Emma and Ryan’s relaxed estate wedding has it all – gorgeous location, loads of beautiful flowers, Kombi transport doubling as a photo booth, gelato cart, luscious designer cake and a rocking dance floor. And best of all? These two clearly had a ball the whole day!
The Proposal
Ryan: “I had arranged to surprise Emma while she was in the middle of having a massage, taking over from the masseuse while Emma had a towel over her eyes. We were alone in a beautiful hilltop hut – I stood her up and dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me. This was my proudest moment – Emma is very good at finding out my secrets, and I can assure you she didn’t know that!”
Most Important
Emma: “Ryan and I wanted our wedding to be relaxed and fun for both us and our guests. We tried to get all of the formalities out of the way early so that everyone could relax and enjoy the night. We also wanted to include our family and friends to make our wedding more personal.”
Ceremony Styling
“The panoramic views at our venue were so beautiful that minimal styling was required. We stood at the edge of the hill overlooking the mountains.”
Bridal Party Styling
“We wanted to keep things simple, and make sure that our bridal party felt comfortable on the day. The boys wore midnight blue suits and the girls wore white lace dresses. Our flowers were the feature and really popped against the blue and white.”
Finding the Dress
“I only looked in two stores before finding my beautiful gown. At the very end of the appointment, a dress caught my eye on the rack – when I tried it on, I instantly fell in love with it.”
Entertaining Guests
“We arranged a gelato cart for guests between the ceremony and reception. Everyone loved it – the flavours are to die for! We also arranged for the kombi to be turned into a photo booth. Our driver took Polaroid pictures of guests in the kombi and stuck them into our guest book. It was great to look through it and see how much fun our guests were having.”
Reception Styling
“I love flowers! Our florist is a family friend and she filled the room with the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. I told her what colours and style I liked and she did the rest! It was a lovely surprise to see her beautiful creations on the day. We had a cocktail wedding, so we kept things simple by just having flowers and candles on the tables. We used glass vases which had a touch of gold to tie it all together.”
Flower Wall Feature
“We also had a beautiful flower wall which was the feature of the room. It made a perfect backdrop for speeches, and the guests took stunning photos in front of it throughout the night. It matched our flowers perfectly!”
Favourite Moments
“Ryan and I love to dance – we met on the dance floor – so the music was really important. Andrew Swift had the whole crowd dancing all night which made for such a great atmosphere. Ryan also DJs so he made some mixes with our favourite songs. And seeing our family and friends having such a great time – our photographer really captured the joy and happiness we felt on the day.”
Best Advice
1. Take a moment to take it all in and watch your guests having a wonderful time!
2. Keep it simple and try to stick to one style.
3. Trust your suppliers and let them use their creativity to create something amazing!
Location: Yarra Valley, Victoria | Photography: Catherine Forge Photography with Fiona McLennan (Second Shooter) | Venue: The Riverstone Estate | Celebrant: Kerry Holgate Celebrant | Flowers: Fine Floral Design and Farm | Flower Wall: Melbourne Event Florals | Cake & Favours: Cake Ink. | Gelato Cart: Bianco Latte Gelato | Dress: Anna Campbell | Shoes: Mimco | Bridesmaids: Review | Makeup: Faces by Cait | Suits: Andre J Menswear | Transport: Fisch and Co Kombi and Beetle Hire | Entertainment: Andrew Swift