Real Wedding – Tim & Emma, Ripponlea VIC
Emma and Tim’s sweet celebration is all crisp, classic elegance infused with an effervescence that is truly infectious! Every picture-perfect frame by photographer Tess Follett glows with blissed-up emotion and a sense of heartfelt celebration.
With glamorously gorgeous Melbourne venue, Quat Quatta as their backdrop, the newlyweds merely had to add their personal flavour to create a style sensation. Clean contemporary fits in chic black make for an elegant effect, while accents of soft cobalt add a pop of impact to the beautiful, boundless floral arrangements. Emma looks every bit a radiant bride in her gown by Made With Love Bridal, a statement of simplicity done to perfection.
Carefully considered details always add a touch of uniqueness, and we love Emma and Tim’s choice to double up on favours and place cards made from seeded paper for the guests to plant at home, by Studio Y Creative.
For a sweet endorphin hit with refreshingly modern style, look no further than this dreamy day. Scroll on to experience it all.
The meeting.
We met during our final year at university and worked at the same café. One of my final exams was based on a book that was only available at Tim’s University, and after asking if Tim could grab it for me, I was met with, “It will cost you a coffee date”, and the rest is history!
The ‘one’.
A few months into dating, we both knew we had found the one. We love each other’s company, and now we can’t imagine our lives without each other.
The proposal.
We were on holiday in our favourite place, Noosa, and the very first morning, Tim woke me up incredibly early to go watch the sunrise on my favourite beach. It was a stunning morning when I finally woke up and caught on to what was happening. It was so special; it was just us on the beach, and it was just perfect.
Planning process.
The planning process started after we had taken some time to celebrate and really enjoy our engagement (we think it’s important not to rush through that stage). The planning process started slow, but once we had locked in our venue and date, everything else fell into place. We had great suppliers that really helped point us in the right direction, and we loved reading Real Weddings on Ivory Tribe to get ideas. It was also helpful to schedule time with each other to plan and make it a date night. We also loved keeping track of everything on a spreadsheet. A lot of people laughed at us; however, it was great to have everything all together.
Style inspiration.
We drew inspiration from other weddings we had seen and been to and then added our own touch. We knew we wanted the styling to be classic and timeless with a pop of blue throughout.
We found a combination of real weddings and photos to reference the most useful when working out the style of our wedding; it allowed us to visualise how our wedding would look and then bring this to life. Our suppliers were great in pointing us in the direction of other suppliers that they had enjoyed working with before.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony felt so special. The courtyard at Quat Quatta is that perfect size, where it felt so perfectly intimate. Our celebrant Megan (Marry Me Megan) did an amazing job at keeping us calm despite all the nerves and was able to make our ceremony feel personal and incredibly fun.
Prior to Emma walking down the aisle, we had our grandmothers as the flower girls, which was really special, and as soon as she walked down the aisle, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. During our vows, it felt like we were the only people in the venue.
Following our vows and signing the wedding certificate, we wanted to celebrate with our guests prior to photos and had arranged for a champagne tower, which helped kick off the party!
The outfit.
Prior to our wedding, Tim was the best man in his best man’s wedding, which helped in finding a great tailor. Tim and his groomsmen wore tailored tuxedos with a peak lapel from YSG Tailors in Richmond with self-tie bow ties to finish the classic look off.
For me, finding a wedding dress was the hardest part of the whole wedding process. I probably went to every bridal store you could think of in Melbourne! It was great to try on all the different styles and fabrics, as I wasn’t overly sure what I was wanting to go with. As soon as I tried on my dress from Made With Love with the extended statement train, I was in love. It was simple and classic, yet the back of it added that little bit extra.
Favourite moments.
It’s really difficult to pick one! Seeing Emma for the first time in her dress still makes Tim tear up when he thinks about it, and reflecting on our vows and the promises we made to each other was incredibly special.
Ultimately, the whole day was amazing and was, without a doubt, the best day of our lives.
Meaning of marriage.
For us, marriage is the greatest representation of our love for each other. To be able to share our vows and share our love for each other in front of our closest family and friends was incredible. It represents the start of our next chapter together, and we can’t see what the future has in store for us.
Wedding soundtrack.
We had some iconic tracks for our big day:
Aisle: Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
Reception Entry: You Make My Dreams Come True by Daryl Hall & John Oates
First dance: Strawberries by Caamp
Funny stories or near disasters.
It’s funny now, and I was pretty calm about it on the day; however, I woke up the morning of the wedding with a terrible reaction all over my body from the fake tan. During hair and make-up, I had face washers on my arms to cool it down, and the QQ team got me ice during the night to help cool it down, too!
Planning surprises.
Having spoken to our friends who got married prior to us, we started our planning with a good idea of what was involved. However, one thing that took us by surprise was the limited availability of some suppliers despite the wedding being nearly a year away; we quickly discovered that a lot of the best suppliers would book up fast, so we ensured we booked them quickly once our venue and date were locked in.
Not a surprise, just a bonus, was how great and helpful our suppliers were. The team at Quat Quatta were incredibly helpful in connecting us with suppliers who knew how to make the space look amazing, with Megan, our celebrant, recommending our photographer, Tess, who then put us in touch with her brother, Nathan at Sea of Love, to be our videographer. Having suppliers who had worked together made the day seamless and meant we had one less thing to worry about leading into the wedding.
Words of wisdom.
If we were to share any advice with other couples who are planning a wedding, it would be to enjoy the process. The lead-up to the day itself can be overwhelming and requires a lot of planning in advance, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get everything organised.
We wanted to repurpose as much as we could, so we would recommend leaving empty vases on the bridal table so that the bridal bouquets can be popped in there for the reception and ask if your florist can come back at the end of the night to wrap up the flowers so that guests can take them home.
Another touch that we loved was that our place cards doubled as favours, and they were seeded paper (daisies) so that each guest could take them home and plant them. Studio Y Creative were so amazing to work with on these!
We would also say create a separate email to share with your suppliers and venue so that emails don’t get lost in your personal inbox.
When things were getting stressful, we would reflect on why we were getting married and how amazing the day would be. Reflecting on this helped keep us grounded and allowed us to ensure the process was fun, which, in turn, made the planning much easier.
From eco-concious celebrations to audio guest books, keeping up with the latest en-vouge experiences in the world of weddings can be a lot. So, we’ve taken a deep dive into what is trending in weddings, to ensure you’ve got your finger on the pulse.
TIM & EMMA’S VENDORS
We used a number of sources such as Ivory Tribe, Pinterest and Instagram, as well as getting guidance from the team at Quat Quatta, who knew which suppliers were best for the space.
Ceremony & reception venue & styling: Quat Quatta. We loved working with everyone from the Quat Quatta team and felt so lucky to have worked with Holly from our first visit! Holly was so helpful and friendly through the whole process; it was like we had known her for years. She even popped her head in on the day, which we absolutely loved! On the day, I could not speak any higher of the QQ team on the day either. Ruben was so lovely and calm, and all our guests absolutely loved the whole team.
Celebrant: Marry Me Megan (Megan Watson). During our first meeting with Megan, we talked for so long that we completely went past our finishing time without even realising! We immediately clicked, and she was the perfect fit for us. Prior to the day, Megan was so helpful and organised, and on the day, she was amazing. So many guests came up to us afterwards and asked for her details!
Photography: Tess Follet Photography. Prior to getting engaged, we had loved Tess’ work from afar, and we knew we wanted to work with her! I would’ve changed the date to ensure we had Tess! On the day, Tess was amazing; she led the way the whole day and was an absolute pleasure to work with. Her photos are beyond beautiful, and we feel so lucky to have them to cherish forever.
Videography: Sea of Love (Nathan Follet). At the beginning of wedding planning, we were tossing and turning on having a video; however, we are so happy we did. It’s so special looking back on now, and Nathan’s work is beautiful! Nathan’s attention to detail is phenomenal, and he was also so calming on the day. We could not be happier with the final video.
Florist: Little Stag. After being recommended by the team at Quat Quatta, we reached out to Little Stag to arrange our florals for the wedding. Juliette and the team were great to work with and ensured our floral arrangement reflected our personal style. Being able to provide our guests with bouquets at the end of the night was another special touch the Little Stag team provided.
Hair: Kim Toogood. Kim was so wonderful with everyone and did such an amazing job! She was a great presence to have in the morning and was so lovely and really took her time with me and my bridal party. She and Sophia worked so well together with their timings!
Make-up: Sophia Pafitis. One of the first vendors I locked in, Sophia was another person I had loved from afar, and I knew that I really wanted her on the day. Sophia is so talented and, on the day, was so comfortable to be around and make everyone not only look great but feel great also.
The dress & veil: Made with Love. Made With Love Bridal were so wonderful; their shop was gorgeous, and every time that I went there, they were so accommodating and easy to work with.
Rings: Louise Jean. The team at Louise Jean are beyond amazing. Emma’s engagement ring and our wedding rings are all from Louse Jean, and we could not be happier.
Favours: Studio Y Creative (we did invitations on seeded paper, which our guests could plant to grow daisies). I loved creating our custom wedding favours/thank you cards with the team at Studio Y Creative. They were so quick and made the whole process seamless.
Entertainment: Unplugged Entertainment. We had Demi Louise for both our ceremony and reception entertainment, and we absolutely loved her and her voice. Demi Louise is so talented, and we could not have imagined our day without her.
Transport: Always Classic Cars
