Romantic, Moody Red And Pink Wedding

Tahvia & Mat

Valentines Day has to be one of our favourite days around these parts because being fans of love? Telling love stories and celebrating romantic days always makes us more than a little excited.

For today’s gorgeous wedding feature, we couldn’t think of a better couple to share than the gorgeous Tahvia and Mat captured by the talented Jessica Josie. Not only did the happy couple fill their day with Valentines worthy tones of bright beautiful pink and delicious red, but they also have their own unique tale of romance to share, a tale that is not just about their love, but about their love for their family and friends. It kicks off with a classic church ceremony and moves to an amazing ceremony with their favourite people. We’re so glad we get to tell their story!

And on the day of love, we need an equally romantic story of how Mat popped the question to Tahvia after the two met through Tahvia’s dear friend, and Mat’s sister Natalie. “We had a weekend planned in Margaret River to relax after I completed my exams and Mat had decided he would propose there because I wouldn’t be expecting it. He used the times I was studying to visit the jewellers with his sister to design a ring for me and since I had been studying at the office on weekends I never knew!
On the first morning in Margaret River, we went to the farmers market to pick up some fresh bread, fruit, yoghurt and coffee and brought it back to our cute little Airbnb to enjoy. After breakfast, he gave me a little jewellery pouch that he’d pulled from his pocket and told me to open it. I had no idea what it was for and thought he’d got me a little gift for finishing exams and when I opened it he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was so surprised and obviously said yes!”

Setting the scene for the black-tie celebration, the groom and his groomsmen donned dapper black MJ Bale tuxedos.

Tahvia dressed in an elegant Karen Willis Holmes gown with deep v neckline and back she tells “It took me a while to find a wedding dress that I liked on me. I found it quite overwhelming at first and I tried on so many dresses! When I visited Karen Willis Holmes in Perth, Ash was so helpful. She really understood what I was after and genuinely wanted to help me find something that I would fall in love with. She actually picked out the Shelly/Samantha gown that I wore! I hadn’t even chosen it to try on. The gown was just so me – I was after a dress that wasn’t too lacey and a bit more modern. It was just perfect.”

Tahvia and Mat chose St Joseph’s Church, Subiaco for their traditional church ceremony, noting “We used to walk past St Josephs Church on our way to Subiaco Oval to watch the Eagles games and had always liked it. We both wanted a church wedding and St Josephs is gorgeous so it was a no-brainer for us.”

The bride walked down the aisle with her father to Wagner’s Bridal Chorus.

Tahvia and Mat made sure to include as many of their family and friends as possible throughout their day, starting with the ceremony “We chose a couple of readings that our parents had at their own weddings and a few others that resonated with us. We asked a few members of our families to say these so everyone could be involved and we also asked other members of the family to hand out booklets and show people to their seats. It was not only about our love and marriage but it was also about our families coming together.”

The bride adored “The whole thing! I loved planning our wedding and I really enjoyed speaking with all the vendors, getting different ideas for everyone and seeing it all come together. I have so much respect for all of the wedding vendors who give so much of their time to ensuring every couple’s wedding day is as perfect as they imagined.”

Of their photographer, the bride raves “Jess was amazing! We could completely relax around her, she was heaps of fun and she even busted out some moves on the dancefloor while taking photos. Everyone commented on the high quality of her photos and how she blended in so well throughout the day.”

Deep and beautiful floral details in tones of pink and were carefully styled by Sir Botanical. The bride explaining “We wanted a dark and moody vibe with the flowers; deep reds and greens softened with some lighter florals. I loved the look of pampas and hanging amaranthus so asked the girls at SIR Botanical if they could include either one of those and they more than delivered including them in every aspect of the flowers.”

Guests gathered at The Flour Factory for a sit-down celebration, the blank space exactly what the newlyweds dreamt of for their day. “We chose the Flour Factory because of the food and the blank canvas that the room offered. It was important to us that our reception was centrally located, had great food and a good atmosphere.

Kahla was such a breeze to deal with and everything ran so smoothly on the night. The venue looked incredible, she made sure that all our external vendors set up where we wanted them to and she organised the finishing touches on our tables. I had so many questions throughout the booking process and she was always more than happy to help. The service from all the venue staff on the night was top class too, and the food was amazing!”

Guests sat at long tables, Tahvia and Mat doing away with a head table. The bride remarking “We had three long tables and we sat amongst our friends on one of those instead of having a bridal table. We also fit both of our families all on one table in the centre which was quite special for both the families to come together as one.”

Speeches that had everyone in fits of laughter and warmed with heartfelt moments were the icing on the cake for Tahvia, who was especially touched by the presence of family and friends. “The number one thing that made our wedding special to us was the people. Everyone close to us was there and we couldn’t have imagined it without them all.
We had family and friends who flew in from across the world to be there. My grandparents flew from America, as did a friend of mine. We had family come from Canberra and more friends fly in from Brisbane. It meant a lot to us that they came to celebrate with us.”

In lieu of the cutting of the cake, the newlyweds kicked off the party with a champagne tower set by Euphoric Events. “I didn’t want to do a cake but still wanted something that Mat and I could do together that had a similar symbolic meaning” explains Tahvia. “It had some wow-factor and fun to it as well that I loved and it gave us the opportunity to cheers a drink with our guests as we passed out the glasses.”

The newlyweds took to the dance floor to Striking Matches “When The Right One Comes Along” tells the bride “I had been watching the Nashville TV series and heard it on there. When we were searching for wedding songs I suggested it to Mat and he loved it. We really connected with the lyrics so it was perfect.”