It was a spring wedding, and we wanted spring to show, but still keeping it elegant.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We are two peas in a pot; we both love our own individual freedom, but also love being glued to each other. Liam works away for a month at a time always, so we really value quality time and new experiences together. I am a Content Creator for weddings and events, so we are very fortunate that we can organise our personal lives in a way that once he’s come, we can have maximum quality time together.
Our favourite date though is very simple, drive in movies, with our dog and a good Pizza. I love picnics; therefore, he loves to picnic as well, and we enjoy hiking, finding new swimming spots, and driving to get lost on purpose to explore new places. As much as we love adventure, travel, camping and exploring, do we also love to just hang out at home? We love movie Marathons and binge-watching our favourite TV shows, board games and card games (though we are both very competitive, board game nights aren’t always calm). For us, as long as we can be together, we are happy, via FaceTime or in person; just knowing we are there for each other is what matters to us most.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met in high school, back in Perth – specifically, in maths class. My Girlfriends and I were discussing the kind of boys we liked, and as soon as I was done, the door opened and in walked Liam, the boy I had just described. We were both new kids at school; I had moved from Thailand (having previously moved from Germany), and he from England. It sounds super cheesy, but we both had a Zing moment. We became really close friends at first, but it was unavoidable, especially because Liam kept asking me out on dates, so we would end up as a couple. We were both smitten from the very beginning.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).
I wanted a European feel to my location, us both being from Europe, found it very important to find somewhere we felt comfortable, and we got “home” vibes, but with enough Australia still in it. Lauriston Hills was absolutely perfect for that – an Italian-style villa set on acres with farm animals and vines. The perfect mix of our worlds colliding. I wanted colours in my florals; it was a spring wedding, and we wanted spring to show, but still keeping it elegant, we didn’t want the colours to overpower, but POP. We had also asked our guests to wear Spring colours only on the day, and it was beautiful. The key colours were light spring. Curves, organic, European and flowers.
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).
My best styling that worked for me would be my ceremony setup. I created the Arches all by myself. During a winter storm, several big branches broke off; I took it upon myself to give them life again and create a Sleeping Beauty-inspired ceremony arch with roses.
Also my signage, I cut the wood, painted, glued and drilled those arches / signs with so much love!
Also, my invites! I created the boxes from scratch, painted, bought fabric, designed the invites myself, cut bows, and bought art that inspired our wedding to be included as a beautiful detail. I am incredibly proud of how they have come out.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
Taking your time with things would be my biggest tip. It can be so overwhelming, but take your time, create lists of what you want and what inspires you and go off that. Soak it all in, it flies by!
I had so much fun just being creative. I felt overwhelmed by all the trends, but once I got over that, I really got to dive into who we are as a couple and what represents us.
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
My photographers, Vanessa and Linden, went above and beyond for us! For anything! Vanessa is an absolute angel, she has helped me so much with the planning, keeping me calm when I was panicking and finding vendors and even venues for us! Vanessa and I became such close friends incredibly fast. We met at our engagement shoot, and I had asked her to be my maid of honour. So she wasn’t just capturing the wedding, but she was in it! They go above and beyond for all their couples and create beautiful elopements and intimate weddings.
Also, my day of coordinator, Satora, without her, my day would not have been as perfect as it was!!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
Liam’s suit is a three-piece suit made just for him. We were inspired by the old English / Peaky Blinders style kind of tux. Very gentlemen, the buttons of his suit were our highlight as well and the personalised embroidery on the inside.
For myself, it took me forever to find a dress I liked. I gave up and found myself an amazing Seamstress, as I brought my inspiration and talked in detail about my dress, she drew it up, and there it was. I was very inspired by Sissy, old romance, and princess kind of vibes. I had to source every single material for my dress myself, including pure Italian silk, lace, and tear-drop diamonds – three, one for Liam, myself, and our dog Lotte.
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
My engagement ring is an Alexandrite stone, and I could not be more in love with it! Liam picked incredibly well. His wedding band is a black Obsidian ring with Metriode dust inside of it. My original wedding ring was custom-designed, but when it arrived, it was very disappointing. We had decided to return it, a week out from the wedding! We were walking around Daylesford with his Family and happened to enter The Empress and Wolf and found my little wedding band. I have since received a new wedding band, but the little rose quartz ring holds such a beautiful and dear place in our hearts.
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?).
Our outfits and photographers.
Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
After our first dance, when the dance floor opened, we stood to the side, cuddling together and just looked over everything, our venue, our guests, it was magical, and everyone and everything was just so full of love. At that point, it really sank into us; we truly finally “did it”. One of our favourite moments.
BRIDE Romy, @romydarlingtaylor GROOM Liam, @liam_t_taylor VENUE Lauriston Hills Estate, @lauristonhills_weddings PHOTOGRAPHER Vanessa & Linden of Coast & Pines, @coastandpines CONTENT CREATOR Rosie of I Do Socials, @ido.socials ON-THE-DAY COORDINATOR Satorah of Big Day Co., @bigdaycoevent FLORIST Kristi of The Posy Yard, @theposyyard CELEBRANT Ceremonies With Haylie, @ceremonieswithhaylie HIRE Furniture – Lauriston Hills Estate, @lauristonhills_weddings; Table Decor – By the bride CATERING Lauriston Hills Estate, @lauristonhills_weddings GRAZING TABLE By the bride CAKE Samantha of Third Circle Bakery, @thirdcirclebakery STATIONERY & SIGNAGE By the bride ENGAGEMENT RING Brilliant Earth, @brilliantearth GROOM’S RING Ladies & Gents Bands, @gentlemanbands BRIDE’S RING The Empress and Wolf, @theempressandwolf BRIDE’S DRESS Custom Made BRIDE’S SHOES Lulus, @lulus HAIR & MAKEUP Namdeep Kaur Dhaliwal, @triplennnmakeup BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Fireplace mixed with Lemon tree – Replica SUIT Custom Made – YSG Tailors, @ysgtailors GROOM’S SHOES Dune London, @dune_london GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Cufflinks – Otaa, @otaa GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Pulp – The Perfume Oil Company, @theperfumeoilcompany MAID OF HONOUR’S DRESS Selfie Leslie, @selfie_leslie DOG’S OUTFIT ACCESSORIES Harness – PawID, @pawid_pet; Ring Box – Great Material
