Real Wedding – Leticia & Daniel, Phillip Island VIC
Leticia and Dan’s celebration is everything we love about a wedding—and it has left us with full hearts and cheesy grins. It was effortless elegance, unbridled emotion, truly effervescent smiles, and only the happiest tears.
With a team of grounded, talented, and genuinely fabulous humans around them, Dan and Leticia cruised into their dream day, relaxed and glowing. Leticia looks stunningly chic in her Sassi Holford gown from our friends at Bluebell Bridal, and Dan’s reaction as he first caught sight of his bride speaks to Leticia’s impact more than words can.
With a colour palette inspired by Leticia’s sapphire engagement ring, the breathtaking blue hues correspond beautifully with the expansive farmland surrounding. Florals in clouds of soft vanilla and accents of cobalt, cornflower and electric blue elevate the overall effect.
The talented team of Nikki McCrone Photography and Julien Studio videography captures every truly heartwarming moment and aesthetically bliss-filled vision with stunning artistry.
Scroll on for a dreamy dopamine hit.
The meeting.
We met ten years ago this year, back when I was in my first year at Melbourne University studying music. Daniel was playing AFL for the Western Bulldogs when a girl I was at college with basically set us up. I went over for dinner one Friday night to their share house and the rest is history.
The one.
We both think it was pretty early on. We had a similar energy that matched, it was easy to get along with one another, and our values aligned. After about a month, Dan took me home to meet his parents. It was always just easy between us, so I think it was a good fit from the start.
The proposal.
We got engaged at Wilson’s Prom National Park, at the top of a hike – overlooking a spectacular view. Dan had a pretty sweaty back from nerves and the walk, no doubt. It was so special.
Planning process.
We locked in the two key venues very quickly – Phillip Island Winery and The Trenavin Chapel, with the idea of being either inside or out on the lawn if conditions were okay to do so (on a very windy, element-exposed island!). We’re local to Phillip Island, so it was a no-brainer to have our wedding locally. We set the date two years ahead, so this gave me time to really scout the other key vendors and get the dream team. Nikki McCrone was a key piece to the puzzle – I was obsessed with her pictures and the way she seemed to capture the vibrant colour and personality of others’ days. So, I knew if we had her, we were in great hands. Nikki recommended quite a number of our vendors and I think this is a hot tip for people getting married – to try and ask a vendor you trust for their recs of people they work with! I chipped away at little things each school holiday, using the Ivory Tribe wedding planner to make a final checklist of everything in the last six months and popping a spreadsheet together to double-check things.
Style inspiration.
We wanted a relaxed but classic feel to the day; just the right amount of formality and tradition with a modern take. I used the engagement ring, blue sapphire, to nail down the colour choices – having the blue as a key colour made it easy to create cohesion. Also, I loved the mismatched bridesmaid images on Instagram, and that was a huge inspiration – I let the girls choose their dresses, and that was such a great call. They looked phenomenal and so ‘themselves’. Black classic tuxes and white and blue florals were also an easy choice to pull the whole look together.
Additionally, I found inspiration through Ivory Tribe real weddings (both the website and searching specific colours of real weddings), Hello May real weddings, Ivory Tribe Instagram as well as following multiple photographers in and out of Australia to get an idea of the different feels weddings can have. One thing is for sure, real weddings always provided the most inspiration.
The ceremony.
We had the amazing Wendy Beech – her attention to detail and warm nature made our ceremony spectacular to us. Our ceremony was relaxed with formality through structure and with hand-chosen/written readings and musicians that make you want to cry ( in a good way). We had my good friend Seb Szabo singing and playing and my other old friend Oscar playing the Cello. The chosen songs were a huge part of our ceremony, and we feel like looking back, that was one the most special parts to us. We also had both our mums read at our wedding – it was so lovely to include them. When thinking about the ceremony, looking out at everyone was certainly also a highlight and a once-in-a-lifetime kind of feeling.
The outfits.
My first stop when wedding dress shopping was Bluebell Bridal in Melbourne. I tried on perhaps five dresses, and my wedding dress, Sassi Holford’s gown, was the third. I knew then in the moment it was a spectacular dress. We went to one other boutique but there wasn’t a single one I warmed to. I went home for a month or so to think about it and returned to Bluebell for a second appointment with my mum, bridesmaids and my sister and there were tears of joy when I said ‘yep, this is the wedding dress’.
The bridesmaid’s brief was mismatched blues / floral that worked with one another. The girls chose their bridesmaid dresses – my sister purchased hers first, and then the other two girls came next, and we just popped the dresses beside one another in pictures to check the colours of blue worked.
Favourite moments.
Bridal party cocktails in the paddock and the dance floor with Seb’s band and the sax. We loved every second of the day – but those two parts we just couldn’t wipe the smile off our faces.
Meaning of marriage.
A chance to formally celebrate your relationship with everyone near and dear to you!
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra
Signing: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer
Recessional: Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay
Reception entry: We Like to Party (The Venga Bus) by Venga Boys
First dance: We sung Gravity by John Mayer with the band and surprised the guests with a performance.
Funny stories (or near disasters).
My sister in London decided to get pregnant and was due three days before the wedding. She ended up having her baby exactly three days before in LONDON! She wasn’t able to be a bridesmaid, but we knew seven months ahead, of course!
The mics conked out during the dad’s speeches, but luckily Daniel’s dad is a born performer with a loud voice, so it wasn’t a biggie!
Planning surprises.
Maybe how long in advance you need to sort a wedding dress if it’s custom. I think the other thing that surprised me was how much goes into planning in terms of timing and things to ensure the day is just the way or near the way you want it – having someone like Nikki (our photographer ) and an MC who has a timeline helps a lot too.
Words of wisdom.
Don’t rush the engagement, if you don’t have to – having time to consider what you want for your day is super helpful.
Make sure you have some good chats as a couple about what you actually want your day to look like and feel like – find out what are the most important details. For us, having amazing music was a big thing we wanted.
Allocate time to spend with those most important to you on your day – escape with your bridal party with a cocktail – it’s the best choice we made.
I loved getting ready at home. Capturing the girls and dresses here at our place was so very special! I think getting ready at home could be a secret to staying relaxed. You’re in your own environment with all the fun of wedding morning.
Don’t be afraid to delegate. Most of the time, guests want to help in any way they can leading up to the event. I had a delegate list, and I used it!
Last words.
I want to thank my mum. She was the biggest support and even made some phone calls for me to follow up when she knew I was busy. She also deserves a shout-out for creating one of the most gorgeous flower girl dresses.
Daniel designed and built our house, so it was very special to have it captured on our wedding morning. Seeing the dresses hanging on our stairs will always be a special memory.
Do you love a little touch of blue in your wedding day styling? Browse more stunning cornflower and cobalt-infused celebrations via our Choose Your Colour Palette curation.
DANIEL & LETICIA’S VENDORS
We found our vendors through Ivory Tribe, Hello May, and Instagram (following wedding photographer and bridal dress accounts). A lot of our local vendors were found through word of mouth, but strongly through their social media platforms.
Ceremony venue: Trenavin Chapel – Phillip Island
Reception venue: Phillip Island Winery – Phillip Island. Phillip Island Winery didn’t miss a beat! Rikki, who runs the weddings, took time to get to know Daniel and me and was on call, punctual and made every effort to answer every question we had. On the day, the whole Phillip Island Winery team were immaculate and organised, and the night ran seamlessly. Rikki made sure behind the scenes that things happened. The food, the wine and the vibes were just immaculate – a local venue we are so thankful to have on the Island. We knew when we booked it, we were in safe hands, and we absolutely were not disappointed. We even had some woodfired pizzas as a late-night snack – so good!
Celebrant: Wendy Beech. Wendy takes the time to get to know you, and her warm nature is felt instantly. She ensured we met multiple times, and she had the ceremony sorted well before the actual wedding, so I had time to look over it and adjust and or add anything. Not only is she exceptionally good at what she does, Wendy is all over everything logistically and formally, so you can focus on the little things. She is organised and natural and creates an authentic ceremony that reflects you and your partner. We couldn’t thank Wendy enough for helping us achieve a very special ceremony.
Photography: Nikki McCrone. If you’re thinking about booking Nikki, honestly, just do it. I am still getting asked who took our wedding photos, months on. Nikki’s photos of us on our day blew us away, we knew they would be great, but when we got our first sneak peek we nearly fell off our chairs. The images are high-end, jaw-dropping good photographs that actually capture how you feel on the day and every play-by-play of the day. She has the natural ability to capture people’s personalities and the best bits of the day. Nikki’s energy on the day was everything and we actually cannot thank her enough for that, having a million photos taken could easily feel a bit overwhelming but Nikki makes it the best fun and if anything, a highlight of the day. We took Nikki out to a paddock for some margaritas with our bridal party and honestly she bought all the vibes, it was like having our own hype lady! Our problem now is trying to pick just a few pictures to frame – which, if you ask me, is an excellent problem to have. Nikki is a total vibe and exceptionally good at what she does.
Videography: Julien Studio – Tom Swinburn, a calm energy who captured our day in a way we could have only dreamed of. He is extraordinarily talented – each little moment he captured were things we remember but also little things that only attention to detail would pick up – like raw interactions between people. Tom captured our day from start to finish authentically so that we have these memories for years to come. Like Nikki, Tom has a knack for capturing people’s true personalities, mannerisms and idiosyncrasies. We are in awe when watching our videos back, it’s as if you really are living our wedding day again. Thank goodness we had Tom.
Florist: Fig & Willow Flower Bar. April is probably the sweetest human you’ll come across – she is so very talented and actually grows so much of what she uses herself for her bridal bouquets and weddings – locally here in Gippsland. If you’re looking for someone who is calm, talented and someone who can ensure flowers don’t blow away on Phillip Island – she is your lady. April even came back later at the reception and wrapped the flowers into mini bouquets, an idea she suggested that I had to take up! My mum cried when our flowers were delivered – they were that good!
Hair: Amanda Audrey Hair. Amanda is highly professional, works swiftly, and is fantastic at listening to your vision for the day. She absolutely nailed my hair on the day and ensured that not a single strand was out of place, wind and all. Amanda even supplied us all with our very own touch-up kit for our hair. I would recommend Amanda 10/10—she is also just the most gorgeous person to chat to, so bonus!
Make-up: Batari Beauty—Holly is local to Bass Coast, and aren’t we lucky to have her do weddings around our neck of the woods. We all looked and felt the most glamorous but natural and glowing versions of ourselves. She was absolutely meticulous, and our skin, in particular, was just so glowy. I would highly recommend Holly to anyone looking for a makeup artist on their wedding day who is experienced with busy wedding mornings!
The dress & veil: Sassi Holford Gown via Bluebell Bridal in Melbourne. Bluebell was a gorgeous experience – their in-house tailoring is so reassuring.
Shoes: R.M Williams boots for Daniel, and Leticia wore platform rose gold Loeffler Randall.
Rings: McAlister Jewellers Melbourne, located in Collins Street – designed and chosen by Daniel.
Earrings: Jt Luxe
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Two Aje dresses & Jillian Boustred
Flower girl dress: Handmade/ sewn by Mum!
Suits & bow ties / ties: Hired through Trevor West Men’s Wear (South Yarra ).
Catering: Graze Farm to Plate for platters straight after the ceremony at the Chapel.
Favours: We had the florist (April) come back to wrap mini bunches of flowers, so there was no flower waste and happy guests—win-win!
Cake / Cake topper: Bakedbyboo – Phillip Island
Stationery / Signage: Soire Melbourne — Jacqueline Deveruex. Jacqui helped bring my vision to life. We met multiple times to chat colours, and it all came together so perfectly. I couldn’t have created the vision she brought to life; I still get asked about who did our signage and stationary!
Entertainment: Ceremony, canapes & reception – Seb Szabo & Band. Seb did the music for our whole wedding, beginning at the ceremony and canapes and finishing the night off with multiple party sets with his band. Seb and I have known each other since high school and actually sang and wrote a song together. I met with Seb a year beforehand to see if he’d be interested in maybe doing our ceremony, and he suggested his band could do the whole thing. Oh boy – they did not disappoint. Seb and his boys had the dance floor pumping all night, and I’m still getting asked about who he was. Seb is an exceptionally talented Melbourne-based artist who is currently releasing his own music, and it’s doing very well! Go give it a listen, you won’t be disappointed. We were so blessed to have him at our wedding, it was certainly a highlight for us.
Ceremony / post-ceremony drinks – Oscar Woinarksi on cello. A friend from high school and university I was lucky enough to stay in contact with!
Transport: Ambling Along Tours Phillip Island
Décor: I used some supplies from the school art room (easels), and my mum sourced some extra candles!
Hire: Seating – Over The Top Events, Phillip Island.
Honeymoon: We’re off to London, Switzerland and Italy in September.
Other: Pajamas – Piyama
