Michelle and Nathan’s winery wedding is a classically beautiful celebration in an elegant palette of navy and purple. We love their idea of a BBQ lunch with guests the day before the wedding, Michelle’s advice on how to keep the planning as stress-free as possible, and the sweet in-between moments captured on the day – every couple should take a moment to admire their reception setting with champagne in hand before the party kicks off!
The Planning Experience
“I will admit, it was really stressful. In most instances we had an idea of what we wanted, but as the wedding came closer and we had to make decisions on all the finer details (to have menus on the table, place cards, seating arrangements, thank you tags, etc.) it became so time-consuming. We didn’t really have much time off work to organise these things and were also building a house!
My tip would be to avoid doing two major things in the same year, and if I could change one thing, it would be to take a week off work before my wedding to really enjoy the last few days of planning and prep with my partner.”
Most Important
“We really wanted our special day to be captured with lots of photos, but also spend as much time with our family and friends as possible. We made our wedding a weekend event, with a BBQ the day before. It was a great idea as everyone got introduced to each other and we were so happy to spend extra time with our family and friends, especially as some live interstate.”
Finding the Dress
“At first it was daunting – I researched styles online and there were so many to choose from! It was the first big task for me to do by myself, as I couldn’t rely on Nathan’s opinion this time. The dress I chose was beautiful. I remember looking at myself in the mirror and feeling emotional, happy, excited, a little nervous and teary all at once. It made me think forward to my wedding day and what that day would be like. That’s how I knew this was the dress for me.”
Personal Touches
“We bought each other gifts. I gave Nathan an engraved pen that he opened the morning of our wedding and we used it to sign our wedding certificate. I also found gifts for our bridal party – watches engraved with their initials, our wedding date and the words, ‘Our moment in time.’ As I love horses, I found an Australian watch company called The Horse who handmade them.”
Best Advice
1. A work colleague said this when I was feeling overwhelmed by the number of tasks still to complete and the limited amount of time, ‘So what if it’s not done, you’re going to be the only one who knows, so why are you stressing?’
2. Let your suppliers do what you’re paying them to do. You’ve engaged their services for a reason, so you should put some trust in their suggestions and recommendations when they offer them. I gave our florist free rein over our flowers. I put some ideas forward to her, showed her some photos of what we liked and then was available if she had any questions. But I also told her to ‘go nuts’. She loved that and delivered the most beautiful flowers and centrepieces and didn’t go over our budget.
3. I didn’t have a specific picture or setup in mind – I knew what I wanted but I was also happy to be flexible. I thought this was important as I didn’t want to set expectations of what things would look like or be like, that were beyond my control. I feel this helped me to be really relaxed in the last few days before my wedding and on the day.
Location: Queensland | Photography: Jazelle Venter Photography | Venue & Styling: Flaxton Gardens | Officiant: The Sunny Celebrant | Flowers: Heavenly Blooms | Wedding Dress: Brides Desire by Wendy Sullivan | Bridesmaid Dress: Review | Hair: Noosa Hairdressers | Makeup: Erica Jayne Makeup and Skin | Suits: Tony Barlow