Luisa + Tom by Captured By Georgie - Together Journal

He became my biggest fan and I don’t think I had ever felt this accepted by anyone, even my quirks that drive him crazy at times.

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

TR – I grew up on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, where I worked as an Aquaculture Diver for a decade after school. I moved to Adelaide just before I met Luisa for a change of scenery and to do something different with my life. While I was studying, I found a job and decided to stay in Adelaide. These days, I work for SA Water; in my spare time, I like to spend time with friends, going out for dinner/drinks and playing night owls lawn bowls.

LR – I grew up in Germany and moved to Australia about 10 years ago. I studied tourism and now design luxury itineraries for international clients travelling to Australia. I curate unique and immersive experiences showcasing the most beautiful destinations, food and wine, wildlife and adventure that Australia has on offer. When I’m not working, I love reading, spending time by the ocean and I recently started horse riding again.

We love travelling together and exploring new cultures, countries and foods. We have already travelled to some really amazing places and have made the best memories. We love eating out at restaurants just by ourselves on date nights or with our friends. Spending time with our beautiful Border Collie girl Billie, taking her for long walks or hikes. We play tennis and recently got into cycling.

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

Luisa: We met in February 2016 in a small town called Elliston on the Eyre Peninsula. Tom was already living in Adelaide and went back home to Elliston for a weekend with some friends for a birthday party. I’m originally from Germany and travelled around Australia. I was on a road trip with two friends that I had met living in Western Australia, driving from Perth to the Gold Coast. We happened to stop in Elliston (a remote coastal town with less than 300 residents) for a night, and some locals invited us to the same party. There were about 200 people with four different bands playing. We were introduced to each other and spent a lot of time talking at the bonfire that night, in the end phone numbers were exchanged and that’s where it began.

Tom – Luisa was very interesting to talk to and I loved hearing about her travels around Australia and where she comes from. I myself loved travelling around Europe, so there was a lot to talk about. I also thought she was very good looking and had good humour.

Luisa – Tom seemed super laid back, funny, and genuinely like a nice guy. I could tell he likes to have a good time with his friends and we had some really lovely chats that night.

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

Tom – Once we started to spend more quality time together, I fell in love with her passion for life, her humour and how loving she was to me and everyone around her. I knew she was the girl for me.

Luisa – Getting to know Tom and seeing how much he cares for his friends and family really moved me. He has a very kind heart. He is confident but shy at the same time, which I thought was very sweet. I also came to realise that I started being completely myself around him and he liked me exactly for who I am. He became my biggest fan and I don’t think I had ever felt this accepted by anyone, even my quirks that drive him crazy at times.

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

We were in Europe for the Summer of 2019. We were in the south of Portugal at the time and spent a few days in this beautiful little town called Vila do Bispo, we stayed in this wonderful bed and breakfast. One morning we drove down to the local beach, it was still very early and we were some of the only people down there. Sitting together on our towels is where Tom nervously started talking about spending the rest of our lives together and asked the big question. There were tears, an excited squeal and a big YES! We spent a wonderful morning there without any phone reception and in our own little bubble. Once we came back from the beach and had some phone signal we shared the big news with each of our families over Facetime. All loved up and over the moon we had a delicious dinner in a small restaurant in town, both with the biggest grins on our faces. We were in a total love bubble for the rest of our holiday.

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

We always loved the idea of a modern garden wedding in the spring or summer. Ideally, we would have loved to get married in the French or Italian countryside, but we decided it was easier to stay in Australia. When we started looking for the perfect wedding venue online, Hughes Park really stood out. We scheduled our first appointment and went for a drive to the Clare Valley. As soon as we drove down the tree-lined driveway – we were in love. Then we arrived at the beautiful house and tiered lawns, and our jaws dropped. The house and gardens have such a European feel to them, but surrounded by beautiful gums and Australian landscapes, it was perfect, and we said yes right away. From there, it just started coming together. We wanted to create a beautiful but relaxed space, we used lots of soft neutrals, white and greens, linens and cotton fabrics. Beautiful florals to contrast the green of the garden. It was also very important to us to have the reception open air, and we are so glad the weather was on our side so that we didn’t need to use a Marquee.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

We are foodies and love eating really well, so naturally, it was really important to us that our wedding dinner would reflect that. So, working with an amazing caterer was something we were happy to splurge on. The menu for the day was perfect, delicious share platters of fresh local produce and the quality was outstanding. Our wedding cake was also a real stand out and it was devoured. We were so stoked when so many of our friends and family kept mentioning how amazing the food was and that it was the best they had ever had at a wedding.

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

Tom: I forgot to bring Luisa’s vows to the ceremony, which were left behind at our accommodation, a short drive away but still on the property. Our celebrant had to keep Luisa in the wedding car waiting as our amazing Wedding Coordinator jumped in her car and picked up the vows. It was actually hilarious as we all could watch her in the background speeding over the dirt road to get there as quickly as possible so that the ceremony could start. None of the guests actually knew what was happening at the time, some asked Luisa later in the night if she had a meltdown or the nerves got the better of her.

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

Luisa: Matching the romantic garden wedding, we again wanted to use a lot of neutral tones and summer fabrics. For Tom, we liked the idea of a linen suit, crisp white shirt and pocket square. Together, we went for a look at MJ Bale and found a beautiful sand-coloured linen tuxedo, which was perfect, and Tom felt great in it. My bridal dress hunt wasn’t as easy as that, I’m a bit of a perfectionist and put a lot of pressure on myself. I felt beautiful in my gown, but it wasn’t really what I had envisioned. I absolutely loved my earrings and how the overall look came together on the day. Most importantly, we wanted to feel comfortable and like ourselves.