Real Wedding – Marcus & Bec, Red Hill VIC

For Marcus and Bec, working around a Covid postponement led them to a celebration that felt perfect for them; intimate, relaxed and romantic.

The day unfolds in waves of sweet emotion, from each getting ready with their wedding party and family to their delight-filled first look, set against stunning vineyard vistas. Celebrant Kate lead the couple and their guests through a sweetly emotional, effortless ceremony that was equally as aesthetically gorgeous as it was moving, bathed in twilight rays.

Against Polperro’s chic interiors, the styling is elegantly simple; low set vases of soft pink and vanilla roses, accents of greenery and pops of charcoal detailing against crisp white linen. The overall effect is one of timeless modern romance.

Bec’s gown, by one of our favourite fashion visionaries, Luci Di Bella, makes her every inch a contemporary princess. Backdropped by autumnal tones, she and Marcus are the epitome of a radiant couple, captured to perfection by the wonderful Motta Weddings.

The meeting.

We met on a Tuesday night at the Hawthorn Hotel in 2009. We didn’t go on a date for about six months after the first meeting but, in the meantime, continued to bump into each other most weeks.

The ‘one’.

There wasn’t a specific moment for us; we both found it so easy to spend time together and just reached a point where we couldn’t imagine it any other way.

The proposal.

We were in Positano on the balcony of our Airbnb, enjoying a cocktail and the view. Marcus went inside to ‘grab another drink’ and then came back out behind me; as I turned around, he dropped to one knee. It was totally unexpected at that moment but couldn’t have been more picture-perfect.

Planning process.

We were quite organized, originally, and had set a date to get married in October 2020. Unfortunately, Covid threw a spanner in the works, and we chose to completely cancel our original plans and venue, with the exception of our key suppliers.

For our second wedding attempt, we decided to do our day differently. We went for a smaller and more intimate wedding at a new venue with a completely different vibe to what we initially planned.

We also planned it all at the last minute, choosing our new venue only three months out from our wedding date.

Style inspiration. 

Our style was romantic and timeless – we chose a venue that had amazing views and ambience. For us, one of the most important things was having a day that our family and friends loved as much as we did. Being in Melbourne in May, we wanted to embrace the weather and create a cozy vibe with the Polperro fireplace, delicious food, and wine.

I found looking at real weddings was invaluable for ideas and inspiration. Our style definitely evolved throughout the delayed wedding process and looking at Pinterest, Ivory Tribe real weddings, and Instagram helped us work out exactly what we wanted.

The ceremony.

We wanted our ceremony to be quite short and relaxed, and our celebrant Kate absolutely nailed it. We decided to write our own vows, and I’m really glad we did.

Marcus actually gave me the wrong hand for his ring during the ceremony, and it was such a funny moment to share with our guests, especially as the ring got stuck as we tried to move it to the correct finger!

The outfit. 

I had two outfits for the day but never ended up changing into my second dress because I loved wearing my first gown so much.

As soon as I first went into Luci Di Bella, I knew that I was in the right place. Luci was a dream to work with, and I loved going to my fittings and talking through all of the options we could incorporate into the dress design. I ended up with a dress that I adored.

Favourite moments.

It is hard to pick one moment! Spending the morning getting ready with our parents and bridal party was so fun and really set us both up to have the most amazing day.

Our first look was amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone undecided on it. It meant that we could really relax into the day, and we also got to spend extra time together before the ceremony.

Seeing each other first also meant that we weren’t at all nervous going into the ceremony and just really enjoyed being in the moment.

Meaning of marriage.

To us, marriage is about continuing to be a team and supporting each other through everything that comes our way.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles

Recessional: Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher & Higher by Jackie Wilson

We chose to do a non-traditional wedding and didn’t have a bridal party entry or first dance, but our dance floor kicked off with Love is in the Air by John Paul Young.

Funny stories or near disasters.

We actually had three different venues booked over the course of our wedding planning. So much changed for us during the extended process, with Covid putting a stop to our first date. However, we ended up thinking it must have all happened for a reason as we ended up with the most perfect day weather-wise and a venue that we loved.

Planning surprises.

I was surprised at how quickly all of our suppliers were booking out. We were lucky and got onto our amazing team straight away and were just as lucky that they were all free when we chose our second date.

Words of wisdom.

Choose what feels right for you – we loved Polperro Winery right from the start of our planning process but initially had a larger guest list that we couldn’t fit within the space. We took it as a sign when our first date couldn’t go ahead and really enjoyed having a smaller and more intimate wedding.

Loving Bec’s glam gown? We spoke to the legend behind the design, Luci Di Bella, to gain insight into her inspiration, aesthetics and her on-point processes. To see more of her simply stunning work, read on here!

MARCUS & BEC’S VENDORS

We found our suppliers through word of mouth, through friends and through Ivory tribe blog posts. Every single supplier was amazing to work with, and I highly recommend them all.

Ceremony & reception venue: Polperro Winery. Kim and the team from Polperro Winery were incredible- nothing was too much trouble.

Celebrant/Officiant: Celebrant Kate. Our celebrant Kate put us at ease, told our story beautifully and made sure that our ceremony was an absolute highlight for us when initially it was a part of the day that was more nerve inducing.

Photography: Alex from Motta Weddings. We found Alex via friends of ours who also used him- he was absolutely amazing and so fun!

Florist: The Petal Project

Hair: Shannon Brache – Tonic Agency

Make-up: Bernice Mansfield – Once Upon a Bride 

The dress & veil: Luci Di Bella

Shoes: Mi Piaci

Rings: Stephens & Miller and Pieces of Eight

Bridesmaid’s dresses: an amazing find of one of the Iconic brands after searching elsewhere for ages.

Suits & bow ties: Trunk Tailors

Entertainment: Lewis Music at Rutherford Entertainment. Lewis Music was another stand out- we approached Lewis after we had lunch at a venue that he was performing at and were incredibly impressed by his talent and knew that he would be perfect for our ceremony and cocktail hour.

Transport: United Bus Lines

Hire: Peninsula Party Hire

Honeymoon: Noosa