There is no doubt about it, but a winery in autumn holds a special kind of beauty. For Olivia and Tim, the beauty was beautifully enhanced by their commitment and dedication to create a day that was full of “warm lights and a very relaxed, happy and loving atmosphere” in Olivia’s words. “Our wedding was special to us because it was so personal to us, we had all of our favourite people in the whole world there, there was so much love in the room and everyone had such a fun time

And their venue of choice? The ever-beautiful Yarra Valley stunner of Zonzo Estate. And with its flame-coloured trees, it turned out, it was the perfect place to celebrate not just the season, but Olivia & Tim’s love story. Time to settle in and enjoy their story as captured by Liz Barnes.

Olivia and Tim first met way back in 2014 at a mutual friend’s birthday party. Tim soon proposed in a carefully hatched plan tells Olivia,  “Tim planned the proposal so both of our families were in on it for about 6 weeks. He organised for us to go to a winery in Red Hill for a picnic where he proposed, it was an elaborate plan to get me there without being too suss that he had organised something! We then met our families for celebration drinks.”

Olivia and Tim’s wedding story begin with their beautiful film captured by the Film My Wedding team.

Tim’s suit was from MJ Bale. Explains Olivia “He loved the idea of something other than black or navy and the colour suited all of his groomsmen too”

Olivia’s gown? Not only elegant but two looks in one! A beautiful Eva Lendel gown she found at The Bridal Curator. “I loved the idea of having one dress with different styles that I could change throughout the night. My dress was ivory which had an overskirt for the ceremony and a dress with a big bow for the reception. The designer (Eva Lendel) who is from Ukraine was still making dresses in the middle of a war, which was quite amazing.

I followed them on Instagram and they were also making clothes for displaced Ukrainians and the army. I absolutely loved my dress, it was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was absolutely covered in red wine at the end of the night but I think that is a sign of a good night!”

Yarra valley winery venue Zonzo Estate was perfect for these two. “I always knew I would get married at a winery and Zonzo was my absolute dream” explains Olivia. “I loved the Italian theme of the winery and how stunning the scenery is. It was a perfect Autumn day with the amazing colours of the trees.

It is really hard to say one thing we loved the most as everything turned out so perfectly. It would have to be the overall venue with its beautiful space, scenery and service. Make the most of all the planning and enjoy it! It will be the best day of your life!”

Blending autumnal hues and dusky pinks, Sassafras Flower Design created lush floral arrangements that had a touch of modern style. Says Olivia “I told Jessica the colour scheme which was Autumnal colours and she ran with it. I was absolutely obsessed with the florals, they made the day so beautiful”

Olivia walked down the aisle with both of her parents to “Angels” by The XX. Tim noted, “The thing I remember most was when Liv appeared at the aisle and just being so excited to marry her in front of all of our favourite people.”

The couple chose Shannon Jeans Celebrant to conduct their ceremony, sharing  “The ceremony was very relaxed (thanks to our amazing celebrant). I couldn’t stop smiling the whole ceremony, it was very us and everyone loved how Shannon spoke about us like she’s known us forever. It was something I will never forget and was so special.”

The work of Olivia and  Tim’s photographer Liz Barnes was, as we’re sure you will agree, beautiful. The couple agree! “Liz was recommended to us by a friend of mine. Liz was so professional and took control of the whole day. We felt so comfortable with her so we could be ourselves, we never felt awkward. I am absolutely obsessed with her photos and I feel like she captured our day so perfectly”

Zonzo’s famous Italian-style feast was a definite highlight noted Olivia. “The most important thing for us was that all our friends and family were well fed and had plenty of drinks.”

The first dance? Well and truly a highlight of the night says Olivia. “We choreographed our dance with countless nights of rehearsing. We danced to “Loving is Easy” by Rex Orange County. Tim and I both have left feet so we were very happy with the result.”

The biggest congratulations to you both Olivia and Tim! Thank you for telling us the stories of your day and thank you to Liz Barnes for sharing this one with us!