If you haven’t heard a good proposal story for a while, then here’s one. Simon secretly recreated his and Danielle’s first five dates by searching through old emails and Facebook accounts. On the day he proposed he sent a courier to Danielle’s work with a list of instructions. The first was to follow an Instagram account he’d launched to guide her on her treasure hunt. She met him at Opera Bar in Sydney after work to relive their first five dates, including sushi at Sake. Her list of instructions ended underneath the harbour bridge where Simon proposed.
Their decision to get married at the beautiful Stones of the Yarra Valley in Victoria was easy. As well as being located on one of the most picturesque and historic properties in the Yarra Valley, Danielle tells us “we both share a love for wine, Melbourne, serenity and the idea of getting married somewhere between Sydney (where Simon is from) and New Zealand (where Danielle is from)”.
For Danielle, as the owner of stationary company Vignette Design, deciding who would do their invitations was another easy choice. I designed all the stationery myself, from the invites to program fans to menus and place names which was definitely very rewarding and helped to seamlessly tie all the elements of the day together”, says Danielle, who had a little help with beautiful signage from Ashdown & Bee and wore one of the nicest bridal gowns we ever did see.
“My dress was a dream. Her name is Beatrice, and it was the 5th dress I tried on – love at first sight they say – unfortunately it was also the most expensive dress I tried on. So, I continued in my search for a few days with mum in tow … and in the back of my mind always knew it had to be Beatrice. Designed by Mira Zwillinger, she was from Helen Rodriguez. I love her style and the fact her designs are so uniquely different with some real ‘wow’ factor about them”, says Danielle. Topping it off with a Jenny Packham hair piece and Elizabeth Bower accessories, how could you go wrong!
Luckily, she’ll never forget how beautiful she felt thanks to uber-talented photographer Jonathon Ong, whose work you might recognise from this real wedding. Nor will she forget how much fun they had thanks to the photo booth shenanigans and musically gifted Baker Boys Band.
CREDITS Photos Jonathon Ong // Bridal gown Mira Zwillinger via Helen Rodriguez // Veil Helen Rodriguez, Hair piece Jenny Packham // Shoes Christian Louboutin // Flowers Clarence // Rings Cerrone and Mondial // Jewellery Elizabeth Bower // Bridesmaids dresses Manning Cartell // Grooms suit Hugo Boss // Grooms shoes Josephs Shoes // Grooms socks Happy Socks // Groomsmen suits Man About Town // Ties Patrick Johnson // Ceremony and reception Stones of the Yarra Valley, Vcitoria // Cake Cake Face // Signage Ashdown & Bee // Styling and decorations Clarence and EverlyLaneDesign via Etsy // Stationary Vignette Design // Hair Jessica Whitelock // Makeup Jodie Porter // Music The Baker Boys // Celebrant Carolyn Ganzevoortz // Transport Howe To Travel.