Cody & Sam's Mornington Peninsula wedding

Contemporary country elegance meets spicy decor details – Cody and Sam got the balance just right for their New Year’s Eve wedding! This bride and groom compared pulling together their special day to coordinating a music festival. They weren’t exaggerating. Their experience in project management and planning was put to good use as they (with their village) transformed Cody’s sister’s Mornington Peninsula farm into a total #DreamWeddingDestination. We’re talking about painting, gardening, repaving driveways, constructing a new bedroom, and the pièce de résistance – fireworks! It was NYE, after all!

Little Wolf Entertainment helped keep the party going until the wee hours. You’ll also find some gorgeousness from our friends Cloth and Confetti on those tablescapes, and as for camera duties, these two really knew what they were doing, bringing Tess Follett into the fold. You’ll want to open your Pinterest board and scroll on to check it out…

THE VIBE “Sam and I enjoy a spicy margarita, and we love Mexico (it is where we spent our honeymoon) so we took inspiration from chillies and went with a spicy vibe for the styling. We leaned into the natural elements of the farm by incorporating burnt reds and oranges from the sunsets and yellows and greens from the flora and fauna into our stationery design by Maisie Cao of Maison Paper and also into the incredible floral design by Samantha Burden of Hakea Studio. Samantha created striking cascading chilli and tomato garlands, single-stem red roses and food styling along the tables, which included capsicums, chillies and more tomatoes. Being NYE and on a private property, we wanted to party well beyond midnight, which we achieved with a 4am finish time, and we asked our guests to go bold with colour or add a hint of sparkle for the countdown.”

FAVE DETAILS “Being a summer wedding, we wanted a lighter cake with lots of fruit. We love a pavlova or eton mess, so we approached Mirjana of Torte, who created the most amazing, huge pavlova we have ever seen. My dad and his friend Bruno, who owns Audio Visual FX in St Kilda, created the most amazing light display for NYE. They spent days installing lights in trees in assorted colours inspired by Lightscape from the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. A huge disco ball was placed in the middle of my sister’s veggie garden, along with smoke machines and fireworks. Disco love hearts and floating candles hung from trees leading down to the house overlooking Main Ridge. Five generators and more than 120 extension cords kept the party going until 4 in the morning. It took a village to put together, and it was spectacular!”

REFERENCES “One Fine Day Wedding Expo, Hello May, friend recommendations, Pinterest and Instagram sleuthing. It is so nice looking back at our Pinterest board and seeing how our vision came to life exactly as we planned.”

MEMORABLE MOMENT “My favourite moment was my sisters reading to the both of us during the ceremony and, of course, our vows to each other. We felt truly present in what was otherwise a very fun but fast day! Getting ready with our wedding parties was special; Sam went for a morning run with his crew followed by a swim at the beach. My sister, Tessa, made us breakfast (she is an amazing cook), and we listened to her and my bridesmaid, Bec’s playlists while getting ready, taking in the epic views over Main Ridge.”

STANDOUT VENDORS “Tim Wolf from Little Wolf Entertainmentkept the dance floor going until early in the morning and brought the vibes all day long. And our photographer and videographer dream team, Tess Follett and Nathan Follett captured the day so beautifully. We are so grateful to all our amazing vendors.”

Looking for a top-tier photographer? Do yourself a favour and touch base with Tess Follett here. Acoustic musos, DJ sets, band – Little Wolf Entertainment do it all! Check ‘em out here. Or for chic styling and decor hire, Cloth and Confetti is one of our faves. Planning your own DIY/private property extravaganza? We got you. Get inspired by these sweet backyard soirees and then dive into the directory to start assembling your wedding day team.