Beautiful bride Tara couldn’t stop smiling during her lovely vintage riverside wedding to Matt – and we can understand why! Featuring a rich palette of burgundy and blue, stunning reception set under the stars and a sweet serenade from the groom himself, it was the perfect day for this music loving couple.
Love Story
“Matt and I met when we were 19 through friends. We bonded over our shared love of ‘good’ music which has since seen us travelling around Australia and abroad to hear our favourite bands play. Some eight years on, our engagement story was inspired by a colleague who, ahead of our trip to the US, mentioned that LA had a ‘Diamond District’ if we were thinking of getting engaged. This led to a very pretty vintage ring on my left hand.”
Keeping Planning Relaxed
“Matt admits he was terrified that with ring on finger I would morph into a bridezilla! I think he was pleasantly surprised to discover I was still the same person and didn’t get into the ‘competitive bride-ing’ that he was fearful of. The experience itself was pretty stress free.”
Creating The Dress
“When I was 12 years old I made a very good choice in best friends. There was no question in my mind that Sandra from Elvi Design would be making my wedding dress. I had no idea what I wanted and we went to a few stores to try dresses on before we sat down and she sketched out my dress.
I wanted something tea length to suit our outdoor venue, plus I’ve always loved the 1950’s style. The sheer polka dots is one of my favourite parts of the dress and adds that playful feel. Having a dress made for you takes a lot of trust as you don’t know how it’s going to come together until the final weeks. My best friend is incredible at what she does and I can highly recommend it – especially because you get something made just for you!”
Planning The Music
“Our favourite part of the planning was creating the playlist. As part of the RSVP we asked guests to make a song choice – we had great fun then creating an infographic based on everyone’s choices. We also had our favourite music throughout the day from walking down the aisle to ‘God Only Knows’ by the Beach Boys, to our first dance, ‘This Guy’s in Love with You’ by Burt Bacharach.”
Entertaining Guests
“Our ceremony was at 4pm, with drinks served before the action started. After the ceremony, guests were provided an amazing spread of food, drinks and lawn games to keep them entertained before we re-emerged after photos.”
Most Important
“Neither Matt nor I wanted the big white wedding and tried to ensure at each stage that the wedding was reflective of us as a couple and something we were both comfortable with.
On our list of important things was a big dance floor, good music, good drinks (our venue let us BYO so we got to choose what we wanted!), great food and something with a relaxed vibe. Surprisingly, Matt also needed a Candy Bar.
Good weather was also really important considering we picked the most beautiful outdoor venue on the Swan River. We really didn’t want to have to hire a marquee and we were super lucky to get the most beautiful day.”
Reception Styling
“Jess from The Butcher, The Baker, The Stylist and Creator created her magic for us in terms of styling. Our look was a bit of a relaxed rustic vintage combo, with lots of personal touches. We also had stunning flowers by Ivy Flowers decorated in jars all over the place.”
DIY
“I completely over committed – 100 lolly bags and gift tags = all six seasons of Sex and the City! We made most of the signage ourselves and jars collected for the flowers were decorated with ribbon. Tin cans were cleaned, then we drilled holes into them and spray painted them gold so they could act as candle holders.”
Romantic Serenade
“After speeches, Matt got out his guitar and serenaded me with what he claims was the music he first used to ‘woo me’. He sang ‘Something’ by The Beatles and ‘The Blowers Daughter’ by Damien Rice. Both of these were on a CD he had recorded for me of all my favourite songs for my 21st birthday.”
Best Advice
“Don’t lose yourself or your relationship in the process. Remember it is meant to be a fun, happy occasion. Choose vendors you trust and then let them do their thing.”
Location: WA | Photography: CJ Williams | Ceremony & Reception Venue: Riverside at Woodbridge | Celebrant: Esther, Celebrate with Bliss | Ceremony Entertainment: Les Trois Amies | Styling: The Butcher, The Baker, The Stylist and Creator | Flowers: Ivy Flowers | Cake: Red Bird Cake Company | Lighting: Micktrics Lighting | Furniture Hire: Pretty Willow and Curio Warehouse | Dress: Elvi Design | Hair: The Pretty Parlour | Makeup: Milla Makeup