Real Wedding – Stefan & Alex, Langwarrin South VIC
Real Wedding – Stefan & Alex, Langwarrin South VIC
Real Wedding – Stefan & Alex, Langwarrin South VIC
Real Wedding – Stefan & Alex, Langwarrin South VIC

Real Wedding – Stefan & Alex, Langwarrin South VIC

 

The sweet celebration of Stefan and Alex took place at a private property. The blank canvas of their choosing, with gorgeous garden surrounds, allowed their focus on great food and wine to shine and their personalities accent every detail of the day.

Sustainability was another governing factor and the conscious couple even offset the emissions for their guests to join them at their stunning event.

Alex exuded modern bride vibes in a perfect Prea James gown and the pair, who walked the aisle side by side – did things their way from start to finish.

This was one show-stopping celebration and Tess Follett was the lens lady responsible for capturing it all.

 

 

The meeting.

We met when were both living and working in Copenhagen, Denmark. We met through mutual friends and were great friends for a long time before we ended up getting together.

 

The ‘one’.

I think both of us knew pretty quickly – we often joke that we are basically the same person… but we just get along so well and have a great time together.

 

The proposal.

Stef proposed at Polperro winery – we had a beautiful picnic amongst the vines. Stef was very nervous and tried to make standing up together seem cool and casual… so cute!

 

The process.

Once we had found our amazing venue, we got Georgia on board really early. We both work a lot, and knew that we wouldn’t be able to do it by ourselves – the venue also required us to bring everything in, so we needed help!

 

Style inspiration.

Definitely the venue, the garden was so spectacular, we didn’t have to do very much at all to the space to make it perfect. We also were very focused from the beginning on having fantastic food and wine… it’s the reason we chose a venue where we could have everything exactly as we wanted. It definitely made Georgia’s job a little more difficult, because we had to go through every sip and bite together… but we think it really showed on the day. Emma and Kevin are both world class chefs, the food was absolutely outstanding and I am so glad we did it the way we did.

The dress.

I found dress shopping pretty nerve-wracking. There is still some pretty weird stuff out there that women are told about getting married and how they should look and feel about it. I knew I wanted something modern and from a female designer who had information she could share about the source of the fabric and the manufacturing. I think I found Prea first by searching the hashtag #modernbride on Instagram… her stuff is stunning and the Cara gown stood out straight away. I tried the dress on in Melbourne and was so comfortable, my friend Ash (a bridesmaid) was with me on the day and said “you could get married in that today” and that really made me happy – I didn’t feel like I had to change myself to squeeze into it and I felt beautiful and comfortable. I wish every woman felt like that about their wedding dress.

 

Favourite moments.

Al: I was so nervous all morning, seeing Stef for the first time, and it being just the two of us was such a happy and grounding moment. I am really happy we decided to do it that way – I also loved the champagne tower, everyone was smiling and so excited about it – handing out big glasses of champagne and kissing our friends one-by-one was such a joy-filled moment for me.

Stef: Al and I walked down the aisle together, so seeing each other for the first time together before the ceremony, just the two of us, was a really special moment. We had friends travel in from so many different places so it was great to have them all together and celebrate all the people from different parts of our lives who have contributed in their own ways to our relationship.

 

Traditions.

We were conscious of making sure the day reflected who we are and not being too hung up on typical wedding traditions. That being said, our amazing MCs got us each to write a letter to each other the night before the wedding and locked it away with a nice bottle of wine. Each of the guests took turns throughout the evening to nail the box shut with a hammer and nail and we’ll open it in five years’ time.

 

Meaning of marriage.

Getting married for us was about celebrating with all our family and friends; that was the overarching idea that drove a lot of our thinking in the lead up to the wedding and how we planned the day. As to what marriages means to us, it’s a confirmation that we’re a team and we’ll always have each other’s backs.

 

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour (often referred to as the “Barcarolle”), from the Jacques Offenbach opera, The Tales of Hoffmann

First dance: On Top of the World by Mindy Smith and Inland Sky

 

Funny stories (or near disasters).

We ordered the marquee the day before the wedding, we were very keen to have the ceremony completely outside – then we had some shady last minute forecasts – in the end, it was lucky we did – no rain, but it did get ridiculously cold overnight.

Planning surprises.

Everyone probably says this… but the cost – there were so many things we didn’t really think about when we talked about budget early on. Our advice to anyone is to leave some room in the budget!

 

Words of wisdom.

We were lucky and had many friends coming from overseas, and so we had events the night before and day after, which was an amazing way of making sure we got to spend a little time with everyone. Get yourself an amazing wedding planner too – Georgia was the absolute best, it was literally like having a super organised and stylish friend working for us for six months!

The day went past so quickly… I wish we could do it again.

  

 

If you love this dreamt day, catch some more of our favourite real weddings from across five years of Ivory Tribe here.

 

ALEX AND STEF’S TRIBE

Ceremony and reception: La Serre by Colin Hyett, Langwarrin South

Wedding planner: Georgia Harvey, Events by Harvey

Celebrant: Peter Norden 

Photography: Tess Follett

Styling: Georgia Harvey 

Florist:  XXFLOS

Hair: Teagan Cousins

Make-up: Simone Lee Brennan 

The Dress: Cara Dress by Prea James Bridal

Accessories: Vintage opal ring (something blue), antique garnet ring (something old), Georg Jensen Daisy bracelet (first gift from Stef), Georg Jensen fusion ring (gift from Stef to remember our time together in Copenhagen); gold and sapphire earrings – a gift from Stef’s mum on the wedding day.

Shoes: Gucci

Rings: Natalie Marie Jewellery

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Manning Cartell, COS, Sandro and Dion Lee

Menswear: Hugo Boss

Catering: Emma and Kevin Cerquiglini, Holly from The Healthy Hunter and Georgia of Events By Harvey.

Favours: We planted a tree in Tasmania for each guest through 15Trees.

Cake / Cake topper: Alex’s sister, Tash – lemon elderflower and mascarpone layer, and a salted caramel chocolate layer.

Entertainment: 6am at the Garage

Honeymoon: Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.




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