Real Wedding – Laura & Sam, Springmount VIC
Laura and Sam worked tirelessly to create their dream wedding day. An elegant mix of rustic and classic touches combined to see the couple share their love with their family and friends at the beautiful Aghadoe Estate.
Laura was an absolute vision in a full-length lace gown, accentuated by bright pops of beautiful blooms. With a rocking dance-floor and some special quiet moments for the new Mr and Mrs – their day was absolute perfection and captured brilliantly by Jenna Fahey-White.
IN LAURA’S WORDS…
The meeting.
We met way back in August of 2008, we were both studying and working part time in the local shopping centre. I worked in a bakery and Sam in the bottle shop next door. We spoke every day, and traded work goodies. We became very close friends (both seeing other people at the time), all of a sudden for different reasons, those relationships ended and we fell together. I joke that he is surely the longest rebound ever.
The ‘one’.
About three months into our relationship Sam moved to London for 12 weeks. We knew we really liked each other and decided to stay together over this time. We had the most incredible conversations while Sam was away, and our fondness and trust grew. Although difficult at the time, I know this test made us stronger, and deepened our bond. When we were both again living in Australia, things were as good as ever, neither of us can think of a moment we knew, we just always knew we would always be there for each other. Neither could imagine anyone else.
The proposal.
Each anniversary we travel to a different wine region and treat ourselves to a weekend away. In 2014 we traveled to the Barossa Valley. We went out for a lovely dinner as part of their Good Food Festival, and Sam surprised me back at the hotel. I arrived to a room filled with candles, a steaming pot of tea and some cookies (my favourite after a long day). At first I didn’t think anything of it as it was our anniversary, but Sam was acting particularly strange, looking very pale and unwell. I was concerned he was sick, but things soon started to click! He got down on one knee and I said yes before I even saw the ring.
The planning.
There was A LOT of planning behind the scenes of our big day. We were both keen on making each aspect of our special day our own, and not a “default” package. We also really wanted to self-cater our drinks, which made finding a location not too far away initially difficult.
We found Aghadoe Estate on Stayz.com.au. It had won gourmet accommodation awards, and looked incredible. The sophisticated, rustic feel really won us over and we loved that our wedding could be a weekend away.
After booking the venue, we searched for caterers and bars which had great reviews, and had previously worked at the property – we were keen to reduce issues orientating each supplier on the day.
Myself, Sam and Paul from Fresh fork, and Di from the Baravan exchanged many emails over the months leading up to the day. They were both passionate about what they did and extremely flexible in creating a ground for our ideas.
Creating a checklist of all my bookings, payments, and co-ordination of deliveries was helpful, and searching and booking each part of our honeymoon was probably the most enjoyable part of planning.
Style Inspiration.
On the day, many people said the wedding was so “Laura and Sam”. I think the best way to describe it was “hipster-meets-rustic-meets-classy”. I love rustic and natural tones, with accents of gold and metallics, with a good dose of vintage. We like to do things a little differently, and I’m hoping this was expressed on the day.
The dress.
I’m a sucker for vintage lace. I was looking for something with fine lace, that would be comfortable to wear, and not too revealing. I like the idea of being quite modest yet still sexy.
I love lace sleeves, but being a Summer wedding, many people advised me to opt for a sleeveless gown. Initially this was my difficulty; I should have just trusted myself!
After looking at many options, I went to Raffaele Ciuca, Armadale. I was trying on a dress when another customer walked out in a modest all-over lace dress. It was the most jealous I’ve felt of another women’s gown, I knew I had to try it on. I ended up getting the dress but altering it significantly to make it more fitted, and I removed most of the back to accentuate my artwork. I’m so glad it’s uniquely mine.
Favourite moments.
Laura – at about 9pm, Sam and I snuck away for a couple of romantic shots while the lighting was good. It was truly fun and romantic, these are still my favourite pictures. I walked back to the reception, and entered the tables from the side entrance and was greeted with EVERYBODY dancing like crazy, and then being engulfed by the dance floor! It was all that I wanted it to be.
Sam – Once I saw Laura’s face when she walked through those amazing iron gates as she made her way down to me – I felt like there was no one else there. As I stood there standing in the incredibly hot sun (which normally I’m not that keen on), it was just me and Laura, I couldn’t wait to just hold her and I just wanted to give a kiss but couldn’t until the celebrant gave us the go-ahead.
Traditions.
There weren’t any particular traditions that either family undertook, but we wanted to start a tradition of our own. We placed a letter to one another in a wine box, that was then closed; to be re-opened on our anniversary, and replaced. I’m hoping this will carry though our lives and help us to reflect on our marriage.
Meaning of marriage.
Always being there for the other person, trusting each other, making each other the best version of themselves they can be.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: The One by Safia
First dance: So Into You by Childish Gambino
Funny stories (or near disasters).
My mother Carol hand-made our wedding favours of pickles, chutneys and jams. I kept a day free to assist her make a big batch and thought I’d be helpful and sterilize all the jars and lids in the oven before she arrived. She walked in to find me beside myself as I’d managed to melt the lids of 50 Jars into an unusable metallic blob!
Planning surprises.
The guest list was harder than we’d imagined, and some peoples reactions to who was/wasn’t invited took me by surprise. We really worked as a team with both our parents to help finalise who we would invite. It was really helpful doing it that way.
Words of wisdom.
Think about what’s really important to you on the day and try to and plan your activities around this.
Plan time either before or after your day to spend quality time with family, whether that be a lunch or dinner after. You wont get time to see them much on the day, and its wonderful reminiscing as a group.
LAURA AND SAM’S TRIBE…
Ceremony and reception: Aghadoe Estate Garden, Springmount – The most beautiful property, the lovely owners Di and Daniel were amazing help on the day.
Celebrant: Jan Mason – a little charismatic pocket rocket.
Photography: Jenna Fahey-White – so easygoing and relaxing to work with, and such a hard worker. I was lucky to have met her a few times before, which made us even more settled on the day.
Styling: Laura Wells
Florist: Esta Wells (Bridesmaid)
Hair and makeup: Kristie Heddington – Fantastic to work with, really listened to what I was trying to achieve on the day.
The Dress: Raffaele Ciuca, Armadale (altered by Brunswick store) – The lovely Maria was key in making the large alterations required.
Headwear: Fresh flowers by Esta Wells
Accessories: Swarovski earrings and a charm bracelet from my parents.
Shoes: Tony Bianco
Rings: Stephens and Miller
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Sheike – the ladies here were wonderful in allowing us a separate change-room and holding our dresses while we looked elsewhere.
Menswear: Roger David
Catering: Fresh Fork, Paul Mattei
Caravan Bar : The Baravan Melbourne
Favours: Carol Wells (Groom’s mother)
Cake: Cupcakes – The Littlest Cupcakes. Cake topper was a love-amulet I picked up whilst traveling in Bolivia.
Stationery / Signage: The Print Fairy
Entertainment: Baker Boys Band – the guys were absolutely fantastic! The entire wedding was dancing.
Honeymoon: Sri Lanka. The perfect tropical/cultural/relaxing destination, a little off the beaten track.
