Real Wedding – Cass & Tom, Yering VIC
Cass and Tom found visual references the most effective and accurate way to convey their overall style vision with vendors.
After all, unless you’re in the business, couples rarely know the official names of their desired flowers, the specific Pantone shade of their preferred colour palette or the font of calligraphy they like most.
Mood boards, for them, were the perfect shorthand to creating a Mediterranean-holiday-inspired aesthetic and overall ambience to match. And the crucial piece of the puzzle? Choosing an A+ vendor team, led by the incredible Jacinta of Champagne Electric.
She artfully realised a fresh green and while colour scheme, unstructured florals and fruit tastefully woven among the tablescape, all complementing the leafy winery setting, the perfect backdrop to a stellar ceremony by Sheri of Northside Nuptials, who ensured that the right vibes were flowing from the very beginning of the ceremony.
Cass and Tom’s top tip? “Spending time to find vendors that are on board with your vision and that you gel with is worth its weight in gold.”
To discover how they went about it and rejoice in the finished result as captured by the incredible Aly Marie, see below.
The meeting.
Very unromantically, and true to the times, we officially met on Tinder. Tom was the first to strike up a conversation, and we had lots of back-and-forth until eventually I asked him out on a date. We met at a wine bar and I thought I had arrived early, so I popped my phone away and waited. I waited about 30 minutes until I eventually went to leave and message Tom to say I didn’t appreciate being made to wait, not realising that my phone was on do not disturb and he had messaged earlier to say he was early and sitting out the back. The rest is history.
‘The one’.
I knew pretty early that I had met my husband, but something that sticks out is one time where we were going to cook dinner together (something we did a lot), and Tom handed me his phone to make a note for a shopping list. I saw one titled ‘things Cass likes’. I opened it and he had listed all sorts of things I’d told him I liked, including ‘extra crispy bacon’ and ‘hates pineapple on pizza’. I liked that a lot.
The proposal.
We were in Europe on holiday and I knew he was going to propose but I didn’t think he was going to ask when he did because we were there for our friend’s wedding and we discussed that we didn’t want to make their day about our engagement. We were in Switzerland and Tom took me for a walk up a very steep hill. I was furious when we got to the top because he hadn’t told me to pack the right shoes, so my feet were killing me. I realised soon where we were and he had taken me to a UNESCO heritage-listed vineyard in Cully overlooking Lake Geneva. He had packed some champagne and some glasses to celebrate whilst we called all our family back home. It was pretty incredible.
Planning process.
We genuinely loved the planning process and didn’t ever feel overwhelmed by it. Before booking things in, we knew what we were looking for and what was important to us, and we stayed true to that. The venue finding process was the most difficult because it took some time, and our weekends were consumed by that for a while.
Once we went to Yering and met the amazing Event Coordinator, we knew right away that was where we wanted to get married. We already knew at that point that we wanted to work with Champagne Electric, so from there, everything just fell into place. Spending the time to find vendors that are on board with your vision and that you gel with is worth its weight in gold. Our day simply wouldn’t have been the day it was without those incredibly talented people.
Style inspiration.
It was important to us for our guests to eat and drink as much as they wanted, dance, laugh and just take the whole day in so we didn’t want a formal theme. We wanted a style of wedding that was warm, relaxed and gave us all the feelings of being on summer holidays, so we realised we were looking at a Mediterranean vibe. Tom is half Swiss, and we were engaged there, so it all made sense to theme the day that way.
When it came to planning our wedding and knowing where to start, we found real wedding experiences very helpful. Couples who went through what we were going through and learned by doing had some great advice. Weddings of similar sizes and budgets to ours helped us gauge where we should be spending most of our time and money. Alongside that, styled shoots and articles were the basis of all the inspiration and mood boards that we supplied to our vendors. Not knowing the correct names for florals or greenery or technical names for table decorations and setups, shoots, and articles were the only way we could really convey what we wanted.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was such a surreal experience. What made it so special was that it was so specific to us, and there were so many things we did our own way, which made it truly ours. It was a very family-focused wedding, which was so important to us. My sisters were my bridesmaids, my nieces were my flower girls, my now mother-in-law walked me down the aisle, our ring bearer was my father-in-law, and my maid of honour (and little sister) and Tom’s best man (and best friend) actually married us. The celebrant, Sheri of Northside Nuptials, tailored the ceremony script to us and conducted the whole thing. There was not a dry eye in the house, including Tom and I – it was incredible.
The outfits.
For my wedding dress, I knew I wanted something slinky that I could wear all day and dance in. Funnily enough, the first dress I tried on was the one I ended up buying, and when we went dress shopping, my mother-in-law spotted it from across the room and said she could see me in that. I tried on so many dresses that I loved, but none felt as ‘me’ as that first one did, and I didn’t get the same feelings. I left it for a couple of weeks and came back and tried it on again, and that’s when I knew.
For Tom, he wanted something slick, traditional and smart, so it was always going to be a gorgeous and classic three-piece suit. His Dad is a wool trader and told him where to go and who to see, so when it came to trying on the suit he eventually bought, it was a done deal.
Favourite moment.
It is so hard to pinpoint a favourite moment, but if I were to try, it would probably be the ceremony where we each said our vows and where all of our favourite people were in the same place at the same time. We were both so happy, and the whole thing felt surreal, as if it was just us for a brief moment. As we said our vows, my nieces were running around the front of the ceremony, holding their ribbons in the air. They weren’t being disruptive or making any noise at all; they were just in their own little world. It was a perfectly wholesome and unscripted moment.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage to us is an all-encompassing and all-consuming commitment that isn’t just about sunny days but also rainy ones. It’s about being each other’s constant when there are so many variables in the world. You celebrate each other’s achievements and shoulder each other when one of you feels as if they are sinking. It’s about being each other’s sunshine. That’s what marriage is to us.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Acoustic version of Betty Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes
Reception entry: Sunchyme by Dario G
First dance: Acoustic version of Real Love Baby by Father John Misty
Final song: Sorrento Moon by Tina Arena
Near disaster.
We did have a near disaster when, about one month before the wedding, Tom’s Dad had open heart surgery, and we weren’t sure if he would be able to come at all. Wedding aside, all that truly mattered was that he recovered. Needless to say, he was never going to miss his son’s wedding, and he made the most incredible recovery you could hope for. Because he was so newly post-op at the wedding, we couldn’t have Tom’s parents join us halfway through our first dance like planned. Tom’s Aunty had to step in at the last minute, so of course it was an unchoreographed mess, but we didn’t really care because we were all together.
Planning surprises.
We were surprised at how much we genuinely enjoyed the planning process and how little stress it was. This was undoubtedly due to the incredible team we had around us, who knew what was important to us and what our vision was. We are both planners and like to know what is happening, but recognising we weren’t the experts here, we really leaned into the experience and relied on the recommendations of our vendors. It speaks volumes to the trust and rapport we build with each of them over the course of the planning period.
Words of wisdom.
Before doing anything else, figure out what the most important things are to you. Once you do, invest the time in finding people who understand that and truly understand what it is you want. It is your day, and though people will have thoughts and opinions on how you should plan it, put yourselves first – you know what you want.
Lastly, don’t wish the lead-up to the wedding away. It will come and go before you know it, so just enjoy it! When the day comes, don’t leave each other’s side. Try and find some micro moments together and take it all in. It is so easy to get whisked away spending time with guests, but the day goes so quickly. There will be time to thank everyone later.
CASS & TOM’S SUPPLIERS:
Ceremony and reception: Yering Station. Yering was a hidden gem we didn’t come across on any blogs. We found it ourselves by researching Victorian wineries. We cannot speak highly enough about the entirety of the Yering team. Everyone from the amazing events coordinator to the wait staff on the day were incredible and they are truly gifted at what they do. The events coordinator was always two steps ahead of us, and there was nothing we thought of that she hadn’t already. On the day, the whole process was so seamless and there really was nothing I had to worry about. We know events are their everyday but hopefully they all realised how special they made our day.
Celebrant: Northside Nuptials. Sheri was recommended to us by Jacinta from Champagne Electric. We instantly liked Sheri but more and more as we worked more closely together. We had so many bespoke requests but none of them were too much trouble. My maid of honour and Tom’s best man wrote and conducted the whole ceremony and Sheri met with them multiple times over the course of the planning period and made the interstate time difference work.
Photography: Aly Marie. Aly was part of the Champagne Electric team so we had automatic trust there as we had discussed what kind of photography we wanted. We hadn’t met prior to our wedding day but being a master of her craft, Aly so seamlessly slotted in and was very good at directing but in a way that didn’t feel too structured or orchestrated. The photos speak for themselves – we will be forever grateful that she captured the day the way she did.
Planning, florals & entertainment: Champagne Electric. I had seen the Champagne Electric team feature a lot on the social media pages of a few Yarra Valley wineries, so I was aware of them well before we got engaged. Jacinta was the first person we reached out to and straight off the bat she was so easy to talk to and worked with us to create the exact package we wanted for our day. There was no ‘one size fits all’, it was a tailored to include everything from the florals, to the music and entertainment (both acoustic and DJ) to photography. Jacinta was incredibly patient as we chopped and changed multiple times until we decided what we were doing. We can’t speak highly of the vendors that were involved in our day but Jacinta really was the glue that held everything together.
Stationery / Signage: Designed by private contractor Jenny Gustavson. We were so incredibly lucky to have a close friend who is an executive designer. Jenny spearheaded everything stationery (both digital and material) and must have spent countless hours designing our save the dates, QR code RSVP website, formal invitations, welcome signage and seating signage. It just made that component of it all the more sentimental knowing our close friend had a hand in that part of the wedding.
Hair: Suzanne Power. There was absolutely no one else I would trust with my hair more than Suzy. She has been doing my hair for years and trekked all the way from St Kilda to the Yarra Valley to spend the day with us as we got ready. She has magic in her hands and no one colours my hair blonde as well as she does.
Make-up: Tahlia Liapis. I saw Tahlia’s incredible work in multiple different wedding features online. From there, I reached out to her to see if she would be available for our date. She recommended a trial, which was absolutely the best thing to do – just to meet in person and then refine your look. Tahlia was so approachable and warm and she worked so well with Suzy that we all just loved having them be part of that special morning.
The dress and veil: Bluebell Bridal. Bluebell Bridal was always top of my list for places to go for a wedding dress. Being such a well-known studio, I wasn’t sure how much care or time they would be able to spend with me but they were better than I could have imagined. They’re all so talented in their craft and they took such care when discussing what it was I was looking for. The consultation is such a special part of the planning process and dress shopping is a very special memory for people. Each appointment I had a Bluebell was truly one to remember. We never felt rushed, we were usually the only ones in the studio (or one of a few people) and they were more than happy to host the family or friends I had brought with me to be part of it.
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Rings: Bride’s rings from Kate and Kole and groom’s rings from Uniform Black
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy
Suits: MJ Bale
Ties: Otaa
Favours: Swan River Distillery
