With the warm spring air caressing their skin, Linda and Nick tied the knot surrounded by their closest friends and family. With just one look at this couple, it’s clear that they complete each other like perfectly snug puzzle pieces – the final piece to their picture is their beautiful daughter, Heidi. The day was backdropped by the romantic rolling hills of the Yarra Valley, with plenty of open space and fresh country air. To compliment their elegant style, Kat and Scout from Its Beautiful Here Photography joined the couple and captured every beautiful moment.

Like many modern couples, Linda and Nick met after they swiped right on Tinder! “I was hanging out alone in my Fitzroy share-house when Nick messaged me to say he was in the area and wanted to meet up. Intuitively, I felt like I should give it a shot, so I gave him my address and told him to bring wine as a first-date offering. When he arrived, I opened the gate to find him standing at the front door of the house across the street. Despite his terrible sense of direction, he looked so handsome, standing there alone in the winter cold with a dark jacket and beanie. I was pretty smitten,” she shared. “We talked for ages, and at the end of the night, he told me he was locked out of his house and asked to stay over. I thought it was an obvious attempt to make a move and promptly kicked him out. Turns out it was 100% true. He had given his key to a mate who was visiting from interstate, but this friend had gone home with another girl, leaving Nick stranded!”

For their proposal, Nick whisked Linda away to Longford for a beautiful weekend at a farm. They were welcomed to their stay with a huge cheese and chocolate hamper. They spent the afternoon sipping bubbles on the patio and watching the animals graze around. “As the sun was setting, he asked to go for a walk around the estate, and there on the patio, he got down on one knee and popped the question. It was such a beautiful and scenic moment. Later that night, we called our parents to share the news, but they never picked up because, as we found out later, they were both coincidently at the movies watching the Top Gun sequel.”

On her hunt for her dream wedding gown, Linda tried on every style she could find in Australia. The longer she looked, the more her style evolved, making it harder for her to commit to any one dress. Just as she was running out of time and patience, she came across a photo of the Quinn dress from Kyha Studios. “I was immediately taken by it. I knew it had been discontinued for years, so I tried my best to let it go and focus on current trends. A few weeks later, it popped up on Kyha’s website as a brand-new discontinued line for a fraction of the original price. I snapped it up immediately and prayed that it fit!”

She paired her gown with a Dove Grey Bridal veil and some freshwater pearl earrings from Lola Knight.

Instead of having an official wedding party, Nick and Linda asked their friends to be part of their UNofficial wedding party. “We wanted to spend the morning of the wedding with our closest friends but didn’t want them to conform to a particular style of dress. We wanted everyone to feel comfortable and wear what made them feel glamorous. My unofficial MOH even wore her non-traditional wedding dress! Nick and the boys got ready in a cottage in Healesville while the girls and I got our hair and makeup done at home. We skipped out on any tedious wedding party traditions and just focused on having fun.”

For his wedding attire, Nick wore a black velvet suit jacket from Politix with a crisp white shirt and a dapper bowtie. “He wanted to have the general elegance of black tie but with more of a relaxed vibe. The look was a big hit and transitioned perfectly from the ceremony to the dance floor.”

Their wedding venue was Riverstone Estate in the romantic rolling hills of the Yarra Valley. The instant Nick and Linda laid eyes upon the views, they knew that Riverstone was THE venue. “The rolling hills reminded me of the weekends I spent at festivals in regional Victoria, and the homestead & function space was the perfect size for our guests – intimate yet spacious. Riverstone is traditionally a rustic venue, but we wanted to create a modern feel through our choice of seating, florals and decor. The staff were very down to Earth and accommodating, which made the planning process easy.”

One of Linda’s favourite elements of the wedding was the florals lovingly crafted by Sassafras Weddings. “I love flowers and spend hours perusing Pinterest and bridal magazines looking for the perfect colour palette. I wanted something sophisticated but vibrant with a modern twist, and the end result was beyond what I could have hoped for. The bouquet and ceremony plinths were adorned with roses, anthuriums, and peonies in a combo of baby pink, peach, nude, coral and a hint of citrus,” she explained. “I have to give a shoutout to Jess from Sassafras Weddings, who patiently listened to my list of demands and followed through with the most amazing installations. I was so stressed on the day, making sure everything ran on time, and I remember walking through the bridal suite door and seeing my bouquet waiting for me on the table. I can’t explain it, but in that moment, all the anxiety just melted away and I knew everything was going to be amazing. I guess the perfect bunch of flowers has that effect on people!”

Linda wanted to include both her parents in the ceremony, so she asked her mum to walk the flower girl, Linda and Nick’s daughter Heidi, down the aisle. It was Linda’s turn once Heidi had made it to the end of the aisle. She walked with her dad as their ceremony cellist played Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful”.

For Nick, the most memorable part of the day was at the beginning of the ceremony. “The first glimpse of Heidi walking down the aisle made me almost cry with emotion as I saw how shy and happy she was. In my head, I thought this was the appetiser, and I needed to hold it together as Linda was soon to walk down the aisle,” he explained. “Seeing Linda walking down the aisle was a different emotion; she looked stunning and happy, which put me at ease and gave me an overwhelming feeling that we had finally made it. This felt so right; this was a stunning day to remember.”

One of Linda’s favourite moments of the day was having Heidi at the ceremony. “In terms of tiny details, my personal favourite was my Mum coaxing Heidi into throwing rose petals from her basket as she walked down the aisle, and Heidi refusing to do so due to stage fright. Once we got to the end of the aisle and sat down, she tipped the whole basket upside down, and petals went everywhere!”

Linda and Nick wanted their ceremony to be warm, genuine and elegant with a punchy delivery. And that’s exactly what their celebrant Sheridan from Weddings by Sheridan created. “Her bio promised ‘no boring bits,’ and she definitely delivered. The ceremony was personal, entertaining and heartfelt but not overly drawn out or comedic.”

The top five things that made their wedding so special included:

“1. The view from the lawns of Riverstone Estate. When we started wedding planning, Nick and I both agreed that having an outdoor wedding with a view was a top priority. We are both outdoorsy people, and there was a special place in my heart for the days I spent at music festivals looking out at the mountains and sky. The venue really captured the vibe we wanted in a beautiful, humble way.

2. The cars. We were lucky enough to incorporate a bit of retro and vintage vibes by hiring an award-winning Kombi named Minty and a pink caddy named Gladys. Nick and I have both owned classic cars in the past, and I just couldn’t resist. It made the ride to the Yarra Valley so special.

3. Heidi. Our now three-year-old daughter Heidi was the flower girl, and she stole the show. Nick teared up a bit seeing her walk down the aisle with my Mum, wearing a flower crown and holding a little basket of rose petals. During the ceremony, she kept going up to Nick and trying to pull him away to play! It was just adorable and such a crowd favourite! During the reception, she got to run around chasing bubbles on the lawn.

4. Having all our friends and family in one place was just magic! Nick and I both have parents and siblings who live interstate, so it was amazing to have everyone come together.

5. Nick’s Vows. We were all so blown away at how heartfelt they were – he actually put mine to shame!”

Kat and Scout from Its Beautiful Here Photography perfectly captured the romantic elegance of Linda and Nick’s wedding. “Kat was actually my photography lecturer back in the day. As a student, I was really taken with her candid, effortless style. She and Scout are also just exceptional human beings. They were never invasive and encouraged us just to be ourselves. It made it so easy to have fun and let loose.”

This incredible cake, made by Ladybird Cakes, perfectly complemented Linda and Nick’s romantic, elegant wedding styling. 

Because Linda had gotten so lucky with her Kyha gown, she was able to buy a reception dress from Alca Line Bride. “I can’t even begin to express how much I loved having a second dress! I have an unwavering obsession with disk sequins and loved the bold and playful vibes it gave me. We had this incredible night shoot among the roses, which our photographers and videographer captured brilliantly.”

Although Linda didn’t have a formal speech written, she still wanted to make sure she gave a shoutout to the unofficial wedding party and their support in the lead-up to the day. “They were so committed and patient and did everything from coming to dress appointments with me to talking me off the ledge when everything became a bit much. Unfortunately, one of my girls couldn’t make it on the day, as her son came down with a raging case of hand, foot and mouth! I missed her profusely, and I made sure I skyped her during the night. It was the only time during the whole wedding that I cried!”

Scrapping the first dance, Linda and Nick decided they would rather lead everyone onto the dance floor and get the party started! “We had the most incredible set-up by Heartbreak Hotel. We had cultivated a playlist of our favourites, and Ian (our DJ) filled in the rest!”

In the lead-up to the big day, they were a bit nervous about the unpredictable weather – even though it was a beautiful sunny afternoon on the day. “There had been storm warnings throughout the week, and we weren’t sure if the rain would hold off! It was approaching the end of the night, our DJ gave us an encore and then finished up. Literally, the moment the music shut off, we were hit with a brief downpour of rain! It was like the universe knew how much I wanted an outdoor wedding and held it back just for us!”

Join us to congratulate Linda and Nick on their romantic and elegant wedding! And a huge thanks to It’s Beautiful Here Photography for capturing and sharing this story with us.