“As long as there was good food, wine and company we knew we would have a blast”, says Greta of their destination wedding at Kimo Estate – a unique, rural NSW wedding venue.
They achieved their dream by adding their own personal touches (including Greta’s homemade chilli jam – she also made the wedding cake too) and by recruiting the help of some awesome vendors including Mr Goaty Gelato and photographers Corinna & Dylan, whose handiwork you can see below.
Greta and Elliot, how long have you been together and how did you meet?
We have been together 10 years this year. We were set up by a mutual friend but in the laziest way possible. He told us to add each other on Facebook. I can’t remember who added who but it was a stand off to see who initiated the chat. I think Greta made the first move in the end. We met in person a few days later and have been together ever since!
Did you write your own vows? How did you find that experience?
We did. I think we both found it a little bit tricky at first as we usually are pretty quiet and keep to ourselves. We knew how we felt about each other but putting that into words for others to hear was daunting! Our amazing celebrant gave us great guidance and notes on how to make the vows flow so that was a huge help.
Can you tell us a bit about your proposal?
We went to Huskisson for our anniversary and took a little walk on the beach after dinner. Elliot had packed this huge backpack for his “jacket”. It was a bit strange as it was the middle of summer so no need for the extra layer. He just didn’t want the ring to fall out of his pocket.
How did you decide on the location of your wedding and the venue itself?
We knew we wanted to have a destination wedding so we had a special place away from where we live that we would travel to again and relive happy memories. Kimo was one of the first places we viewed and we fell in love. It wasn’t too far away from Canberra that would be a huge hassle to travel to, but was far enough away that it still felt like a completely different setting than home.
In a few sentences, how would you describe your wedding?
We really wanted it to be a fun day and not too serious. We think we achieved that by not getting too hung up on the small things. As long as there was good food, wine and company we knew we would have a blast.
It was a perfect day and we had so much fun just spending time with everyone. It did get pretty loose at the end of the night.
Were you inspired by a particular wedding style or vibe when bringing your day to life?
We wanted it to be pretty relaxed. A little bit rustic but with our own touches sprinkled through. We tried not to get too hung up on a theme or colour scheme and just wanted our personalities reflected in the styling.
Where did you gather your inspiration?
Mainly Pinterest which then turned into hours of Instagram scrolling. Mainly on wedding blogs and websites.
Did you partake in any DIY elements to your day?
We did what we could and what we would enjoy doing. We didn’t want a full on DIY wedding that would take too much time and we end up over it before it began! Greta made the cake as she is a star baker. That also cut down on dessert costs. Greta spent a few weekends making a chilli jam for wedding favours.
We are both pretty creative so we designed and printed our own invites, signage, menus (we also had some help from a friend with getting it all printed). We also found a few little styling bits and pieces on wedding buy/swap/sell pages.
How did you find your dream team?
Incredible and so professional. We were lucky we had our first choices for all vendors. Most of them had worked together before, so we knew we were in good hands.
What are some of the most memorable and special moments of your wedding?
We had a first look photo shoot which helped relax us before the ceremony. It was so nice to have that first hour together just to help calm our nerves.
Were there any traditions you adopted or adapted?
We chose not to have a first dance as it’s not our style. Greta’s father didn’t walk her down the aisle. Instead we opted to walk down together with our dog.
Do you have any standout suppliers that you would recommend in a heartbeat? Who are they and why?
Honestly, all of them. Our photographers made us feel so relaxed and like we had our best friends taking photos of us.
We had Mr Goaty Gelato serve ice cream after dinner which was a really nice alternative to a sit down dessert. They also let you pick the flavours and design your own.
The venue itself was a standout and the team running it were so amazing. We, plus a lot of our guests, stayed onsite and we would highly recommended it for a weekend getaway.
What was your wedding budget? Did you stick to it? If not, how much extra did you spend?
Our budget was around 30-40k. We had already purchased a house and had some additional savings so we felt that this wasn’t too outrageous for us. We also knew that we weren’t in a rush to get married so we had lots of time to save more.
We cut costs where we could and knew that if we wanted to spend more on certain things that we would have to reduce the cost of others or scrap all together. E.g we didn’t have live music or a DJ (just some carefully curated Spotify playlists). This gave us more room in the budget for things we really wanted like more flowers or more time with our photographers.
Tell us about your dress/suit, how did you find it? What did you love about it?
Mens’ suits – asos. Super easy to order and just had them tailored slightly to fit.
Dress – I knew I wanted a dress with a sleeve or cape kind of element but just couldn’t find the right one. I finally found one online from a Japanese designer… It was absolutely perfect and so comfortable. I also got it for a bargain so I could not have been more stoked.
Now that you’re married, what’s the best piece of advice you can give other couples in the middle of planning their own weddings?
A lot of people will give you advice on what you should and shouldn’t do for your wedding. They mean well but it can get overwhelming and you feel as though you won’t be able to please anyone as a lot of the info and advice is conflicting! Just go with your gut and do what makes YOU happy.
CREDITS: Venue Kimo Estate // Photos Corinna & Dylan // Flowers Lilygrace Flowers // Catering James Vickers Catering and Mr Goaty Gelato // Celebrant Wonder Weddings by Karen Dahlstrom // Bridal gown Tadashi Shoji // Brides shoes The Iconic // Bridesmaid dresses asos // Grooms suit asos // Rings James Allen and Catbird // Makeup Tara Florence // // Transport Goode’s Coaches // Confetti Everland // Caravan bar Betsy’s Goodbar.
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