Real Wedding – Daisy & Nick, Portsea, VIC

Daisy and Nick’s dream day has everything a couple could want; an intimate, fun-filled feeling, boldly elegant style and effortless, understated romance.

Choosing a black and white dress code creates captivating cohesion across the event, complementing to perfection the raw natural floorboards, crisp white decor and lush indoor plants within their venue. Pops of colour in a palette of on-point pinks add striking effect, echoed in the bridesmaid gowns and floral flourishes.

For Daisy and Nick, the decision to pare back their large-scale wedding to create an intimate affair truly paid off. We love a couple who walk their own path, and for these two newlyweds, the evidence is in the epic smiles and memory-making moments of this exquisite day.

There to capture it all in stunning style was photographer Mr & Mrs Photo. Scroll on to soak up every divine detail.

The meeting.

We both grew up on the coast, myself in Torquay and Nick in Ocean Grove. We would often catch up in friendship groups in Summer and jump off the Barwon Heads Pier. After just a few catch ups we had our first kiss at 15. We have been together since, we’re now both 26!

The one.

I think renovating our first home was such a big challenge, but it seemed to bring us even closer. We had so much fun spending our weekends working on our home and I knew then that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. He made it so much fun to renovate and he taught me so much, with such patience and care. Also, I absolutely LOVE French food, so when Nick started to grow an appreciation for it, I knew I had to hold onto him.

The proposal.

It was the weekend of our ten-year anniversary and Nick organised a weekend away to Sorrento. He proposed on the Sorrento beach after a beautiful lunch. We then went to Bistro Elba for dinner, and nearly didn’t get in because Nick mixed up the booking time by a half hour. It was the best weekend.

Planning process.

It was actually a bit of a mess to be honest. We had originally booked a 130 person wedding in Lorne. But with the constant lockdowns etc we just lost the excitement of that and realised we just wanted something small. So, we cancelled that plan and started looking in Sorrento/Portsea, where Nick proposed, it felt right, but it was difficult. We struggled to lock in a venue with most accommodation places saying no. Eventually, we found the most amazing house and booked it, but the owners later pulled out. It was only a month or so from the planned date, and we finally found a house we loved, and the owners were happy to host us. It honestly all turned out so perfectly; it was worth the stress.

Style inspiration.

I really liked the casualness of a few weddings I had seen on Instagram. I was inspired by Natalie Rolt, who had a civil registry wedding with just her bridal party and then had a big reception a few weeks later. The aesthetics of her wedding was so chic and sophisticated with a base of black and white outfits for guests and then her own amazing designs with pops of colour. That gave me the idea behind the black and white theme for our guests. I think it looks so timeless and sharp. I also really loved Olive Cooke’s wedding; I could feel the love through the images. Again, black and white. The garden setting was also super romantic.

The ceremony.

It was set between two parallel rows of massive Cypress trees. Just our closest friends, their partners, and our immediate family. The weather was perfect. It felt so intimate and romantic.

The outfits.

I literally went to maybe fifteen bridal stores in both Geelong and Melbourne, with dresses ranging between $1000-$10,000. I fell in love with a dress in Melbourne but knew it was way out of my price range (I should never have tried it on). But then I went online and ordered two off the rack dresses from House of CB and loved one of them, and it was super easy to return the other one. It ended up costing nearly 10% of the one I originally loved, including alterations!

Favourite moment.

I really loved my dad’s speech at dinner. I also loved at the end of the night when everyone came back to our Airbnb, and we all jumped in the pool fully clothed. It was so much fun, except for nearly drowning from the weight of my wedding dress!

Meaning of marriage.

It means being with someone who you can completely rely on as they can you. Sharing insignificant things with one another and the most significant things. Love and honesty are super important to me also.

Wedding soundtrack.

Yours to Keep by Jordan Mackampa

We didn’t plan a first dance; however, all our friends made us dance to Latch by Sam Smith during the night, which was really fun and special.

Funny stories (or near disasters).

Our ceremony started at 4pm and at 3.45pm the girls were getting into their dresses, when my sister/maid of honour’s dress split along the bottom and lower part of her back! Fortunately, Emily (one of the other bridesmaids) had a needle and thread packed, so we quickly stitched her into the dress. But as Emily was doing this, her entire dress split down the whole side, from her armpit to her hip. I was low-key stressing out, but again, all the girls managed to pull it together, and we walked down on time!

Another near disaster was when we were lined up to walk down, my bridesmaids pointed out that my beautiful veil was on fire! My dad and brother-in-law had gone around the property prior to light mosquito coils. And my veil flew into one and completely burnt through the lace around my veil… again, stressful at the time but a good laugh now.

Planning surprises.

Everyone probably says it, but I think the overall cost can sometimes be a shock. It took a lot of back and forth for us to really decide where and how we wanted to spend our money.

Words of wisdom.

I think initially, I was trying to overcomplicate things, and it was becoming super stressful and not fun to plan. Once I realised that and actually calmed down a bit, it was all so much fun! It is important to not sweat the small stuff, focus on what’s really important on the day and aim to succeed on those aspects.

Final words.

I think it’s really important to only have people at your wedding who mean a lot to both you and your partner. Because we had such a small intimate wedding, we got to spend quality time with each guest. I could nearly list a special moment I had with each guest on the day.

There’s something about attending a wedding that feels cosy, warm and intimate, and believe us, it can be achieved even if you have a large number of guests. For our top tips, head here. 

DAISY AND NICK’S SUPPLIERS

Ceremony location: Private property/accommodation with HostAbout – amazing, cannot recommend Helen enough, she helped us so much!

Reception venue: Portsea Hotel ‘Bertrand Room’

Celebrant: Jane Mackinlay (Celebrant), could not recommend Jane more! She was absolutely amazing. All of our guests thought she must have been a long-lost friend as she told our story so well and made us feel so special and captured the intimacy we had envisioned.

Photography: The AMAZING Mr+Mrs Photo – cannot recommend Bella more highly. Serious talent! It was so much fun to have her there on the day, like having a friend capture the day.

Florist: South Melbourne Market – My sister, mum and I drove up to the South Melbourne Market the day prior and bought all the flowers etc. I’ve always had a passion for floristry, so it was really fun to put that to use. My mum is also super creative and talented, so she helped create that vision, and could point me in the right direction of what flowers to get.

Hair: One of my beautiful bridesmaids did the entire bridal parties hair. It was so nice and relaxing to have just the bridal party there, it was so fun, and just felt like we were getting ready for a fun day out.

Make-up: Again, another one of my amazingly talented bridesmaids did the entire bridal parties and my mums makeup.

The Dress: House Of CB

Veil / headwear: Grace Loves Lace, which my mum bought for me

Shoes: Christian Dior

Rings: Ernest & Joe – a local Geelong jeweller and engagement ring from DUFFS

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Multiple brands including The Bar, Aje, ASOS, House of CB and Autuer

Suits: Eddie Elias, Geelong

Bow ties / ties: Myer

Catering: Ceremony was self-catered and the reception at the Portsea Hotel

Stationery / Signage: DIY

Décor: Bridal Aesthetic, Candle Co

Umbrella and parasols: Etsy

Glassware at ceremony: Plumm

Cocktails for recovery: Havana Caravan Bar

Honeymoon: Following the wedding; two nights at Jackalope and then two nights at The W Melbourne. We are having our honeymoon in May… two months in Europe!