Modern Romance Wedding at Zonzo Estate

Tania & Peter

If you’ve ever dreamed of The Notebook inspired moments of a rowboat on the lake for your wedding day then the modern elegance of Zonzo Estate and the wedding story of Tania and Peter captured by Adele Elisabeth will be the stuff your dreams are made of. The beautiful country setting, the stunning floral arrangements – hanging canopies of foliage and blooms, and a sunset that is pure romance all creating a story we’re so excited to share.

And boats on the water alongside romantic moments were nothing new for these two, the groom proposing in a gondola! Tania tells the tale. “Peter took me out on a surprise date to the city and organised a gondola to be waiting on the Yarra River with chocolates and red roses, it was so nice to have the gondola closed behind us so it just felt like it was the two of us drifting down the Yarra.”

Tania and Peter chose a relaxed approach to their day, with just one bridesmaid and groomsman each, Tania telling “I only had my cousin Cristina as my maid of honour, I wanted to have someone I was really close to and we think very much alike so everything was made really easy having her by my side. I was her maid of honour also, so it was really nice to be able to have her as mine too. Peter had his best friend Aaron, they went through primary school together and have stayed very close since.”

Tania found her Made With Love gown at Bluebell Bridal. She tells “Like most girls, I knew exactly what I wanted. I have always wanted a low back and a long train with a lot of lace. Cristina, my maid of honour and I went into the first store we had on our list and saw it. It was the first dress I tried on and I loved it as soon as I put it on.”

Tania and Peter chose the beautiful Zonzo Estate in Victoria’s Yarra Valley for both their ceremony and reception, having long loved the venue. Tania telling ” We have been to Zonzo numerous times as well as attending a wedding there 2 years ago and we love the food and the feel it has. It has a very relaxed feel and the staff just make everything so easy! We also loved the idea of being able to have so many options for our photos including the vines, hay bales and the lake which now has a cute boat you can take photos in!”

Tania walked down the aisle with her father to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.

Celebrant Bryan Greene made the ceremony official, Tania noting “The ceremony went for about half an hour and it was perfect for what we wanted. We didn’t want too much involved but we did choose our own vows which were really special.”

“I really loved our vows from the day as Pete and I chose them together and they mean a lot to us” remembers the bride.

Tania shares “Zonzo Estate was amazing. They made everything so easy from when we first booked the ceremony until we finished the day. Their attention to detail on the day is what stood out the most for Pete and I. From when I first arrived at the ceremony, they had glasses of water ready when we got out of the car for my parents and Cristina and I, these little things really shows they care and continued throughout the day and night. Brianna our wedding coordinator made sure we didn’t run behind schedule throughout the day and just made sure everything ran so smoothly.”

Of their photographer, the bride tells “We wanted a photographer that could take natural photos which weren’t too staged and didn’t have a lot of editing involved. We saw a wedding Adele photographed at Zonzo and loved her work. We met with Adele and she was so lovely, we got along really well so we thought it was nice to also have someone we felt comfortable with on the day. Adele captured some beautiful moments and truly did an amazing job.”

Guests gathered for a sit-down feast in Zonzo’s restaurant to celebrate the newlyweds. “We chose not to have a bridal table so we sat amongst everyone and it felt like a big family dinner. I loved it” tells the bride.

Debbie O’Neill styled the lush floral details of the day, the arrangements including hanging canopies of foliage with peach blooms. Says Tania “I wanted to have a variety of flowers on the day with a pastel palette. We also wanted to let our florist Debbie get creative so we gave her the colour scheme of pale pink, peach and white and she did the most amazing job!”

Loving the lyrics led the newlyweds to take to the dance floor, for their first dance as a married couple, to Keith Urban’s “Making Memories Of Us”.

The speeches were a highlight for the bride. “I loved Pete’s speech, I was too nervous to do one so he did one on behalf of both of us. The speech was really sweet and even included some Romanian in there for my family which they didn’t know he learnt from them!”