These two are pretty special, guys. They met at Big Day Out – Christian on stage with his band and Beth in the crowd. He thought she was cute, they locked eyes and said ‘hi’. At their next meeting Christian autographed Beth’s top (and her train ticket), and whoever added who on Facebook “ignited something pretty special,” adds the bride. “Christian was living in LA, so we didn’t see each other for months, but boy did we chat. We had virtual dates and he sang to me over the phone. I had pretty much already fallen head over heels in love with him by the time we met again in person to make it official.” Now that’s one for the grandchildren, eh! Their nuptials included a few of our fave vendors – Lighting by Hoorah Events, catering by Garnish Creative Catering, those incredible blooms by Gypsy Carmen and that makeup by Samantha Lee Makeup Artist – and you’ll see and read the rest below, along with pics by the brilliant Dan O’Day…
THE VENUE “Picture Alice in Wonderland meets the Australian outback – equal parts rustic and quirky, with stunning features like lavender fields (perfect for frolicking guests!), a tennis court and a silo covered in beautiful green vines. The minute we inspected the venue we fell in love.”
THE VIBE “Words like moody, dramatic, romantic and bohemian were thrown around a lot. We really wanted a mix of light and dark, soft and bold. We also had a bit of an Italian theme to pay homage to Christian’s heritage and celebrate the beautiful Amalfi Coast, where we got engaged. We plied our guests with Aperol Spritz, Birra Moretti and even shots of Sambuca and Limoncello. We wheeled in a beautifully ornate gelato cart for dessert. The headlines to our menus were written in Italian too and we had an Italian accordion duo play for our guests after the ceremony. Music is so special to us; it’s how we met, it’s a big part of the way we fell in love and it’s how Christian continues to make a life for us. We really wanted to throw an epic party, and that was truly the vibe on the day.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “Our amazing floral mesh arbour masterpiece by the one and only Gypsy Carmen was truly something to behold. Our rad neon, berry donuts and the grazing table by Garnish Creative Catering. We had three long tables filled with the most delicious antipasti we had ever had. Jo’s arancini were also world-class.”
DIY “In the cocktail hour, we had a game involving little cards which our guests picked out at random. The guest would read the challenge (like, ‘Take a shot with someone who studied abroad,’ ‘Take a shot with a beekeeper,’ ‘Take a shot with a set of twins,’ take a photo with that person or people, upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #lorussoulmates, and then be given a shot of Limoncello or Sambuca to share with the person they took the photo with. The result was fantastic. [Also], conversation starters – we really wanted everyone to get to the nitty-gritty, hilarious (or in some cases downright outrageous) stories. The cards were titled ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ / ‘Friend Zone’ / ‘Don’t be a Stranger’ etc, and included little conversation starters to get the ball rolling. Some were sweet (for example, ‘Ask Norma [Beth’s nan] how she met Bomber [Beth’s grandfather]’); some were not so sweet (for example, ‘Ask Dani about the time he brought 100 litres of homemade wine to a party)’… It took us a couple of days to brainstorm unique questions for all 162 guests and match them to another guest near them that we thought would enjoy that answer. It was a lot of work, but TOTALLY worth it. Our guests really loved it and appreciated our extra effort to personalise the day and make everyone feel included.”
THE DRESS “I spoke at length with Stephanie at Sant Elia about the elements of dresses I liked and didn’t like and felt like she really understood me. She was young, vibrant and used words like ‘dramatic bohemian’ and ‘celestial, but structured.’ I was obsessed.”
REFERENCES “The Hello May Directory was such a great starting point – it even allowed us to narrow our searches to the South Coast. We also used Instagram a lot – which is how we found the incomparable Dan O’Day. Everything else – and we mean EVERYTHING – was May and Nat from Simply Beautiful. They worked tirelessly searching for and calling vendors.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “We are beyond happy that we had a videographer. Videos capture the vibe of the day in such a unique way. We ummed and ahhed about the arbour but as soon as I saw it on the day, in our photos and videos, we know it was so worth it. If it’s in your budget, use a planner/stylist. You don’t want to be running around coordinating with the venue the night before / day of and, equally, you don’t want to put that kind of pressure on your family/friends either, who should be enjoying themselves!”
STANDOUT VENDORS “May and Nat from Simply Beautiful were thorough, creative, always quick to respond. Dan O’Day, our photographer – a bloody legend and national treasure. Jo from Garnish Creative Catering was an absolute gem throughout the whole process. Starting at the tasting, she hosted about 25 couples at her place on the South Coast and put on a huge feast, with all the trimmings. It gave us a real indication of how things would look, feel and taste on the day. We were blown away. In the lead up to the wedding, she was super responsive and flexible. On the day, she knocked the socks off all our guests, she made it look so easy and she was so in control. Claire from Gypsy Carmen is unrivalled in her ability to transform a room! She really listened to us every step of the way and made our arbour dreams come true!”
If you want to find out more about the vendors Beth and Christian rave about, head to our Directory listings of Hoorah Events, Garnish Creative Catering, Gypsy Carmen and Samantha Lee Makeup Artist. But first…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Dan O’Day Cinematographer Rainbeau Tharp Event Planner & Stylist Simply Beautiful Florist Gypsy Carmen Stationery Paperless Post (Invites) & The Oxee via Etsy (Place Cards) Ceremony & Reception Merribee Catering Garnish Creative Catering Alcohol Bomaderry Super Cellars Food Truck Original Gelato Donuts Berry Donut Van Wedding Favours Short and Sweet Designs (Cookies) Lighting Hire Hoorah Events Signage My Creative Space Entertainment Ariane Halls via UNDR ctrl, MAY-A Music, Giancarlo (Accordion Players & Italian Musicians) & Amy Meredith Celebrant All We Need Is Love (Victoria Eustace) Rings Chilton’s Antiques Transport Berry Bus Service THE BRIDE Bridal Gown, Boutique & Veil Sant Elia Robes Le Rose Shoes Bared Footwear Accessories Pinch & Fold (Earrings) Local Eclectic (Rings) Hair Kayla Goss Bridal Makeup Samantha Lee Makeup Artist Bridesmaid Dresses Alice McCall, White Runway & Finders Keepers Bridesmaid Gifts Beysis (Personalised “Say It With Polish” Nail Polish) THE GROOM Suit P. Johnson Bow Tie Le Noeud Papillon Buttons Benson & Clegg Shoes Crockett & Jones Grooming Hair Headquarters Groomsmen Suits ASOS Groomsmen Gifts Nachtmann (Whisky Glasses) & Status Anxiety (Toiletry Bags)