Real Wedding – Sophie & Tom, Portsea VIC
We love a wedding that gives the freshest summer-day coastal dream vibes, and Tom and Sophie’s celebrations are all that and more. Choosing to host their guests at Point Nepean was a choice based in nostalgia and emotion, in wanting to continue the tradition of sweet summer holidays, family and treasured moments. The result was a day packed with blissed-out emotions and soft, coastal romance aesthetics.
Faced with the task of styling a wedding, Sophie chose the smart option and set to work researching. Hours of real wedding scrolling later (we fully approve!), she set to work building her dream team, including star planner Dani from Logan Events. All we can say is that she absolutely nailed it, creating an aesthetic of gentle, organic lines and impeccably artful styling touches across a perfectly pleasing palette of peach-hued blush, creamy vanilla and natural wooden textures with accents of gold.
Sophie’s Newhite gown, found through our fabulously stylish friends at Bluebell Bridal, was the epitome of her Hamptons-chic via Australian-ease vibe; a vision of contemporary style with a huge dollop of soft romance in the flowing gossamer draping and detailing.
Effortless ease and laid-back party fun continued well into the evenings in the hands of Logan ENT’s Dani, taking the dance floor up a notch as the newlyweds partied with their guests under the fairy-lit sky. Every epic moment was captured through the lens of Stewart Leishman. Scroll on to dive into the fresh, dopamine-filled vibes of Tom and Sophie’s day.
The meeting.
We both met at Hotel Sorrento in September 2016. I was living in Sorrento at the time and was there for a night out with girlfriends while Tom was down for the weekend celebrating the 50th birthday of a family friend. Our introduction began when Tom was chatting with another guest of the 50th who asked him to point out if there was someone in the crowd who Tom fancied. Tom pointed to me, and shortly after, when I walked past the group, the friend Tom was chatting with stopped me, introduced himself and Tom and then made a swift exit. After leaving the party, we carried on the night dancing at the Conti, and as they say in the classics, the rest is history!
The ‘one’.
Soon falling into a rhythm of not spending much time apart, we knew early on things were just right together, with so many shared passions that have since made for some amazing adventures and many memories with family and friends.
The proposal.
It was Christmas Eve 2020, and Tom was dropping off their family boat at the boat ramp. He arranged for me to meet him at Tideways once he’d put the boat on the mooring, and after wading out of the water, much like Daniel Craig in a Bond movie, he made up an excuse for us to then sit on the beach. I was in a rush to get home as I was due to meet my sister for a drink and needed to go and get changed. Tom finally convinced me to sit down, and on the deserted beach, he asked me to marry him. We then celebrated the afternoon away with our families; it was perfect.
Planning process.
Our planning process was eventful, to say the least, with the covid saga of 2021 thrown amongst the works.
Thankfully, lockdowns ended just in time for our final preparations (there is nothing like having your first dress fitting one month before your wedding!), and miraculously our day went ahead as normal.
Style inspiration.
Our wedding style could be best described as coastal romantic, drawing from the picturesque setting of our ceremony and then making the most of the stunning clear-topped marquee where our reception was held.
Once I knew what the style of our wedding would be, I took on the ambitious role of stylist myself. Having no experience in styling a wedding, I spent hours endlessly scrolling Ivory Tribe’s Real Weddings and their Pinterest boards, which enabled me to piece everything together. I also reached out to friends and suppliers we’d already locked in for their firsthand recommendations on any other suppliers we still had to organise.
The ceremony.
The breathtaking setting, underneath the beautiful Morton Bay Fig tree and set against the stunning backdrop of Port Phillip Bay, was reminiscent of many wonderful summer family holidays and times spent with loved ones in Portsea and Sorrento, holding a cherished place in both our hearts.
It was very special to have the opportunity to incorporate this into our wedding and share it with all those in attendance, including important family and friends that made up our wedding party or who played a special part in the ceremony.
The outfit.
With a specific style of dress in mind initially, I spent what seemed like ages searching for a dress and failing to find one that I loved. It was only when I went to Bluebell Bridal and tried on a completely different style that I came across my stunning Newhite dress and experienced the feeling of not wanting to take it off, which up until then, I was beginning to think only existed in the movies!
Favourite moments.
As one of the first weddings able to take place coming out of lockdown, the best part of our wedding was finally being able to celebrate with everyone that we had been separated from for so long. There definitely was an air of excitement amongst all in attendance, and thanks to the amazingly talented Dani from Logan ENT on the DJ decks, this culminated in the most epic dancefloor under the picturesque fairy lights that carried on for the whole end of the night.
Meaning of marriage.
We both knew that our love for one another wouldn’t change once we were married. However, it was the commitment to stand before all our loved ones and promise to love and support each other for the rest of our days despite everything that life may throw our way.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley
Reception entry: Show Me Love – Radio Edit by Steve Angello, Laidback Luke & Robin S
First dance: Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader
Funny stories or near disasters.
The afternoon before our wedding day, we had organised a run-through of the ceremony with our wedding party and celebrant, Jessica Edwards. At the very same time we were practising walking down the aisle (outdoors at Point Nepean), a huge electrical thunderstorm decided to make its way over us. Luckily in the pouring rain, none of our umbrellas were electrocuted, and thankfully the weather cleared up the following day to be perfect for our wedding!
Planning surprises.
Having an outdoor wedding at a venue where we had to supply everything from the marquee and furniture down to cutlery and rubbish bins, we had a lot of different suppliers to juggle.
Thankfully, through all our research at the beginning, we worked with a bunch of incredible suppliers who were consummate professionals and ensured everything fell into place.
Words of wisdom.
Take as much advice as you can from the amazing professionals who work in the industry, as they are incredible at what they do! In our case, a special shout-out must go to Dani from Logan Events, who managed our day coordination and ensured everything was organised down to a tee. She worked so hard to put our minds at ease, and our day would not have been as perfect as it was without her.
For more Mornington magic and stunning coastal styling, check out Brooke and Myles’ Sorrento soiree, here on the blog.
SOPHIE & TOM’S VENDORS
Ceremony venue: Commanding Officers House, Point Nepean National Park. From living in the area, I had always had this in mind as my dream venue. As the location is a Parks Victoria National Park, the application process was quite stringent. However, Rick, Janine and Linda from Parks Victora were all incredibly helpful in the leadup to the day.
Reception venue: First Class Dining Hall, Point Nepean National Park
Celebrant: Jessica Edwards. Local recommendation
Photography: Stewart Leishman. Recommendation from another supplier and on looking at his Instagram, we couldn’t believe how perfectly suited his style of photography was to what we were looking for. Stewart was so lovely to work with on the day, and we couldn’t be happier with his photos!
Styling: Sophie
Florist: The Petal Project. Recommendation from a friend, and I was blown away by her stunning florals when looking her up on Instagram! Offered amazing advice and was a pleasure to work with.
Hair: Runway Room, Sorrento. Local recommendation
Make-up: Meg McConville. I was lucky enough to have had Meg do my make-up through Mecca. I was so impressed, and it worked out perfectly when she said she was also a freelancer and would be available to do my wedding make-up.
The dress & veil: Newhite Bridal from Bluebell Bridal. Found via Ivory Tribe Directory
Shoes: Loeffler Randall. Discovered through my endless scrolling of Ivory Tribe Real Weddings! I noticed how popular they seemed to be as an option for bridal shoes and was blown away by how stunning they were.
Rings: JGS Jewellers
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy. We decided on these dresses after seeing stunning examples of how they looked featured amongst Real Weddings.
Suits & bow ties: Formal Red (Hire)
Catering & bar: Two Pounds. Recommended by our friends Georgia and Scott (who also have had their stunning Sorrento wedding featured by Ivory Tribe!).
Cake: Miss Ladybird Cakes. Have followed Gina and her stunning cakes on Instagram for years
Stationery / Signage: Sophie
Entertainment: Logan ENT. Acoustic performance for ceremony and canapes: Michael Paynter. DJ Set by Dani Smarrelli throughout the reception. I knew Dani from when I was living down in Sorrento. After attending a friend’s wedding in 2019, where she performed, I knew back then (before we were even engaged) I had to have her involved in my future wedding!
Transport: Exotic Limo. Although there were some technical difficulties on the day that come with old cars, Nick, our driver, was lovely and made sure we made it to the venue in style (and in one piece)!
Décor: Linen Hire – Cloth and Confetti. After originally engaging Simmons Linen Hire, who unfortunately closed down a couple of months before our wedding due to the effects of covid, I was recommended Cloth and Confetti through a couple of the suppliers we were working with. Jazmine was a huge help at short notice, and I couldn’t have been happier with how stunning our napkins and tablecloths looked on our settings. Cutlery: Gold Cutlery Hire
Hire: Marquee, furniture, catering equipment, glassware & crockery, bar equipment – Marquee Monkeys. Tom knew Dom from attending school together, and having worked on a number of weddings at Point Nepean previously, he was amazing assistance and knew exactly what was required for the space.
Honeymoon: Fiji!
Day coordination: Logan Events. Dani and Maria helped us with our day coordination which involved coordinating a huge list of suppliers, creating and executing the most perfect run-sheet and being responsible for setting up the whole space. They were amazing!
