Erin and Manning’s Romantic Winery Wedding

Erin & Manning

I’m not sure what I find the most heartfelt about Erin and Manning’s romantic winery wedding. The winery backdrop, the incredible floral arrangements, the intensity of emotions shared of perhaps, the stories told. The couple chose Darin Collison Photography to photograph their day, and perhaps the photos will explain it all.

Erin tells the story of how they met. “Manning and I met in 2011 when he’d responded to an ad to fill a vacancy in a room in my share house in Melbourne. We hit it off instantly and very soon were dating and living on our own. In March of 2014 we went on a trip to Paris together and one day as we were sipping red wine and overlooking the rooftops of the city from our balcony, Manning got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was such a beautiful, intimate moment, and somehow during the tears and spluttering I managed to say yes.”

Susan Ogg, Brisbane created Erin’s beautiful gown, the bride noting, “As I was so far away from family and friends I did the majority of my dress searching solo, but I was so pleased with the end result. I’d struggled to find something in the bridal boutiques that was inherently “me” so I took my ideas to Brisbane designer and dressmaker Susan Ogg, who understood completely what I was looking for and designed my perfect gown. I really wanted something that was comfortable, but also classically elegant with a touch of simple glamour, and I couldn’t have been happier with the result.”

On her wrist, Erin wore a pearl necklace, she remembers “I wore pearls around my wrist that were handed down from my mum, they were originally a gift to her from my dad on her 21st birthday. The headpiece I wore was the same one both of my new sisters-in-law wore on their own wedding days, which was an honour to be included in such a way. I don’t think I could have felt more beautiful, or more cherished by all of my family members, both old and new.”

“Putting on my wedding gown with the help of my mum was such an emotive part of my day, I’m pretty sure we both nearly ruined our makeup! It was also a bit of fun to have a big “reveal” to my dad, brothers, and bridesmaids. I’ll never forget how my maid of honour came up to me, grabbed me in the tightest hug of my life, then instantly ran away to stop her tears. The best part however, was the look on Manning’s face when he first saw me, and in the midst of ceremony, how he kept telling me how beautiful I was.”””

Erin and Manning chose Yering Farm for their wedding, noting, “We’d visited Yering Farm previously on our own self-guided tour of the Yarra Valley before moving to Brisbane and fell in love with its simplistic rustic charm. When it came to organising our wedding Vicki and Megan were incredibly helpful and had great feedback for atmosphere we wanted to create. It was fantastic for such a casual reception to still have different areas for guests to mingle and have a great time, and the homemade arbour that acted as backdrop for our ceremony was a perfect frame for our stunning surroundings.”

Erin chose to walk down the aisle to “Light All My Lights” by Seeker Lover Keeper. “Every time I hear this song, both before and after our wedding, it stirs something within me. To me, this song is about finding that one person that means the world to you, and telling them that every moment for the rest of your lives you will be their champion, and that together you are better than anything you could ever possibly be alone. I know that’s a lot to take from a single song, but that’s exactly how I feel about Manning, and I wanted everyone to know that as I walked towards him, ready to start our new future together.”

Melissa Cornwall officiated Erin and Manning’s wedding, the bride recalling, “We had some strong ideas on how we wanted our ceremony to feel, and Melissa was able to interpret those and create a truly individual and personal ceremony. She was such a calming presence for us both prior to the ceremony when our nerves were getting the best of us because we felt as though we were being officiated by a friend. Melissa has a beautiful way of truly personalising a ceremony without it feeling contrived, and was able to balance the light-hearted moments with the more serious close-to-tears ones.”

“The biggest highlight of our ceremony would be when Melissa read out the things we’d each written about what we loved about each other. We’d not seen what each other had written, so hearing such beautiful things in front of our friends and family created such a special moment for us. It was also incredibly emotional for us as we read our self-written vows, which I almost didn’t manage to finish.”

Erin remarks “Our bridal party consisted of Manning’s older brother, one of his best friends, and my two best friends from university. They were incredibly important to us, as we were living in a different state to all of them throughout the whole process of planning our wedding. At times I felt a loss at being so far away at such a momentous time, but my girlfriends still made me feel incredibly loved and supported, and I know that Manning feels the same way about his groomsmen. On the day itself, they were exceptional at making us comfortable and relaxed, and delivered some moving speeches. We are truly blessed to have had such beautiful friends and family there for us on such a special day.”

Of their photographer, Erin says, “Darin was an absolute superstar! The moment I first saw his blog I cried at how beautiful his images were and amazed at the intimate moments he managed to capture. From the time he arrived on the day whilst we were getting ready, to the big bear hug I gave him when he left our wedding, he has been incredible. When we were having more styled photos, Darin was able to calm our nerves and engage with us in a way that made us relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera, and when he was taking more candid shots, he was a ghost. We really wanted someone to capture the raw magic of our day, and Darin did just that.”

Sweetpea Darlingheart created a naked wedding cake for the bride and groom.

Of their first dance, which was choreographed by a close friend, Erin remembers, “We chose Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’. Dancing in front of our family and friends was a bit more nerve-wracking, but as soon as the music started Manning’s eyes locked with mine, and it felt like we were the only ones in the room. It was so much fun and we couldn’t help but grin when we heard the cheers as we executed a cheeky lift!”

A live band, The Baker Boys, kicked off the dance floor. Of their wedding style, Erin notes, “The biggest thing we were both clear on was that we wanted a heartfelt ceremony that reflected the love that we share, and then just a huge party where all our guests could have a great time and celebrate with us. Having The Baker Boys Band, as well as games on the lawn, went a long way to help create that feeling.”

Erin and Manning’s wedding video was beautifully shot by the fabulous team at Video Boutique.

Congratulations on your marriage Erin and Manning! Thank you for sharing the details of your day with us. Thank you also to Darin Collison Photography and Melissa Cornwall for sharing today’s wedding with us.