Our whole vision was based on a very classic style that incorporated the views and surroundings.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We are Tori and Hugh. Tori was born in Newcastle NSW and grew up in the Hunter Valley NSW. Tori is a Real Estate Agent working in the Hunter Valley NSW in a business that her and her Mum operate. Tori loves spending time with her friends and family, and enjoying dining out and trying new cocktails and restaurants. Tori enjoys making the most of every situation and is always having a laugh.
Hugh was born in Orange NSW and grew up on his family farm in Trundle NSW. Hugh is a Town Planner/Project Manager who works in Newcastle NSW on projects all across Australia. Hugh loves camping and 4wding, along with spending time with family and friends. Hugh is always smiling and can be seen striking up a conversation with anyone and everyone.
Together Hugh and Tori love to sneak down to the local café on a Sunday and enjoy a fresh acai bowl and coffee on Merewether Beach NSW. Our weekends are always full catching up with friends over drinks, dinners, little getaways, and camping trips.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in Newcastle, and we both headed to “Sunday Fundaze” with our friends. At this point in time, neither of us knew that one another existed. However, Hugh spotted Tori’s blue eyes from across the room and with a beer in hand came the confidence to introduce himself. Tori, however, did not give it too much thought but, in the back of her mind, noticed how kind and good-looking Hugh was. The next day, a follow on Instagram and a couple of double taps and these two found themselves chatting.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
We had been seeing one another exclusively for a while, and Hugh had finally arranged for me to meet his parents a weekend away in Wollongong. Hugh’s sister was working at the Novotel and sorted Hugh out with a waterfront room. Hugh, having already met my family, we were so excited to introduce myself to his family. The weekend was so nice, and this just solidified our feelings for one another. Now, looking back, we both feel that this was the point at which we both knew that each other was the one.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Hugh told a few white lies to convince me that we had a free tiny home to trial for one of his clients in the Hunter Valley. Hugh had this grand plan in mind, which consisted of a romantic song, a drone in the sky, and capturing the moment. Things started off great with a downpour of rain, me not wanting to go due to the weather, and Hugh acting like a nervous weirdo for some unknown reason. We get to the tiny home, and while I am inside unpacking my bags, Hugh turns the music on outside and puts the drone up, but the music won’t play. Continuing to persist with music scrapped, Hugh drags me outside to get a weird photo together for his client who owned the tiny home (his client did not own the tiny home; Hugh had booked it on Airbnb). Out of nowhere, I turned to find Hugh down on one knee, and at that moment, I was so surprised and said a big “of course”. We spent the rest of the weekend at the tiny home celebrating us, and we still look back on this day as one of our fondest memories.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
The vision we had for the mood and style of our wedding was very classic, elegant and contemporary. We already knew that the venue we chose was magnificent, and we wanted to compliment the venue in a way that also captured us. Our whole vision was based on a very classic style that incorporated the views and surroundings. We decided on a classic colour scheme of whites, greens, and neutrals, as well as a contemporary design for all of our signage and stationery. We are both very detail-orientated people, and we found it very easy for our vision to come to life with the help of our incredible vendors. We wanted to create a fun and relaxed environment for our guests, and everyone complimented us on the day on how much the wedding was so “us”.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
For us, we were happy to splurge on the venue; we really wanted to choose a venue that reflected us as a couple and one that was special to us. After attending so many weddings ourselves, we also really wanted to splurge on drinks and catering. Luckily for us, our venue has its own restaurant, and they also do the catering for weddings. Our venue was also very flexible with our drink choices and allowed us to pick some cocktails of our choice for a cocktail hour, along with serving their delicious, well-known wine.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Unbeknownst to Tori, on the day of our wedding, our musician cancelled the morning of at 11 am, just hours before our ceremony was due to start at 3 pm. We can look back and laugh at it now since we managed to find a replacement somehow, but poor Hugh, the morning of, was in crisis mode along with the Maid of Honour, trying to help find a last-minute replacement. Luckily enough, one of the staff members at our venue called her husband, who was a part-time musician, and instead of him looking after their children for the night, she convinced him to take the gig and help us out. Tom did a wonderful job, played acoustic music on guitar during the ceremony and turned into DJ for the reception.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Bride – Before even trying on wedding dresses, I was obsessed with Kyha Studios and fell in love with the gown I ended up choosing. I always envisioned myself in a very timeless, fitted and modern dress, and as soon as I tried it on, I knew that it was perfect for me. I was torn weeks before the wedding on whether or not I should also wear tule sleeves. I ended up ordering them last minute, and I am so glad that I did. They added the perfect final touch to my dress, and I felt my outfit truly reflected not only who I am as a person but also the vision I wanted. I also wanted to wear a second mini party dress for our reception, I ended up choosing a very classic dress that I felt complimented my first dress and the style of our wedding.
Groom – The vision we had for Hugh and the groomsmen was a classic but rustic style. We wanted a very neutral colour palette that complimented the surroundings and the bridal party. Hugh wanted to have a subtle difference from his groomsmen, so he ended up choosing a different colour, RM Williams boot and belt, along with putting the groomsmen in bow ties and himself in a long tie.
VENUE Lowe Family Wine Co, @weddingsatlowe, @lowefamilywineco PHOTOGRAPHER Teresa Brincat – Muse Photography, @musephotography_thelifeofamuse VIDEOGRAPHER Bonnie Lass Films, @bonnielassfilms STYLIST Amelia Guilfoyle – Designs to Adore, @designstoadore FLORIST Ashleigh Palmowski – The Naked Florist, @thenakedfloristau CELEBRANT Ally Cooper Celebrancy, @allycoopercelebrancy ENTERTAINMENT Mudgee Singer – Tom Hudson, @tomhudson93 CATERING The Zin House, @thezinhouse CAKE Althea by Zin, @altheabyzin STATIONERY & SIGNAGE Amelia Guilfoyle – Designs to Adore, @designstoadore GROOM’S WEDDING RING Kate & Kole, @kateandkole BRIDE’S WEDDING RING Sarah & Sebastian, @sarahandsebastian ENGAGEMENT RING Simon Curwood Jewellers, @simoncurwoodjewellers BRIDAL DRESS “Lucia Gown” and “Ziva Sleeves” – Chosen by Kyha, @kyhastudios, @chosenbykyha VEIL “Carlisle Veil” – Chosen by Kyha, @kyhastudios, @chosenbykyha BRIDE’S RECEPTION DRESS “Angela Suiting Mini Dress – White” – Meshki, @meshki BRIDE’S SHOE “Anja Milk Capretto – Heels” – Tony Bianco, @tonybianco; “Bryar Nude-Diamante – Hells” – Billini, @billinishoes BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES “Menaka | Grand Pearl Earrings” – The Traveller Weddings, @thetravellerweddings; “Tiny Baroque Pearl Bracelet” – Kate & Kole, @kateandkole MAKEUP Keira Brassil – Base Studio, @base.studio__ HAIR Ali Merkel – TSD Bridal, @tsdbridal BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE “Coco Mademoiselle” – Chanel, @chanelofficial SUIT “Paris Sand Suit” – Daniel Hechter; Sourced and tailored – Rundle Tailoring, @rundletailoring GROOM’S SHOE “Comfort Craftsman Boots Mid Brown” – RM Williams, @rmwilliams GROOM’S ACCESSORIES “Campus Watch” – Kapten & Son, @kaptenandson; “Matte Gold Tie Bar” – Buckle 1922, @buckle1922; Personalised Cufflinks – Engravd, @engravdco GROOM’S HAIR Benson & Co Barbers, @bensonandcobarbers GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Pour Homme – Versace, @versace BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES Bec & Bridge, @becandbridge BRIDESMAIDS SHOE “Zelda Square Toe Heeled Sandals” – Betts, @bettsshoes GROOMSMEN SUIT “Paris Sand Suit” – Daniel Hechter; Sourced and tailored – Rundle Tailoring, @rundletailoring GROOMSMEN SHOE “Comfort Craftsman Boots Chestnut” – RM Williams, @rmwilliams
