Real Wedding - Zara & Daniel, Yarra Valley VIC

June 18, 2018 In Real Weddings By Natalie Drum

Real Wedding – Zara & Daniel, Yarra Valley VIC

Stones of the Yarra Valley was the perfect backdrop for Zara and Daniel to say their I do’s and celebrate their love story, that began with their shared love of ballet.

A trip to Tuscany reminded them of when they first fell in love and their venue choice reflected the feeling they wanted to evoke – rich, warm and rustic. Inspired by their love of design, they chose a soft rose pink and rose gold as their colour pallet and ensured they accented their wedding day with this.

There were so many fabulous moments, but their first dance as husband and wife is one they will never forget and there to capture it all was Rick Liston.

The meeting.

We met four years ago when Daniel came to dance for my Ballet School in Canberra.

‘The one’.

After getting to know Daniel I knew he was a very special soul and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. And I know he felt the same… (he just typed that! hehe)

The proposal.

It was Christmas day and he took me on a very long walk around a beautiful part of Melbourne. When we arrived back at his parents’ house, he took me into a quiet room and knelt down on one knee and asked would I marry him. I cried and laughed and jumped into his arms. Mind you, at first, I was just as excited thinking he had adopted a dog for us and that I was going to get it as a present. But a diamond ring from my wonderful man more than made up for the lack of a dog that Christmas day.

The process.

We knew exactly what we were after which made the process a lot smoother. We collected lots of pictures to piece the puzzle together. Plus, we run a business that even though it takes up a lot of our time (working seven days a week), it has made us pretty savvy with organizing numerous events every year from small in-house parties for up to 400 children, to week long full-length productions at the end of the year. Right now, we are planning an International Superstars of Ballet Gala with some of the best ballet dancers in the world today who will be coming to perform at Canberra Theatre in October.

Style inspiration.

We love design and we started by choosing our colour pallet which was soft rose pink and rose gold. We went for a rich, warm rustic Italian inspired vibe following a trip to Italy and falling in love with the Tuscan countryside. We chose The Stones purely based on how much it made us feel as if we were back in Italy.

The outfits.

My gown was made in Russia by a beautiful designer, Milva, who I found online following my first local dress fitting, after which I felt a tad despondent about how much I’d have to alter all the dresses I tried on in order to even remotely resemble and reflect my taste.

When I searched on Pinterest to find more of what I was after, I came across this gorgeous design. It took hours to locate this picture to the designer but finally I managed to track down the website and immediately got in contact with her via email. After seeing her range of very unique and stunning dresses, it was so hard to choose the exact one for me, especially as I wasn’t able to try any of them on. But Milva was able to describe each of the dresses I loved and how I would feel in them on the day. She also asked me lots of questions about the setting of the venue so she could picture exactly what I was after. I finally made a decision to purchase a beautiful soft pink gown with a milk lace overlay. The dress felt very elegant to wear and the quality of the fabrics were divine. As I wanted to dance all night I also decided to get a very pretty and more fun inspired short wedding dress made by the same designer.

As for my husband’s attire, he has been an Arthur Galan fan for some time, and he was beside himself when he inadvertently walked up the stairs of a ‘local tailor shop’ in a little side street in Toorak near the same corner of Arthur’s boutique store to then be greeted by Arthur himself. Daniel couldn’t say no, hehe, and the rest is now history. He wore a stunning tailor-made pink (that his dad preferred to call salmon) suit designed and made by Arthur himself with fabrics ordered from Russia and Italy to complement the wedding dress.

Favourite moments.

Everything! But a few very special highlights were: Seeing each other for the first time that day as I entered the chapel, and our first dance as husband and wife! Amidst a lot of smiles we also cried a lot.

Meaning of marriage.

To stand by each other’s side for always!

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: If by Bread

Entrance: Best day of my life by American Authors

Father/daughter/groom dance: Annie’s song by John Denver

Bridal waltz: My kind of girl by Michael Buble

Funny stories (or near disasters).

Rushing back to the Yarra Valley and copping a speeding fine on the way to our pre-wedding dinner in Healesville. Getting business phone calls on the morning of the wedding!

Planning surprises.

Definitely the cost. Hehe.

Words of wisdom.

Elope haha I’m so kidding. But just remember to plan your day never losing sight of why this day exists. That is, to mark the beginning of a life with the person you love the most.

Last words.

Personalised vows make for a very special and emotional moment that you and your guests could never forget given the verity of words coupled with a moment of raw emotions that just cannot be anticipated. We would also love to especially thank Rick Liston, Andrew Redman, Nick and team from Rutherford Entertainment, Victoria Jade, Milva and Arthur Gallan, for going above and beyond in so many ways and bringing our dreams for this wonderful special day to fruition. Given our line of work and the amount of hours we commit, we are not often ‘out there’ kind of people, however, these wonderful people truly made us feel comfortable and worthy of the attention that such a day bestows on you.

A great wedding is made up of all those who are special and who love and support you. And for this we would also like to acknowledge all our family and friends whose very presence contributed to such an amazing day and evening.