For Bianca and Dave, “married life is just hanging out with your bestie 24/7. We have so much fun and genuinely love spending time together.” We are so on board for that, friends, as we are for their decadent big day in the beautiful Adelaide Hills. Disaster nearly struck in the lead-up, though, thanks to Tilly the English bulldog!
“She snuck into the room at my parents’ place where my dress and veil were hanging and started playing with the veil. She ripped a big hole in it two days before the wedding… My mum saw it and thought it would stress me out if I knew so she didn’t tell me until after the ceremony, so I was just walking around with a big old hole in my veil! I didn’t even mind and it made me laugh because our dog is hilarious and, of course, she had to make her mark on our day.”
Luckily all eyes were on Bianca’s stunning Karen Willis Holmes gown and not the holey veil! Lens lady extraordinaire Jessica Mary was on hand to capture every delicious moment – and the rest is history!
THE THEME “We used the colours from the gardens as inspiration. We loved the orangey leaves of the bushes and trees and wanted to use those sorts of shades to style the day. I tried to use the same sort of oranges/beiges from the bridesmaids’ dresses, which were a beautiful burnt orange colour, to the mandarin-coloured napkins on the table and the orange icing on the cake! I loved playing with those colours and I knew everything would look great together.”
THE VENUE “I think Golding Wines was the second venue we visited, we absolutely fell in love with everything. The gardens, the vineyard, the stone building, Amy the event manager, the wine and the food. It was also really nice to support the venue after they were almost burnt down in the early 2020 bush fires.”
FAVE DETAILS “Florals! I think they were our favourite detail from the day, I had a Zoom meeting with the ladies from Stem Haus during COVID in 2020 and we just clicked so well. They were so creative and we had an idea of what we wanted for flowers but also wanted them to work their magic and create something awesome! They nailed the florals, I couldn’t have pictured anything better. The cake was pretty cool too, Teresa from She Baked just did her own thing, I just said I want orange icing and she created a piece of cake art!”
THE DRESS “I loved going dress shopping! I only did it when I was feeling good about myself, so I would make sure my hair was washed and I had tanned a few nights before so I could picture the dress on me on the day. I didn’t think too much about anything and didn’t want to overthink finding a dress or I would put too much stress on myself. Once I tried on my Karen Willis Holmes dress at Adelaide Bridal Collective, it fit so well and I felt so comfortable, my girlfriends and mum loved it too. The guys’ suits were also really easy, Dave wanted to find his outfit in one day and he did! He loved this navy linen jacket from Rodd & Gunn for him and his groomsmen, paired with a darker navy dress chino from Trent Nathan and white dress shirt from Rodd & Gunn, a beige linen tie, and brown boots and belt. The guys looked so handsome I was so proud Dave put that all together.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “A standout moment was having the sun pop out of the clouds right in the middle of our ceremony as we were about to say our vows. It was a beautiful day but really cloudy and the sun shining just made me happy.”
WORD OF ADVICE… “Work out the things that matter the most to you both and spend your money in that area. For us it was food, wine, entertainment and overall venue, so that meant we spent less on styling, floristry, fancy cars, extravagant gifts for guests, etc, as that wasn’t so much a priority. Also, get a kickass photographer. We are obsessed with our photos by Jessica Mary and couldn’t be happier with our choice!”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Our photographer, Jessica Mary, was like a friend to us both and our bridal party/family. She took the most amazing photos and we keep talking about how amazing she is. Also, the venue coordinator from Golding Wines, Amy – her energy was great and she went above and beyond for us.”
If you’re as obsessed with Bianca’s lush Karen Willis Holmes gown as we are, head on over to the designer’s directory listing to get in touch or schedule in an appointment – and while you’re at it, see if you can get Jessica Mary on board to photograph the day. She’s a gem, you won’t regret it!
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Jessica Mary Florist Stem Haus Stationery Brit Creative Studio Ceremony, Reception & Catering Golding Wines Cake She Baked Wedding favours The Paper Daisy Hire Items Hygge Studio (gold plinths, gold easel for seating sign, white frame for welcome sign, clear card box, gold signage stands for menu and table numbers), Modern Party Hire (orange napkins and wheat coloured table cloths) Photo Booth Aloha Photo Booth Co Signage Brit Creative Entertainment Chris VanderHaak Celebrant Ceremonies By Camille Rings Gerard McCabe THE BRIDE Gown Karen Willis Holmes Bridal Boutique Adelaide Bridal Collective Robes Piyama Shoes Loeffler Randall Accessories Reliquia Collective via The Iconic (bride’s earrings), JT Luxe (bridesmaids’ earrings) Hair The Style Bar Makeup Alisha Makeup Bridesmaid Dresses & Shoes Forever New Bridesmaid gifts Piyama THE GROOM Jacket & Shirt Rodd & Gunn Pants Trent Nathan via Myer Tie Otaa Shoes R.M. Williams Watch Blaxx Watches Barber The Fellow