Real Wedding – Emily & David, Red Hill VIC
David and Emily absolutely relished creating a relaxed, rustic celebration. Having grown up on the Mornington Peninsula, it was a simple choice to celebrate their wedding there, surrounded by their closest community.
Watching the day unfold through the lens of their photographer, Nick Skinner, showed the spectrum of emotions experienced throughout; from the light-hearted laughter and joy of the ceremony to the effervescent happiness between David and Emily in their first hours as newlyweds.
Choosing a classic modern palette of charcoal blue offset with florals in blush pinks and bright peach contrasted perfectly with the stunning surrounds. And the perfect finishing touch? Emily and David’s gorgeous black lab, Kobe, who was by their side for every magic moment.
The meeting.
We met on New Year’s Eve, 2014. David was a good friend of my housemates and came to our house to celebrate the new year. We were living in St Kilda at the time and had planned to walk down to the beach to watch the fireworks at midnight. However, we are all having too much fun and lost track of the time. Our walk to the beach became a run! We shared a New Years Eve kiss, and the rest is history!
The ‘one’.
Emily: I knew so early on. I don’t remember one specific moment; I just knew I enjoyed doing life with him. I still do.
David: I knew quite quickly too. Not only did I love her, she was my best friend too.
The proposal.
David popped the question whilst we were on holidays in Byron Bay. It was perfect. Byron has always been our happy place, and it is even more special now.
Planning process.
We both grew up on the Mornington Peninsula, and we couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. It was also important to us that we supported local suppliers.
The Old Church Red Hill has long been on my radar, as it is just down the road from my childhood home. Whilst studying, I worked at Merricks General Wine Store and knew firsthand what a beautiful reception venue it would be. Thankfully David fell in love with both venues too, and everything else fell into to place quickly from there.
My parents’ property is located between The Old Church and Merricks General Wine Store, which meant we could stop there for photos between the ceremony and the reception. It also meant that we could fulfil the dream of having our much-loved Labrador, Kobe, included in our wedding photos. When it came to choosing the rest of our suppliers, it all happened really naturally. We had an unofficial rule to book suppliers who gave us ‘good vibes’, and it worked. We could not have been happier with our tribe.
Style inspiration.
Relaxed and rustic. Our dream was to celebrate with the ones we love most, enjoying good food and good music.
The outfit.
I took a really long time to go shopping for my dress, first spending a lot of time looking online. By the time that I finally went shopping, the rest of the wedding was organized!
Jess is the talented designer and dressmaker behind Chasing the Sun, which is available at SoHo Bride in Geelong. As soon as I saw her designs, I knew I had found the place for me. My instinct was right; I didn’t even look anywhere else. I wore a skirt and top, it was simple and elegant with a modern twist, and it was exactly what I’d been looking for.
My mum and I enjoyed many trips on the Sorrento – Queenscliff ferry to visit SoHo Bride for fittings in the months leading up to the wedding. I could not say enough good things about my experience. SoHo Bride is the most beautiful space, and Jess is such a kind and creative soul. She went above and beyond to ensure that my outfit was perfect.
Favourite moments.
We both loved every minute of our day, however agreed that our favourite moment was definitely seeing each other for the first time at the end of the aisle.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage is the official start of a lifelong commitment to each other.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Lemons by Woodlock
Reception entry: We had planned for Love Love Love by Avalanche City. However, when the time came Walking on Sunshine played, and we were too happy to even think twice about it!
First dance: I Will Wait by Mumford and Sons.
Funny stories or near disasters.
I dropped David’s wedding ring as I was putting it on his finger! We all laughed, a lot. Of course, it was caught on camera, so I won’t be living it down in a hurry.
Planning surprises.
I think the biggest surprise was how well it all came together on the day. People kept telling us that ‘something always goes wrong’, but it never did!
Words of wisdom.
When it comes to planning, take your time and make the decisions that are right for you.
One the day, make sure the two of you take some time to slow down and take it all in.
Considering a Mornington Peninsula wedding? We’ve visited some of the most gorgeous venues the area has to offer, all surrounded by beautiful Victorian vistas. Simplify your planning and check them out here!
EMILY & DAVID’S VENDORS
Ceremony venue: The Old Church Red Hill. The Old Church Red Hill will take your breath away; you could not choose a more beautiful venue to say ‘I do”. Sarah and Michelle were so accommodating and a pleasure to work with.
Reception venue: Merricks General Wine Store. Merricks General Wine Store is the most gorgeous rustic venue. We received so many compliments on the beautiful food and staff; it was the perfect place to dance the night away.
Celebrant: Paul Bonadio.
Photography: Nick Skinner. I don’t think words will ever express how thankful we are that Nick was a part of our big day. He was a pleasure to work with and truly felt like another one of our friends. He made two awkward camera-shy humans feel totally at ease. We will treasure our photographs forever, thank you, Nick!
Videography: Film My Wedding Melbourne.
Styling: Me!
Florist: Peninsula Wildflower. We purchased our blooms from Peninsula Wildflower and spent the day before the wedding putting together our own bouquets. Peninsula Wildflower has long been a farmers market favourite of mine; you could not dream of more beautiful, locally grown blooms.
Hair: Zarboo Hair. My morning would not have been the same without the beautiful Sarah from Zarboo Hair. She was my hairdresser long before we said ‘I do’.
Make-up: Casey Brooke. Casey is incredibly talented. She felt like an honorary member of the bride tribe and even took the extra time to come and watch our ceremony.
The dress and veil: Chasing The Sun by SoHo Bride
Brides shoes: Chaos and Harmony
Brides earrings: Amelie George
Rings: Paul Bram.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Assorted, the girls all chose their own dresses. It was important to me that the girls each chose a dress that they felt good in. They all looked so beautiful on the day.
Groomsmen’s suits: T.M Lewin
Ties: Connor
Catering: Merricks General Wine Store
Favours: DIY, we gave each of our guests a small jar filled with wildflower seeds.
Cake / Cake topper: Amy Minichiello. Amy is the most beautiful and creative human who makes truly delicious cakes. We felt as though she was as excited about creating our cake as we were to eat it. David was a genius and asked that some cake was saved for us to take home, which we devoured the next morning with a cup of tea. We’re already thinking of excuses to order another one!
Stationery / Signage: Emily created all our stationery, signs and seating charts herself, utilizing a beautiful simple template from Etsy.
Invites – Ink Hearts Paper
Entertainment: The Velvet Archers
Décor: Both of our venues were so beautiful, so we wanted them to shine. We decorated Merricks General Wine Store with bunches of silver gum from Peninsula Wildflower. The tables were decorated with white candles in assorted clear glass jars, many of which were old pickling jars, courtesy of Emily’s Grandma. Emily’s Dad made our wishing well out of old fence posts collected from around the farm.
Honeymoon: The Lon Retreat, Point Lonsdale. The day after the wedding we escaped for a beautiful mini-moon at Lon Retreat. Due to covid-19, we delayed our long-awaited overseas honeymoon until we can travel freely again.
