Real Wedding – Leela & Ben, Warrnambool VIC
Beginning with a sweetly simple but oh so meaningful proposal, Ben and Leela continued the theme of understated romance and poignant elegance through their wedding day celebrations. The result was an aesthetically amped-up party filled with loads of loved up emotions.
Against the tranquil riverside setting, Leela and Ben choose a combination of bold typography and graphic shapes juxtaposed against textured layers of florals to create a styling effect that was freshly modern with a nod to timeless romance. Flowerqueen worked floral magic with epic arrangements of classic roses in contemporary tones of lilac, rosewater and muted peach.
When it came time to choose her gown, Leela put herself in the super talented hands of Love You More Bridal, pairing an elegant off-shoulder gown with full sleeves and stunning draping detail, accessorised by a gorgeous pearl kissed veil. The figure she cast as she appeared in front of her husband-to-be was nothing short of breathtaking.
Every moment of this stunning, stylish soiree is captured in perfectly lit detail by photographer Kinship by Kristy. Scroll on for a delight for the eyes, and the heart.
The meeting.
Being from a small town we did know of each other, but we officially met at a nightclub in 2016 like most great couples do! Ben described the moment in his vows, saying he felt like an Olympic steeplechaser that night having to hurdle my apprehensions, but we’ve been together ever since.
The ‘one’.
Pretty early on, everything just seemed so easy, and we were super close from the start. For both of us, it was like people say, when you know you know. It just felt different.
The proposal.
It was very low key and intimate which is a great reflection of our relationship. We took our dog Bailey for a walk on the beach and as we were finishing up Ben led the way to a spot where he had taken me on one of our first dates. He had pretended to get down one knee a few times over the years, so it wasn’t until he pulled out the ring that I realized what was happening.
Planning process.
Due to us getting engaged during the pandemic, the planning process started pretty quickly as we knew a lot of couples were in the process of rescheduling and we didn’t want to miss out on any of our dream vendors.
Our photographer Kristy was the first vendor we booked in and worked everything else out around her. We wanted to utilise some of the great vendors locally but also wanted something a bit different to the average Warrnambool wedding, so we had a mix of vendors from all over.
I completed the majority of the styling and planning myself, but utilised Jess from Grand Events hire and styling to bring everything together and complete all of the set-up. She was amazing, especially with the constant changes needed as restrictions changed.
We were a bit naive and thought that COVID would be a thing of the past by 2021, so the Delta strain kept us on our toes during the planning process. We had a number of venue changes but feel super blessed that we were able to go ahead with our original date.
Style inspiration.
I was a bit stereotypical and had a number of folders and Pinterest boards ready to go. I wanted something romantic and modern but not too feminine. Thankfully Ben agreed to pops of pinks and lilac, that we brought in using the florals and signage. The most important thing to us was that our guests had an amazing time, so our layout and style needed to work with this. We set up a number of zones to ensure our guests could drink, dance and relax!
The ceremony.
If I’m honest, the ceremony was the only thing I was dreading about the wedding. The thought of 150 people staring at me really overwhelmed me and I thought about it a lot leading up to the wedding. However, on reflection, our celebrant did such an amazing job of making it feel so personal, it was actually one of our favourite moments.
The last-minute venue change due to the restrictions was actually a blessing, our ceremony overlooked the river and was really intimate, allowing it to feel like just the two of us and our guests.
We had musician Cait Canty play acoustically which was beautiful and romantic.
And there were plenty of laughs, both Ben and I stumbled over our vows and our celebrant made reference to Spiderman, Ben’s childhood hero.
The look.
I had planned a trip to Melbourne with one of my girlfriends to try on dresses, at the last minute I saw a post on Ivory Tribe about Love You More Bridal and quickly made an appointment to visit their showroom. All of the dresses were classic and elegant and although I didn’t have that special ‘wow’ moment when I initially tried on the dress, once I put the veil on I knew it was the one!
From that initial try on, I didn’t have the opportunity to try on the dress again until the week before my wedding. Due to COVID, I was unable to travel to Melbourne. Kim the designer went above and beyond to make sure the dress was perfect for me and even found a way to get the dress to Geelong, as I still wasn’t allowed to travel to Melbourne leading up to the wedding day.
The bridesmaids were also impacted by COVID, I knew they would all look beautiful in the Bec and Bridge bridesmaid dresses. I chose the sand colour and then left the style up to each of them. Because they couldn’t try them on, they were thankfully able to purchase a couple of options and sizes and return the ones that weren’t right.
Ben works as a Financial Adviser, so has to wear a suit every day for work. When it came to the wedding suits he wanted something elegant and timeless and a bit more fancy than his typical office attire. We decided on a classic black suit with Ben changing things up slightly from the groomsman with a different shirt, jacket and bow tie.
Favourite moment.
There were a few. Seeing each other for the first time as I walked down the aisle was definitely a highlight.
There were also little things. We were able to set up our signing table slightly removed from the rest of the ceremony. This allowed us to have a special moment when everything was signed to just take it all in, have a chat and take a breath before finishing the ceremony.
Our talented photographer pulled us away for some sunset pictures which are some of our favourite photos. Once we were done and returned to the reception it was so nice to observe everyone mingling and just enjoying themselves after a tough couple of years.
Meaning of marriage.
People keep asking us if we feel different, which we don’t. Marriage to us is really just the recognition of our relationship and the start of a new chapter.
Wedding soundtrack.
All sung acoustically by Cait Canty.
Bridesmaids- Bloom by Paper Kites
Bride- Can’t help falling in love with you by Elvis Presley
Signing song- Booster Seat by Spacey Jane
Recessional- Higher Love by James Vincent McMorrow
We made a few decisions that didn’t stick to the traditional norms, not having a first dance was one of them. We did have a “last dance” sung by the talented True North the Ban it was Horses by Daryl Braithwate
Funny stories (or near disasters)
The constant restriction changes due to COVID really gave us some stress and unfortunately, we had a groomsman and bridesmaid from Queensland who weren’t able to attend.
Other than that, we just feel incredibly lucky we were able to go ahead with our wedding.
Embarrassingly, there was a funny moment with our bridal party and photographer. We were taking a champagne spray photo and I didn’t realise I needed to keep my finger on the opening after it had been shaken. Safe to say that photo was a bust, although I do laugh every time I look back at them.
Planning surprises.
Probably just how much we enjoyed it. I was incredibly organised and had a number of excel spreadsheets to keep everything in order. I didn’t get overly stressed during the planning process and had so much support from our vendors to make sure everything was possible.
I know there can be a lot of commentary about how much wedding vendors cost, but they are worth their weight in gold and really are experts of their industry.
Words of wisdom.
If COVID has taught brides anything, it’s that your wedding day can be anything you want it to be. Don’t feel the need to stick with traditions if they don’t reflect who you and your partner are. I did have some concern that our parents, grandparents may be disappointed that we didn’t have a first dance or speeches. But everyone’s feedback was incredibly positive, and everyone said the day really reflected us as a couple.
Final words.
Although it’s important to find vendors who align with your style. I think it’s even more important to find vendors who you connect with. We were so blessed to have vendors that really invested in making our day happen and felt like family by the end.
On the hunt for the perfect location to celebrate your day? We’ve rounded up our favourite wedding venues, take a peek here.
BEN AND LEELA’S SUPPLIERS
Ceremony and reception venue: Brother Fox, Warrnambool
Celebrant: Jo Moon
Photography: Kinship By Kristy. The amount of compliments we have received on our photos from family and friends is incredible. Kristy is seriously something special, I stumbled across her Instagram years before we got engaged and always knew I had to have her.
Videography: Our Wild Love. Hands down the best videographer in Warrnambool. Jorja was a dream to work with.
Styling: Grand Events Hiring and Styling. Jess went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect, she really advocated for my style and ideas and didn’t take no for an answer.
Florist: Flowerqueen. Holly is a true professional and has absolutely gorgeous style, she is a real creative.
Hair: Lady Jane Hair-Emma Bateman. Emma really got my vision and worked with each girl to make sure we felt happy and confident with our hair on the day.
Make-up: A & Co Beauty – Asha Greene Kelson. There is no one else I would trust t do my makeup on my wedding day. Asha is a standout and an absolutely beautiful person.
The sdress: Love You More Bridal – Girl Crush
Veil: Love you more Bridal- Midnight Stars pearl veil
Shoes: Billini – style was Balton
Rings: Sacks Jewellers
Jewellery: Amelie George
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bec and Bridge
Suits & bow ties / ties: I Clanceys menswear
Catering and bar: Brother Fox, Warrnambool
Favours: Custom cookies and chocolates – Chocablock Chocolates
Stationery / Signage: The Sundae Creative
Entertainment: Cait Canty Music and True North The Band
Transport: Ballarat Limousines
Décor and hire: Grand Events Hiring and Styling
Eco Confetti: The Whole Bride
