Real Wedding – Caroline & Tim, Porepunkah VIC
Caroline and Tim’s classic country wedding was the perfect beginning to married life.
Choosing their North Eastern Victoria winery venue, they felt it reminiscent of Tuscany, so stunning that little styling was required. With the Victorian Alps as your backdrop, you know the day is sure to be a beauty!
Native gum mixed with whites and pale pink florals, complete with gorgeous gold seating and not to mention, a knockout bride in her Prea James number – this celebration was simply perfect.
See it all from behind the lens of Elsa Campbell.
The meeting.
A complete whirlwind romance you could say! Tim and I were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. We both work for our family businesses so the first hour felt like a business interview. However, family business aside – it became apparent very quickly that we really liked each other.
We got engaged six months later, and married eight months after that! We ended up getting married at the winery of our friend who introduced us, and she was the celebrant!
The ‘one’.
Very quickly!
We just clicked from the very start. We were living four hours from one another so I think the effort we both made to see each other early on showed we were both very keen.
The proposal.
Tim had planned the proposal on his boat in the Gippsland Lakes, but his brother, without knowing, took the boat! Plan B kicked in and we were up at Tim’s farm on the 4- wheel motorbike with our Kelpie puppy. All of our family were in the same place for the Easter break so it was a big celebration. It was perfect!
The process.
We went on big walks with our dog every weekend and chatted through things and made most decisions together this way. We had a fantastic wedding coordinator Courtney, at Feathertop Winery who was so great – she was super calm and had thought of everything! The hardest party was limiting our guest list- and in the end could only get it down to 200. We both have a lot of family!
Style inspiration.
Feathertop winery is beautiful, people say reminiscent of Tuscany (but in North East Victoria.) It was so stunning that we didn’t need a huge amount of styling. When you have the Victorian Alps as your backdrop it makes things pretty easy! We had beautiful flowers by local florist Poppy’s Emporium – lots of native gum mixed with whites and pale pink florals and really cool gold chairs! It looked beautifully but very simple – which we loved.
The dress.
The whole wedding-dress-choosing experience took about 20 mins! I had seen Prea James dresses’ on Instagram and fell in love, I made an appointment at the Bridal Atelier. I tried on the Arielle gown first and knew it was the one. But I felt like I hadn’t had the full ‘bridal dress trying-on’ experience. So I chose a few big ‘boofy’ style dresses to try on just for fun! But quickly locked in the Arielle by Prea James!
Favourite moments.
We both really loved sneaking off with Elsa (Campbell) and taking some shots at dusk. We got to practice our (very poorly choreographed) dance in the vines which was really fun. And, it meant that Tim and I got to spend some time talking about what had already happened and what was still to come for the night!
Meaning of marriage.
Finding the person who makes you laugh every day. But the one that is also right by your side when you need them the most.
Wedding soundtrack.
Lucky by Jason Mraz
You make my dreams come true by Hall and Oates
Say you won’t let go by James Arthur
Funny stories (or near disasters).
We were lucky enough to have about eight doctors at our wedding, so when one of our guests fainted she was in very good hands!
Planning surprises.
Tim was a lot more into the flowers than I thought he would be! 😉
I found choosing the bridesmaid’s dresses really hard. I started off trying to be super cool and relaxed about it “choose what you want” style, but then it got more difficult as everyone has their own taste and style (which often doesn’t work for everyone). In the end we chose a gorgeous pale pink linen dress by Cue (slightly altered) and 8-month pregnant Lucy wore a stunning pink floral dress by Zimmerman – which just looked perfect!
Words of wisdom.
Don’t take wedding advice from people you wouldn’t usually go to for other advice. Choose some people that are close to you and ask them, but keep most info about your wedding to your inner circle! People love to give an opinion!
And, don’t sweat the small stuff. Think about what you find memorable when you go to other people’s weddings and put time and the dollars into the things that matter to you.
This glorious mountainous region is fast becoming a favourite wedding backdrop. Check out Allie and Daniel’s dream Mt Buffalo day here.
CAROLINE & TIM’S TRIBE
Ceremony and reception location: Feathertop Winery, Porepunkah
Celebrant/Officiant: Janelle Boynton
Photography: Elsa Campbell (Elsa is such a talented photographer, we loved having her capture our day. I was a bridesmaid at a friends wedding that Elsa also captured and she was so impressive! I knew I had to have her at ours! She is so relaxed and calm and her work is just beautiful!
Videography: Tom Wilkinson of Real Nice Films
Styling: us!
Florist: Poppy Emporium – Katie went above and beyond for us and I loved all of the flowers!!
Make-up: Glow – This sister duo were simply amazing.
The Dress(es): Arielle Gown – Prea James Bridal
Rings: Cushla Whiting – I am always being asked where my rings are from! I absolutely love both of my rings from Cushla Whiting. Another family business that I love!
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Cue and Zimmerman
Menswear: MJ Bale
Catering: Feathertop Winery
Bar: Feathertop Winery and Brown Brothers
Cake: Milawa Cheese
Stationery / Signage: On Wood
Entertainment: Baker Boys
Transport: Tim’s old farm Ute!
Hire: Chairs from Bang Event Co
Honeymoon: Byron Bay
