Grace + Shub by Kath Young Photography

We were drawn to autumnal and winter hues like chocolate brown, burgundy and cream.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Grace: I’ve been a dermal therapist for the past 6 years and love working with skin; however, my dream is to be a practising psychologist. I’m currently in my fourth year at university, completing my honours in psychology whilst working in the dermal industry. I love being creative, whether that’s making music, writing poetry, baking yet another loaf of sourdough bread or getting to paint a friend’s face with makeup.

Shub: Originally born in India, I moved here when I was 4. I’m now a physiotherapist with a love for helping people find their best version of themselves. I love things that mentally and physically challenge me. I’ve been playing soccer since I can remember, and am a naturally curious person who enjoys learning about anything and everything

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

So I (Grace) had been living in Sydney for a couple of years, and decided to move home during COVID. Whilst in self-isolation, I downloaded an app (literally for the first time), matched with Shub soon after and began chatting over FaceTime for hours every night (our first FaceTime was 3 hours).

I (Grace) remember feeling super nervous to call the first time, but I quickly felt so at ease – Shub makes everyone feel that way, he is so warm, genuinely kind and curious, he is the best listener I know, he makes you feel like every detail is important. And, I obviously thought he was very handsome too!

I (Shub) thought “wow, she’s stunning”, and I honestly felt a little intimidated. Grace is very put together and hard to read at first glance. But we fell into quick conversation, and I remember thinking how much I enjoyed talking with her, listening to her ( I still do).

As soon as my (Grace) isolation period ended, we went on a date. Shub took me to dinner, and we were inseparable from that point. We were babies then, freshly 22 and now have been together for 5 years and are more in love than ever!

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes, etc.).

Our overall vision for the wedding was a dark and moody, intimate dinner party among friends. We were drawn to autumnal and winter hues like chocolate brown, burgundy and cream.

At the beginning of the planning process, we were definitely more specific with what we (thought) we wanted, in terms of specific flowers and styling elements, but as we got closer to the date, we became less pedantic with the little details and were more focused on curating a certain feeling and theme on the day (described above). We truly had full trust in our planner and really let them bring our Pinterest board and dream to life – and they did!

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

There were so many beautiful visual elements on the day! Our venue choice would definitely be a key element. We love greenery, and the venue is lined with tall pines and jacarandas. Also, the big window in the little chapel where we had the ceremony was a really striking focal point.

Our florals were another key styling element of our day. Our florist, Brooke, was amazing! We really let her take the reins on the specific flower choices (I only had the colours in mind for my bouquet, but no idea what it looked like until the day). We decided to go with more colour blocking, all the florals, rather than integrating the colours, and that really added to the modern styling we envisioned. We especially loved the grounded florals for the ceremony and found that they enhanced the big window in the chapel rather than distracting from the moment.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

We found the whole experience relatively stress-free and enjoyable overall; however, I think we both loved just getting to sit together and getting to be excited together over all the different details. If we had any tips, it would definitely be to budget in a wedding planner or even a day-of coordinator! Having someone to organise all the vendors, help with styling choices and set up, pack down and coordinate the day made it so much easier to be present and not to sweat the small details or hiccups we encountered along the way.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

All of our vendors were so wonderful! But a few very standout vendors were our florist, Brooke. While there are specific florals we like, we described an overall vision and allowed her creative freedom, and she exceeded our expectations!

Another amazing vendor was our photographer Kath, we cannot praise or recommend her enough, her style, eye and attention to detail is excellent, but what we remember most is her beautiful presence on the day, she was so calm and competent and made two people who aren’t great at standing in front of a camera feel so comfortable and enjoy the process.

Of course, we have to make a special mention of our planning and styling team. They truly made the whole planning process so much more enjoyable and stress-free – especially while juggling study and work. I think the photos of the ceremony and reception speak for themselves, but they truly did such an incredible job bringing our dream to life and letting us enjoy our day and be present with each other and everyone we love.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

So I originally fell in love with a certain dress from the designer Lihi Hod, and found a stockist in Sydney as the designer is only available on the east coast. I tried on a few dresses, including the one I had my eye on, but they just didn’t feel right. I ended up trying on a different dress from the same designer (Lihi Hod) and absolutely fell in love – the quality was unmatched, and I instantly felt beautiful. As we were planning a winter wedding, I was really set on wearing a long sleeve so I actually had the sleeves from the original dress I had my eye on custom-made in my chosen dress’s material, and it matched so perfectly and made the whole look.

Shub is a creative and detail-oriented man, and definitely didn’t want something off the rack; he really wanted to be involved in the process and had his tux custom-made. After trying different fabrics, he chose a soft cream to complement his complexion and also stand out from his groomsmen and the rest of the guests. He surprised me by having the tux jacket embroidered with our couple name (Grace + Shub = Grub 😂) on the inside of the collar too.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

With my (Grace) engagement ring, I just knew that I wanted something timeless and classic, but a little unique and Shub absolutely nailed it for me! I love the waved band and the unique touch it brings.

Shub wanted his ring to look textured and not overly uniform. Shub doesn’t wear a lot of jewellery but knew he wanted something simple and a little unique – he’s definitely a detail man.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

For us, the photography was definitely the most important element, as getting married is obviously such a significant life moment, and we really wanted to make sure that it was captured well and something we can look back on forever. We are so obsessed with how Kath shot our wedding and can’t recommend her enough.

Another element we were happy to splurge on was our main outfits. After trying on so many different dresses and fabrics, we both realised how important quality was to us and didn’t want to compromise on it.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

Immediately following the ceremony, after walking out of the chapel as husband and wife, we just stood there and held each other. Getting a brief private moment together, all the emotions of the day just hit us, and we got to hold each other and cry and just felt so incredibly connected after sharing our vows. We think back to that a lot.