Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! Today we’re feeling all of the love with Alisha and Matt’s gorgeous Tassie wedding – and for something extra spesh, these guys are in the wedding industry themselves (so they really know how to throw a good one!). “I am a makeup artist and registered nurse, and Matthew is a wedding photographer,” bride Alisha tells us. “This is actually how we met, we were both working at the same wedding when Matthew accidentally knocked my makeup case over during wedding prep. He apologised and offered to pay for everything, which led to our first date a few months later.”
That date ended up going for 14 hours, friends – a good sign, right?!
After getting engaged in New Zealand, the pair set about calling up the best in the biz to make their dream day totally epic – cue Bonnie Jenkins on pics and the brilliant Rachael Calvert Weddings taking care of the legalities – and the result was seriously epic.
THE VENUE “Originally we were hoping to elope in New Zealand, but after mentioning that to a few close family and friends we decided to have it a little closer to home with a handful of friends and family. When I came across Thalia Haven with a promise of the ‘best bath in Australia’, I clicked the link and instantly fell in love. Thalia Haven stuck out for us. It is a private property with incredible views of the Freycinet coastline, and the Bay of Fires’ intense orange rocks only metres from the property, which is designed on ancient stone architecture and is fully self-reliant. We really all felt like it was an escape from the world and a chance to just be with our closest friends and family.”
THE VIBE “At Thalia Haven, the tones were rustic and reminded me of Italy. Our stylist Hanna from Boho Luxe & Co. created style briefs and absolutely nailed the colour toning. We went for shades of terracotta, burnt orange, creams and muted pinks. This, of course, was to match in with my copper-red hair that matched the Bay of Fires. We wanted it to feel homely when it came to the dinner, so we kept it cosy and intimate with numbers and location in the centre courtyard of the property.”
FAVE DETAILS “We feel that the florals by The Flower People, styling by Boho Luxe & Co., signage by Laura Elizabeth Design and the venue tied together so seamlessly. Our absolute favourite detail of the day would be the fur coats our incredible celebrant Rachael Calvert surprised us with, they absolutely brought everything together and kept our family and friends warm. Even now we look back and completely agree that those fur coats made our wedding images come to life.”
THE DRESS “I went to countless shops searching for around 1 whole year. I went as far as trying on dresses in new Zealand at a designer boutique but I just couldn’t find something that fitted the style of our venue and the rugged and epic landscapes of Tasmania. It was only once I returned home that I booked an appointment at one of the local wedding boutiques ‘Jonovia’. I met with the owner Alison and found my dream dress.”
RESOURCES “Matthew actually found Bonnie Jenkins, our photographer in an issue of Hello May. We were both blown away by her style (that’s huge coming from a wedding photographer). Bonnie said she was a bit nervous to be shooting another wedding photographer’s big day, but she absolutely nailed every single part of the day. We are still blown away every day by the images!”
LITTLE LOL “The funniest moment of the day happened during the ceremony where we realised our two beautiful fur babies weren’t a part of the ceremony and one of our guests went up to the house to release them. They came running down barking and went straight to wanting to pee on the floral arrangements/pots. Everyone was in tears of laughter and they completely stole the show. Dogs do what dogs want to do!”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “kept our guest list to 14 people as it meant we could spend one on one time with all of our guests and it felt like a family dinner most nights.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Our celebrant, Rachael Calvert, went above and beyond in so many ways. Firstly, she made our wedding cake. I had mentioned to her we didn’t have a cake maker yet and I wanted a rustic carrot cake. She offered for us to try her recipe and it was the most delicious carrot cake I’d ever tasted! A few days before the wedding she also contacted us to ask if we had enough coats to keep warm. She offered to bring her personal collection of vintage fur coats! When she arrived on the day I cried at how beautiful the coats were and how they tied everything together. Rachael also picked up some of our wedding flowers and was an emergency candle purchaser for us (we realised we had forgotten to buy tea lights and Rachael went to multiple shops for us). Her passion for weddings shows in everything she does and I honestly think she is the most passionate wedding vendor I’ve ever met. We loved Rachael so much, we invited her to the intimate dinner and she stayed right until the end of the evening.”
For pics as phenom as Alisha and Matt’s, check out Bonnie Jenkins Photography’s directory listing, and if you’re still on the hunt for a celebrant, give Rachael Calvert Weddings a buzz.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Bonnie Jenkins Photography Cinematographer Threadless Films Event Planner & Stylist Boho Luxe & Co. Florist The Flower People Stationery Laura Elizabeth Design (signage and menus), Giant Invitations (invitations) Ceremony & Reception Thalia Haven Catering Sarah Glover Cake Rachael Calvert Weddings (“Our celebrant used to be a baker!”) Cookies Scrumptious by Sophie Hire Items Salters Hire Lighting Bunnings Sound Hire & Entertainment The Foley Artists Celebrant Rachael Calvert Weddings Rings ToniMay (engagement), Jules Collins (Alisha’s wedding band), Manly Bands (Matt’s wedding band) Bush Confetti Jolilulu THE BRIDE Gown Anna Sposa Bridal Boutique & Veil Jonovia Bridal Robes Homebodii Shoes Revolve THE GROOM Jacket Scotch & Soda Shirt Calvin Klein Pants Saba Tie Ted Baker Shoes Urge Watch Tag Heuer Barber Paradise Lost Barbershop