Real Wedding - Gabriella & Ricky, Coldstream VIC

April 23, 2023 In Real Weddings, Winery By Ivory Tribe

Real Wedding – Gabriella & Ricky, Coldstream VIC

Ricky and Gabriella’s stunning soiree is all Italian-inspired romance, timeless Tuscan style and effervescent emotion. Choosing to inject a fresh modern feel into a tradition-based theme makes for a uniquely epic day, perfectly personal and elegantly stylish.

We love the effortlessly artful florals by The Petal Project, lush greenery and an abundance of crisp vanilla and spun creams accenting the soft backdrop of the chapel with exquisite effect. Bridesmaids in muted metallic sage extend the contemporary touch, whilst the gents look sharp in classic black and white.

Scroll on for every divine image by photographer Merve Togan.

The meeting.

Ricky and I became friends around 9 years ago! We got along straight away, we always really liked being around each other but at the time I was young, and Ricky was a few years older, so nothing really happened. We dated other people and then found a way into each other’s life again. Now, he is my HUSBAND!

The one.

I think we always knew there was something there, but we were both really stubborn. It is hard to pick an exact time we thought each other was the one, there was just this feeling whenever we were together.

The proposal.

Well, it was right before Christmas in 2021. Ricky had the ring from July 2021 to propose. COVID lockdowns were starting to settle, and it was a few nights before Christmas, and we were going for one of our runs around Princess Park. I was in my running gear, hair in a bun! We got to the park, and I remember laughing at Ricky because he started lunging to stretch but he looked awkward, in the next few seconds he pulled out the ring and was asking me to marry him. He has me on video saying, “no, no, no, OMG no not here, not when I look like this” and Ricky was saying, “why do you keep saying no” and then I realised I still needed to say yes and then we just hugged and I cried.

Planning process.

It was three days before Christmas when we became engaged, so we had the perfect opportunity to celebrate with family and enjoy our summer break before thinking about wedding plans. We were never really stressed about organising it, we just knew we wanted it to represent us and pick things we loved. We would have loved to get married in Italy and have a Tuscan wedding (any persons dream really) but we had older family members that wouldn’t have been able to travel so we began the hunt to find a winery that gave us an Italian feel. As soon as we visited Stones, we fell in love with the beautiful Chapel and vineyard and the venue spoke for itself. We didn’t need to do much at all, all of our items complemented the venue and we just wanted to bring some small elements of Italy to the day like our Millefoglie round cake and our accordion player who played our favourite Italian music. All our other amazing suppliers I am so grateful to have found through Instagram, all of them had such beautiful pages full of their amazing work and we were fortunate enough to have been able to book in everyone we wanted.

Style inspiration.

Pinterest became my most used app! Tuscan weddings in Italy were all over my Pinterest board. We are not over the top people, so we just wanted to keep our wedding style simple and elegant!

The ceremony.

The Chapel at Stones is absolutely stunning, we were so excited to have our ceremony there. We had a beautiful arbor/floral arrangement at the end of the aisle, and we chose to have a cellist and pianist for our ceremony music. It was so perfect hearing them play as I walked down the aisle and seeing each other for the first time, knowing we were about to start a whole new journey together. It’s a moment you just want to feel forever, I can’t wait for everyone else to have this feeling!

The outfits.

I always envisioned myself in something simple, strapless and fitted. I really couldn’t picture myself in anything crazy but still tried on as many different styles as I could but never found anything that I loved. I showed a family friend who is a dress maker something I had in mind, so she drew up something with her little touches and I fell in love with it immediately. It’s as though she knew exactly what I needed, and I loved the whole process with her.

Favourite moment.

The whole day! If we had to pick a particular highlight it would have been seeing each other for the first time down the aisle and celebrating on the dancefloor with all our guests.

Meaning of marriage.

Having a person who stands by you through it all.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: It was supposed to be a different song, but we had a cellist and pianist playing and honestly, whatever song they played just sounded so magical. I ended up walking down to Can’t Help Falling in Love.

Reception entrance song: This is Your Night.

First dance song: Forever Begins Tonight.

Planning surprises.

There are so many things you can get carried away with and it can be daunting if you let it be but honestly the planning process for us felt right. I felt every supplier we wanted just made the process a little easier, they were the experts. We were just so excited to be getting married, we left the hard parts to the professionals!

Words of wisdom.

Be positive, everything always works out, enjoy the process, it all goes too quick!

Are you on the hunt for sensational suppliers who will bring your dream day to life with their expertise and talent. Get to know our favourites within our Ivory Tribe directory.

GABRIELLA AND RICKY’S SUPPLIERS

Ceremony venue: The Chapel, Stones of the Yarra Valley

Reception venue: The Barn, Stones of the Yarra Valley

Celebrant/Officiant: Father James Grant

Photography: Merve Togan

Videography: Moon & Back Co

Florist: The Petal Project

Hair: Shauna Elizabeth and Hair by Jenn Chan

Make Up: Makeup by Demi and Makeup by Dani

The Dress: Custom made silk gown with organza by bride’s family.

Veil: Tylers Fabrics

Shoes: Aquazzura