Tanysha and Matt’s soft and romantic wedding at Gracelands, captured by Florent Vidal, and Dan Dimmock Wedding Films was the most perfect day. As Tanysha says, “We had our very close friend sing and play ‘It Feels Like Home’ on guitar as I walked down the aisle. I chose that song because, as I said in my vows, “home isn’t a place, it’s a person, and Matt, you are my home.” We are delighted to feature their wedding on Polka Dot You today!
We met how most couples in our generation meet these days – online! Matt and I are both rather introverted, so we were never going to meet “at the local bar.” I had been living in Sydney for about a year already when Matt relocated from Brisbane.
Within a week of him moving, we had matched online and were chatting via Bumble, text, and Facebook, all at once! After a few weeks, I asked him “are you ever going to actually ask me out?!” A beautiful Italian dinner in Newtown was the beginning of our love story, and we were inseparable virtually from that first date (1st May 2019).
The proposal was “a photoshoot turned proposal!”
Matt knew from quite early on that I had a few ‘requests’ when it came time for him to propose. I didn’t want anything too elaborate or public (ideally it would have been on a quiet beach or picnic in a park). I would have loved for him to ask for my Father’s blessing (he went one better and asked Dad and Mum!).
I added points in to see if he could manage to catch it on camera or film. Matt went above and beyond, with the proposal being more perfect than I ever could have imagined!
I had booked in a family shoot with Florent Vidal Photography. Our son was 10 months old, and I was eager to have some new prints to hang in our home. The shoot was all booked in and arranged for our favourite beach, Dixon Beach.
Little did I know that Matt had also been in contact with Florent and had a very big surprise planned.
The 2nd of December rolls around, it’s a beautiful sunny day and we head to the beach for our shoot. We captured some lovely family photos before Harrison got a little fussy, so we sat him in his Bumbo seat with some snacks when Florent suggested some “Mum and Dad photos.”
Matt and I climbed up some rocks and started to get some photos. I had my head resting on Matt’s chest and his heart was RACING! I kept asking if he was okay. I thought he might have been getting sick or something. After him repeatedly telling me that “he is fine,” he was no sooner down on one knee saying the most beautiful speech.
I instantly began to cry, and while I don’t think I ever actually said “yes,” I was very quick to hold out my hand to accept my stunning ring. I then remembered that we weren’t alone. I looked at Florent who was jumping with joy! We then ran down the rocks to show our precious boy that Mum and Dad were engaged!
The rest of the family shoot involved us celebrating with our boy, splashing in the water, and playing in the sand. The surprises didn’t stop there. Matt had planned a beautiful picnic for us to enjoy on the beach after our shoot, complete with a stunning bunch of flowers. It truly was one of the most magical days of my life and I appreciate all the effort Matt and Florent put in to make it as perfect as it was.
I walked into wedding dress shopping with a few non-negotiables. The dress had to have some sort of strap or sleeve, buttons down the back, and there had to be some lace. My dress was absolutely perfect! A ball gown style with a lace, fitted bodice, buttons down the back and a beautiful, flared train that sparkled in the sunshine.
And you cannot forget the veil. Whilst the wedding dress shopping experience wasn’t what I had hoped it would be due to a few very rude employees, I was very grateful to have found my dream wedding dress!
Matt wanted something timeless and classic, so a black suit was a no brainer. He wore an ivory tie to match my gown, white shirt and black suit jacket, pants, and shoes. He is extremely tall and slim, so we had to get the suit custom made, but it fit him like a glove, and he looked so handsome!!
I had 2 beautiful girls next to me – my sister as the maid of honour and Matt’s sister as bridesmaid. They wore ‘ink blue’ gowns and each chose a style that they were comfortable wearing and that suited their individual style. They did have components of lace which tied in lovely with my dress!
Matt had his three best mates next to him and they wore black suits and ink blue ties to match Matt and the bridesmaids. The entire wedding party looked incredible!
We always wanted a “different” wedding venue. Not just an “empty ballroom” with some chairs and fairy lights. It was important to us that we could have an outdoor ceremony (with a backup option available in the case of bad weather) and an intimate reception space with a dance floor.
Gracelands ticked every single box we had, and then ones we didn’t even know we wanted. It was the first and only venue we looked at. The moment we stepped inside, we knew it was the venue for us. We loved all the different “breakout zones.” Lots of areas, comfy couches, and little nooks for guests to relax in and enjoy. The entire room is filled with greenery, candles, and fairy lights.
Our vision was simple. Just a fun day full of incredible food, good music and plenty of fun for our guests.
The food is unlike any we’ve ever had, especially at a wedding. From our grazing boards to our “feasting dinner” to our “midnight sliders.” It was all incredible, and guests are still raving about it all these months later.
All staff are so fun, friendly, and worth their weight in gold. The owner Stef and our wedding coordinator Sam made the entire process simple and stress free, from responding to my emails within an hour or two of sending them to making sure every single detail of our day was perfect.
Matt and I always had our cold drink of choice waiting for us at our table. Gracelands is a remarkable wedding venue!
I stumbled across Rosy Posy Co when I was Googling wedding florists and I instantly fell in love. They were extremely well priced, their flare for styling was exactly what I was looking for and Kristen was a gem. So, so friendly, quick to respond to my endless emails and I loved that she took care of everything.
The bouquets, arbour arrangement, centrepieces, toss cups, all were put together and installed the morning of the wedding. I gave Kristen a rough colour scheme of what I wanted and gave her free reign to just let her work her magic and I’m so glad I did. All florals were more than I ever could have asked imagined!
It was very important to me that I had both my Dad and Mum walk me down the aisle. I still remember the moment I walked outside, hand in hand with both my parents, and locking eyes with Matt for the very first time. It was as though time stood still.
I couldn’t believe that that perfect man was about to be my HUSBAND! We had our very close friend sing and play “It Feels Like Home” on guitar as I walked down the aisle. I chose that song because, as I said in my vows, “home isn’t a place, it’s a person, and Matt, you are my home.”
It was important to both of us that we write our own vows. Each were perfect. The perfect combination of our love story, humour, promises and endless amounts of love.
The most special part of the entire ceremony though was the inclusion of our daughter, Isabelle. We lost her at 13 weeks pregnant a few months prior to the wedding. It was imperative that she be included in every aspect of the wedding, including our vows and a reading from our celebrant.
The weather forecast for the wedding day was 100% chance of rain, but the sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Our Isabelle did that for her Mum and Dad.
Styling was kept minimal. We had baby’s breath and greenery surrounding the room, letting our small details shine. Our vision was simple. Just a fun night full of incredible food, good music, and plenty of fun for our guests.
I wouldn’t say we did any “DIY” parts for our wedding. We relied heavily on our florist, venue, and stationery supplier. Everything did tie in very well together and matched well.
The most special part of the entire ceremony though was the inclusion of our daughter, Isabelle. We lost her at 13 weeks pregnant a few months prior to the wedding. It was imperative that she be included in every aspect of the wedding, from our vows and a reading from our celebrant. The weather forecast for the wedding day was 100% chance of rain, but the sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Our Isabelle did that for her Mum and Dad.
We decided to veer away from traditional bonbonnieres and use that opportunity to include our daughter again. In honour of our Isabelle, we donated to Bears Of Hope, and each guest received a card thanking them for being a part of our special day. Guests were very touched by this thought.
It’s cheesy, but I just loved knowing that at the end of all the planning and stress, we were going to have this beautiful day, filled with love, surrounded by our nearest and dearest, and I was finally going to be able to call the father of my children, and my very best friend, MY HUSBAND!
I loved connecting with all the incredible vendors, so much so that I’ve formed a very close friendship with my Gracelands wedding coordinator Sam and Angel from Florent Vidal Photography!
I can honestly say that there wasn’t too much I didn’t enjoy about the wedding planning process. Everybody joked after getting engaged that I’d be a “bridezilla” but I’m proud to report that that wasn’t the case!
I just focused on booking in what was important to us early on, and after our venue, photographer, videographer and musician were all booked, everything else just fell into place. The vendors do this every single day, and I just had to trust in their skills and expertise. For me, wedding gown shopping was a little upsetting and nothing at all like you see in the shows on TV. A few ‘not so nice’ sales assistants dampened the experience for me, but I ended up with an absolutely stunning gown that was absolutely everything I wanted.
A very special moment where we forgot that we had 90 sets of eyes on us. It felt like we were the only people in the world. The dance floor towards the end of the night was also another highlight for us. Having our dear friend play such incredible music that had every guest up dancing was just so much fun and the perfect ending to our perfect day.
I refused to book our wedding date at Gracelands until I knew that Florent was available.
Oh my goodness choosing our photographer was the easiest part of the entire wedding planning process! We had been lucky enough to have experienced the Florent Vidal magic twice already. Once during an extended family shoot (of 15 people) when we were heavily pregnant with our son Harrison, then again during our family shoot-turn proposal.
Florent was our “non-negotiable vendor.” I refused to book our wedding date at Gracelands until I knew that Florent was available. Florent is hilarious. A quality that is very important to Matt and I who are quite awkward and not overly comfortable being in front of the camera.
I loved when I had just gotten into my wedding gown, and we were getting shots before it was time to leave. Florent was laughing saying “show me some leg Tanysha. I’m French!!” Those black and white photos are some of my favourites from the entire morning, and I’ll never forget the belly laughs we all had while getting them.
Florent puts you at ease and all photos are incredibly natural and never posed or fake. He and our videographer, Dan made the entire day so much fun and we knew we were in excellent hands and didn’t have to worry about a single thing. Florent, Dan and Angel had it all under control and there was nobody else we would have had to shoot our wedding. We will cherish every single wedding photo for the rest of our days.
This is IMPOSSIBLE! Florent captured the essence of the day perfectly and literally every single wedding photo is perfect. We will cherish them forever. If we had to choose just one, both Matt and I would agree it would be the one when we are both under my veil.
Everything about it is magical. You can just see the happiness and love on our faces, with our happy place, the beach, in the background. Plus, we always have a little giggle remembering Florent and the videographer working together to make the shot possible. Lots of laughs were had during the process!
Our first dance song was “In Case you Didn’t Know” by Brett Young. We searched Spotify for hours and hours looking for our song and as soon as we heard this, we knew it was the song for us.
Matt isn’t the most expressive of people, often keeping his feelings inside, and the line, “Even though I don’t tell you all the time, you had my heart a long, long time ago” resonated with the both of us.
“And I would be lyin’ if I said that could live this life without you” is so true. We couldn’t survive without each other! Matt and I both have 2 left feet and are not dancers, but on the night it just didn’t even matter. We felt like the only 2 people in the world during those few minutes. Our first dance was made even more special having our very close friend perform it for us.
We were so lucky in that every single one of our vendors were AMAZING! We wouldn’t have changed one. One that did stand out, particularly for our guests, was Booth And Balloon Co. They are so much more than just a photobooth. We had our choice of backdrop, and not only could guests dress up in props and take photos, but there was also the option for GIF and Boomerangs! They were instantly text to the guests, and we also received every single photo, GIF and Boomerang after the wedding. The guests had hours of fun, particularly during what would have been ‘quiet’ parts of the wedding (the end of dinner when Matt and I were offsite getting photos) and it was amazing looking back at everyone having a fun time all night long! We would recommend Booth And Balloon Co to everyone. It was the perfect addition to our wedding.
Every aspect of our wedding was special in one way or another, but if we had to choose, we’d say:
- Writing our own wedding vows. It was beautiful to not only declare our love to our nearest and dearest, but to also hear from each other words we wouldn’t usually exchange. The promises we shared were so special and added a very personal touch to our wedding ceremony. They were the highlights of our wedding ceremony, for not only us but also our guests.
- Matt and I sneaking out of the reception for 30 minutes for photos. Towards the end of dinner when the guests were busy mingling and enjoying all the aspects of our reception, Matt and I left with our photographer and videographer to go to the outlook over the beach for photos. It was so lovely being able to take that time away for just us, away from all the craziness of the wedding, and just soak in the fact that we were finally married!
- Having our close friend play all the music for our ceremony and reception. We always knew we wanted live music for our wedding, and it was just so personal having our friend do that for us. Nick learnt all our special songs and played them beautifully, but also had a killer dance playlist that had all our guests up dancing the night away. People are still talking about how much fun the dancefloor was!
- Including our children in our special day. Our son Harrison was 1.5 years old and had so much fun getting ready in the morning with all the boys. Our guests loved watching him run around and see his cheeky personality shine. We included our angel daughter in our ceremony and reception. The bonbonnieres were a donation to Bears of Hope in honour of our baby, and our guests were incredibly touched by this little detail. It was imperative that our children be included in our special day.
- Having both my mother and father walk me down the aisle and ‘give me away’. I always knew that I wanted my Mum next to me because she deserved that honour.
Enjoy every single moment. Not just the actual wedding, but the entire wedding planning process and events in the lead up to the big day. The day goes by in the blink of an eye!
Don’t sweat the small things, because at the end of the day, guests won’t know if the napkins were the wrong colour, or a different champagne was served.
Invest in a good photographer, good food, good music, and stay true to what’s important to YOU. It is YOUR wedding.
Some sound advice there from Tanysha and Matt. A huge thank you for featuring your beautiful and romantic wedding celebration with us on Polka Dot You!
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