Isabelle + Thomas by Sebastian Paynter

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

We are both very family orientated. Our family is everything to us. We love our italian culture and often find ourselves spending our weekends with family/ friends, cooking to bring our loved ones together or working on a creative project for our house. Both of us are very much homebodies so it is important for us to create a home and a space together that feels special, personal and unique to us.

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

We met on the dance floor on a drunken night out at the very first Royal Croquet Club in Adelaide in 2014… we have basically been together ever since. Isabella: My first impression of Thomas was that he was exactly my type… the attraction was absolutely instant. We went on a date the following week and things moved pretty quickly. Things felt natural and I knew he was someone super special. 

Thomas: I picked Bella out of a crowd of many people. It was evident that she was special… and I knew I had to make a move… and to this day I am glad I did. 

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with? 

Isabella: I always knew Thomas was special… but it was about three months in that I KNEW I was in love with him and that this could be it. I had actually travelled to Europe 3 months after meeting him with girlfriends and after one night drunk in Greece, I called him and confessed how I felt. I knew before I left but I was too afraid to tell him as I was going to be travelling for almost as long as I had known him. But the time away only made it clearer that he was the one. 

Thomas: I knew pretty instantly that I wanted to spend my life with Bella. Basically, when you know, you know.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

Isabella: The proposal was very us. Relaxed, chilled and private. Thomas had planned a beautiful weekend away in an AirBnB in the Adelaide Hills which was situated on a farm. He cooked us a beautiful dinner and then popped the question surrounded by candlelight and a fire. It was intimate and super special. I was in my track pants! I wouldn’t change a thing.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…

Isabella: Our dream was always to get married somewhere in Italy. However, travelling was never on the cards… firstly because of covid, but secondly because there was no way we were getting married without our Grandparents and they wouldn’t have been able to travel for the occasion due to age and health. 

We stumbled across Waverly Estate online and we thought it would be worth a look… as soon as we saw the venue we knew it was the one. We didn’t even bother looking anywhere else as it just felt so right (I am big on gut feels) that we booked it then and there. Plus given how beautiful the location was, we knew it would basically speak for itself. 

The mood/ style of the wedding had to feel like a representation of us. We wanted it to represent our culture but we also wanted to celebrate family and getting together… especially after the events of covid that we experienced in the lead up to the special day. We wanted it to feel like a big family dinner party, rather than a “fancy event”. 

We drew a lot of inspiration from romantic, candlelit Italian summer night feasts. And we basically got just that. The night was warm and still, so much so that we cancelled our marque 2 days out and had an open air wedding. Still to this day I pinch myself thinking about it. I remember turning to Thomas on my left that night as we sat down for the first time at the reception, looking around and saying… wow, how did we get so lucky? There was something so special in the air. It was honestly magic… everyone felt it.

The tables were filled with candles and thrifted urns that I had hand painted texturally in neutral tones. The florals looked handpicked and organic… almost as if they were from your own garden. We chose crystal glassware and vintage looking silverware and plates so that it felt like dinner at Nonna’s on a ‘special occasion’.  Our bonbonieres were chilli oil that we made ourselves and our Entree was Nonna’s Rondini pasta served with a glass of Nonno’s homemade vino. Mains were then shared and scattered in the middle of the tables… just like at family dinner. It couldn’t have been more us if we tried. 

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Isabella: Event manager/ coordinator! Mia was worth every cent and made the day run so smoothly. There is so much prep in the lead up that by the time the day comes, it was so important for us to just enjoy and be present, without worrying about organising vendors and guests. 

Food and drink was also super important to us. Both of us are foodies and it was important that only the best was served to our special guests! Plus, given our heritage, there is quite an expectation that there is ample food to feed your guests. We had to ensure there was more than one bread roll per person… one to scoop up the pasta sauce with and the others to enjoy with butter and mains. In our opinion, you always remember the food, more than anything else!

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

Isabella: To be honest, not really. And the reason for this was because of covid. After 7 months of no lockdowns or outbreaks, 10 days out from the wedding, Adelaide went into a snap lockdown. Weddings were off. We thought we would have to postpone. It was a really hard time…. but in that moment, it was even more clear that I was marrying the right person. Thomas and I banded together and made a promise that we’d push on even if we could only have 50 people because getting married was more important to us than anything else. But, things turned around 3 days later and everything was back on. Even though covid was stressful and there were times that I just wanted to let it defeat me and my positivity, I never did. In many ways I am thankful for covid, as it didn’t make me stress over the silly things and it just made me so grateful on the day that we had the day we did. Plus given the scare in the lead up, everyone absolutely brought the love on the day. 

Something else to note was that the date we chose was of large significance. It was the anniversary of my Great Grandfather Johnny’s death and he was super important to me. I feel him around me often and knowing this really got us through the tough covid ups and downs during the lead up. I knew it was meant to be and that no matter what, the day would happen in one way or another.

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

Isabella: I had a super strong vision for what I wanted when it came to my dress and veil. I knew I wanted it to feel European and have a strong italian influence. I always saw myself in a mantilla style veil and I basically built my dress around that. For many brides the veil is an after thought… something they can’t wait to take off. But for me it was really the focal point of my look and it had to really hero the whole vibe. Second to that was my sleeves… I was obsessed. The team at Caleche did such an amazing job at understanding my vision and bringing it to life. They really trusted me, and I trusted them. It was very much a collaborative process. There was no way I was taking that dress off, so a second dress was never a thought for me!

For Thomas we wanted something super classic. We toyed with the idea of a different coloured suit but we both agreed that there really is nothing better than a perfectly tailored tux. A real bow tie was also a must! Nothing beats it.


Ceremony and reception location Waverley Estate | photographer Sebastian Paynter | videographer Matthew Dwyer Studio | celebrant family friend Karin Dunsford | entertainment Entertainment Adelaide | styling and planner Mia G | marquee White Marquee | flora Emma Sadie Thomson | catering and beverages BillyDohnt Does, pasta and red wine by Nonna | cake Adelaide Central Market and BillyDohnt Does | cannoli Cannoli Box Co. | bride’s bespoke gown Caleche | rings Seb Brown Jewellery | engagement ring Derek from James Thredgold | bride’s shoes Windsor Smith | groom’s shoes custom made by a family friend | groom’s shoes Aquila | makeup Sammy Makeup | hair Lucy Lasenzaniro | maid of honour Zimmermann | bridesmaid (Jade) The Stone Cold Fox | bridesmaid (Lauren) Sir The Label | groomsmen, same as groom