Victoria & Matt: Stones Of The Yarra Valley

Names: Victoria Goodier (nee Cahill) & Matt Goodier

Wedding date: 24 August 2019

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Stones of the Yarra Valley, Coldstream, Victoria

How we met and the marriage proposal:

Matt and I first met when we were 14 and 13 years old, respectively. At that time, I was living in Hong Kong but would travel regularly to Melbourne with my Dad who was originally from Melbourne. It was on one of those trips that we met – our connection was instant even at such a young age. Every time I would return to Melbourne we would make sure we saw each other! Although we lived in different countries, our unique relationship grew into something I think we both knew was special. Back then Matt would often say to me he would marry me one day – he was right!

I eventually moved to Melbourne for University however life took us on separate paths and it was some years before we would see each other again. In early 2017, after hearing I had moved back to Melbourne having been in Sydney for some years (and was single!) Matt contacted me and suggested we catch up for a coffee. We met for that coffee not long after, with my two young children, Chloe and Hunter in tow, and the it was like no time had passed between us. We welcomed our daughter Mia into the world in January 2018. Matt proposed to me at our home in August 2018 - I of course said YES! The rest is history!

About our wedding day:

We got married at Stones of the Yarra Valley in Coldstream, Victoria in front of 80 guests. It was the only venue we looked at as we knew straight away it was perfect for our special day.

My bridesmaids and I got ready in The Day Room which is this beautiful open plan villa on the Stones property. It was such a relaxing day – we listened to music, nibbled on beautiful grazing platters and indulged in a sneaky glass of bubbles or two! The kids were with us too which made for a lot of fun. Matt and his groomsmen got ready in our suite at The Farmhouse at Meletos, which is a boutique hotel on an adjoining property.

Our ceremony took place in The Chapel which was beautifully decorated with romantic florals and pillar candles. An acoustic duo played all the music throughout the ceremony. What made our ceremony so special for us was that our children were part of it – Chloe, 5 and Mia, 19 months were flower girls and Hunter, 3 walked me down the aisle. My Dad passed away a year earlier so it was so special to have Hunter by my side as I walked down the aisle to Matt. The kids being the ages they were, we really had to play it by ear as to who was walking with who – it was only right before the ceremony commenced (quite literally outside the doors to the Chapel!) that it was decided Chloe would walk first, Mia would walk with one of my bridesmaids and Hunter would accompany me. The kids did such an amazing job – Chloe was a superstar (and I think quietly loved having all eyes on her!), Mia walked beautifully and Hunter walked me proudly down the aisle – I get teary thinking about it!

The ceremony was just perfect – I got to marry the love of my life and best friend in front of our kids and closest family and friends. Our guests threw rose petals as Matt and I left the Chapel – it was quite windy, so the petals went everywhere but it made for lots of laughs and amazing photos!

Our guests were served drinks and canapes in The Dairy whilst we had photos with the kids and the bridal party. It was really important to us to have some photographs with the kids. Our brilliant and talented photographer, Rick Liston did an amazing job capturing us as a family – we knew it would be near impossible to get all three kids to pose at the same time but that didn’t matter, the candid photographs of us wrangling the kids or the “out-takes” are some of our favourite photos of the day.

The reception took place in The Barn which is a breathtaking space with high vaulted ceilings and beams. The room was decorated again with soft, romantic florals in blush, peach and apricot tones and a large central hanging floral installation. Candles of varying heights and sizes in gold and copper holders and strings of fairy lights completed the romantic feel of the room. For a bit of fun, we had a neon sign that read “Better Together” on the dance floor which was decorated with floral garlands.

Our reception felt like a big party which was exactly what we wanted it to be. Our close friends and family, fantastic food and wine, lots of laughs (and a few tears when remembering those who couldn’t be with us), great live music courtesy of a five-piece band from the Baker Boys Band and plenty of dancing!

It truly was the most perfect day – it was everything we could have hoped for and more!

Our wedding style:

Elegant and romantic, with an edge!

Finding my wedding gown and couture experience at Suzanne Harward:

I had seen Suzanne Harward’s long sleeve lace Rosetti gown online which I would have described as my dream dress. After looking on the Suzanne Harward website I realised the dress was no longer available, much to my disappointment! After trying on a number of dresses at other places, I could not get the Rosetti gown out of my mind. Not long after, I submitted an online enquiry via the Suzanne Harward website enquiring about the Rosetti dress. Carly responded almost immediately and she confirmed the gown was no longer available due to limited fabric supply but that they had a couple of sample sized gowns available for sale. I immediately rang Carly to book in an appointment. At that appointment, I tried on the sample Rosetti gown and whilst I loved the white guipure lace, the oyster colour of the lining underneath just didn’t suit my skin tone. Carly suggested I try on the sleeveless version of the gown, the lining of which was pure white - the difference on me was remarkable! Carly then gave me the good news that the fabric that had limited supply was in fact the oyster colour lining and that they could make the Rosetti gown for me with the pure white lining instead! I had found my dress! It honestly felt like it was meant to be!

From our very first phone conversation, Carly was warm, personable and so incredibly helpful. Carly was so accommodating when I arrived at my first appointment with my two daughters in tow - Mia at that stage was 10 months old and insisted on being held by me even whilst trying on dresses. My then 4-year-old, Chloe was obsessed with the tiaras on display insisting Carly save her one for when she got married one day!

The whole process was seamless. I cannot thank Carly and the rest of the team at Suzanne Harward enough for making it such a wonderful and memorable experience. Being Made to Measure - we kept in touch in between fittings and by the time my final fitting rolled round it felt like we were old friends. It goes without saying my wedding gown was spectacular - I can honestly say I have never felt more beautiful. It truly was my dream dress!

First dance song:

“I Won’t Let You Go” by James Morrison

Advice for future couples:

Enjoy every moment of the day as it goes so quickly!

Honeymoon destination:

Given the age of our kids, we have decided to hold off on a proper honeymoon for a couple of years! Instead, we had a “mini-moon”- a night away in the city a couple of weeks after the wedding. It was only for 24 hours but it was so lovely to spend that time together, just the two of us, after all the excitement of the wedding.