There is something about weddings in Tasmania that always win us over. And for the wedding of Christalet and Nicholas, we’re almost not sure where to start. The beautiful winery setting is to die for, the photographs by Cassie Sullivan Weddings capturing every blissful moment of joy, the bride’s beautiful custom made gown, the moody floral details, the joy-filled expressions so beautifully evident everywhere you look.
This is a wedding you’re going to adore, just as much we are, sharing it! And it all began with a BBQ, Christalet and Nicholas were both invited to a friend’s house for a casual get together. “We were the only single people at the BBQ… We are sure it was a setup” laughs the bride.
No regrets though, because that BBQ led to a love story, and eventually, a proposal (and a cheeky decoy away from tacos to a picnic). Christalet explaining “We had a date night scheduled on a Thursday evening and I thought we were going for Tacos and Tequila around the corner from our home.
Instead, Nicholas packed a blanket and a nice bottle of wine for a picnic under the Sydney Harbour Bridge overlooking the Sydney Opera House. Nicholas had the local pizza shop deliver us a pizza and in the box, he wrote “Will you marry me” in a heart…” and the resulting celebration? A destination wedding, in beautiful Tasmania! Settle in for the story.
Nicholas donned a navy blue Brent Wilson. Chrisalet remembering “He got a recommendation from a friend and loved the idea of choosing the colours for his suit. The suit was always going to be blue as blue is his favourite colour.”
Christalet worked with designer Jennifer Go to create her bespoke long sleeve, lace wedding gown. “I went to multiple shops and could not find a dress I loved. Jenni at The Wedding Boutique was able to create my dream dress from pictures. She helped me choose the right materials for my dress and overall choosing Jenni to custom make the dress was one of the best experiences of planning the wedding.”
Christalet walked down the aisle with both her brother and her mother to “You Are the Reason” by Callum Scott.
The couple chose Hobart winery Frogmore Creek Winery for both their ceremony and reception, The bride telling “The venue for the day was one of the hardest decisions of planning our wedding. I am originally from South Africa and Nicholas was born and raised in Sydney so we wanted somewhere special to celebrate our wedding. We both love wine so we knew we wanted a winery and to say we both fell in love with Tasmania from the start is an understatement. We viewed Frogmore Creek Winery more than a year before the wedding and as we walked in we knew it was the venue for us.
There are no words to describe the team from Frogmore Creek Winery. They made sure every guest was looked after individually with different dietary requirements, no one had an empty glass or not enough food. We had so many compliments from guests afterwards say how professional the team at Frogmore was and how exceptional the services, food, and wine were. We will recommend all our vendors to anyone.”
Christalet and Nicholas chose Cinta Celebrate Love – Merren Wilkinson to bring their vision for an easy ceremony to life. “Short and sweet was the plan. It was focused on us as a couple and also including Nicholas’ grandparents who blessed our rings during the ceremony. It was such a special moment to have them be a part of our ceremony. Merren Wilkinson is the best celebrant and she had everyone in tears with the heartfelt ceremony.”
Being from South Africa herself, Christalet was thankful that her two bridesmaids (her two best friends from high school) were able to travel from South Africa to share in the day.
“This is your day! Make it about the two of YOU, make decisions based on what the two of you want, and have lots of patience with everyone else who does not agree with your choices. Stick to your choices and you will not regret the day.”
“Cassie Sullivan is AMAZING!” raves the bride. “We just love her work and she made taking the hundreds of smiling photos easy. Cassie captured every special moment and we did not even notice her taking them. Cassie has such a calm nature and she just knows how to bring the best out of the couple she is photographing. We will cherish Cassie’s photos forever.”
There as one special handmade touch Christalet is thankful for. Not able to find the perfect blue napkin herself, her mother (and her mother’s friends!) hand sewed all the deep blue napkins for the reception.
The richly hued blooms for the day were styled by Lisa Kingston Flowers. The bride noting “Lisa Kingston is an exceptional florist. I sent her the wedding colour combination and some pictures from her Instagram account of what I liked and the rest was done by Lisa. My only request was to have a succulent in my bouquets and Lisa delivered. I love our flowers and have some pieces of my bouquet dried and included the dried flowers in our wedding photo display at home.”
The five things these two remember most about their day? “Good Food. Good Wine. Our favourite people as company. Good music & incredible service.”
Nicholas’ favourite part of the day was being surrounded by the couple’s favourite people “The day was full of beautiful moments” he remembers. “But I would say the memories made with my wife and amazing family and friends in a stunning setting. I had waited for this moment for a lifetime. I only wish I could have slowed it down and just enjoyed the ride for a much longer time.” Christalet adding “Our favourite detail was how willing our friends and family were willing to travel from all over the world to join our wedding day. We had people from Sydney, Queensland, South Africa, the UK, Dubai, Northern Ireland and Germany.”
Like much of this wedding day, the first dance was utterly romantic and utterly heartfelt. The bride explaining “Tony Mak our guitarist learned “Nothing Else” by Angus and Julia Stone to play for our first dance. It’s a song that makes us think of each other and just loved it. So why not! ” And that? Just the beginning! “Tony Mak the musician kept everyone on the dance floor and we could not have chosen a better musician.”
A big congratulations to you both Christalet and Nicholas! Thank you for sharing the stories of your wedding with us. Thank you also goes to Cassie Sullivan Weddings for sharing today’s beautiful wedding day with us.
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