Meet Georgia and Matt – two total cuties who fell head over heels for each other seven years before tying the knot! “We were two 19- and 21-year-old spring chickens when we met at a music festival, where Matt confessed to having a hardcore crush on me after just 24 hours!” shares the bride. “We were engaged after six years of dagginess, cheese boards and video games (the crush was clearly mutual).”
The pair pulled together a bloody great team of vendors to help make their dream day come to life – and ‘dream’ is definitely the right word, guys, because this wedding was super-lush. Georgia looked like heaven in her Lola Varma ‘Parvia’ top and ‘Delfina’ skirt, pairing the separates with the most divine Prea James pearl full-length veil we ever did see. Matt was stylish, handsome and a total dapper Dan in Oscar Hunt. And with Hello May’s good friend Alexandra Cohen behind the lens, Georgia and Matt have a whole lot of heckin’ stunning snaps to share. Wanna see? Let’s scroll!
THE VENUE “We had initially thought we wanted a larger wedding, but we were really struggling to find a venue that felt like ‘us’. We had seen The Estate Trentham on Instagram and absolutely fell in love with it, however, always looked over it due to it only allowing 60 guests. We saw maybe five other venues and felt pretty damn bamboozled! We sat down and both looked at each other and just knew all the other venues weren’t right because they weren’t The Estate. We realised that it was actually exactly what we wanted and decided to go with a smaller wedding, which we wouldn’t have had any other way. We headed up to Trentham a few weekends later to view it and fell in love with the whole town. The venue was styled to absolute perfection, inspired by Scandinavian interiors with timber beams, light airy spaces and hand-picked pieces that clearly all had a story to tell. We knew that we wanted to share our story there. The little white butterflies that flurried around the garden simply sweetened the deal.”
THE VIBE “Both of us are pretty relaxed and chill people so we really wanted our wedding to embody that. We loved the idea of a backyard wedding, but we also wanted to take it up a notch! We knew the venue would speak for itself so we layered it with ethereal tones and textures, a neutral, earthy palette and plenty of grog to help everyone ease into the day!”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “Bec from Ivory & Stone was an absolute dream to work with. When we approached her about doing a bespoke drawing for our invitations and menus she was all in! We loved the idea of ‘holding hands’ to visually represent the meaning of our day and she absolutely nailed it. The flowers were also an absolute standout! Ame from Raven & the Rose most certainly mastered our ‘muted tones, dried textures and ethereal romance’ brief with toffee roses, cascading cream amaranthus and sprawling lunaria.”
DIY “This is where Matt really took the lead. When we learnt that we could provide our own alcohol, Matt went straight into ‘gotta have the best beer selection’ mode. After weeks and weeks of research and spreadsheets, he had finalised nine craft beers, three classic lagers and a secret stash of beers just for himself and his six groomsmen (affectionately known as the ‘Best Boys’). He even coordinated with Pot & Pan‘s [caterers] bar staff that the Best Boys could only access these beers after they showed their matching cufflinks that hilariously had ‘BB’ printed on them. They even had matching stubby holders just for some giggles. Shoutout to the Pot & Pan crew for going along with our antics!”
THE DRESS “I had actually taken a screenshot of the outfit on social media (probably Hello May’s Instagram!) as soon as we were engaged. I saved it in my gallery and kept on searching, however, nothing else even came close and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I knew that whatever I ended up wearing it would be Lola Varma. Courtney’s designs are, in my opinion, the very epitome of minimalism and modern femininity. She had a Melbourne pop-up coming up so I made an appointment, walked in, tried on the outfit and was sold immediately. It was thankfully as easy as that!”
MEMORABLE MOMENTS “We did things a little bit differently and saw each other before our ceremony. We exchanged our vows privately in the woods behind The Estate Trentham, it was so special and something we’ll never forget. Being able to have that time where we could reconnect and get excited for what the rest of the day had in store for us was something we both really valued. We look back at that moment and know that it’s just for us, our special moment with no distractions.”
CUTE CUSTOM “We hired a little Beetle from Hire A Kombi to honour Matt’s pa, who had passed away earlier that year. He used to own a Beetle almost identical to the one we hired, right down to the colour. Matt’s mum had suggested the idea after showing us a photo of Matt’s nan and pa posing in front of their Beetle when they were younger. We decided to recreate that same photo to help us all feel like he was there with us on the day. His presence was most certainly felt and we believe he helped keep the nasty weather that had been forecast well away from our day! We had sunshine and blue skies, and the very next day it hailed – we knew he was there working his magic!”
TALK ABOUT TRADITION “I was very lucky to wear a very special gold pin with little bells on it, known as the ‘Petty Bells’. It’s been part of my mum’s family for many generations. My siblings, cousins, aunties and uncles are all given the opportunity to wear it on their wedding day, so that was really special and quite an honour.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “To this day, we thank our lucky stars that we put all our faith in Jac the Hitcher, our celebrant, she absolutely killed it! We really wanted to add some spontaneity to our ceremony, so we opted for no rehearsal and we’re so glad we did! Before our ceremony, Jac went around to some of our guests and asked if they would read out a list of things that I love about Matt during our ceremony. Both Matt and I felt like we were in the scene from Love Actually, where musicians pop up and play a surprise song during the wedding ceremony. Instead ours was filled with little love notes from myself to Matt! He thought I had planned it all but I had no idea!”
STANDOUT VENDORS “It’s so hard to decide because our entire team was incredible but we’ve narrowed it down to three! We can’t stop raving about Alexandra Cohen, our dream photographer, she absolutely embodies her passion for love stories. She made us feel so comfortable and really captured the essence of our relationship, she is immensely talented! Our cinematographer Greg from Once And For All created such a beautiful film for us, he is such a gentleman and his artistic vision deserves to be recognised. And of course, Jac the Hitcher, our celebrant – she has a wicked sense of humour but also made us feel like we’ve known her for years, she’s an absolute gem!”
If you’re vibing Alexandra Cohen‘s pics (and we’re pretty sure you will be), we can guarantee she’s a top-notch lady and phenom photographer, so def check out her directory listing. If you’re into Georgia’s gorg veil (or still in the market for you’re big-day look), Prea James Bridal is a must – take a squiz right here – and for something dapper for your guy, hit up Oscar Hunt.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Alexandra Cohen Cinematographer Once And For All On-the-day Coordinator Events by Kate Florist Raven & the Rose Stationery & Signage Ivory & Stone Ceremony & Reception The Estate Trentham Catering Pot & Pan Cake Blackbird Cakes Hire Items Pepper Sprout Hire Company (chairs, tables, bar, umbrellas, lounge set), The Small Things Co. (vases, wishing well, signage stands), Event Art (napkins, linen table runners), The Design Depot (rug, cushions), Table Art (candlesticks) Lighting & Sound Hire DJ City Entertainment Brooklyn ’86 Celebrant Jac the Hitcher Rings Everett (engagement ring), Bella Clark (bride’s wedding band), Sens Jewellers (groom’s wedding band) Transport Organ’s Coaches (buses), Hire A Kombi Ribbons Paperie and Silk THE BRIDE Gown Lola Varma Veil Prea James Bridal Robes Homebodii Shoes Dolce Vita Accessories Meadowlark (earrings), Bella Clark (ring, right hand) Hair & Makeup Eve Gunson Hair and Makeup Bridesmaids’ Hair & Makeup Shelby Conn Bridesmaid dresses Forever New (one-shoulder), Boohoo (taupe spaghetti-strap), Keepsake the Label (blush long sleeve), Shona Joy (sage) Bridesmaid gifts Homebodii THE GROOM Suit Oscar Hunt Bow tie OTAA Shoes Grenson Watch Uncle Jack Barber Little Buddha Groomsmen gifts Zazzle (custom cufflinks and stubby holders)