romantic theme, we both wanted to honour this in the outfit choices. Callum and the groomsmen worked one-on-one with Enrico Miolo to get the perfect tailored fit. After looking at lots of dresses online, I made appointments at two places to try on gowns. This became extremely rushed, with lockdowns postponing the appointments until five months before the wedding. I had a really clear idea about what I was looking for and ended up working with the girls at d’Italia in Malvern to design the perfect dress for me.

 

Favourite moment.

We both loved that we built a first look into our day. It was the perfect way for us to spend quality time together and calm our nerves before the ceremony. In hindsight, it was probably the only time we were alone all day! And feeling relaxed during our ceremony meant we were both able to be so present and enjoy the moment.

 

Meaning of marriage.

To us marriage is honouring the commitment we have made to one another in front of our friends and family. It was important for us to acknowledge that the people we spent the day with were the people that had supported us in our relationship so far.

 

Wedding soundtrack.

Walking down the aisle – Yu – Ziggy Alberts

Certificate signing – I will follow you into the dark – Death Cab for Cutie and Skinny Love – Bon Iver

Ceremony Exit – The Real Thing – Client Liason

Reception Entry – Sweet Lovin’ – Sigala

First Dance – You – Vance Joy & Marshmello

 

Funny stories (or near disasters).

We were so lucky to not have to cancel or reschedule our wedding since we planned it in the height of COVID restrictions. There were moments in the lead up to the day that we worried about restrictions, dance floors and interstate guests but we just took it in our stride and feel blessed we were able to enjoy our day restriction free.

 

Planning surprises.

The day didn’t fly by! Everybody we spoke to in the lead up to the day warned us that it goes so, so quickly. During the day we made sure to take it all in, stop and enjoy the little moments. We also added an afterparty at the hotel all our guests stayed at, so we got to keep the day going a little longer.

 

Words of wisdom.

Stay true to the vision you have for your day. Don’t worry about traditions, and just plan the day that will reflect your personality. Planning the wedding can be as stressful or as relaxed as you make it, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, share the planning and ask for help if you need it.

Plan a few moments throughout the day (especially the reception) where both of you can sneak away for a moment or two. Those couple of moments were a great way to slow down and take it all in.

 

 

 

 

Are you on the hunt for a wedding venue? Come and see our favourites, there’s something to please every style, desire and come highly recommended by us. 

 

 

ALANNAH AND CALLUM’S SUPPLIERS

Ceremony and reception venue – Zonzo Estate – Yarra Valley. We could not rate Zonzo Estate highly enough. Their communication was flawless in the lead up to the day. They run hundreds of weddings, but our experience was still personalised and nothing was too much to ask.

Celebrant/Officiant: Megan Watson – Marry Me Megan. Having a celebrant that could deliver a personalised ceremony for us was so important. Megan takes the time to get to know her couples in the lead up to the day and really makes you feel like you’re the only couple she is working with! She is so warm and charismatic, we could not recommend her more!

Photography: Liz Barnes Photography. Liz was the perfect fit for us. We were looking for someone who would go with the flow of the day, and that would capture the most candid moments. Liz was so calm and helped us feel comfortable throughout the day. The day after the wedding, she sent us a few snaps to share and we were so impressed with the quality of the pictures, she captured our day perfectly.

Styling: We did most of the styling ourselves. We hired all candles and glassware from our florist, table cloths from Event Art and our wishing well from State of Elliot

Florist: Gillian Pollard. We knew nothing about flowers! After meeting with Gillian and showing her a few photos of the style we liked we left the flowers entirely in her hands! She met our brief beautifully, We absolutely love the florals and had so many compliments from our guests, especially about the arrangements in the Cappella.

Hair: Chelsea Taylor – Niche Hair Design. Chelsea is such a beautiful soul, local to the Yarra Valley. I did a trial with her and knew she would be perfect for our day.

Make Up: Jodie Melissa MUA. With all the lockdowns, I wasn’t able to fit in a trial with Jodie. It didn’t matter though, she created such a beautiful look for the girls and I. It was really important that we all still felt like ourselves.

The Dress: d’Italia

Shoes: Loeffler Randall

Rings: Melbourne Jewellery Service. We had our rings designed by Wes. We have known Wes for a long time. He created the engagement ring, so it only made sense that we worked with him for our wedding bands. Wes also helped me incorporate the diamonds from another ring Callum had gifted me in the beginning of our relationship.

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bec & Bridge

Suits and accessories: V&J Menswear

Bar and catering: Zonzo Estate

Cake: We had a champagne tower instead of cake!

Stationery / Signage: Callum actually designed all our stationery and signage

Videographer: Tom O’hehir

Entertainment: Melbourne Entertainment Company – Joey on acoustic & dj/Jarrod on Saxophone

Décor: We hired all candles and glassware from our florist, table cloths from Event Art and our wishing well from State of Elliot

Honeymoon: Port Douglas – The Sheraton Grand Mirage & The Daintree – The Daintree Ecolodge