Chic Winter Wedding at Maleny Manor

There’s an ease to Vanessa and Sam’s story that instantly draws you in. Maybe it’s the proposal that had us laughing out loud, or the way they approached their wedding day with such clarity around what truly mattered. Surrounded by their closest people at Maleny Manor and captured by Foy & Co., their chic winter wedding was a celebration that (despite the weather) felt warm and beautifully considered: such a lovely fit for our Mindful Issue!

How often do you think you’ve crossed paths with your future partner without ever realising it? For Vanessa and Sam, those paths first merged in school. “I lived in Brisbane for three years, and I was in the same class as his younger brother. Years passed: I moved to Canberra, met my best friend (Tee), and it was 2016 in Europe. I was vomiting in the middle of the mosh pit at Ultra Croatia, so Tee pulled me out to take me to the bathrooms. I saw Sam walking past, surrounded by girls nonetheless! I told Tee I thought I knew that guy, but she thought I was crazy, haha. Then I slid into his DMs. Months later, Tee and I were flying up to the Gold Coast during uni break, so I invited Sam to come hang out with us. The rest is history!”

When Sam got home from work, ready to get on the road for his and Vanessa’s anniversary trip up to Byron Bay, and found Vanessa not ready, his nerves were set on fire. See, there was an all-important question he wanted to ask, under the perfect conditions that he’d planned out perfectly. But the more Vanessa didn’t follow the timeline she didn’t know about the more nervous he got! “He was quite persistent in getting on the road (to be fair, there was so much traffic!). We were talking (more like venting) about our days during the drive, but I figured that once I let it out, I would then enter holiday mode. Sam, however, was cranky all the way!

We arrived at The Bower, and the staff were so lovely, but Sam was too antsy about just getting into our room, so we could go to the lighthouse for sunset (nothing out of the ordinary with us!). We finally got to our room, and he was all like, “Cool, let’s go,” but I wanted to get changed first, haha. Then he just opened the mini fridge and pulled out two random drinks for us to take, which we never really do! I just thought he was so on edge, but kept thinking that once we sat down and had a drink, he’d be fine,” she explained.

“We drove to the lighthouse and got a prime park in between the lighthouse and a viewing point. I got out of the car and walked to this viewing point, where I could see whales (never had seen them before!), to which Sam said: “Let’s go to the lighthouse”. I still felt he was cranky, so I said, “Okay,” and followed him. We got up there, I took photos/videos of the view, cracked open our drinks, just for him to say, “Alright, let’s go to the pub”. He was truly getting on my nerves at this point!

We walk back to the car, but before I get in, he suggests watching the whales at the viewing point – seriously!? He was standing at the tip of the viewing point. I filmed a video walking towards him, and as I reached him, I hadn’t realised that he was walking back. He then said, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you”, but I was so annoyed at him that I turned around and responded with “WHAT?” in a sassy tone, lol, just to find him on one knee HAHAHAHA if you knew us, you’d know that is us through and through! In hindsight, he was obviously nervous – not cranky!”

Wanting to stick to a more traditional, classic look, Sam picked out a black tuxedo from Peter Jackson with a bow tie for his wedding attire. Complete with custom cufflinks and shiny leather black shoes.

Vanessa wore this beautiful Soho by Essence of Australia halter gown from White Lily Couture. “It’s simple, modern, and elegant. It just felt right from the moment I put it on. It was actually the first dress I tried, and I kept coming back to it!” she shared.

Their chic wedding took place at just the one venue: Maleny Manor in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast Hinterland area. “It was perfect for us! We really wanted a place that felt like our own, felt like us, and minimised transport. We stayed on the property, then had the ceremony and reception there,” Vanessa explained.

“Maleny Manor is so beautiful, as there are so many places where you can get married! The staff were incredible and really looked after our guests. We wanted to prioritise a good time with our favourite people, and that’s exactly what we got.”

After a slight delay in the ceremony, Vanessa walked herself down the aisle to “You And Me” by Lifehouse.

Led by their celebrant, Georgia Rose Ceremonies, the ceremony was perfectly tailored to Vanessa and Sam. “We wanted our ceremony to feel true to us. We’re so in love, but we aren’t your picture-perfect couple. We’re real, we’re true, and we’re always on the same page. We wanted our guests to laugh at funny anecdotes and feel warm and fuzzy at the sweet things,” she explained.

“I also surprised Sam during the ceremony, when I asked the celebrant to make a special mention to his grandparents. I never met his Momma (grandmother), but I’ve heard so many amazing things about her. I was lucky enough to meet Grandad, who I see so much of in Sam. I also surprised him with the Fathead signs of Lexie, which came out as the party was getting started!”

Their florals, done by Mondo Floral Designs, were the exact mixture of simple, modern and chic that Vanessa had dreamed of. “I didn’t want to overcomplicate the florals, as truth be told, I wasn’t that big on it! I really wanted to put money towards the venue and alcohol. The team at Mondo Floral Designs did such a beautiful job! I literally showed them my dress and some inspo bouquets (that was their work), and they just knew what to do. It was simple but modern-chic with orchids.”

The top five things that stood out as favourites to Vanessa from their chic winter wedding were:

“1. We decided to surprise each other at the aisle, so I had no idea what Sam was wearing!

2. We were very selective with our guest list, meaning we truly had only our nearest and dearest there, making it that much more special to us.

3. The speeches from my brother, the Maid of Honour, and a groomsman were beyond my expectations.

4. The nerves we both felt moments before the ceremony were wiped away the second we locked eyes with each other. It felt like we were the only people there.

5. Sam’s face when he saw the pet fathead signs that I made of Lexie!!!”

There was simply no better photographer to capture Vanessa and Sam’s chic wedding than Andrew from Foy & Co.! “Foy & Co. was fantastic! He captured such beautiful photos and clearly directed us to get the right shots. But he was more than a photographer; Andrew was helping us unpack the car, move things around, spoke to the venue staff when I noticed something wasn’t placed in the right spot: you name it.”

Out of all their incredible vendors, four stood out to the couple for their amazing efforts:

“1. Foy & Co. (photographer): as above, he went above and beyond

2. Georgia Rose Ceremonies (celebrant): captured our love so beautifully, can’t imagine anyone else marrying us.

3. Maleny Manor (venue + catering): customer service was NEXT LEVEL, nobody was without a drink

4. Dave West Music (live musician + DJ): he heard my inspo playlists and ran with it perfectly, everyone was on the dance floor!”

Vanessa would like to leave couples planning their own weddings with this piece of advice: “Design a wedding that’s made for the two of you. Trends are great, and your loved ones mean well if/when they give you advice, but it’s so important to create a wedding that you not only want, but one that’s perfect for both of you!

Vanessa and Sam dipped their toes into the DIY decor world, creating their beautiful welcome sign, the drinks menu, and the wishing well signs, as well as the selfie mirror. And finally, the fathead signs of their blue English Staffy – Lexie!