Julie & Peter

When today’s bride told us, “We wanted a food truck festival style wedding. Laidback, surrounded by our loved ones with good food and good booze!”, we knew we’d be in for a treat. Julie and Peter certainly achieved their wedding goals by putting on the most perfect foodie spread at Acacia Ridge Winery in the Yarra Valley. Photographer Sayher Heffernan was there to capture the celebration in all its loveliness, as well as the incredible details – a cheese wheel cake, a three metre long DIY grazing table, freshly shucked oysters, and not one but FOUR food trucks.

It’s very fitting that Julie and Peter placed a huge importance on food at their wedding, as getting to know each other over delicious meals was the catalyst for their romance. “We both love cars and met through a mutual friend on an organised car cruise along the Mornington Peninsula,” says Julie. “We continued to go on several more cruises after that and after sharing conversations over some burgers and ice cream, Peter eventually asked me out and the rest was history.”

When it came time to propose, Peter had the hard task of trying to surprise Julie (who usually sees his surprises coming from a mile away). The couple had arranged to go on a hike, which was nothing out of the ordinary for them. Julie explains, “As we got to a lovely, scenic lookout, Peter asked me to stand with my back to him so he could take some photos. I obliged with no suspicion. He then gave me a card to read. It wasn’t until I got to the end of the card which read, ‘Will you marry me?’, did I see Peter on one knee and ring in his hand. He definitely got me that time!”

On the big day, Julie wore Made With Love’s Sienna dress. “I had one look, and knew I had found the one,” says Julie. “I went to Bluebell Bridal in the city to try the dress on, and my instincts were right. Her name was Sienna. She’s elegant, yet sexy. Timeless, yet chic. And I felt like all of the above when I wore that dress.”

Choosing a suit proved harder than choosing the dress, with the couple floating between ideas of traditional and casual. “In the end we went for something in between; a three-piece navy suit from T.M Lewin with a grey vest for Peter. The grey vest was a nice touch that created the laidback feeling and differentiated Peter from the groomsmen.”

Julie walked down the aisle with her mother to a piano version of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’, featuring ‘Pachelbel’s Canon’ by Paul Hankinson.

The couple married in Peter’s family church, which was a convenient two-minute drive from both their family homes. “When we had our wedding rehearsal at the church, our priest, Father Peter, said to me that 99.9% of the time the bride is late but not to stress about it,” reveals Julie. “So I took that challenge and made it in the statistics as the 0.1% of brides that made it to the church on time! That really set the flow for the rest of the day.” The church ceremony was not only important to Peter’s family, but also to Peter himself. “We chose Father Peter as our priest because he had known Peter since he was a little boy and has a strong connection to the family.”

Julie chose the king protea to feature in her bouquet as she feels it is “one of the most stunning flowers in history”. Her bouquet was arranged by Bethany from January Bloom who did a wonderful job of sourcing the flowers and providing advice to the couple.

Behind the camera was Sayher Heffernan, who the couple say was amazing on the day. “We chose Sayher because of his style of photography and his abilities to capture the emotions on the day. Sayher was also easy to get along with and worked well with both Peter and my personalities. He made us feel comfortable and at ease, despite having a camera pointed right at us. Honestly, we cannot recommend Sayher enough to anyone looking for an easy-going, fun-loving and professional photographer.”

The reception was held at Acacia Ridge Winery and the couple rave about Cathy, the venue’s owner and event planner. “Cathy is a true champion. She was so helpful from the moment we met, all the way through to the day after our wedding! She was willing to answer any question we had and would go out of her way to make sure anything you needed was sorted out. Our day went as smoothly as it did because Cathy was working hard in the background, so we have to thank her for all her efforts!”

Looking back on the day, Julie and Peter remark that everything about it was so special. They wanted a laidback, food truck festival-esque celebration. To fit with this theme, they ditched the formalities of a traditional wedding, such as having a bridal table and seating arrangements. Guests sat wherever they pleased; in the barn, next to the bar, under an umbrella or in the marquee.

Locking in some fabulous food trucks with delicious offerings was crucial. “Our first food truck of choice was The Taco Truck,” says Julie. “No one does fish tacos better than these guys, and they are to die for!”

The couple knew they also wanted a substantial and meaty option, so they enlisted the crew from Digging for Fire to provide 12-hour pulled pork and BBQ chilli chicken.

To add something fancy to their menu, Julie and Peter had Twisted Fisherman cook up lobster rolls (that were a big hit with their guests), as well as juicy scallop bruschetta.

Another fun foodie touch was the oysters. “This was an unplanned addition to the already amazing line-up of food trucks we had on the day,” says Julie. “We wanted something different. I did a quick Google search and found Oysters Unplugged. From the Ralston Bros. oyster farm in New South Wales, Oysters Unplugged created a unique and fresh way to enjoy their gem. Fresh oysters shucked right in front of you. Not only did they provide morsels of heaven, but Oysters Unplugged also provided a little bit of entertainment and something to talk about throughout the evening. It was a big hit!

And for dessert? “Well, Peter and I both love our gelato, and there is only one place in town that makes anyone giddy,” says Julie. “Pidapipo Gelato!”

For their first dance, the coupled started off slow with a cover of Meghan Trainor’s ‘Like I’m Gonna Lose You’ by AJ Raphael and Alex G Peter. Then they had a playful surprise for their guests.

“Halfway through our dance, the music started to skip. Our DJ (DJ Jon Bling) who was in on the plan, pretended as if he didn’t know how to fix the issue. Our guests were silent. Then, Kanye West’s ‘N*ggas in Paris’ played. Peter and I proceeded to our surprise routine and our guests began cheering. It really set up the dance floor for all the dancing that ensued!”

Julie and Peter’s advice for couples about to walk down the aisle? Take a moment for yourselves. “While the day can pass quicker than roadrunner, find a moment with your newly wedded partner to step away from it all and really soak in the fruition of all your hard work in planning the day. Watch everyone enjoy themselves and just enjoy the moment.”

A huge congratulations to Julie and Peter on their marriage, and pulling off an absolutely amazing food truck festival wedding! Thank you for retelling your special day to us. Also thanks to Sayher Heffernan for sharing your stunning photography of this celebration.