Lucy + Thomas

10 Oct

Tell us about the vision you had for your day - the vibe, the style and the feel

The style for our wedding was modern elegance. We wanted to really capture the natural beauty of Gabbinbar Homestead, so we opted for effortless elegance with a touch of modern romance.

The perfectly manicured gardens, stunning white pavilion with classic chandeliers, plus the history and age of the estate also offered inspiration for our day with lots of fresh blooms creating a romantic, old worldly vibe. This was a beautiful contrast to the modern aesthetics in the reception space, with statement french doors, hanging pendant lighting, and stunning glass conservatory roof. Gabbinbar Homestead is one of the most beautiful venues I have ever seen and we were so incredibly fortunate to host our wedding there.

Our dress code was black tie and all our guests looked gorgeous!

Aside from the theme of our wedding, it was important to us that our families and loved ones were included throughout the day and also in the lead up. From our wedding invites which my Aunty Georgie helped in designing (and then posting as we were overseas), to our beautiful bombaniers which were hand made chocolate made by my Aunty Robyn. Plus, my wedding earrings and the bridesmaid earrings were designed and made by close family friends Pam & Annabel from Lolita’s Pearls.

During our ceremony, my Mum read a beautiful passage that was read on my parents wedding day. Plus, we had organised for Tom's two nieces to come up to the altar to give us our wedding bands.

My Dad and I also surprised all our guests with a father daughter dance we had learnt over the course of 5 weeks to Van Morrison; Have I told you lately. However, we had also secretly asked all the fathers and daughters who were in the room to join us half way through the song. This was a really special moment to share with them, especially our family members who had their young daughters with them there.

We also wanted to ensure that the whole day was one big celebration with lots of laughter! From fun speeches, fireworks, a champagne tower and of course an epic dance floor with an incredible band. We also did a second ‘first kiss’ with me standing on a stool because Tom is so tall (he is 7ft). This was organised with the help of our celebrant and photographer. All our guests had a laugh at this, and it added to the light hearted and fun ceremony we wanted. We were so grateful to have the most important people in our lives together in one place that we knew we wanted to make it extra special and fun!

What was the highlight of your day? Share a story with us!

Lucy:

It is hard to choose one, having my dad walk me down the aisle and seeing Tom’s face will be something I will never forget. And our vows. Hearing each other’s was so emotional and special.

But my dad singing during his Father of the Bride Speech is definitely a big highlight!! He changed the lyrics to 'Sweet Caroline' to ‘Lucy Eloise’ and it was incredible and very out of character for him! Everyone at the wedding couldn’t help themselves but stand up out of their seats and sing along.

Thomas:

For me the whole day was amazing, being able to share this special day with all of my family and closest friends (who live all around the country and the world) but also getting to see our two worlds combine made for an amazing day.

To narrow it down to the “one” moment, I would have to say when I first saw Lucy at the top of the aisle will forever be in my mind. How beautiful she looked and that feeling of genuine happiness I had in that moment is something I hadn’t experienced before.

If I had to name another moment/moments, I would have to say the speeches at the reception. All the speeches were unique in their own way depending on the speaker, but full of love and heartfelt sentiments.

If you could describe your wedding day in 3 words, what would they be?

Joyful, Magical & Romantic

What’s your top tip for couples planning their wedding day?

Lucy:

Keep everything all at the one venue - from getting ready, ceremony, photos and reception. This made our day run so smoothly. We were able to take all our separate family photos before the ceremony and after the ceremony all our photos were taken on the spectacular grounds of Gabbinbar. This enabled us to be able to join our guests for cocktail hour and enjoy the party!

Hire vendors you trust and listen to. All our vendors were incredible and made our day run so smoothly. I would highly recommend them all.

Finally, one of the best moments of the day will be standing together, looking out at your combined family and friends and being thankful. It is not often in your life you get all those people who love you in a room. Savour that feeling, because it is the best foundation for a great marriage.

Thomas:

There is no such thing as too much communication! Make sure you and your partner are on the same page regarding all facets of your wedding. This comes down to understanding each others priorities on the day and then purveying these priorities to all for your vendors. Lucy did an amazing job with this and all of our amazing vendors were on the same page as us and it made for a much smoother day.

We’d love to hear about your experience with Figtree!

We were blown away by how amazing our photographers were; Camilla & Madi! We were a little nervous when it came to our portrait photos, but they made us feel so relaxed and comfortable, and for the entire day we just felt like we were in such good hands. It was also important to Tom and I that we spent lots of time with our guests and the team made sure that was possible. They also captured everything we had asked for plus more!

Not only were the team incredible on the day, but the photos they captured and produced are beautiful! You captured every emotion and feeling from the day and not one photo looked staged! We are so grateful to have such beautiful photos to reflect on and cherish for the rest of our lives.

Thank you to the entire Figtree Team - from the very beginning you made the whole process so smooth and easy and I couldn't recommend you enough!