Real Wedding – Demi & Mitch, Lorne VIC
In pulling together their dream day, Demi and Mitch found the sweet spot between bohemian-luxe and rustic elegance, their celebration unfolding in a relaxed, yet refined occasion in the iconic coastal town of Lorne.
The modern and creative eye of bride Demi and her dream team saw an amalgamation of fresh and dried florals and foliage deliver everything she imagined her wedding day to be.
Though this day was about so much more than just the look – the long-time lovers felt on top of the world as they saw their favourite people celebrate in their joy and despite some last-minute planning hiccups – they wouldn’t change a thing.
This dream day is filled with inspiration and heart, as captured by the wonderful Jess of Elk and Willow.
The meeting.
First time we met was on the dance floor of a local football function, classy I know.
We had a lot of mutual friends, both being from the same area, so had heard about each other but that was it until this night back in 2011.
A sneaky pash on the dancefloor and the rest is history.
The ‘one’.
Right from the start we were instantly attracted to one another, the more we got to know about each other the stronger our relationship got. We soon realised that we had lots of similarities and it felt so easy to be around each other. Couldn’t imagine life without him now!
The proposal.
Mitch popped the question.
We used to have a lot of family Easter holidays at Lorne, but after getting busy with life and now also the partners, we hadn’t had a Lorne Easter for a couple years, so Mum decided to book a random weekend away when we all had nothing on. I thought this would be the perfect occasion to spring it on her unexpectedly.
I had the ring hidden in a box inside my toolbox the whole trip up and couldn’t stop thinking about it so just wanted to get it done asap! We had been at the house all of 20 minutes and it was doing my head in so said, ‘righto, Dem lets go for a walk and bit of an explore then go grab a coffee’. Mum overheard this and said, ‘oh, I’m not really doing much I could come for a walk with you guys?’.
Great. There goes that idea. I just ignored her and said I’ll be waiting in the car Demi, and mum got the hint.
I had two options – Teddy’s lookout or the local waterfall and when the rain started coming down the lookout was off, and so the waterfall it was!
Walking down, there were people everywhere so I started getting pretty nervous thinking that it wasn’t the right time. We had been down the bottom for a couple minutes when Demi said ‘yeah righto, seen it, let’s get out of here’… I had to think quickly so I asked her to pull out her phone a get a photo for Instagram.
As she turned around to take the photo the other few people down there turned and started walking away, and I knew it was now or never.
struggled with pulling the ring out of my wallet while taking a knee on the grated platform, the flowing water running below us, and absolutely sh*tting myself – but finally got it out.
It got pretty real pretty quick, kneeling on one knee waiting for her to turn. And it wasn’t quite the reaction I was hoping for when she turned around absolutely gob smacked staring straight through me..
After a few moments with no response I decided to stand up and hug it out. With Demi tearing, up I took that as a yes!
The process.
My great friend Steph from Staple. Creative helped us out heaps during the lead up to the big day. We would have catch ups and many conversations on the phone from talking about what font to use on our save the dates, to helping me choose florals, source hair and makeup artists, create a running sheet and much more. If I didn’t have her I don’t know what I would of done as I really had no idea where to start when it came to planning a wedding.
She helped me bring my ideas to life to create what was our perfect wedding. Having her a phone call away whenever I had a random little question was unbelievably helpful and I’m very grateful to have her not only as one of my great friends but the amazing wedding planner she is!
Style inspiration.
The style of my wedding I think landed somewhere in between boho and rustic, I loved the bohemian style however didn’t want it to be too hippy, so found a good balance which also had a rustic vibe. In terms of florals, I wanted a mixture of fresh and dried flowers and greenery and my florist, Ebony from Wildfolk Flowers, delivered that to perfection. Our overall vibe was really relaxed however everything was still very much put together.
The dress.
Choosing a dress was not an easy process for me. My mum, mother in law and two of my bridesmaids came to my appointment at One Day Bridal, we headed up stairs to a beautiful room where we had champagne with the lovely staff and just had a chat about what I wanted. I was quite open to options, and my only criteria was I had always pictured my wedding dress to have a low back. So we went from there, the girl brought up about six dresses and each one I tried on was absolutely beautiful, which then made it extremely hard to choose! They allowed us to take photos, so I went home and studied the pictures like my life depended on it. I then picked a dress and went back to try it on and get my measurements taken. Putting it back on was a little underwhelming and I didn’t love it as much as I had when I first tried it on, however I signed the papers and put down a deposit, away I went!
When I was leaving a saw a dress out of the corner of my eye and was very intriguing as it was quiet different to anything I had previously seen, it also had an incredible low back! The next day I emailed the ladies at Chosen and asked if I could come back again and try on this other dress, I was very apologetic as I had already said yes to this other dress, but I kept thinking about this new option. I needed peace of mind and to try it on! I bought my tribe of women again and the dress was beautiful and a bit different, which was something I wanted, my mum said it was more me. In the end I went with the Parks gown, which was the one I saw out of the corner of my eye and am super happy with my decision.
Favourite moments.
After we had been announced husband and wife and got all the formalities sorted, to be able to stand back on a perfect summer’s day with our sparkling new rings on, watching all of our closest friends and family all in one area together. Knowing that they were all there, having a great day themselves and all to celebrate us, is a feeling that we will never forget.
Especially knowing we were about to head to an amazing venue for our reception and dance into the night with them!
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage to us means spending the rest of our lives together and the prospect of starting a family of our own! Getting to wake up next to each other every day for the rest of our lives and we wouldn’t want it any other way!
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: I knew I loved you by Mateo Oxley
Reception entrance: My Love by Route 94 (Feat. Jess Glynne)
First dance: Heaven by Ziggy Alberts
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Everything ran pretty smoothly in the lead up.
The bus situation for the guest could have easily turned into a disaster but we pulled it off, hiring three separate 20-seater buses to do two trips each way from Mantra hotel to the ceremony location and back again with some of Mitch’s apprentice plumbers driving the buses.
The original DJ pulled out two weeks prior, which made us freak out at the time, but somehow we got hold of Michael Christian who still had our date free and was unbelievable on the decks, having the whole venue on their feet for most of the night.
The quiet bridal party dinner that we had organised for the night before was probably the closest thing to becoming a disaster though, after tipping a few too many in at Ipsos restaurant and bar with all the great staff working there, then afterwards bumping into about 30 of our wedding guests at the Lorne pub who had already arrived for the weekend, we all made our way to Cuda bar for a messy night until close, caused for some sore heads the morning of!
Planning surprises.
Wanting to have a more private setting for the ceremony, then just on the beach out the front of Lorne Beach Pavilion, ended up with more logistical planning then what we had probably thought of, almost like setting up two weddings with the cost and needing to organise the furniture hire, flowers, alcohol, transport and entertainment for both of these locations. Now that it is over though, wouldn’t have changed anything!
Words of wisdom.
Keep a level head and don’t stress out if things aren’t going to the original plan.
We would have tried 10 celebrants who were all booked out before finding Teagan from Panache & co who was unbelievable through the whole experience and suited us perfectly!
The original DJ pulled out two weeks prior, scrambling to find a new DJ, and stumbled upon Michael Christian, a Geelong based DJ who we couldn’t find much info on online but after speaking on the phone with him, got a good vibe from him and he turned out to be the best wedding DJ we’ve seen, keeping the dance floor pumping from his first song to last.
We also spent a day traveling back and forth around Lorne pulling our hair out looking for a ceremony location after the original plan of a secluded spot amongst trees not far from the lifesaving club had recently had trees cut down and now was super open to a walking track which wasn’t ideal. Mitch’s mum ended up messaging her hairdresser who was a Lorne local asking for suggestions, who came back with her friend’s property as a possibility which turned out to be absolutely perfect for what we were after.
So yes, plans change along the way but sometimes can be a blessing in disguise!
Finding it hard to choose a wedding style? Be inspired by the various real wedding styled we have shared – from country to urban chic, beach or boho, we’ve shared it all. Check it out here.
DEMI & MITCH’S TRIBE
Ceremony venue / location: Private property – Allenvale Road, Lorne – We were lucky enough to find ourselves in contact with a Lorne local that provided us with our dream ceremony location. This was a privately owned property so there were a few curve balls that we had to sort through but all worked out perfectly!
Reception venue / location: Lorne Beach Pavilion – Michelle at Lorne Beach Pavilion was great to deal with. She really wanted the best for us and helped us achieve our perfect reception. All the staff there on the night were great also.
Celebrant/Officiant: Teagan Dole – Panache & Co – Teagan was unbelievable for us. She is young and bubbly and suited us perfectly. Not only did she do the perfect job on the day as celebrant, but the constant communication in the lead up was an incredible help, and then to top it off, she even helped with the styling and hired out some of her décor items for us to use.
Photography: Elk and Willow – Jess has blown us away with her photography. She captured the day perfectly and was great to deal with through the whole experience!
Videography: Moment Seeker – Haydn was great to deal with on the day. We are so excited about our video!
Styling: Stephanie Charters of Staple Creative – Steph did an amazing job with the organising and styling, all while being a guest at the wedding also called for a very busy morning for her! Our creative celebrant Tegan was also a big help with the styling and behind the scenes setting up!
Florist: Wildfolk Flowers – Ebony from Wildfolk flowers was great from the very first meeting I had with her, she understood the vibe I was wanting and was so accommodating when I sent her numerous emails asking to change or add things. I was blown away with the florals she put together, from the little details like buttonholes, down to our show-stopping pillars which were incredible.
Hair and make-up: Blondie – The girls at Blondie were amazing! The hair in particular that they did for myself, the bridal party and my mum was perfect for the day.
The Dress: Chosen by One Day – I recommend anyone going wedding dress shopping to head to One Day Bridal, the staff were so friendly, offering tea, coffee or WINE on arrival, what more could you want.
Veil / headwear: One Day Bridal
Shoes: Alias Mae
Rings: David Larsen (private wholesale jeweller in Melbourne)
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bec and Bridge
Groomsmen’s suits: Ferrari Formalwear
Catering and bar: Lorne Beach Pavilion
Favours: Donuts in individual boxes
Cake / Cake topper: The Melbourne Baker, with Wildfolk flowers to style.
Stationery / Signage: Staple Creative and All By Hand + Co – for all of your signage needs
Entertainment: Tom and Tayla (band) and Michael Christian (DJ) 0421 776 909 – when every single one of your guest rave about the DJ, you know he has done his job! He literally had everyone on the dance floor from the moment the music started to the end of the night. Highly, highly recommend this DJ.
Transport: The girls arrived in Minty the kombi from Melbourne Vintage Kombi Hire. Recommend Peter highly! The boys arrived in a family friend’s Ford 2019 F150 Shelby and loved every minute of it!
Décor: Styling and wishing well – Staple Creative. Reception signage and table numbers – All By Hand + Co. Pillar hire, ceremony rug and candle and vase set – Panache & Co.
Hire: Memphis Party Hire for signing table and chairs, Surfcoast Party Hire for ceremony bentwood chairs, trestle tables and natural cross-back chairs for reception.
Honeymoon: Italy, Malta & Greece (unfortunately has been cancelled due to Covid-19).
