Real Wedding – Sam & Ben, Ocean Grove VIC
Sam and Ben promised forever on a patch of secluded lawn overlooking a panoramic ocean vista on the Bellarine Peninsula.
After vows were spoken, rings exchanged, and certificates signed, the contemporary beauty of The Dunes was waiting mere meters away to welcome the newlyweds and their guests in for the second phase of celebrations, with entertainment experts Paper Hearts creating the dance floor soundtrack.
Building on the venue’s modern canvas of natural materials and abundant light, the pair fused all the laid-back loving of a coastal soiree with the refined styling of a black-tie affair.
The minimalist yet sophisticated look was echoed in Sam’s halter neck gown by Kyha – the very first she tried on – which was perfectly contrasted against the classic black suits and linen dresses of the bridal party.
Scroll on to see how photographer Lou Lou Memphis took advantage of the epic portrait locations on The Dunes’ doorstep.
The meeting.
Ben and I matched on Bumble in 2018. We hit it off but never officially met up until our friends hosted a barbecue months down the track. A few weekends later, we were on an official first date. The rest is history!
‘The one’.
I definitely knew Ben was ‘the one’ in the very early stages of dating. He just got me. We both had the same silly personalities and loved doing the same things. We wanted the same things in life, and from the very first time we met, we both just got along so well.
The proposal.
We went on a trip to Mooloolaba, Queensland, with our little girl, Joey. All my girlfriends were asking if it was finally on the cards, so I specifically got my nails done just in case – I was ready for it! After a long three days and zero clues it was happening, I decided it wasn’t this trip. We hit the beach bright and early one morning and were just playing with Joey in the sand. I wasn’t really paying attention to the extra special sandcastle they had built together, but when I finally looked up, there was Ben on one knee, ring in hand.
Planning process.
Honestly, the whole process was quite easy! We decided on The Dunes as our venue straight away. The location was a second home to us, and we could picture the style we envisioned so easily there. Steph and Maddy – our coordinators – were simply amazing and kept us in line with anything we should organise or needed to think about from start to finish. If we had any odd questions or wanted a vendor recommendation, they were always so helpful.
Then we chose the things that we really wanted to include in our day – the non-negotiables: the photographer, videographer, florist and singer, to name a few. All those majorly played a role in our day and created absolute magic for us.
We were also given a spreadsheet from a friend to help with our budget and cover all of those small things you wouldn’t think of. I found this super helpful as it basically was a checklist to work through and ensure we had organised everything that we wanted to be included in our big day.
Style inspiration.
We wanted a simple, classic and timeless wedding but with fun, modern and coastal twists. Our ceremony location was the perfect starting piece to inspire us on the style direction – it was a secluded open area overlooking the ocean. Something where I could add elegant and timeless decor, a black-tie dress code and beautiful, lush green and white flowers (our florist nailed our brief here!).
I wanted pops of linen and fun and quirky fonts from here to draw in the coastal atmosphere, and we did that with my bridesmaids’ black linen dresses and the fun signage. I drew a lot of inspiration from Instagram and real weddings I’d seen online or had been to ourselves. I loved seeing how couples had put their own spin on their day and loved taking inspiration from coastal weddings like ours.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was so special. Funny, as Ben and I were both really nervous leading up to the ceremony, as we aren’t big “all eyes on us” people, but when the time came, it was just so perfect.
There wasn’t a breath of wind, so walking down the aisle to our wedding song and then standing next to the ocean and listening to our vows and the waves rolling in was just a dream.
The outfits.
My dress was the first dress I tried on. I felt comfortable in it and loved the style. It was very classic and timeless and then I paired it with a stunning lace, floral veil. I tried on numerous dresses after that, but nothing really stood out like the first one did.
Favourite moment.
Our entrance into the reception was so fun! Everyone was waving their napkins, and then our bridal party just embraced it, and we all ended up dancing for way longer than planned. It was just such a high-energy and fun moment; everyone was loving it.
Meaning of marriage.
A forever commitment to each other, always supporting one another, and most of all spending all of your time with your best friend.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Simply the Best performed live by Your Girl Sidney
Reception entry: Let’s Get Loud by J-Lo
First Dance: Adore You by Fred Again
Near disasters.
About 45 mins before the ceremony, our celebrant called to ask me if we should move the ceremony indoors as there’s 20-30mm of rain coming and expected to hit mid-ceremony. We had our hearts set on getting married outside, so we took the chance and quickly jumped in the cars to get to the wedding ASAP. I was walking down the aisle bang on the start time. Our guests had clear umbrellas for backup; however, Ben & I went the whole ceremony without any, as it hardly rained. We got the rain about an hour post-ceremony – we were so lucky!
Planning surprises.
Even though we were very on top of planning and organising things the last few months leading up to the big day can still be stressful and take up a lot of energy and time. I did end up outsourcing some last-minute things that I simply new neither of us had the capacity to finish well – I just wish we had budgeted for this earlier!
Words of wisdom.
We had lots of people tell us to not get a videographer as they never watch their video and it’s quite a big investment. We almost didn’t pull the trigger on organising one for this reason BUT having Ben from These Wild Eyes capture our day was one of the best decisions we made. Our wedding video is played often, we just love it and how authentic to us it is!
Overall – spend the money on the things that are important to you and ditch the things that aren’t. Don’t get caught up on Instagram or what everyone else is doing, just do what’s authentic to you as a couple and what you want to remember.
Definitely take a few days for yourselves post-wedding. We had a 2.5-year-old at the time, and going away for a weeks-long honeymoon was off the cards for us; however, we did manage to sneak away to the city for two nights. It was so nice to just unwind and recap on our special day together.
To learn more about the coastal views and elevated style of The Dunes, Ocean Grove, read on here.
SAM & BEN’S SUPPLIERS:
We will always be so thankful to all of our incredible vendors. Our day ran so smoothly with everyone working behind scenes so well together, it was incredible!
Ceremony & Reception venue: The Dunes – We couldn’t recommend The Dunes highly enough. An incredible venue and Maddy / Steph (our wedding coordinators) were just simply amazing. They made the whole planning process so easy and simple and our whole day ran so smoothly thanks to them and the incredible staff. All of our guests commented on the food and drinks the following weeks too.
Celebrant: Rhiannon Doolan
Photography: Lou Lou Memphis
Videography: These Wild Eyes
Content creator: MTL Socials
Florist: The Refined Bloom Co
Hair: Jaz Little Hair & Make-Up
Make-up: Amy Glabb Makeup Bar Co
The dress & veil: KYHA
Shoes: Betts
Jewellery: Francesca
Cake: Original Cyn Cake Design
Stationery / Signage: Xanthe Blyth Co
Entertainment: Acoustic Duo Your Girl Sidney & Sounds Of Selah & DJ Paper Hearts
Hire: Dress My Wedding
Honeymoon: Melbourne
