A mutual love of the ocean and a desire to host their wedding across an entire weekend led Suzie and Russell to Spring Bay Mill – a 43-hectare Tasmanian waterfront wedding venue that can sleep 115 guests.
“We wanted somewhere that we could relax and spend time with loved ones for a few days and not just the wedding day. We wanted more of an experience and this venue was perfect”, said Suzie.
Their other decision to have stylist and planner Honeyfig (now Dear Leone) on board also meant they could relax and enjoy the entire wedding weekend with zero stress.
Captured by Jon Gazzignato you can check out the entire celebration below.
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How did you and Russ meet? We met at the Hobart Cup and Russ noticed my poor excuse of a whistle! I then proceeded to pretend to be a horse while my best friend (MOH) hopped on may back pretending to be the jockey on the track before the security guards came over to us to tell us off. Oops. We got talking and that was that.
The proposal: He proposed to me after returning back home from a three year stint living in Bendigo, VIC so that I could complete my Uni degree. He had planned a dinner with the whole family that night as we hadn’t seen everyone properly since we got back and I thought nothing of it.
I had just got my hair done from my favourite hairdresser now that I was back in TAS and we were going to meet on the beach to take our dog Franky for a walk as he hadn’t been to the beach for aaaggeessss.
I got there… however, I couldn’t see them anywhere. I looked left and right and then all of a sudden I saw Franky piss bolt towards me, he was so excited!
I noticed he had a small tag on his collar… I managed to grab the tag off his collar and it read “Will you marry me? Love Russ” and I stood about 50 metres away from him in shock… I yelled out “is this a joke?” haha and then didn’t know whether to run up to him, or if he would run to me or what was going to happen haha.
He came up to me as I stood there and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him… I grabbed him balling my eyes out and after about three minutes of crying he asked me if I wanted to see the ring haha. The most magical afternoon ever!
Wedding venue: We were looking for something that represented us; the water (we LOVE it – diving, fishing, wakeboard/skating), rustic and industrial and relaxed. We wanted somewhere that we could relax and spend time with loved ones for a few days and not just the wedding day. We wanted more of an experience and this venue was perfect.
Wedding vibe: We were aiming for industrial and rustic vibes that were relaxed and welcoming. We wanted the wedding to be for everyone else as well as just us.
I’ll always remember… I can’t pick one moment – I was able to fully soak in the whole day as we had caught up with everyone the night before so I could literally relax and enjoy myself without having to talk to “everyone” all night and worry that I had missed people.
Hit or (near) miss: We didn’t counteract that the concrete was roughened on the aisle and the bottom of my dress/veil was getting caught on it so my Dad had to pick my dress up and carry it for me haha.
Traditions: adopted, adapted or ditched? For the Father / Daughter dance” my partner and his Mum also danced at the same time.
We all entered the reception space as a group with our guests instead of everyone welcoming the bridal party once everyone was seated – I wanted us all to experience the big reveal of the reception area together.
We sat with our guests instead of a bridal table.
The outfit/s: We both chose our outfits as we wanted to feel a little bit beachy and relaxed. We both felt great. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better dress for our special day!
Standout vendors: ALL OF THEM!!
Soundtrack: Aisle song: “Say You Won’t Let Go”, by James Arthur. Recessional: “She’s Got Love In Her Eyes”, by Jungle Giants. Entrance into cocktail area: “WAP”, by Caddy B. Reception entrance: “Feel It Still”, by Portugal The Man. First dance: “Thinking Out Loud”, by Ed Sheeran. Father/daughter and mum/son dance: “I’ll Be Your Man”, by Zac Brown Band.
Words of wedding wisdom: Make sure you get a stylist/planner – Honeyfig were frickin epic and took alllll of the stress out of the big day/weekend.
Have it over a weekend – you want to maximise the time with everyone in the big love bubble!
Budget: 70 grand was our max but of course we went over by like 15-20 grand but we have NO REGRETS!
The future: Our entire lives together as husband and wife and making more babies 🙂
CREDITS: Photos Jon Gazzignato // Video Folktale Films // Venue Spring Bay Mill // Celebrant Tim Grimsey // Florist The Flower People // Planning and styling Honeyfig (now Dear Leone) // Catering SABRE Catering // Cake Cakedd Hobart // Stationery and signage Blossie // Bridal gown and veil Pallas Couture // Bride’s shoes Bared Footwear // Accessories Francesca // Bridesmaid dresses Winona // Robes/PJs Le Rose // Groom, groomsmen and bridesmen suits and ties Launceston Suit (Belle and Barnett) // Rings Metal Urges // Hair Katie J Hairstylist // Makeup Makeup Bar Hobart // Music Tyler Hudson // Transport East Coast Coaches // Lighting Hobart Lighting // Favours Renown Milk Bar.
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