Real Wedding – George & Stephanie, Teesdale VIC
One look was all it took for George and Stephanie to fall head over heels in love. They dove straight in – which is exactly the way they approached their wedding planning. In the space of three months, they had planned an elegant, 80 guest wedding at the gorgeous Woolbrook Homestead in Teesdale.
The iconic 1850’s bluestone cottage provided a stunning backdrop which meant that George and Stephanie kept their styling to a minimum, to allow the beautiful property shine. Their wedding party donned sleek black dresses and suits, whilst George sported a crisp white suit jacket which complemented both of Stephanie’s outfits – an off the shoulder Rachel Gilbert gown followed by a flirty and fun Elliatt midi dress.
The tunes by Matt from Geelong Entertainment had everyone up on their feet and dancing and Ali from Smith & Archer was there to capture the epic smiles, the tender tears and swinging dance moves for the evening.
The meeting.
The first week of university at the student nightclub.
The ‘one’.
Instantly! It was the old cliché – love at first sight.
The proposal.
George picked up the ring in Febuary 2020 – just before the world shut down. With his options closing in he finished off our annual Easter egg hunt with a clue, where I found him in the lounge room on one knee.
Planning process.
Fast! We put off setting a date until it seemed the borders would be open for interstate and overseas friends and family. In November 2021, restrictions were easing so we took our chance and booked in the date and venue with three months to go! With such limited time to plan we only had a few options for each decision/vendor so in some ways it made things easier. Although we can’t say we’d recommend it, haha!
Style inspiration.
Our venue was so stunning that we took most of our lead from the natural style of Woolbrook. The bluestone buildings and soaring monkey puzzle trees provided a beautiful backdrop so we kept the styling to a minimum. If we were to describe our style we would say classic farmhouse with simple elegant touches.
We gained inspiration from Instagram, Ivory Tribe, a local Geelong wedding expo, and we were really lucky to have a few vendors recommend others they had worked with previously and loved.
The ceremony.
The last thing we wanted for our ceremony was for it to feel stiff. Kate instantly made us feel relaxed about it and looked after everything so we could focus on the organisation of other parts of the day. I walked down the aisle to a beautiful acoustic version of “Simply the best” from Matt at Geelong Entertainment. I had a veil with a blusher over my face to add a traditional touch, which George lifted when I made it down the lawn. Kate told our story beautifully – we will be forever grateful to her for creating a ceremony we loved!
The outfit.
With the limited time frame, I had to look at boutiques that had dresses that I could buy off the rack. I have always liked Rachel Gilbert pieces and found the perfect gown that had modern fabric in a classic design. The gown had a “cape” rather than a train which was unique. I wanted something with feathers for a party dress that wasn’t too short for our first dance – the Elliatt dress was perfect.
Favourite moments.
I can’t pick one. George lifting up my veil felt like I was in dream, the speeches – particularly the one from our MC/best man which had everyone howling with laughter and crying with tender emotion, our first dance with all our friends crowded around us.
Meaning of marriage.
Cementing our love in front of our family and friends is a precious moment we will remember for the rest of our lives.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Simply the best by Tina Turner
Reception entry: I got you (I feel good) by James Brown
First dance: Beyond by Leon Bridges feat. Luke Combes
Funny stories or near disasters.
Our musician ended up having to have surgery on his vocal cords the week of our wedding meaning that he pulled out with two weeks to go. Luckily, a Covid cancellation meant that Matt was available. He not only learnt our aisle song with a week to go, he played some amazing acoustic songs and had every single person on the dance floor later in the night as the DJ. So many of our guests commented on how well Matt read the room and he also played a few country songs which is a love of ours.
Planning surprises.
Once we got vendors booked in I was amazed at how they can just take over and do what they do and then on the day we get to see it all come to life. And seating plans are as bad as they sound.
Words of wisdom.
Once the day comes, you really do just have to turn off any concept of organisation and enjoy your day.
Last words.
I got a beautiful bar sign made by Etch & Sketch to acknowledge my late father, Peter. I accompanied it with a photo from my parents wedding day. It was a beautiful subtle tribute that so many people smile and think of my Father and tell me beautiful stories about him on the day (My Dad passed from brain cancer in 2015).
Stephanie’s Mum was the pastry chef behind her wedding cake, but we’ve put together some cake inspiration on our latest post for a bit of eye candy that is definitely also drool worthy here.
GEORGE & STEPHANIE’S VENDORS
Ceremony & Reception: Woolbrook Homestead
Celebrant/Officiant: Kate Uren
Photography: Smith + Archer
Styling: Sketch & Etch (bar sign)
Florist: Blooms by B
Hair: Hair by Geraldine
Make Up: Laura Dibiagio Artistry
The Dress(es): Rachel Gilbert (first dress), Elliatt (second dress)
Shoes: Christian Louboutin and Bellini
Rings: The Diamond Guys
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Mossman and Chancery
Suits: Suits were groomsmen’s own, Shirts: Blaq from Myer
Bow ties / ties: Blaq
Catering & Bar: Going Gourmet
Cake / Cake topper: Bride’s Mum
Entertainment: Geelong Entertainment
Hire: Elderberry Hire
Honeymoon: Hamilton Island
