Real Wedding – Emily & Leif, Trentham VIC
Wanting a day that was romantic and elegant, with a country feel, the township of Trentham was the perfect location for Leif and Emily to seal the deal.
In beautiful historic gardens, covered in century-old elm trees, their ceremony lead by Tribe favourite Megan Thompson, barely contained a dry eye. Beginning with Emily’s entrance in a Gatsby-inspired design by Karen Willis Holmes, and ending with a tearful groom declaring his love, it truly was a moment in time to remember.
Hosting their reception in the stables of The Cosmopolitan Hotel, it gave a relaxed feel to a beautiful celebration of love. But before their perfect party kicked off, Leif and Emily took the opportunity to go exploring the incredible Trentham Falls with their talented photographer Katie Harmsworth – get scrolling for the breathtaking results.
In Emily’s words…
The meeting.
We met through mutual friends.
The ‘one’.
When he would bring me a coffee (the way to my heart) every morning.
The proposal.
On the couch in our lounge room one night whilst we were watching tv, I was taken completely by surprise!!
The process.
We are very laid back and relaxed. We just booked some wonderful vendors and let them work their magic! It wasn’t a particularly stressful wedding to plan as it was fairly small and simple.
Style inspiration.
I wanted romantic and elegant but also to have a country/rustic feel at the same time.
We married in the beautiful historic gardens behind the hotel that is covered by century-old elm trees. The photos with my bridesmaids looked like we were in a beautiful forest! The reception was held in the original stables just beyond the gardens, (built in 1866) giving it a lovely country, rustic feel. Being both from the Macedon Ranges, we wanted to marry in the landscape that we grew up in.
The dress.
I loved the Gatsby-inspired designs by Karen Willis Holmes and went into their Armadale store expecting to purchase one of their sequinned numbers. I was surprised to find I actually found myself drawn to their lace dresses. The lace was so beautiful and comfortable to wear and I found one that had the option of attaching lace sleeves. Once I tried it on and my maid of honour started crying, I knew it was the one!
Favourite moments.
Seeing all of the happy, smiling faces of the people I love the most all in one moment as I walked up the aisle and then seeing Leif’s smiling face at the end. And also when Leif almost cried saying his vows. He never cries and that moment was so touching.
Meaning of marriage.
It means getting to spend every day with my best friend and soul mate. It means supporting each other and bringing out the best in each other.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Your Song by Elton John (Ellie Goulding version)
Reception entry: Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder
First dance: Thinking out Loud by Ed Sheeran. Each of these songs played/sung by my incredibly talented friends Laura and Dave.
Funny stories (or near disasters).
No disasters thankfully! However I did forget to wear my veil! I didn’t notice until I arrived at my venue, but I was so excited and happy by this time that I didn’t even mind. The groomsmen also forgot to bring their ties, but I think they all looked great without them!
Planning surprises.
How many hours I spent scrolling Instagram!
Words of wisdom.
Don’t sweat the small stuff. You wont even notice it on the day.
Try to take in each moment of the day, it goes so quickly!
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EMILY & LEIF’S TRIBE
Ceremony and reception: The Cosmopolitan Hotel, Trentham, Victoria – Fiona, Rod and the Cosmoplitan Hotel team were incredible! I would recommend this venue to everyone. Fiona was such a wonderful person to deal with, from choosing the menu to tasting their amazing locally sourced wines. Nothing was ever too much for Fiona, and I felt at ease that everything would run so smoothly with her at the helm!
Celebrant/Officiant: Megan Thompson – Megan was amazing! I can’t speak highly enough of her. Whilst researching I found SO many couples reported being asked by their wedding guests if Megan knew them personally before the wedding, and I can see why. She made the process so easy, and told our story so beautifully, with lots of laughs, it really was like she had known us years, which is funny because with Megan being a local girl, we are now friends! Megan is so warm, friendly and relaxed. She really makes the ceremony all about her couples. So many guests commented on how wonderful she was. I highly recommend her to everyone!
Photography: Katie Harmsworth – Wow. She was the first vendor I booked. I think I squealed with excitement upon finding out she was available the date of my wedding. Her photos speak for themselves. I found her featured on blogs and knew instantly I wanted her to photograph my wedding. She describes her style as timeless and romantic – the exact style of wedding Leif and I wanted, but with a country feel. We wanted the beautiful landscape of where we grew up to be captured and Katie absolutely nailed it. She is not just a photographer but an artist, a master of finding the most beautiful light to capture her couples in. She is so relaxed, a dream to work with and made us feel comfortable in front of the camera (something we were worried about). But at the same time we hardly noticed she was there. Her photos are memories that we will treasure forever.
Videography: We had to adhere to some sort of budget, (unfortunately), so we decided not to have a videographer, but Katie’s photos are so beautiful and I’m not one bit disappointed that I didn’t have one! I was however very fortunate to have my talented brother in law who took some gorgeous video clips of us on the day.
Styling: Raven and the Rose – I provided Ame with some crystal vases and antique candle holders that belong to my parents and she worked her magic, creating a beautifully colourful, romantic and rustic vibe. The Cosmopolitan provided some fairy lights, and the beautiful old stables had their own charm that didn’t need much styling added.
Florist: Raven and the Rose – Another wow. The second vendor I booked. I wanted Raven and the Rose to flower my wedding before I even got engaged. Ame is a local talent and friend. She was the only person for the job. I am thrilled to know her and the Macedon Ranges is SO lucky to have her. Ame sources beautiful flowers from local suppliers and she is truly an artist! Her creative, natural, unstructured style is so stunning and elegant. I only gave her a vague idea of what I wanted – to get married in a beautiful garden (with lots of pink) and she brought it to life, creating a beautiful growing garden for the ceremony, filled with my favourite flowers; roses, peonies and orchids. It was like she could see inside my mind and produced the florals of my dreams! It was the talking point of the day amongst the guests. Everyone was blown away!
Hair: M&CO Hair Design, Woodend – Megan has been my hairdresser for about six years now. I wanted old Hollywood style curls with a more relaxed feel and Megan nailed it.
The Dress: Karen Willis Holmes – Sabrina, Erin and Caitlin at KWH in Armadale were so wonderful to deal with. I found my dress on my first visit there. I went in there expecting to buy one of their sequined gowns as I had seen them so many times when researching and kept going back to them. But in the end I chose a lace gown with beautiful lace sleeves. The fabric was so comfortable to wear and I felt a lace dress suited the venue too!
Veil: Funny story here. I forgot to wear my veil! I purchased a beautiful simple veil from Karen Willis Holmes, but was having so much fun getting ready for the day that I forgot to put it on! I only noticed when I arrived at the ceremony, just before walking down the aisle. The veil was only a 200m walk away at my accommodation, but by this time I was so happy and looking forward to seeing Leif that I just didn’t care. I think this sums up Leif and I, and the vibe of our wedding – relaxed and ‘go with the flow’. (The veil did get worn however – by my sister’s boyfriend later in the night after a few drinks!)
Shoes: Bared Footwear – another amazing Australian brand. Sabrina from Karen Willis Holmes recommended them to me. They are located a short walk from the KWH store in Armadale, and are the comfiest heels I have ever worn, and look beautiful! They are designed by a podiatrist and are committed to using materials that are kinder to the environment.
Rings: Angus & Coote, Melbourne Emporium store. They were wonderful to deal with.
Earrings: Amelie George
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Hansen & Gretel – My sister and bridesmaid Katherine had attended a wedding in which the bridesmaids were wearing these dresses and she loved them. I wanted my bridesmaids to wear whatever they liked/felt comfortable in and they all loved this dress! It looked incredible on them all (they all looked like supermodels!) and matched the colour scheme so perfectly!
Menswear: Peter Jackson
Catering and bar: The Cosmopolitan Hotel – The food was absolutely delicious. I loved that they provided shared platters on the tables rather than traditional alternate serve, to promote interaction between the guests and everybody gets to try a bit of everything – such a great idea! We chose local wines, and being in the Macedon Ranges we were again absolutely spoiled for choice.
Favours: In lieu of favours we made a donation to Five Freedoms Animal Rescue, an incredible wildlife shelter in Trentham East who provide rescue and rehabilitation to native animals. They are so selfless and their work is not funded by the government so they rely on donations. The work they do is so admirable and the Macedon Ranges is so fortunate to have them.
Cake: Blackbird Cakes – The most delicious cake I have ever eaten in my life! We had three flavours; chocolate mud, salted caramel, and white chocolate with raspberry and lemon – all absolutely amazing!
Stationery / Signage: Lauren Skorsis Design Studio – Lauren is an incredibly talented graphic designer who I found on Instagram. I ordered everything online from her. She was so easy to work with. Her rose gold foil decal on my signage and stationery looked so beautiful and elegant.
Entertainment: I am a Registered Nurse and at the time I was planning my wedding I worked at the Royal Children’s Hospital. One day, of my colleagues and friends, Laura, one of the pediatric doctors, was singing to a very unwell patient. I had no idea she could sing and I was blown away at how beautiful her voice was. I kept asking her to sing whenever I saw her! I asked if she would be interested in singing at my wedding, not expecting her to say yes! I was delighted. Her friend Dave, (also a doctor who works in Emergency), accompanied her by playing guitar and also singing. They were incredible and the crowd absolutely loved them! They are truly the most beautiful, selfless and kind individuals I have ever met. They somehow found time in their busy lives of shift-work and exams to practice and perform some of our favourite songs at the ceremony and reception, out of the kindness of their hearts. I am so truly grateful to know two such generous and selfless souls. At the end of the night I played a spotify playlist so we could all relax and party!
Hire: Marquee hire was totally organised by The Cosmpolitan Hotel, they organised all set up for the day!
Honeymoon: Ubud and Seminyak, Bali.
