“We just wanted it to feel like a big boozy long-lunch”, said Blaze of their extraordinary Gold Coast hinterland wedding at Hillview Homestead – a one-of-a-kind, beautifully renovated heritage home.

There were cocktails courtesy of The Irish Shakes, a satisfying, carb-loaded spread from The Italian Job Catering and live music by The Baker Boys Band but the real MVP was her florist (and best friend) Sarah of Florals & Co, who created a show-stopping array of flowers that truly transformed their day into something special.

Captured by Daniel Chafer you can check out the entire celebration below.

+++++

How did you and David meet? We met through mutual friends when we were in our late teens/early 20’s however we didn’t get together for a few years after that. We had both become single and were at a party in Sydney in 2013 where we ended up chatting about what we had both been up to in the last few years and we have basically been inseparable ever since.

The proposal: David told me he was attending a work conference in Port Douglas and I decided to go with him for a little holiday. Because of this I had noooo idea what was coming. We were staying at this beautiful eco-resort on the beach and we decided to spend the day by the pool/beach.

As I headed towards the water I noticed there was a photographer standing quite close to us but I thought nothing of it because he seemed to be taking photos of the ocean. We were standing in the water about knee-depth and Dave started saying some beautiful things to me while we were hugging and I felt him fumbling around in the pocket of board shorts and then he pulled out a glossy black ring box and asked me to marry him.

I can’t remember how long it took me to actually say yes because I was in so much shock… The photographer captured every moment and it brings back the same emotion whenever I look at them. Obviously I then spent the rest of our holiday staring at my left hand.

The venue: We originally wanted to get married in Bali but as soon as Covid hit we had to redirect our plans. We wanted an outdoor wedding by a pool with a relaxed vibe and ideally a place we could stay for a few nights. We are from the Central West in NSW but love the Gold Coast hinterland so we were hoping for something in that area that would also feel a little like a destination wedding. Hillview Homestead ticked all the boxes! At the time this property only hosted a handful of weddings each year and we were lucky enough to make the cut. The entire property is stunning and we loved our stay here.

The vibe: Italian lunch and summer blooms was the vibe I had decided on with my florist (and best friend) and she made it feel exactly like that! We weren’t too keen on following many of the usual traditions and we just wanted it to feel like a big boozy long-lunch celebration with our closest friends and family.

Originally we had planned for the lunch to be set up on the grass by the pool beneath festoon lighting however, due to all the rain the grounds were far too soggy and we had to move our lunch to the verandah of the house which actually ended up being more beautiful than I could have imagined.

I’ll always remember…Walking down the aisle was the most incredible moment. Seeing the look on my husband’s face when I opened the door is something I will never forget.

Hit or (near) miss: Everything went according to plan but the only two things I can think of are:

The bus arrived 20 minutes earlier than expected and our one-the-day coordinator was running around manically trying to everything set up while they were walking down the driveway towards the property.

The grounds were so wet and muddy that some of the female guests sunk into the mud and had to hose off their feet after the ceremony.

Traditions: adopted, adapted or ditched? We skipped a lot of the usual traditions that didn’t feel like “us”.

• We didn’t spend the night apart before the wedding. This seemed very old school and strange for us having lived together for eight years.
• I walked myself down the aisle.
• No official celebrant rather we got legally married in our hometown with our Mums as our witnesses the week before and had a close friend ‘marry’ us on the day.
• We didn’t have an official bridal party but we still asked some of our best friends to get ready with us in the morning.
• No first dances.
• No cake cutting and instead we served espresso martinis and limoncello for dessert.

We are both very relaxed and don’t fancy being the centre of attention so as soon as the ceremony was over we felt like we could truly chill out and just enjoy spending time with everyone without having to worry too much about following a strict run sheet.

The outfit/s: We both chose our outfits individually and (thankfully) they ended up looking so nice side-by-side. Dave hadn’t seen my dress until I walked down the aisle which was really special.

Dave had his suit custom made by InStitchu while I ended up buying my dress – brand new – off Still White. I had polka dot tulle sleeves made and wore tulle wings with the dress and I felt like the most beautiful version of me.

Standout vendors:

Florist – Florals & Co. Despite the fact Sarah has been my best friend since we were in preschool, she is truly an absolute powerhouse and magician in the floral world. Without a doubt this aspect of our wedding was the most complimented on the day. She is such a delight to work with and will do everything in her power to make your day more beautiful than you could imagine.

Photographer – Daniel Chafer. Dan is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. From the moment we first met over the phone we knew he would be a huge asset on our wedding day. His ability to make you feel comfortable in front of the camera is incredible which means he captures the most natural/candid shots. Plus he’s just an amazing photographer.

Caterer – The Italian Job Catering Co. The food was DELICIOUS and everyone commented how much they enjoyed each dish. They are great value for money and with their ‘all you can eat’ service no one went hungry. Loved it all!

Soundtrack: Aisle song: “So Into You”, by Tamia (played acoustically by Baker Boys Band). Recession song: “You Were Right”, by Rufus.

We let our band decide on the rest of our soundtrack and the only things we requested that they didn’t play was old school rock plus R. Kelly and MJ (for obvious reasons).

Our friend and guest Hugh (aka HAN-YOLO) DJ’ed for the last three hours of the night and this got everyone up on the dance floor right up until the bus arrived where people grabbed a roadie and continued the party on the trip back to the coast.

Words of wedding wisdom: Decide early on between you and your partner what the most important things are to you and allocate your budget to those aspects first. It’s so easy to get swept up in the planning and feeling like you need to have ‘all the things’ to make your day incredible but honestly no one will notice if you decide not to have a charger plate or if you choose a cheaper cutlery option. Try to remember what’s important to you.

On the day, don’t feel like you need to please everyone and just enjoy yourself! Try not to spend the whole time getting caught in long conversations with all your guests that you run out of time for fun.

Budget: We budgeted $25K and spent $35K… OOPS. I think the fact we chose a private property and had to hire everything from cutlery, glasswear to toilets really threw us off track but it was all worth it.

The future: Not thinking and worrying about our wedding every night while trying to fall asleep (classic worry-wart). And planning our honeymoon to Italy!

CREDITS: Photos Daniel Chafer // Venue Hillview Homestead // Flowers Florals & Co // Catering The Italian Job Catering // Stationery Vistaprint // Bridal gown Sarah Seven via Still White // Bride’s shoes Billini // Tulle wings Etsy // Coordination The Events Lounge // Furniture hire The One Day House // Accessories Lola Knight // Suit InStitchu // Rings APSE (groom) //Hair Luxe Hair and Body and Missy Veyret // // Makeup Natalie Lucas and Bronte Scullion // Music The Baker Boys Band and DJ Han Yolo // Transport Currumbin Valley Bus & Coach // Bar tenders The Irish Shakes // Lighting Elyssium Lighting // Toilets Excloosive.

+++++

PLAN: Discover the app that will revolutionise your wedding planning, We Do Crew.

WRITE: Nail your wedding speech with our much-loved speech-writing workshop.

GIFTING: Gravy is the online wishing well that allows you to ask for money with zero awks.