South Australia this is your time to sparkle and shine, and for high school sweethearts Tash & Matt, it really showed off when they finally tied the knot in February this year. And by finally, we meant these two tried to get down the aisle twice before. Their original plan of a New York elopement in October 2020 was a bust, their second date falling right in a snap South Australian lockdown. But the special February day? That made it all worth it. “We loved being surrounded by all our friends and family. As we were planning to elope, this wouldn’t have had been possible if we did elope. It was even more amazing that it finally got to happen.”

Valentina Perez Imaging joined the merry band at a beautiful winery in the Barossa Valley for a day filled with good food (the couple’s three favourite dishes on the menu) flower-adorned dogs, beautiful blooms and plenty of sunshine. Just how it should be.

Tash and Matt fell in love when they were fifteen, after a decade together Matt popped the question on a seaside holiday. Tash remembering “Matt proposed in the Gold Coast while we were on holiday. He organised a picnic with all of my favourite food. I knew something was happening because he dressed nicely and popped open a bottle of Moet before he popped the question.”

For the wedding day, the groom chose a deep navy suit. Says Tash “Matt wore a deep blue paisley jacket with black pants and a black bow tie. He changed into a vest for the reception.”

Tash has all the praise to give for the styling duo of makeup artist Annie Dinh and hairstylist Laura Ciccone. “Annie – AHMAZING! Her assistant and she nailed the soft glam, boho look that I was after. Laura – also AHMAZING! I showed her a photo and she hit the brief and made it look 10x better.”

Tash chose a beautiful lace Martina Liana gown.  “It was a relaxed A-line silhouette that featured layers of sequins and beaded tulle. Beaded shoestring straps extended from the V-neckline into the wide-open back with a sheer bodice. It was the second dress I tried on. After that, no other dress compared.” She finished her look with her grandmother’s veil- a piece her mother also wore on her wedding day.

Tash and Matt were married at Gomersal Wines. “Gomersal Wines is a romantic rustic winery that fit the atmosphere of our wedding perfectly. We were married outside, under the stunning wine covered arbour. It was just magical.
The venue is absolutely beautiful. The service is superb, Gabby was fantastic! She went above and beyond for us. She did everything and more to make our day as perfect as it was.”

Romantic floral arrangements were styled by Village Flowers & Gifts. Says Tash “We chose flowers that went were soft and romantic. For my bouquet, I had a large romantic collection of pinks and white flowers with greenery. The girls had smaller versions of mine. The tables were decorated with large garlands that had gypsophila and pink and white flowers.”

Tash walked down the aisle with her father to Ed Sheeran’s “Tenerife Sea” performed live by Petar Cirovic. “We had him for the ceremony and the canapés. His angelic voice was exactly what I wanted to walk down the aisle to. He didn’t have the songs I wanted him to play in his list of song suggestions but he was more than happy to learn 4 new songs for us.”

Tash gives this advice. “Stress usually comes with planning a wedding. But just try to keep in mind what’s important: marrying the person you love. Most of the other stuff couples get caught up in doesn’t matter. No one is going to remember if you have four appetisers or five, or if your uncle gets too drunk on the dance floor. At the end of the day, you get to start the rest of your life with your best friend – everything else is just details.”

“The ceremony was short but sweet” notes Tash. “We were originally planning to elope in New York so our celebrant had the guests picture that they were there. It was perfect.”

Says Tash “My favourite photo is the one that was taken when we had our first official kiss as husband and wife. The setting is beautiful and it was such a perfect picture that captured how amazing I felt. Spending the most magical day being surrounded by all our loved ones. My mouth hurt from smiling all day.”

“I don’t even know where to begin. This amazing woman is one of the most talented people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet” raves Tash about the couple’s chosen photographer. “Not only is she so incredibly talented behind the lenses but she is also such a wonderful and kind soul. She made us feel so comfortable and made our day so much fun! She was a dream to work with. We are absolutely obsessed with the moments that were captured.”

Tash and her mum handmade much of the decor elements themselves, the bride remembering “I loved our styling. It set the mood of the whole wedding and fit perfectly with my vision of a romantic/rustic theme.

My mum did a lot of DIYing. She made a lot of the decorations including the tablecloths, napkins, candles and chair decorations. I loved spending time with my mum. We spent so much time planning, organising and making things for the wedding together. We weren’t sure what we were going to do together after it was over!”

The food remains one of the standout memories for Tash. “We began with grazing boxes, moved over to pizza and finished with cake. Our three favourite things to eat!”

Echoing the song the bride walked down the aisle to, the couple made their dance floor debut to Ed Sheeran’s “Tenerife Sea”. “We had weekly dance lessons to prepare us as we are both very uncoordinated. It turned out so well!” laughs Tash.

A big congratulations to the newlyweds! Thank you for sharing your beautiful story with us. Thank you also to Valentina Perez Imaging for sharing today’s celebration!