Real Wedding – Shannon & Josh, Coldstream VIC

April 10, 2023 In Black and White, Pink, Real Weddings, Victoria, Winery By Ivory Tribe

Real Wedding – Shannon & Josh, Coldstream VIC

On a stunning sun-dappled day, two high school sweethearts said their I Dos in a gorgeous gathering of chic modern elegance and effortless romance, captured to perfection by lens legends Motta Weddings and Lightbox Media.

Shannon and Josh set out to create a dreamy destination wedding for their guests, fun-filled and magically memorable. The lush green surrounds of Coombe Yarra Valley provided a dream setting, to which a decor palette of creamy vanillas and spun pastel pink makes for the perfect colour concoction.

Shannon looks every bit the relaxed, glowing bride in her contemporary creation by fashion visionary Georgia Young Couture. Soft, ethereal draping gives fresh modern grace through the chic silhouette and wrapped detailing. And dashing Josh, cutting a sleek figure in his classic black suit by Eddy Elias, simply couldn’t take his eyes off his beautiful bride.

As the sun set after an unforgettably authentic ceremony by our very own You’ve Got the Love celebrant, the party heated up, with dance floor legends Like This Band behind the mics.

Scroll on for every sweetly stunning detail.

The meeting.

Josh and I met back in 2012 at high school. Josh started chatting to one of my good friends, who he knew, and I happened to be with her at the time. Soon after, Josh slid into my Facebook messages, and it started from there.

The ‘one’.

We both knew pretty early on that we had something very special; we were only 15 and 16 when we first started dating, but we could never see ourselves not being together.

The proposal.

Josh and I organized a holiday to Noosa, our favourite holiday spot. By this stage, we had been together for over nine years, so I thought there was a fairly good chance it was going to happen (I think everyone did!). The day came, and Josh suggested we go down the street early for a drink before dinner, but the weather wasn’t quite on our side. I’d never seen Josh worry so much about the weather; he was constantly checking the radar, looking off the balcony for any rain and planning exactly when to head down.

We walked along the beach boardwalk, and at the end, there was a little teepee set up off the beach in a secluded area; he got down on one knee and popped the question. We celebrated with a bottle of champagne, called our parents and siblings and went out for a nice dinner.

Planning process.

Planning our day was so much fun. We had a fairly clear idea of what we wanted from the start, which made it a lot easier. We are from Geelong, and we knew we wanted a destination and a long weekend, so we chose to have our wedding on a Friday up in the Yarra Valley. When we visited Coombe, we loved the feel of it and all the gardens, especially the oak tree where we had our ceremony.

We knew a few suppliers we definitely wanted, being our photographer, videographer and a great band. We worked out dates these suppliers were all free and then locked in our venue. Both Alex and Pat did my sister’s wedding, so it was so nice having known them already, and they do such an incredible job with what they capture. Once all our main suppliers were booked in, I felt a lot more relaxed as I can be a bit of an overthinker and indecisive at times. Overall, we really enjoyed the planning process; I’d do it all over again!

Style inspiration.

We wanted modern and timeless. Being at Coombe with all the beautiful gardens really helped us choose the colours for the day and the vibe we wanted. We went with white and some light pink throughout all the flowers, which looked so beautiful with all the greenery.

It was so helpful looking at blogs and Instagram and seeing different styles and ideas that everyone does. Also, all the tips everyone gives in planning your big day.

The ceremony.

We were quite worried about the weather as it had been very average for the lead-up to our day, and we really wanted our ceremony outside under the Oak tree. Luckily the weather was perfect; the sun came out as we were driving to the ceremony. It was such an amazing feeling having all our nearest and dearest there. Our ceremony was just the right amount of seriousness and fun. Our celebrant did an amazing job at making it all perfect.

The look.

My wedding dress was completely different to what I was expecting I’d go for. I didn’t go into it with too much of an idea of what I wanted, as I heard you can choose completely differently to what you might expect. This was definitely the case for me; I never thought about going strapless. But we started at Georgia Young, and my Mum said I may as well try all styles on, including strapless. To my surprise, I absolutely loved it and every dress I tried on after that didn’t compare. Georgia does such amazing dresses, and I felt so comfortable in it; I wish I could wear it again.

Favourite moments.

It’s hard to choose, the whole day was so special, but it would have to be our ceremony. Seeing each other for the first time and Josh’s reaction to seeing me walk down the aisle was so special. We wrote our own vows, so it was so nice hearing them and feeling the love from all our family and friends.

Meaning of marriage.

Marriage to us means a lifetime commitment of love, trust, respect and fun. Spending your life with your best friend and creating amazing memories, and being there for each other in the good and bad.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: I get to love you by Ruelle

Recessional: Sign, sealed, delivered by Stevie Wonder

Reception entry – bridal party: September by Earth, Wind & Fire

Reception entry – bride and groom: Let’s get loud by Jennifer Lopez

First dance: Perfect by Ed Sheeran

Funny stories or near disasters.

The funniest moment would be when Harry, the best man, dropped Shannon’s ring at the ceremony as he went to hand it to Josh. Harry had a look of pure shock, and I think he was slightly worried about how Shannon was going to react. We instantly started laughing along with everyone else, and it made the rest of the ceremony feel nice and relaxed.

Alex captured this moment perfectly, and it’s so funny to look back on.

Planning surprises.

Just the amount of planning that goes into one day – but it’s totally worth it.

Words of wisdom.

Enjoy it all; the whole day goes so incredibly fast, so make sure you take some time just the two of you to soak it all in. Don’t stress on the day, I can be a bit of a stress head at times, but I was so relaxed on our day, even when a few things didn’t go to plan. No one else will notice, so just enjoy every moment and don’t sweat the small things.

It’s undeniable that considered personal details make a wedding day unique and memorable. But how to lift your reception out of the standard and into the unforgettable? We’ve got all the tips and tricks, here on the blog.

SHANNON & JOSH’S VENDORS

Ceremony & reception venue: Coombe, Yarra Valley

Celebrant: Shelley Amar, You’ve Got the Love

Photography: Motta Weddings

Videography: Lightbox Media

Florist: Flowers St. Germain

Hair: Alex Fielding

Make-up: Briana Jade

The dress & veil: Georgia Young

Shoes: Bared

Rings: All Diamonds

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Camilla & Marc