Real Wedding – Claire & Owen, Sunbury VIC
Despite a postponement and lingering worries about restrictions, Claire and Owen planned a wedding celebration that saw them seal the deal in sensational style.
Wanting to keep their day timeless, they enlisted the help of planning and styling extraordinaire Logan Events and in the safe hands of director, Dani, they incorporated soft blushes, creams and lots of foliage to tie in with their handsome homestead venue, while keeping their wedding party in black, giving their wedding style a contemporary feel.
Like many brides, Claire’s gown was not what she imagined she would wear, however as soon as she was in the talented hands of designer Luci Di Bella, she found her dream dress, and we cannot get enough of her classic, elegant look.
Hitting the dance floor with Logan Ent. at the helm, they danced into the night, barely leaving for a break and photographer Teodora Tinc captured all the joy!
The meeting.
Owen and I first met in 2007 at Safeway Eltham, where we both worked. I was a check-out-chick and he worked in produce. Owen was 18 and I was only 15 so there certainly weren’t any sparks at first. I remember Owen had a fluro eyebrow ring and a tipped mullet which was not at all my style. A couple of years and a much better haircut later we started dating when I was 17, and the age gap didn’t seem so big!
The one.
We had been together for quite a while at this point, but I think we both knew that we would be together forever when we were renting our apartment in Ivanhoe and we adopted our cat, Jerry. We just felt like a family from that point on.
The proposal.
We were in Noosa for a 60th birthday party when Owen proposed. I am the planner in our relationship, and I remember joking with Owen a few months earlier that I would know if he was going to propose because he would start making plans and suggesting weekends away. He still wanted it to be a surprise for me, so he took the opportunity while we were already away with family and friends to surprise me with an early morning walk on the beach. When he found a quiet stretch of beach (not easy in Noosa) he got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of his sock and popped the question! We were both so nervous that we would lose the ring in the sand that we waited until we got back to our hotel to put it on my finger.
Planning process.
Like so many couples, we had a long build up to our big day and a postponement along the way. We were due to get married April 2020, but Covid-19 had other plans. Three weeks out from our wedding day we postponed which at the time was difficult but ended up being a blessing in disguise. By the time we tied the knot we had bought and moved into our first home which made starting our married life together even more special. I honestly loved the planning process and enjoyed piecing each part together. We were incredibly fortunate that all our wonderful suppliers were still available for our new date, and we really didn’t have to change any details. We faced a few hurdles along the way with changing restrictions, but we got so lucky on the day and were able to have everything the way we originally planned it, with all our guests (minus a few international guests) and a wild dancefloor!
Style inspiration.
The further into the planning process I got the more I fell in love with a classic, timeless style. We went for soft blushes, creams and lots of foliage for our florals to tie in with the classic, romantic style. We used a lot of black, white, and natural tones in our styling which tied in with our bridal party.
I’m a very visual person so I loved looking at real weddings for inspiration. Ivory Tribe was my favourite resource when looking for styling inspiration and was also great for sourcing suppliers. I would bring up my favourite weddings and show Owen the elements I loved and discuss how we could incorporate it into our wedding. I’m sure he got a bit sick of it, but I loved it!
The ceremony.
We wanted our ceremony to be heartfelt, and a reflection of us as a couple. We wrote our own wedding vows, and it was so special to stand in front of our loved ones reading them. We also had three of our guests do readings, and we requested that they keep these a surprise for us on the day which was really special.
The outfits.
I know so many brides say this, but I didn’t end up choosing what I originally thought I would. I went to quite a few shops and tried on a heap of different styles. In the end, my bridesmaids picked out my dress as a wildcard at Luci Di Bella and we all knew it was “the one”. I could not fault my experience with Luci and her team. She was warm and refreshingly honest and helped me to choose a dress that I would be comfortable in and that suited my body shape perfectly. Every part of the process was incredible, and one of her staff spent four hours steaming all the layers of my dress the week before our wedding after it spent a year in storage. For the ceremony I wore some simple pearl earrings from Peggy & Twig. I chose to have an earring change for the reception and wore a beautiful pair of statement earrings from A.B Ellie to give a party vibe.
Favourite moment.
This is really tricky to answer because the whole day was just like a dream. We both absolutely loved our ceremony, and finally tying the knot. Once the formalities were over, we both loved tearing it up on the dancefloor. It was such a great way to get around to all our guests. I would also highly recommend taking some time as a couple at some point during the day to pause and reflect, because the day goes quickly and it’s so special to take that moment together.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage is two people committing to take on the wild ride of life together as a team.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Bridesmaids: Chateau, Angus & Julia Stone Bride: I’m With You, Vance Joy
Signing: Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Taylor Dayne
Exit: Love at First Sight, Kylie Minogue
Entry to Reception: Boogie Wonderland
First Dance: Lay it On Me, Vance Joy
Funny stories (or near disasters).
We had our guest names printed onto our menus so that they could double as place cards. In lieu of bonbonnieres I had written each guest an individual message on the back of their menu thanking them for being part of our special day. Unfortunately, the menus never made it to the wedding (thanks Owen) and all the time we spent putting together a seating chart went out the window as the guests had to seat themselves on their assigned tables! No one cared on the day though and we are going to send out the menus with the thank you cards.
Planning surprises.
I was surprised by how much I loved the planning process. I know everyone says wedding planning is stressful but aside from the postponement and uncertainty surrounding restrictions I can honestly say I loved the entire thing!
Words of wisdom.
To all the couples out there in the middle of postponing or stressing about whether their day will get to go ahead, I promise one day when you have your special day it will all be worth it! I would also say, try not to sweat the small stuff because in the big scheme of things it really won’t matter.
It was the talents of Logan Ent. + Logan Events that truly brought this day together. From styling and planning the day to perfection, to keeping the dance floor packed all night long. Learn more about them here.
CLAIRE AND OWEN’S SUPPLIERS
Ceremony venue and reception location: Emu Bottom Homestead, Sunbury
Celebrant/Officiant: Jimmy Hazelwood- Jimmy went to the same school as Owen (a few years below)and so when we got engaged we knew we wanted him to be our celebrant because we loved his sincere and laid back style.
Photography: Teodora Tinc – Teo was absolutely amazing and made everyone feel so comfortable on the day. She gave just the right amount of direction and captured the moments perfectly.
Videography: Steven Beck Media – Steven was incredible, he was so unobtrusive and was there capturing every moment without making it feel unnatural.
Styling: Logan Events – The incredible Dani from Logan Events did on-the-day coordination and styling. It is an absolute lifesaver having someone so organised and experienced making sure things run smoothly and look as you imagined.
Florist: Little Stag Floral Couture – Juliet was an absolute pleasure to work with the entire way through our wedding planning, postponement, and re-planning process.
Hair: Corrie Luck
Make Up: Shelby Rose MUA
Shelby and Corrie often work together both in television and weddings, so they worked together seamlessly and were so much fun to have around. Our hair and makeup did not budge all day!
The Dress: Luci Di Bella – Luci and Katelyn were amazing to work with and were so refreshingly honest. I chose a dress from their Valentini range and I felt incredible in it all day!
Shoes: Bared Footwear – I’m a physiotherapist so comfortable shoes were a must for me!
Rings: Montal Jewellers
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Viktoria & Woods
Suits – Oxford
Bow ties / ties: Oxford
Catering: The Epicurean Group
Cake: Beurre Cakes – Zahara makes incredible cakes and offers a range of unique and delicious flavours along with some classics. We were hoping for leftovers but there was barely any because it was such a hit.
Stationery / Signage: Mila & May Paper Co
Entertainment: Logan Entertainment – DJ Sarah Mac had our guests up and dancing the whole night, the dancefloor was packed the entire time!
Polaroids: Undisposable – We had the guys from Undisposable at our wedding as an alternative to a photobooth or traditional polaroids. We loved that the cameras printed two copies of each photo and we got digital copies to keep too. It was super fun and the guests loved it.
Hire: Marquee Monkeys – We organised festoon lights and heaters through Marquee Monkeys. They were also our “Plan B” for if Covid-19 restrictions required us to have an outdoor dancefloor. Thankfully, we didn’t need it.
Honeymoon: TBC…we are waiting to plan our honeymoon until travel restrictions ease, but we plan on going to WA or Tasmania.
