Laura and Walker: The Convent Gallery, Daylesford

Names: Laura and Walker

Wedding date: 26 October 2019

Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Convent Gallery, Daylesford

The marriage proposal: We went to the Hunter Valley for a long weekend in February 2019 to see the Red Hot Chilli Peppers perform at a winery. The day started very early with a beautiful hot air balloon ride over the Hunter Valley. We then headed back to our Airbnb for a nap before visiting a few cellar doors ahead of the concert. We went back to our Airbnb to collect our gumboots for the concert (it had rained all day!) then head to the bus to the venue. It was in that 10-minute window that Walker chose to pop the question in the hallway. The answer was an immediate ‘yes’ followed by ‘we’d better hurry though or we’re going to miss the bus!’. We spent the afternoon and evening celebrating on the lawns with wine, the two of us the only people who knew what we’d just decided to do.

About our wedding day: We wanted a small and relatively low key kind of day and planned the whole thing in less than 6 months. We had just 65 guests which allowed us the time to speak with each guest at some stage throughout the night. The weather didn’t play along with our plans so we had to move the ceremony indoors instead of in the beautiful gardens on the hill behind the Convent – I guess that’s the price of getting married near Melbourne! But the day went off without a hitch. The ceremony was personable and the perfect mix of fun and poignant, a testament to the time that Charis took to get to know us and prepare a bespoke ceremony. Tina and the team at the Convent exceeded our expectations in every regard – from timing the ceremony entrances to the incredible food and service and allowing us to use the bar downstairs for a couple of extra drinks once the reception had finished up. The band played all the crowd favourites and had everyone up celebrating, even our little French bulldog Bonnie who was the perfect bridal pup.

Our wedding style: We wanted something classic and elegant but not over the top. Caris at Prunella did an amazing job of decorating the beautiful venue, taking inspiration for the palette from the colours in my amazing bridal gown.

Finding my wedding gown and couture experience at Suzanne Harward: I was living in Sydney at the time that we planned our wedding and made scarce few trips to Melbourne to plan the day. I had one day in town to visit a few bridal boutiques with my parents to try on dresses. Suzanne Harward was the first cab off the rank and we headed straight there from the airport after landing in Melbourne early on a Saturday morning. I tried on a few different dresses but after I’d put on the Songbird gown we all found ourselves measuring every other dress I tried against that gown and didn’t feel like any had the same wow factor. This was the case throughout the rest of the day at each boutique we visited and when I woke up the next day still thinking about the dress I knew it was definitely the one.

The team at Suzanne Harward were amazing to work with. They helped me to craft a version of the Songbird gown that was a semi-hybrid of the Songbird and Bluebird – taking the skirt from one, and adjusting the bodice from the other to create a cut that was exactly what I wanted and, of course, featuring that beautiful lace!

The team were able to do my final measurements in Sydney when they were in town for a trunk show and the dress was ready to collect with heaps of time ahead of the wedding despite the short timeframe from trying on to the big day. I matched the dress with a simple veil in the base tulle from the gown to complement the gown but not compete with the lace detailing which has always been the hero of the dress in my eyes.

I couldn’t recommend the Suzanne Harward team more highly – they made the experience both memorable and relaxed. And, of course, they create the most beautiful gowns with something to suit every bride.

First dance song: Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Advice for future couples: Remember that whilst marriage is a big commitment and something to be taken seriously, a wedding is just a really wonderful occasion to throw a party for everyone that you love. Keep that in mind when you’re stressing about how many candles to place down the centre of each table, or what shoes the groomsmen will wear. These details will pale in significance to the day itself and be something that only you will ever notice. The things you will remember are who was there to celebrate with you, and how you felt on the day – so you want to make sure you’re in the moment enjoying it and not sweating the small stuff. Hire vendors that you trust so that you can enjoy your special day and spend it celebrating the huge milestone of your marriage and the beginning of your next chapter. We picked a few key things that we cared about the most like the venue and photographer and then took advice from them to find other likeminded vendors to help plan our day.

Honeymoon destination: Japan