Few wedding themes are more impactful on an Autumnal day than one full of jewel tones and sparkles. And for Simone and Dave, the dark and moody vibes, combined with an epic party well and truly hit the brief they had in mind for their day.

With It’s Beautiful Here behind the camera, the pair planned an incredible celebration at warehouse venue Two Ton Max. They filled the space with glittering sparkling streamers (a signature of Bangin Hangins of course) and embraced as many flowers as they could fit (hence, The Flowers Issue feature!). And they made their day theirs, well and truly. Settle in, this one’s a beauty.

It seems that Simone and Dave were always meant to be. The pair grew up in the same neighbourhood, crossing paths multiple times and even being introduced by a mutual friend. But it wasn’t until they connected on a dating app that they connected the dots. “We reconnected again through an online dating app and we had our first date at a local wine bar, the drinks were flowing and when we got to the 3rd bottle of wine, and the conversation of our childhood, I went to that primary school, I knew someone who worked there, then off went the light bulb. What is your surname?? We grew up together Dave played cricket with my brother, Simone’s dad and his coach they had weekly dinners together at the house where Dave’s mum still lives.  Our mums were on the school fundraising committee, our dads were on the school council.

Our families lost touch as Simone’s parents passed away and Dave’s dad also passed away. But what a reunion! Also turns out Simone who works in childcare looked after the best man’s children and Dave’s sister lived a block away from where Simone was living at the time. It was always meant to be.”

Dave originally planned to propose on a winery he had once visited on his way home from Mount Beauty. As is often the way with plans, it did not end up that way, he tells, “As we approached the winery I pulled into the driveway to find it closed. With the ring burning a hole in my pocket, I had to think of a plan B.

I knew I wanted to propose at a winery as we both have a love of wine. The next winery we went to just did not feel right to me, so it was onto plan C. As we pulled into what would be the last winery we were going to visit while in the King Valley, I asked Simone to come to join me towards the grape vines, I got on one knee and extremely quickly asked her to marry me. As soon as she noticed the ring, she stopped laughing, and to my delight, she said yes.”

The story kicks off with Simone and Dave’s wedding film captured by Lunar Red Films. “Everyone we hired fit so well with us and we just vibe making for a great night. Carlos from Lunar Red has a very special party song; I won’t share the secret you have to hire him to find out!”

Simone found her beautiful gown (The Tarryn/Camilla) at Karen Willis Holmes and customised it with sleeves. She shares “With the covid lockdowns and our date creeping closer I knew I had to pick an Australian designer. I had two appointments before I choose THE dress; the team wouldn’t let me choose a dress until they had the dress in the store, once I had it on I knew instantly it was what I was going to walk down the aisle in. The KWH team were all so wonderful to deal with all their communication was fantastic!” She added her mum’s earrings to complete her look.

Dave’s only request was that he got to wear a custom-tailored suit. He found his perfect match at YSG Tailors. Simone explains “Dave found YSG and had his first appointment with Ryan and he was able to make Dave’s dream suit with a special detail of Dave’s dad’s name (who passed away) embroidered on the jacket. Ryan and the team were absolutely amazing and it’s always a good time trying a new whiskey while choosing fabrics.”

The couple met for a first look and a toast with their wedding party at StrangeLoves Wine Bar. “Strangelove is where we had our first date it was very fitting for us, wine lovers. It gave us some time to spend with our immediate family and bridal party and relax into the day.”  Toasts a running theme throughout the day. “We loved sharing shots of tequila with Scout one of our photographers, and Carlos our videographer to kick off the day.”

Simone and Dave chose the one venue for their ceremony and reception, the modern warehouse space of Two Ton Max. “Two Ton Max was the only venue we looked at” explained Simone. “With lots and lots of online inquiries and Insta stalking we knew we wanted to be able to kick on to the wee hours and wanted a central location for our guests.

We knew we wanted a dark colour theme and a space where we could bring it to life, so the blank canvas of Two Ton Max was it.”

These two credits the success of their ceremony to one person. “Two words Damon Hughes, what a superstar. We wanted our ceremony to be light as we have such an emotional pass and he absolutely nailed it. He continued to MC the night and all our guests thought he was our friend.”

Simone walked down the aisle together with her brother Andrew to Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love”. “My brother Andrew walked me down not before tripping on the stairs!”

“We were walking back down the aisle and Simone had organised a surprise re-mix from Florence and the Machine “You’ve Got the Love” to “It’s the End of the World as I Know it”; it  was hilarious and Kat and Scout captured the moment.”

The two adored their photographer so much, that they booked them before they even got engaged! Simone explains “We knew the ring was coming soon and we knew Kat and Scout encapsulated everything we wanted in their portfolio, then we met them and we just clicked!”

Simone and Dave chose a simple beautiful cake from Ladybird Cakes, choosing vendors their favourite part of planning. “We loved being so inspired by all the incredible work by so many different vendors throughout Australia. Our advice to other couples is to go with the flow, don’t sweat the small stuff and hire professionals! We did not do anything ourselves. We didn’t want to be stressed about anything.”

We’re fawning all over the flowers in this wedding, the deep and moody blooms styled by Pomp and Splendour. “Flowers, Flowers, Flowers!” exclaims Simone. “Pomp & Splendour nailed the brief. They’re hands down the best in the biz.

They were clear standouts when researching, we knew the overseas honeymoon was off the cards (thanks Rona) so we spent extra on flowers to have exactly what we wanted, the brief was dark and moody with touches of blush and toffee, it’s not a funeral after all! We never met the lovely team, instead, we had two phone calls and I emailed a few inspiration photos, they understood the brief and absolutely nailed it!”

Simone and Dave made their dance floor debut as a married couple to “Love Someone” by Lukas Graham. “It came out when we started dating and we used to belt it out when driving so it was an easy choice.”

These two considered every element of their day perfectly, right down to the midnight snacks! “No one was leaving hungry or thirsty,” remarks Simone. “We had a whiskey for Dave and hot chips at the end of the night for me!”

Congratulations Simone and Dave! What a well overdue celebration you had and what magic to be able to share it. Thank you both for your stories and thank you to It’s Beautiful Here for sharing today’s stunning images.