Real Wedding – Emily & Robbie, Lorne VIC
It’s safe to say the Great Ocean Road holds a special place in the hearts of Robbie and Emily, after all it’s where Robbie popped the question and where they eventually sealed the deal.
Set in Lorne, they used the stunning and natural surrounds to celebrate their love story in a personalised, lighthearted and love-filled ceremony with one of our favourite celebrants, Sue Warner.
They kept their celebrations laid back and relaxed, with pops of colour and simple yet chic styling that only added to the beautiful views.
Of course no visit to the Great Ocean Road is complete without stunning snaps of the incredible ocean views and White Shutter Photography created imagery that this perfect pair will certainly treasure forever.
The meeting.
We actually met in primary school! But we didn’t actually get together until 2016 – my best friend and his best friend are brother and sister – and they set us up!
The ‘one’.
It was pretty early on for me! I lived in Sydney for a couple of years and was living there when we first got together (Rob lived in Melbourne), he flew up for a weekend and it was over that weekend that I just knew he was my person.
The proposal.
We got up early one morning to walk our dog on the beach in Aireys Inlet, I’m talking like 6:30am, he was super awake which is a bit weird for him, we walked along the rock pools as we usually do and we stopped at one point and he asked me to marry him. We were engaged by 7am and I definitely understood why he was so awake that morning!
The process.
We were engaged for almost two years before the big day so the planning process was really spaced out, I booked in the important things early the like venue, musician and our amazing photographer and left other things like the dress until a bit later. When I met my photographer, Anne, she recommended contacting Wanderlust Creative to help with the styling because I just had no idea how to organise and plan that stuff and it was the best recommendation ever!
Style inspiration.
We wanted our wedding to be really relaxed, my dream was boho garden party with barefoot guests until we found the venue that was The Peak in Lorne. It has incredible views of the ocean and is surrounded by enormous gum trees and natural beauty so my vision changed a bit and that’s where Laura from Wanderlust Creative came to the rescue. She showed me a few colour and styling options and we went from there. It was laid back and really suited the venue which spoke for itself – so stunning!
The dress.
I saw my dress on Anna Campbell’s Instagram and instantly fell in love! AC was the first bridal shop I went to and my dress was the very first one I tried on. I loved it more than I thought I would and every dress I tried on after that just didn’t compare!
Favourite moments.
My favourite moment of the day was arriving at the ceremony and seeing Rob at the end of the aisle. We wrote our own vows and hearing Robbie’s vows was pretty special too. The whole day was incredible, I loved dancing with everyone on the dancefloor at the end of the night too!
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis
Bridal party entry: Do ya Think I’m Sexy by rod Steward
First dance: Coming Home by Leon Bridges
Planning surprises.
So many people asked me in the lead up how the planning was going and if I was feeling stressed out – and I always replied that I wasn’t… I think because we had such a long time to plan it, nothing was rushed and I never felt worried. However – I was so surprised at how busy everything became about three weeks before the wedding. Everyone that you hire needs to finalise things with you and it became a little bit overwhelming. My advice would be to do things individual suppliers ask of you as soon as you open their email to avoid a week of finalising things you had been “thinking about”!
Words of wisdom.
If you are wondering whether you should get a stylist for your wedding I would say to 100% get one. They have so much experience and are trained to help create a style that reflects you both as a couple. It alleviated so much stress and extra work for me – I didn’t have to worry about picking things up, setting up and packing down on the day – it saved me so much time and it was just so nice not to ever have to worry about how the wedding would look because I knew it was in the hands of professionals. Worth. Every. Cent (which was actually more reasonable than you’d think!).
Need a celebrant to lead your celebrations as well as your happily-ever-after? We have a dream team to select from. Check them out here.
EMILY & ROBBIE’S TRIBE
Ceremony and reception: The Peak, Lorne
Celebrant/Officiant: Sue Warner
Photography: White Shutter Photography – Anne
Videography: Moment Seeker
Styling: Wanderlust Creative – Laura
Florist: Botanica Fresh Flowers
Hair: Renee Pearce
Make-up: Emily McGrath
The dress: Anna Campbell Bridal
Shoes: Midas
Rings: Paul Bram and MLR jewels
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Chancery
Entertainment: Cal Young