Real Weddings

Article by

Dani Connor

Posted on

24/04/2024

Posted in

Real Weddings

After a three-year engagement, and 13 years together, Blair and Stu, opted for a different route when saying I do. They jumped onboard the epic Elopement Extravaganza planned by Toko Events at Rupert On Rupert in Melbourne, and got hitched with the help of a bunch of rockstar vendors (Hi One More Song DJs and Precious Celebrations) “The elopement day is for couples who have either been thinking of getting married for a while but haven’t had the time to plan all the details, are relaxed enough that they are happy to allow us to create the vision for them, want to have an awesome party with just their most intimate friends and family or people who just don’t want the fuss of wedding planning but want to have all the fun,” says Judith form Toko Events. “Three hours – drinks, dancing, ceremony, speeches, photos to capture the mems… it’s all there!”

The wonderful Briars Atlas caught the whole delish day with Blair and Stu’s 33 favourite people on camera, and we’re sharing with y’all here today…

FAVE DETAILS “The moment that I was handed the bouquet really stands out. As we walked toward the Rupert On Rupert I could see it being held out to me and I was stunned by how beautiful it was. It had such a presence! Some of our favourite photos from the day are either side of the bouquet handover, it was spectacular.”

THE BRIDAL SUIT “I loved the idea of a suit from early on – I knew I’d feel more like myself. There was a lot of ordering options and returning happening in the rapid lead-up to the elopement, along with videos sent to best friends for input. I ended up getting my ivory linen suit from St Agni and my mum and I made some last minute alterations the day before the wedding! I found keeping the outfit a secret from Stu challenging but I stuck with it so the reveal could be a reveal!”

STANDOUT VENDORS “Truly, all were amazing! Not only were they all incredible at what they do, everyone we met felt like ‘our people’. Two deserve a special shout out through. Our celebrant Precious is the one who sent the DM about the Elopement Extravaganza saying, ‘Hey, reckon you’d be into this?’ We’d been in touch with Precious for a while and knew we wanted her to be part of our day, so we’re so grateful to her. And Judith from Toko Events, who we totally vibed with and brought all the amazing details together, while keeping us pretty chill during the whole thing. Legends.”

A WORD OF ADVICE “We totally skirted around most of the usual wedding planning, lucky us! But we reckon running things through the following filter is a great start – is this decision going to impact the enjoyment of the day? Don’t overload yourself with social events either side. Pre-wedding dinner, recovery drinks, etc. It’s easy when people are travelling especially to try and fit heaps in, but it’s an emotional time, don’t discount the rest you’ll need. Most importantly – we would have assumed that a planner was something for really big or complex weddings. Not true. Having a planner who gets your vibe is the number one thing we’d recommend. Start with a chat, let them guide you (and introduce you to all their amazing contacts).”

MARRIAGE MEANS… “Marriage for us was about the next level of commitment, to what we’d already been committed to for about 13 years. We’ve lived together, moved states together, changed jobs, travelled, been through big life stuff like illness and loss together. Getting married was a celebration of all that, shared with the people most important to us.”

The next Elopement Extravaganza is planned for August 25 in Melbourne. Find out more here. You can also see another wedding which featured in the Elopement Extravaganza in our latest Real Wedding Special. If you’re looking for your own dream team of vendors, our directory is a great place to start: M.J. Bale, One More Song DJs, Toko Events, Precious Celebrations and Rupert on Rupert are all there.