Yet another Tinder success story, Em and Dave have been together for four years and despite their short but sweet eleven-month engagement, these two managed to pull off a rather smashing day. They hired a hefty list of our go-to vendors, too, so we were pretty positive it was going to be a raging success, and hey, we were right, dear readers. Miranda Stokkel was on pics, the bride wore a stunning Lola Varma gown, Nat Sproal Celebrant officiated the nuptials, Kate Mccleary Hair & Makeup Artist was on beauty and Amelie George was responsible for those gorge accessories. So scroll down for all the pics and details from the bride and groom…
THE VENUE “We really didn’t want our wedding to feel like the typical reception venue style wedding. We wanted the space to feel homey/ like somewhere we would normally hang out and our reception to feel like a big family dinner. We also didn’t want the hassle of trying to organise multiple venues so needed somewhere that would work for both ceremony and reception and where we wouldn’t need to organise a wet weather back up plan. Living interstate from everyone we know how difficult it is to travel to attend a wedding so we also wanted to get married somewhere close to the city, so everyone could get there easily. Rupert fit the bill perfectly, it’s well lit, has lots of indoor plants (just like we have at home) and beautiful decor so it doesn’t need a lot of extra styling. They also serve amazing shared style sit down feasts on long tables which really gives that shared family dinner feel.”
DIY “For our invites we used Paperless Post which also saved us a lot of money, time and effort. Being able to edit the invite online, then send out invites via email, and get electronic responses was a huge cost and time saver. We didn’t have to pay for postage, or return envelopes, and it was so easy for people to RSVP we didn’t have to chase many people up. The RSVPs even get collected into a spreadsheet for you!”
THE DRESS “I looked online for a while, mostly scrolling through Instagram, and fell in love with Lola Varma. I didn’t initially plan on wearing two dresses but shortly after buying the Lola Varma outfit, I found out I was pregnant and that I would be 25 weeks by our wedding day. I had no idea how big I was going to get by our wedding day and didn’t know if I would be able to get into the skirt as it didn’t have a lot of give in it. So I started my dress search again. Finding a non-lacy/frilly wedding dress that would fit me at 25 weeks pregnant was even more challenging but I stumbled across By Romance on Instagram and immediately loved the Billy dress.”
REFERENCES “I spent a lot of time on Instagram! I used a few wedding-specific blogs/ Insta pages such as Hello May to help initially, especially to find a venue and a celebrant. I first found Miranda Stokkel (our amazing photographer) by looking through Rupert’s tagged Instagram photos, I wanted someone who knew the venue and that I was confident could take beautiful photos there. Mali from Rupert gave us a great list of people she has worked with before, then we asked Nat Sproal Celebrant and Miranda about people we were thinking about going with, to make sure they’d had good experiences with them as well.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “The venue we chose does share plates instead of alternating meals. It meant that there was a more intimate feel when the meals came out. I’m really glad we had a small bridal party. I’ve been a bridesmaid a few times before and there is always lots of fussing/ trying to get everyone to agree on things, and it’s really rushed getting everybody ready on the day. By each of us only having one support person it meant our day was a lot more relaxed, we didn’t have to rush around, and we got to spend more quality time with one another. It was also a lot more budget-friendly, and meant we didn’t have to ask our bridal party to chip in for much.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Miranda Stokkel (our photographer) made us so relaxed on the day. When we were out with her during portrait time she played some great music and was nice and chatty, it really just felt like we were hanging out with an old friend. She captured so many beautiful moments, looking back over our photos makes me smile so much. Nat Sproal Celebrant, who did an amazing job at getting to know us and making us feel prepared in the lead up to the big day. The ceremony suited us perfectly and really told our story. It was full of laughs and full of love but at the same time wasn’t cheesy. She also helped us to write our own vows and made sure they complemented each other well. It was nice having her on the day to calm the nerves. And Mali (from Rupert). She was so on top of everything and helped get us organised and book everyone in before the big day. She had great suggestions for other vendors, she was super easy to work with, and she made sure absolutely everything ran smoothly on the day.”
Em and Dave’s epic wedding was originally published in Hello May’s 2020 Real Wedding Special. It’s sold out, but you can buy the recently released 2021 Real Wedding Special here. And if you are still searching for your vendors, you’ll find contact details, info and links to other glorious read weddings over on our Directory from the following vendors for all the inspo you’ll ever need; Miranda Stokkel, Nat Sproal Celebrant, Kate Mccleary Hair & Makeup Artist and Amelie George. But first…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Miranda Stokkel Florist The Arrangement Flowers (Georgia Powell) Invites Paperless Post & Paper Source Guest Book tde. Place Cards Officeworks Ceremony & Reception Rupert Donuts Rustica Donut Stand Cup Cake Stand Entertainment Mick and Maddie, Great Vinyl DJs Celebrant Nat Sproal Celebrant Rings Whitakers THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Lola Varma via Still White Second Dress By Romance Robes Peter Alexander Shoes Nude via The Iconic Accessories Amelie George Hair & Makeup Kate Mccleary Hair & Makeup Artist THE GROOM Custom Suit & Shirt Germanicos Bespoke Tailors Tie Déclic Shoes Aquila Watch Longines Grooming Pureman Barbers Groomsmen Suits Germanicos Bespoke Tailors