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How we planned the wedding of our dreams

Well friends, it’s been way too long between posts – but Chris and I are so excited to announce that we’re officially hitched!

The months leading up to the wedding were a wonderful blur. Although planning a wedding is known to be notoriously stressful, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t adore every moment. From endless hours of Pinterest scrolling, exploring colour schemes and styling ideas, it’s probably no surprise that wedding planning turned out to be absolutely my jam.

But what I loved even more was finding ways to make the day personalised to us, and creating a fun, love-filled day that we will cherish forever. So, now that the dust has started to settle I wanted to share a little special edition post about our wedding planning process. Here’s how we pulled together what was, without a doubt, the greatest day of our lives.

Choosing our wedding venue

We were lucky enough to get married at the beautiful Tanglewood Estate on the Mornington Peninsula, a dreamy winery that I had lusted after for a long time. The venue was the first thing we booked, and locking this down really helped set the tone of the day.

On paper, Tanglewood ticked all of our boxes. When we finally got a chance to visit the property, we were completely sold. It was the first venue we had looked at, and we didn’t bother to visit any alternatives. We knew we had found the one! 

Here are some of the factors that helped us to decide: 

Location

Tanglewood is located reasonably close to where we live, just over an hour out of Melbourne. It’s situated on over 100 acres of lush bushland with incredible sea views of Port Phillip Bay. 

Being quite close to home meant that it would be convenient for most of our guests to travel to. There were also plenty of local accommodation options for any guests wanting to spend the weekend on the Mornington Peninsula.

Facilities

The venue features two main reception areas to choose from: The Barn, which can accommodate up to 200 guests and The Winery, which suits weddings up to 100 guests. It is also home to the most picturesque 110-year-old chapel, relocated from Woomelang in country Victoria. 

Although there are a number of breathtaking areas to hold wedding ceremonies, we chose to have ours in the chapel. Not just because it was beautiful, but also because it meant we didn’t need to worry about the weather! 

In addition, Tanglewood also features two separate spaces for the wedding party to get ready for the day: the gorgeous Tanglewood House for my bridesmaids and I, and the Studio for Chris and his groomsmen. (Not to mention, a golf buggy to deliver the girls to the chapel. So fun!)

Support

Even through email correspondence, I could tell the Tanglewood team were going to be fantastic to work with – and I was definitely proven right. In the months leading up to the wedding, the owner and manager Donna was incredibly helpful, enthusiastic and accommodating. Our package also included the support of our on the day Wedding Coordinator, Ash, who helped to ensure everything ran as smoothly as it did. 

Creating the vision 

Although we had somewhat of an idea of how we envisioned the event decor and styling, locking down the venue really helped us to form a clear vision. 

Rather than playing into the rustic, whimsical vibe of the property, we wanted a colour scheme that gave some juxtaposition and landed on classic black and white. This flowed into almost every detail, from our bridesmaids wearing white dresses and groomsmen wearing black suits, to our DIY signage and the white cheesecloth draped table runners and black pillar candles we used to decorate our reception.

The monochrome scheme was the perfect choice for Tanglewood. I couldn’t be happier with how all the little details came together and how it popped against the Australiana aesthetic of the property.

The florals of my dreams

Our one deviation from our monochrome colour scheme was our divine florals from the one and only Poppy Culture. While most people planning a wedding would typically look to lock in vendors like a photographer or celebrant first, securing our florist was at the very top of my list after booking our venue.

Like Tanglewood, I had followed Poppy Culture’s beautiful work for years on social media. And, I knew they were the perfect team to bring my floral dreams to life. Not only have they worked at Tanglewood multiple times, but the owners even eloped on the property themselves. It’s safe to say they know their way around!

From the beginning, I had my heart set on tones of toffee, blush, nude, pink and peach – the kind of colour scheme that Poppy Culture do so well. Initially, I had hoped to include a touch of anemone to tie back into the black. As it was out of season at the time of our wedding, I opted for a tiny pop of blue delphinium. This matched my ‘something blue’ wedding heels perfectly. 

I truly adored my bouquet, the ceremony and aerial features were true works of art. I won’t lie, the florals took up a large chunk of our budget. But to me, it was worth the money ten times over! Just look at my reaction to seeing a sneak peek of our reception… I think this says it all!

Someone to tell our story

When you think about it, the ceremony is really the most important part of a wedding. 

From the reading of the vows to saying ‘I do’ (or in our case, ‘I will’), wedding ceremonies provide a very intimate glimpse into the lives of a couple that is rarely seen. So, it tends to be the most emotional part of the day. And, from a legal perspective, it’s the part that makes the whole thing official.  

We couldn’t be happier to have found the most amazing celebrant to lead our ceremony. Emma Tomlinson is sunshine in human form. She told our love story with just the right balance of love, humour and sentimentality. Everything about it just felt so ‘us’!

We still receive compliments on how wonderful our ceremony was and how beautifully Emma told our story. I truly think this helped set the tone for the entire day and I can’t imagine it any other way.

Capturing the special memories

It’s true what they say about the day going so fast – which is why it was so important to us to find ways to capture as much of the day as possible! 

Photography 

I spent endless hours on Instagram trawling through the feeds of different photographers (in a way that was borderline obsessive) but I don’t regret a single minute because it brought me to finding the incredible Sammy from Samantha Elizabeth Photography.

A few months before the big day, we met up with Sammy for a little engagement shoot at a beautiful back beach on the Mornington Peninsula. We were lucky enough to get the dreamiest sunset and it was such a fun experience. 

Not only did it give us peace of mind that we would love our photos on the day, but it also gave us another set of beautiful photos to look back on from this chapter – one’s without the fancy clothes where we just look like us. In fact, we loved these photos so much that we decided to use them to create a guest book for the wedding and I absolutely love how it turned out. I designed and printed the book via Artifact Uprising and I plan to make a wedding album in the same style.

As for the photos of the wedding day itself, the ones you see all throughout this article, I don’t mind telling you that I’m completely obsessed with every last one!  

@januaryrevival

used photos from our engagement shoot to create a personalised guestbook for our wedding 🫶🏼 so in love! #weddingtiktok #guestbookideas #weddingguestbook #artifactuprising

♬ Daylight – Harry Styles

Videography

We went back and forth trying to decide whether or not to invest in a videographer. But, when we found Glen from Director’s Edge it was an immediate yes. Glen’s work is nothing short of spectacular, and he brought so much energy and good vibes to our day.

We opted for a short highlights video as well as the full documentary style video, which includes the full ceremony, vows and speeches from the day. Now that the day has come and gone, I can tell you how glad I am we decided to include videography. If one picture is worth a thousand words, a video is absolutely priceless. I think I would have really regretted the decision not to in years to come!

The videos Glen created for us exceeded all expectations, and I still can’t sit through either without tearing up. All of the memories both Glen and Sammy captured will be cherished for a lifetime. We truly couldn’t have asked for a better team to film and photograph our wedding.

Keeping our guests well fed 

It was really important to us to make sure all of our guests had a great time at our wedding and that means keeping everyone well fed!

Finesse Catering Group

The brilliant Finesse team did a fantastic job of this and so many of our guests commented on how much they loved the food. 

In the lead up, we went to a menu tasting event the team hosted at Tanglewood. This was a great way to help us narrow down our selections and we were able to bring our families along, too. On the day, we barely had a chance to scoff down more than a few mouthfuls each, so we’re glad we were still able to taste the food – even if it was on a completely different day!

We opted for roaming capanes during our cocktail hour and a family style sit-down menu to kick off the reception. Several of our guests had special dietary requirements and the team were so helpful in ensuring that everyone was well catered to.

The Butcher’s Daughter Cakes

Of course, you can’t have a wedding without cake. Hannah from The Butcher’s Daughter Cakes created the perfect sweet treat, adorned with beautiful flowers from Poppy Culture to match in with the overall aesthetic of our reception.

We went with one tier of chocolate mudcake with biscoff buttercream (incredible) and a second tier of red velvet with oreo buttercream (a surprising combination, also incredible) and WOW was it good. Visiting the girls at the Mornington store for our cake tasting day was one of our favourite pre-wedding ventures. Even if the sugar coma that ensued was very real!

Song selections and dancefloor vibes 

Choosing our key songs was such a fun part of the process – even though we must have gone back and forth over some of our selections 100 times wondering if they were a little too obscure! 

Ceremony songs

While not a traditional love song, I’ve known for years that I wanted to walk down the aisle to ‘Old Pine’ by Ben Howard. In the months leading up to the day, I couldn’t listen to the song without getting choked up.

Our ceremony recessional song, ‘Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)’ by Blessid Union of Souls is one that Chris has sung to me for years – it’s so upbeat but also quite silly, and somehow lovely at the same time. Basically sums us up!

Reception songs

We kicked off our reception with ‘This Is Your Night’ by Amber (the ultimate 90s hype song) for our bridal party entrance and as we poured our champagne tower. SO. MUCH. FUN. We wanted this to set the tone of the night and we think it did just that.

For our first dance, it had to be ‘Love You For A Long Time’ by Maggie Rogers – another one of our favourites. In the months leading up to the wedding, we had secretly been attending lessons with the wonderful Courtney and Anthony at MarShere Dance Studios who choreographed a routine to this song for us, with many modifications to suit us total beginners.

I won’t lie, this was harder than we expected, but I’m so glad that we did it. Once we finally ‘got it’ (like, in the very last lesson) it was so rewarding, but it was also a lot of fun to step out of our comfort zones. I think it was also a fun surprise for our guests. A little more entertaining than an awkward sway! 

We were lucky enough to lock in Jarrad Lees who is not only an amazing DJ, but also an incredibly talented saxophone player who really brought so much to the night. As a way to include our guests, we offered everyone the opportunity to request one song as part of their RSVP. Jarrad worked these into the night so beautifully.

Then, at the right moment, he whipped out the sax for the biggest surprise which our guests absolutely loved. Friends still talk about his ‘Baker Street’ performance… Often! 

It didn’t occur to us to plan a ‘last dance’ song (although I would totally recommend this to other couples) but Jarrad picked the perfect song choice, which was actually one of our guest requests, ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers.

This song was peak pub rock back in our younger years and the entire dancefloor circled us singing along as this played. It was a moment I’ll never forget. But what makes it so much better is that Chris later told me he doesn’t know the words… Hilarious! After it ended, we made our exit to ‘Dancing In The Moonlight’ by Toploader (actually another guest request!). It was pure magic.

Key songs:

  • Ceremony Processional: Old Pine by Ben Howard
  • Registry Signing: Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles + Sun Queen by Gerry Cinnamon
  • Ceremony Recessional: Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me) by Blessid Union of Souls
  • Bridal Party Entrance: This Is Your Night by Amber
  • First Dance: Love You For A Long Time by Maggie Rogers
  • Last Dance: Mr Brightside by The Killers followed by Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader as we made our exit! 

Wedding day attire and accessories

Of all the things I was excited for, finding a wedding dress was close to the bottom of my list. But, it turned out to be so much more fun than I ever could have expected. Maybe it’s the trauma from trying to find dresses for school formals back in the awkward teen years (trigger warning) but I expected finding something I felt comfortable in to be so stressful. In the end, the stress was trying to choose between too many that I adored.

After falling in love with a beautiful design by Alena Leena online, I booked an appointment at Twelve South Bridal, a beautiful boutique in Yarragon and the only Alena Leena stockist in my state. Of all the dresses I tried on, I was completely torn between three. Thankfully, one of my wonderful bridesmaids snapped close to 200 pictures (she’s amazing) so I could think it over at home. 

In the end, I chose the beautiful Santolina gown by Alena Leena. This was the dress I just looked the happiest in all the photos. Funnily enough, that wasn’t actually the dress that I came in for. Same designer, just a different dress!

True to form, Chris was much clearer on what he wanted to wear on our wedding day. He opted for a classic black tuxedo and bow tie. He found the perfect fit at the second store he visited, and basically, that was him sorted! 

Bride details:

Groom details:

Black and white bridal party

In keeping with the black and white theme of our wedding, our groomsmen wore black suits and and our bridesmaids wore white dresses. There was definitely a lot of pearl-clutching when I told people the colour the bridesmaids would be wearing, but I 100% stand by this decision. Don’t they all look stunning?!

Bridesmaid details:

Groomsman details:

Our DIY wedding signage 

Although I (obviously) love some DIY energy, I said from the beginning that I didn’t want to DIY anything for our wedding – mainly to save myself the stress and especially since we planned most of it in the space of six months!

I held out pretty well for this, until it came time to organise the signage. While wedding signage isn’t essential, to me it’s the little details that help create a beautiful bigger picture.

I decided to purchase a wedding invitation and signage template set on Etsy to help save time. Even though I edited it so heavily that it’s basically unrecognisable, this helped to get things started. Surprise surprise, I loved working on our signage. After the wedding I even created a little Etsy store with new templates of my own. I’m not quite sure what I’m doing here yet, but I’m having fun figuring it out! 

A couple of special guests

Of course, we wanted to make sure everyone who mattered most to us was there. That includes Albie and Barney, our two beloved pups.

We were fortunate enough to have a wonderful chaperone from I Do Paws bring them along for the cocktail hour. The wonderful Eliza took fantastic care of them and made sure everything ran smoothly. It was so nice to give them a cuddle right after the ceremony and our wedding truly wouldn’t have been the same without them present on the day.

Full list of vendors

Venue: Tanglewood Estate
Celebrant: Emma Tomlinson
Photographer: Samantha Elizabeth Photography
Videographer: Director’s Edge
Florist: Poppy Culture
Catering: Finesse Catering Group
Cake: The Butcher’s Daughter Cakes
DJ: Jarrad Lees
Pet Chaperone: I Do Paws
Audio Guestbook: Off The Hook
Hairdresser: Pearly Hairstylist
Makeup Artist: Tiffany Love MUA

Each vendor we hired gave 110% for us and we couldn’t be more grateful for helping us to create the wedding of our dreams. To anyone planning a wedding in Victoria, we couldn’t recommend these businesses higher and encourage you to check them out!

I could honestly write so much more about the wedding planning process and the day itself. But, for now, let’s leave it there. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, leave us a comment below!

Kellie + Chris

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