Fern & Paul
The classic beauty of Fern & Paul’s elegant Yering Station wedding captures the beauty of a traditional wedding with the stunning setting of a winery. The bride in her ballgown that she fell in love with, the flowers that beautifully cascade to invite guests to the ceremony. This is a celebration for each and every one of the senses captured beautifully by Bonavita Photography.
Fern tells the story of how they cameto be a couple – a story that is truly all about love at first sight! “We met over 10 years ago at our company’s graduate programme. Paul was already in the programme and I was interviewing when the hiring manager suggested I meet with the graduates that year to find out more about what it would be like to work there. It really must have been love at first sight when I saw Paul’s big broad smile from across the meeting room table! That and his “dad vest” – back then not many guys his age wore vests so I was very intrigued by his hipster dressing and winsome smile. Needless to say, I was sold on really wanting the job after speaking with him and I was super excited to start work a few months later.”
Fern chose a strapless ballgown by Baccini & Hill , she tells “I expected to spend months trying on dresses, but ended up finding one that made me feel like a princess on my first shopping trip! I’d initially thought I wanted something sleek and elegant, maybe with a little lace. At Baccini & Hill, I browsed the rack picking out all the svelte and lace dresses, but also saw a giant ballgown that was hard to miss from its size. I thought I’d try it on just for fun, and never would have guessed that would be my dress. The minute I put it on I didn’t want to take it off! I persisted with looking elsewhere just in case, but my ballgown dress really was a dream dress and nothing else I tried came close to the pleasure of wearing this dress!”
The couple chose Yering Station for their wedding – a venue that took some time to find! Fern explains “We had spent many weekends searching for the perfect venue around the Mornington Peninsula and Wilsons Prom and was getting despondent that we couldn’t find one that we both liked. One day I suggested we look at the Yarra Valley which we had not even considered. Yering Station was the first venue we visited and straight away we knew it was where we wanted to have the wedding. It had such amazing views inside and outside of the restaurant and there were many different settings that we could use to take the magical photos. Our ceremony in the topiary garden was so special. Finally, since Paul was a foodie we had to find somewhere that could do the food and drinks justice and Yering Station did not disappoint at all.”
Good Grace & Humour styled the stunning floral arrangements for the day, the bride remarking “All the vendors did such a wonderful job the day really went without a hitch – and we couldn’t have hoped for a more stress-free and fun day! We had so many favourite parts from the food tasting at Yering Station to my hair and makeup trial to our dance lessons and seeing it all come together.”
The bride walked down the aisle to Alone in Kyoto by Air.
Sarah Aird officiated the ceremony, Fern noting “We wanted a relaxed and inviting atmosphere where people could feel relaxed in an intimate setting. So we only had two rows of chairs up front for more elderly relatives and the rest of our friends and family standing around. It was so special that our friends and family formed the aisle for me to walk down! We chose two readings. The first was The Lovely Dinosaur by Edward Monkton which I asked Paul’s sister to read because it was slightly whimsical and reflected our personality. The second was Why Marriage by Dena Acolatse, which I asked one my oldest friend from primary school to read.”
Regnier Cakes created a decadent layered chocolate cake for the newlyweds dessert.
Tables were decorated with beeswax candles and chocolate butterflies from Sisko Chocolate. Fern remembering “Paul decided that he really wanted candles on the tables at reception to give the night a soft intimate feel. After looking at various suppliers I came across how easy it is to roll your own beeswax candles. It did also take a little time to roll 50 candles, but the beautiful honey smell on the night was worth it.”
The newlyweds surprised their guests with a wonderful first dance after lessons at The Secret Garden of Dance. Fern tells “We chose Mariah Carey and Miguel’s #Beautiful because the lyrics describe how we feel about each other when we’re together and the song was just plain fun to dance to! We took lessons from The Secret Garden of Dance with Sanushka, where Paul used to dance many years ago. We learnt some really neat moves that we never contemplated pulling off – so it was super exciting to perform in front of family and friends, many of whom had never seen Paul dance before!”
Wanting to capture their day with something extra, Fern and Paul worked with cinematographers Anchored Cinema who produced their wedding day film. The story beautifully captured with all of its magic anticipations.
Congratulations on your marriage Fern and Paul! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Bonavita Photography for sending this wedding our way!
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