Real Wedding – Veronica & Darryl, Mount Eliza VIC
After Darryl popped the question to Veronica and she said an ecstatic ‘yes’, they were then on the search for a venue and nothing felt quite right. When they purchased their forever home in Mount Eliza, they knew it was the perfect location to host one incredible party.
It’s safe to say, they were hands-on when it came to their wedding planning, particularly Darryl, who constructed the dance-floor, a bar and the arbour in the weeks leading up to the day. This all added to the personal touch every aspect of their day had and completely reflected Veronica and Darryl and their love.
Starting the day with a sensational ceremony by Beck Mayo, the guests laughed, cheered and Darryl’s nieces announced them as husband and wife – a super sweet touch, before they smiled and danced the night away with all their nearest and dearest.
Nikki McCrone was the talent behind the lens and we think you’ll agree she’s done a spectacular job in capturing the joy everyone felt.
The meeting.
Statistics say the most common way to meet a romantic partner is through friends. Unfortunately, none of our friends were any help at all and so we had both turned to the second most popular way to meet – online. It was the first time I had ever used any sort of online dating. I’d heard the horror stories, but I jumped right in and came across Darryl. There was just something about him, I reached out first, which I had never done before. It was the first online date I had ever been on and 3 years later here we are!
The ‘one’.
When we were asked this question by our celebrant, we were both surprised that we had the same answer. Our first camping trip together. Maybe it was the red wine, maybe it was the crackling fire, maybe it was all the wrestling with the camper trailer poles and tarps…we both just knew.
The proposal.
Darryl had been waiting for our Easter trip up to my family’s property in rural NSW. He had asked my parent’s permission (twice, my Mum didn’t have her hearing aids in the first time, so he had to start again!) and got up at sunrise, which really confused me because this man is NOT a morning person. I questioned what he was even doing awake to which he responded, “I thought we could go on a sunrise walk”. I told him “Great, Dad and I are going on a walk, but you can join!” Poor Darryl had to walk 6 kms with my Dad and I, with a ring box down his jocks, hoping my Dad would leave us at some point but no, he stuck around. He accepted he would have to do this with Dad watching on and so asked him to take a photo of us with the beautiful country hills behind us. He dropped to one knee and after a few too many seconds of my trying to figure out what was going on, I of course said yes! At least we have photos of this moment, thanks Dad!
Planning process.
With wave after wave of COVID we were hesitant to book anything in too soon. We decided late February 2022 would hopefully give us enough time for restrictions and lockdowns to come to an end. The venue however we could not agree on. We looked at wineries, we thought about rustic barns, beach locations, but nothing felt like “us”.
We were house hunting, trying to fit in all of life’s big events in at one time, and fell in love with this property in Mount Eliza which had these immense native gardens in both the front and back yard. We thought, hey if we’re going to spend our life’s savings on our new house we may as well use it for our venue too right? We were to move in 4 weeks before the wedding. Challenge accepted.
Now my parents like to rock n roll dance. 3 weeks out they asked if there would be a dancefloor. Darryl: “Oh I’ll build them a dancefloor”. And construction began on the most monumental, excessive, stage-sized dancefloor you have ever seen. In our backyard.
We need a bar. Darryl: “I got this”
We need an Arbour. Darryl: “Too easy”
We took our time with everything else. We may have done a little Instagram stalking, searching for the right vendors for us and making sure we both loved them.
Style inspiration.
I am not very decisive. We loved both rustic and boho style wedding, so we went for a blend of both. We wanted a relaxed feel but also didn’t want to lose the wedding vibes just because it was in our garden. We sent some pictures of weddings we loved to Elderberry Events and told them we loved rust, copper and terracottas and they took care of the rest.
The ceremony.
We wanted a quick and fun ceremony for everyone, so we had everyone pick their own vintage style champagne glass and poured some bubbly to get the celebrations started before the ceremony!
Our celebrant, Beck Mayo, was amazing. Even though we had both been to our fair share of weddings, we had absolutely no idea how we wanted to do our own. She convinced us to write our own vows, a decision that made our ceremony so much more intimate and personal. She had the idea of having Darryl’s nieces pronounce us husband and wife which was super cute. She told our story in such a beautiful way, had everyone laughing (and cheering at one point) and just made the moment so intensely special.
The look.
Considering how indecisive I am, I really thought it would take me all year to find the perfect dress. The first dress I tried on, it had pockets. The moment I stood up on that little platform and put my hands into those pockets I knew this was the dress for me.
Darryl just wanted to be comfortable and opted for chinos and linen shirts. He absolutely loves his old brown woolen tie, so it of course had to make an appearance. And just a week before the wedding he found his perfect green blazer.
Favourite moments.
Walking back down the aisle, hand in hand, colourful confetti showering down from everywhere, beautiful live music playing, it was absolutely surreal.
Meaning of marriage.
We knew marriage wasn’t going to change our relationship, it would enhance and solidify what we already had. Marriage to us is about teamwork, having each other’s back and growing old together.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Songbird by Fleetwood Mac (live by Lua Lua)
Signing: Simply the best by Noah Reid (live by Lua Lua)
Recession: You’ve got the love by Florence and the machine (live by Lua Lua)
Bridal party entrance: Conga by Gloria Estefan
Our entrance: Here Comes the Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze
First dance: Bring it on home by Sam Cooke
Funny stories or near disasters.
My wedding band fits perfect inside of Darryl’s wedding band so when the best man was handed the ring pouch, he could only feel one ring. He spent the whole ceremony leading up to the ring exchange panicking, and even had our celebrant concerned. Every single one of our ceremony photos that he is in makes us laugh because you can see the panic in his face.
Planning surprises.
Deciding to have our home as the venue meant that we really had to make certain we had everything covered. We didn’t have a coordinator or a wedding planner to be guided by, so it was intense. But we were never overwhelmed or overly stressed, and it was surprisingly fun to plan it together.
Words of wisdom.
Relax. Not everything will be perfect. Don’t focus on the small details because they are not what you’ll remember. What you will remember are the moments you have together and with your loved ones. The day goes so, so quickly, enjoy every second!
Choosing the perfect photographer is so important, after all they capture all the magical moments you treasure for a lifetimes, if you’re still searching for a lens legend, see some of our favourites here.
DARRYL & VERONICA’S VENDORS
Ceremony and Reception location: Our garden
Celebrant: Rebecca Mayo – Could not recommend her enough. She absolutely nailed our ceremony and had so many guests comment on how great she was.
Photography: Nikki McCrone – We loved Nikki. Our guests loved Nikki. We are not great in front of the camera, but she captured so many natural and special moments and made them look freaking magical.
Videography: Boy London Productions
Styling/Florist/Décor/Hire: Elderberry Events – Amazing people to work with, supportive, flexible, and just genuinely excited to help create your dream wedding.
Hair: Michelle O’Connell
Make Up: Emma Jane-Miller
The Dress: Made with Love Bridal
Veil / headwear: Hand made by mother of the groom
Shoes: Jo Mercer
Rings: Mike Doutch – Classical Diamond Jewellery
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy
Catering: Paella Pan and OhhhSugar Grazing
Cake / Cake topper: Fig & Salt – Even though she is based in the Yarra Valley I made her travel all the way to the Mornington Peninsula because I HAD to have her cakes for the wedding. Passionfruit and lemon curd sponge? You will never taste anything better.
Entertainment: Lua Lua – Every single cover is beautifully done, and that violin just gives you all the feels.
Honeymoon: Fiji
