Real Wedding – Fran & Maz, Abbotsford VIC
Real Wedding – Fran & Maz, Abbotsford VIC
Real Wedding – Fran & Maz, Abbotsford VIC
Real Wedding – Fran & Maz, Abbotsford VIC

Real Wedding – Fran & Maz, Abbotsford VIC

 

For a wow factor wedding which nails the trifecta; maximum style, minimal stress and emotions plus, we love Fran and Maz’s day.

Choosing timeless theming choices that were fuss-free and simply stunning, Fran and Maz created a bold yet elegant vision with their florals in classic blush and white, which contrasted strikingly against the deep electric blue of the bridesmaid gowns.

Their choice of a cocktail reception meant that guests mingled freely, and the relaxed vibe shone through in the incredible images by legend photographer Ali Bailey.

Aesthetic gorgeousness aside, for the newlyweds it was their ceremony that imprinted forever in their memories. For Fran, hearing Maz’s vows sent her heart into overdrive, while Maz will always treasure the vision of Fran making her way down the aisle towards him.

 

The meeting.

We were a classic drunk dancefloor party pash! We were at an 18th in 2007, Maz had just finished his year 12 exams (he’s a year older than me), and I got invited to the party by a girlfriend.

While it was just something random on the night, afterwards I was drawn to tracking him down on Myspace!

 

The ‘one’.

Fran: I realised he was the one when we tried to break up but would always do things that somehow led us back into each others lives.

Maz: Seeing Fran be so comfortable and fit in seamlessly with my family, I knew she was special.

 

The proposal.

We had arrived at Maz’s family beach house for a weekend away. He walked into the house before me, and by the time I got inside he was down on one knee in front of a wall that had “marry me?” spelt out in big letters made up of different pictures of the two of us over the years. It was so beautiful, and Maz had sneakily been to the beach house during the week to set it up.

 

Planning process.

We used our excel spreadsheet a lot and had a “to do” list that was broken up into 9, 6, 3, 2 and 1 month. We had a lot of conversations about what we wanted from the day and what our non-negotiables were. Thankfully Maz is a very calm and down to earth guy, so if I ever got carried away with planning, he’d bring me back to reality.

I also had really excellent sounding boards in my bridesmaids (my sister Ellen, maid of honour, and bestie Stef) who know me well and always provided me with helpful (and very honest) feedback about some of my ideas.

In the lead up to the day, 90% of our conversations revolved around the wedding day, and the other 10% were around our honeymoon that we were also super excited for!

 

Style inspiration. 

We wanted our wedding to be a big celebration and not too formal, and one that encouraged all our guests to mingle and party with each other. We had been to a cocktail wedding before and absolutely loved it so wanted to emulate the feeling we had from that.

We also wanted it to be “us”; which is not too fussy or overdone. I wanted to incorporate style elements that I loved but was mindful not to go over the top or do things just because they were in fashion.

 

The outfit. 

I have always loved Mariana Hardwick gowns, and mum wore a Mariana Hardwick gown when she married dad in the 80s, so it felt really special, and almost sentimental, to go there and choose my wedding dress too.

I had a general idea of what I wanted in a dress, what flattered my figure, and what I felt comfortable in, so I used that as a starting point. From there, I played around and tried on a few dresses that had different elements of what I liked. When I tried on my wedding dress, I stepped out of the dressing room, and my mum, sister and bestie all loved it. It was when I saw myself in the mirror – I felt and looked like a true bride – that I knew I’d found “the one”.

 

Favourite moments.

Fran: hearing Massa’s vows and the elation of being “just married”.

Maz: seeing Fran walk down the aisle.

 

Meaning of marriage.

For both of us, marriage means committing to your “person” and having someone by your side to ride the rollercoaster of life together.

 

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: You and I Always by Jake Isaac

Signing: Lover (Remix) feat. Shawn Mendes by Taylor Swift

Recessional: Love on Top by Beyonce

First dance: The Wonder of You by Elvis Presley

 

Funny stories or near disasters.

We had a couple!

When Maz went to pick up his suit two weeks before the wedding, he didn’t try it on and just figured it would be a perfect fit. However, not long after he got home, he felt like he needed to try the suit on just to make sure the fit was all good. The pants were so tight they looked like they were sprayed on!! After a quick trip back to the tailor, they were just right.

Also related to Maz and his groomsmen not trying on their suits properly was them all finding out on the morning of the wedding that their belts were far too big. Needless to say, the boys had to get creative, so extra holes were drilled into the belts on our kitchen bench!

I had a momentary lapse in memory of the spray tan “do’s and don’ts” and had a really long shower after my spray tan the night before the wedding, and washed the whole tan off. A frantic call later, I was back with my wonderful beautician who was re-spraying me, after a friendly scolding.

 

Planning surprises.

Fran: Mostly, the ideas that everyone else has about what a wedding day should look like and how they try to impose that on your planning.

Maz: How much planning goes into a wedding and that most things that happen on a wedding day aren’t sporadic – they’re planned for months.

 

Words of wisdom.

Always have a discussion at the start of planning with your partner about how you both want your wedding day to feel and what you absolutely must include in the day.

Use other weddings/events you’ve been to and loved as your inspiration.

At the end of the day, it’s your wedding, so take others opinions/suggestions on what your day should entail with a grain of salt!

 

 

Are you loving Fran and Maz’s colour palette as much as we are? For more inspiration on how to incorporate tones of cobalt, teal or indigo into your dream day, we’ve pulled together some blue-toned real wedding inspiration here.

 

FRAN & MAZ’S VENDORS

Ceremony and reception venue: Au79

Celebrant/Officiant: Our friend Jill

Photography: Ali Bailey. Ali was so damn wonderful; easy to get along with, made everyone feel at ease and has the phenomenal skill to capture the little tender parts of a special day that transport you back to that exact moment.

Videography: Bluebird Media. Chris was very chilled out, and developed the most beautiful video that makes us get misty-eyed every time we watch it.

Florist: Basia Puchalski. Basia created the absolutely stunning florals of the wedding. She was very in tune with what we loved and super easy to work with.

Hair: Katerina Biondo. Katerina is the loveliest, and having her around felt like an extra one of my girlfriends getting ready with us. I loved my wedding day hair and was so happy with how it turned out

Make-up: Kelly Mills. Kelly is a makeup whiz. She made me feel not too overdone and just a more glowy, enhanced version of myself.

The dress and veil: Mariana Hardwick, Brooklyn Gown with wings. I worked with Lara, who was so accommodating to making any changes I wanted throughout the process, and I was so so so happy with the final product.

Shoes: Bared Footwear

Rings: Ralf Fisch

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Private dressmaker

Groom and Groomsmen’s suits, ties and bow ties: Zacmens

Catering: Au79

Stationery / Signage: My sister Ellen created them, and we had them printed by Fast Printing

Entertainment: Play on Sound and Lighting

Hire: Coffee and bar tables for the venue were provided by Dann Event Hire

Honeymoon: Western Australia – we flew to Perth and then road tripped to Margaret River, Pemberton, Albany, Esperance and back to Perth.




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