Real Wedding – Tom & Simon, Collingwood VIC
Simon and Tom’s smooth soiree was the perfect blend of chic party vibes, warm emotion and divine detailing, each encompassing their overall theme of celebrating the people who brought them together. From a quintessentially Melbourne tram ride to arrive at stunning inner-city venue Rupert on Rupert to the urban streetscape backdrop, this is one uniquely gorgeous day.
Simon and Tom’s is a love story worth celebrating, beginning with a chance meeting in Barcelona and a series of fated moments. With superstar storyteller Precious Celebrations leading the ceremony, it was the perfect way to kick off the festivities – light-hearted, warm and full of winsomely witty moments.
Curated choices elevated the occasion from party to personal – from Simon and Tom greeting the guests as they arrived to an epic soundtrack for their ceremony by the wonderful Paper Hearts and masterfully masculine florals in warmly textured hues by Wildbloom Florists. Our faves: snappy signage quotes and fab hangover kit favours!
Tom and Simon adore 90’s music and a party, so it was in the trusted hands of One More Song DJ’s that the dance floor fired up with hit after hit!
See all the love and emotion continue to escalate throughout this sensational celebration, captured by visual poet Elsa Campbell.
The meeting.
We were both travelling in Spain and met at a rooftop bar in Barcelona. We got to talking and realised that not only did we have a mutual friend back home, but that we also happened to live one street away from each other in Melbourne – we had never met each other before that night!
After a few drinks, we decided to go for dinner and have a few drinks around town. We got along like a house on fire from that very first moment. After even more drinks, we realised that we also had the same itinerary for the next week, which involved travelling down the south of Spain to Sitges. We parted ways after a week together – Simon to London for another week of travelling and Tom back home to Melbourne.
That night was meant to be. We joke that if we had actually met in Melbourne that we probably would not have liked each other!
The ‘one’.
Cliché – but straight away! We clicked straightaway and both think alike – we joked after a few days of meeting that we don’t even need to talk to one another to know what the other is thinking, but that doesn’t ever stop Simon from talking, though.
The proposal.
We were on holiday in America, when on our last night, Tom rolled over in bed and said, “if I asked you to marry me, would you say yes?”. Simon’s face lit up and he said, “of course I would”. Little did Simon know that Tom had been thinking about it for some time and had intended on asking during the trip.
Simon always says that Tom proposed in the most Tom way possible – with absolutely no preparation. If he had organised a nice dinner out or some kind of plan, any plan – then Simon would have known that something was up straight away!
Wedding inspiration.
We wanted a wedding that was anything but traditional. We just wanted a party vibe and a celebration with our closest friends and family.
We used lots of small little things from other weddings that we saw on blogs and magazines – it was all those small details that helped our day come together and be all about us. And being able to see our suppliers work in action in photos and at other weddings was so helpful – it helped frame our chats with them on what we wanted to do.
The ceremony.
We wanted our ceremony to be about us and the people who brought us together. So instead of walking down the aisle, we decided to greet each of our guests on arrival. It made it much more of an intimate experience – it also meant we didn’t miss out on any of the fun and work out who was going to be late to our wedding!
The outfits.
Simon wore a three-piece, blue woollen suit. Tom wore a three-piece, mossy green woollen suit.
Tom knew the colour he wanted straight away – green (his favourite colour!). All the inspiration and design was thanks to Steven and the friendly folks at Oscar Hunt. As it was a party, we wanted to stay away from the tuxedo look and go with something that looks great. The waistcoat was a perfect look to dance into the night without wearing a jacket.
Favourite moment.
Greeting our guests as they arrived – everyone was so shocked that we were standing at the front door! Some people even thought that they had missed the ceremony!
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage for us was never an option until a few years ago, so it was never about taking a big step forward in our relationship. Instead, it was more of an acknowledgement of what was already there.
Wedding soundtrack.
1990s, 12-year-old girl music!! Lots of Britney, Spice Girls and Madonna!
We did not do any of the formalities – aisle, entry, or first dance. We did, however, have Paper Hearts perform an acoustic version of Tina Turner’s Simply the Best when our celebrant announced us as married. Every time we hear that song it gets us emotional. We could listen to the team at Paper Hearts sing acoustically all day.
Instead of having a first dance, we invited all of our guests on the floor to dance to Spice Girls Who Do You Think You Are. After that, no one left the dance floor all night!
Planning surprises.
How easy it all was! Tom did all the planning, despite Simon working in events. You need to gel and get on with your vendors, if you click straight away you know that you can work together throughout the planning time. And limit your options – looking at too many things just confuses you both on what you really want.
Words of wisdom.
Find the right venue, celebrant and photographer and everything else will work itself out! Don’t have a set plan of each minute of the day – let it flow and rely on a great venue and celebrant/MC to coordinate timings so that you can enjoy drinks and chats with friends. Know that plans will change throughout the day, so don’t stress – it will happen, so just accept it and party!
Final words.
Do things your way! We wanted a party, and so that’s what we got!
Tom and Simon’s soiree is the perfect example of how the little details can make a big difference. Signage is one of these darling details, yet it can be confusing to know what, where and how much! We’ve got the lowdown on how to make choices to create impact without compromising your budget, here on the blog.
TOM AND SIMON’S SUPPLIERS
Ceremony and reception venue: Rupert on Rupert
Celebrant: Precious Fawcett
Photography: Elsa Campbell
Florist: Wildbloom Florists
Hair: Boys – Kings Domain Barbers. Girls – Kylie Jane Artistry
Make-up: Making Pretty and Sara Morrison
Shoes: McCloud Shoes and Oscar Hunt
Rings: Tiffany and Co
Suits & ties: Oscar Hunt
Cake / Cake topper: Sallycakes
Acoustic trio for ceremony: Paper Hearts
Reception DJ, percussionist and photobooth: One More Song
Transport: Yarra Trams
Honeymoon: The W Hotel Bali
