Michael and Cassie
We met at the coffee shop I worked at, whilst we were still at university, over 7 years ago. Michael’s mother owns the store across it and she brought him in one day for coffee. Our stories differ from this point, as I believe his mum would come into the coffee shop to ‘suss out’ the girls but he believes this wasn’t the case, and saw me before I saw him. We broke all the rules of dating and went on a date the next night after our first date and the next night…we’ve been inseperable ever since.
We have the same values and want the same things from life, which has made our relationship so effortless. We just work really well together. Although we got engaged on our 2nd anniversary (over five years ago), getting married wasn’t our priority. We wanted to enjoy life (travel) and set ourselves up the best way we could for our married life (our home). This enabled us to grow further and stronger together and to have the wedding that we wanted.
I wore a custom gown created by Venita Drennen.
My earrings and maid of honour’s ring were by Samantha Wills. Twig & Blossom provided the bouquets and reception flowers for the day.
The wonderful Sarah Harrington from Harpier styled our hair and make-up. Sarah was a delight to have there on the day. She was so nice and calm, and made us all feel and look very beautiful.
Michael wore a suit by Elio Moda, while the best man wore a suit by Oxford.
We chose Ocean View Estates Winery and Restaurant because we love wine and the country! We went venue shopping just after we got engaged, even after five years we still knew this was the venue for us. Ocean View Estates Winery and Restaurant was perfect; picturesque, intimate and great food, wine and people. We can’t wait to go back for anniversaries and special occasions.
Geoff Mazlin from I Do Creative Ceremonies, performed the marriage ceremony. Geoff was wonderful, very professional and organised. He guided us through creating our ideal ceremony, which on the day, had the perfect balance of love and laughter.
In the lead up to the day, it had been pouring rain and the forecast for the day did not look promising. I loved how Michael stayed so strong and said that everything would turn out perfect, as long as we got married that was all that mattered. In the morning of the wedding as I was getting ready, we saw sun for the first time in five days! As I arrived at the ceremony it was sunny and hot, but just towards the end of the ceremony a wall of fog tumbled down the hills and over the vineyard – it was simply magical!
Adriana (Adriana Watson of Calli B Photography) made us feel very relaxed around her. We did not feel pressured to do unnatural poses, but she guided us to take beautiful photos that captured the day perfectly. With the changes of the weather (sun, rain and fog) Adriana’s experience in photography speaks for itself. We are blown away by our stunning photos and have recieved so many positive comments about how amazing they are.
With the help of a professional printer we designed and printed our invitations, thank-you notes, menu cards and name tags. I also made the table runners and we bought all the other table decorations ourselves. The venue was just so gorgeous itself that we did not need to over decorate.
Organisation is the key, when planning a wedding. We sat down together and decided from the start our top 3 priorities, which were the venue, the food and wine and the entertainment. Be willing to negotiate or compromise on things that are not your priorities. If you really love a vendor that is not one of your priorities, think about how you can compromise or adjust your ideas to make it work with them. We started shopping and comparing early with clear ideas for what we wanted, keeping in mind our theme. I started my own spreadsheet book, which now has been bestowed on other brides getting married as a starting point. Keep your wedding in perspective; it is one day and at the end of it as long as you and your fiancé get married, that is what matters the most.
Jessica Murnane from Caked Goodness works with the Michael. Normally the saying is don’t quit your day job, but we believe this is her calling. Jess made an AMAZING cake, not only visually but also with the flavours. We have had many guests comment on how stunning it looked and how amazing it tasted. She went above and beyond to ensure the two flavours (peanut butter and jaffa) were perfect and even recreated our monogram from our invitations!
One of the best decisions we made was to have a live band. The Redsell Brothers were outstanding. Jaymes and David got everyone (including the grandparents) on the dance floor and with song after song, they made the night just SO MUCH fun!”
Our song was ‘The Luckiest’ by Ben Folds. We didn’t want the pressure and worry of a choreographed dance, so we had fun at home in the lead up to the wedding, just us dancing. We wanted to get everyone on the dance floor with us, and it worked perfectly. It was non-stop dancing all night!
Images by Calli B Photography
Ms Gingham says: What a lovely wedding. The mist coming in is truly magical! Congratulations Cassie and Michael.
Cassie says: “I am a HR Consultant and my husband is a Commercial Banker. We were one of the first in our group of friends to get engaged and one of the last to get married, but we would have it any other way.”
In love with the cake and Cassie’s stunning gown. The back is absolutely gorgeous!
What a gorgeous wedding! Love the custom made gown 🙂