Classic & Rustic Tanglewood Estate Wedding

We are crazy about this classic and rustic Tanglewood Estate wedding! Featuring sun-drenched photos (just wait until you see twilight!) of the bride in a lace gown, the groom in a sharp black suit and bow tie, and the details on point. Daniel Brannan captured the day.

Meeting in Year 7 at school, the couple made things official in Year 11. Jess recalls the day of the proposal, saying, ”Brendan organised a special weekend away for us in Mornington to go and see Paul Dempsey. On the morning, he took me up to Arthurs Seat, and once I went to take a photo, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. He had then organised for us to go to a number of wineries during the day with a very special dinner at Port Phillip Estate afterwards.”

Spending time with her Mum was one of the highlights of wedding planning, with Jess sharing, ”The best part was getting to spend so much time doing girly things. Calling Mum for opinions and going to dress fittings together, it was so nice to have so much time to hang out!” The stunning lace Luci Di Bella gown was chosen on one of these days. The bride shares, ”I went with Mum to try on different dresses and wasn’t really too sure what I wanted my dress to be like. I went and saw Luci and she made me feel amazing and the whole process was just so easy and special. Mum and I went through all of the different possibilities that I could have with my dress and we decided to go with beautiful French lace, with the most amazing silk underdress. I felt so beautiful in my dress and when I walked down the aisle Brendan’s reaction was exactly what I wanted. I wish I could wear my dress everyday! My Dad was really lovely and managed to attach a locket from the first present Brendan ever gave me to my shoe so I could wear it on the day. My Mum also lent me a handkerchief her Grandmother had given her when she was my age.” The groom wore a classic black suit and black bow tie from Ferrari Formal.

Wanting the focus of the day to be the ceremony, the bride and groom were thrilled with their chosen celebrant, Celebrant Kate. Jess tells, ”We really wanted our ceremony to be all about us. We didn’t want anyone to feel that they had already been to our ceremony and when we found Kate we knew we had found that. We wanted there to be laughter, tears and love, for not just us but all of our guests too. It was so special to have everyone we love there to celebrate with us and share in our love story.” The bride walked down the aisle with her father to ‘First Day Of My Life’ by Bright Eyes. She shares, ”It was always going to be the song I walked down the aisle to as Brendan gave it to me on a CD when we first started dating, over 10 years ago. My favourite moment was walking down the aisle with my Dad, to Brendan waiting at the end. Seeing all our friends and family, some who couldn’t control their tears and everyone sharing in this moment just about us was so magical.”

With the ceremony being the highlight of the day, Jess and Brendan wanted to share the love! The bride says, ”We really wanted to make sure our bridal party felt included in our day and that they were happy to be our party. Our celebrant came up with the idea of introducing them and telling everyone why we love them in our ceremony. It brought tears to their eyes. A special moment for me. We also had Brendan’s Mum give us a special toast at the end of ceremony. It was a really nice way to have her included without doing the traditional reading.” The beautiful location held special significance for the bride and groom. Jess shares, ”Our ceremony and reception were both held at Tanglewood Estate. We had our ceremony overlooking the dam on the property, with the bay and Arthur’s Seat (where we got engaged) in the distance.”

Capturing the day so magnificently was photographer extraordinaire Daniel Brannan. The bride tells, ”We found Dan on Instagram one afternoon, just before we were about to leave for Europe. We knew we just had to meet with him before we left so we could book him in! We couldn’t risk that he’d be booked out by the time we got back. As soon as we met, we got to look and touch his amazing photographs and listen to his English accent, we were sold. We knew he’d fit in with our family and friends and take some killer shots while at it. He made everyone feel at ease immediately, even introducing himself to my Mum by telling her ‘and you must be Jess’s sister’. She instantly felt so good and was so happy to be around him for the rest of the day. All our guests have commented how cool our photographers were on the day, they fitted in perfectly with what we were going for. We couldn’t have asked for a better photographer, our photos are so magical and incredible cool. We definitely don’t feel as cool as they make us look!”

With every detail so beautifully crafted, the newlyweds were thrilled with Pop Up With Style. Jess shares, ”Our team as a whole was an absolute dream to work with but our wedding planner and stylist was so good! Nothing was ever too hard for Jess and she made everything flow so easily and look amazing. There were so many questions on the morning of the wedding and Jess just took it all in and went with it, without bothering me. She made me so relaxed and dealt with everything with such ease, all while 6 months pregnant. Could not have done the day without her!”

Tanglewood Estate provided the perfect backdrop for a rustic yet classic reception, with blooms by Tyabb Rose Farm. The bride tells, ”Our flowers were beautifully elegant, full of classic white flowers and natural greenery. We had white roses for our bouquets and beautiful white and green arrangements for our ceremony and reception, full of white hydrangeas, jasmine, white spiders and roses. Our flowers not only looked beautiful but smelt amazing as well. We really wanted a wedding where our guests could enjoy the sunshine and stay at the same venue for the ceremony and reception. Our venue was quite rustic so we wanted to keep other elements quite classic white white tones and natural greenery. We then added touches of rose gold for a bit of sparkle.”

The couple particularly loved the images at twilight, and we agree, they are seriously stunning! Jess shares, ”I love the ones with Brendan and I from the lake at dusk. We still can’t believe that they are actually us, they look like they’re from a magazine and seriously magical! Plus the time we spent taking those was exactly how we’d always imagined our wedding would be, being together with an incredible sunset with our family and friends.” The bride and groom had their first dance to ‘One Crowded Hour’ by Augie March, and personalised the reception with a little DIY. Jess tells, ”We made our bonbonnieres with rose gold jars purchased from eBay, labels and smarties for our guests. Plus, we got our menus printed and then framed them so they were more visible for our guests and something else going on on our tables.”