Sarah & Tim

With so many details to love, this Ginninderry Homestead vintage garden wedding will sweep you off your feet! We love it when a bride and groom make the day their own, and with a sparkling gown, a Super Mario themed cake, handfuls of gorgeous DIY touches and all set on a gorgeous estate, we know you’ll love it too. The day was captured by The Beautiful Collective.

Meeting through Tim’s twin sister, the couple were friends a long time before becoming a couple in Year 12. Sarah shares, ”I proposed to Tim on leap year in 2016 at home after having dinner at one of our favourite restaurants. I proposed with a pair of cufflinks and inside the box I had a picture of Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek the Next Generation (one of our favourite shows), and a caption that said “Will you be my number one?” I basically asked him in the nerdiest way possible to be my co-captain/second in-command. He said yes, but was initially shocked/surprised/confused by what I was asking. I thought his response was very funny!”

Falling head over heels for her sequin skirt, Sarah shares of how she found it. She tells, ”I didn’t want a bridal dress as the prospect of going to a shop was too overwhelming. Instead, a friend sent me a link to the LOLA sequin skirt on the Rockstars and Royalty website. I loved it and ordered it as soon as I saw it. I ended up ordering the champagne pink LOLA and I wore it with a matching fascinator and a plain satin white camisole. Vicky was stunning and I couldn’t recommend her more. She takes great pride in her work as she ensured that my skirt fitted precisely both in the length and waist over several fittings (it was very comfortable to wear on the day) and she used excellent quality materials. Vicky also added something a little special when she turned the hem into a mini cathedral train. I couldn’t have been more happy and can’t wait to wear my skirt to another occasion.” The bride also loved working with Kathryn Molloy Makeup, saying, ”Kathryn was fantastic – she was very reliable and did a top-notch job. She did a great job of putting my makeup-anxious relatives at ease.”

Having both the ceremony and the reception at Ginninderry Homestead worked beautifully for the couple, with Sarah telling, ”We had the ceremony at the front of the Homestead. It was fabulous and suited our garden party theme very well. The gardens there are very beautiful and well maintained, making a great backdrop for photos. Then, the reception was at the hall up the hill from the Homestead. I really enjoyed the reception hall. It was not too large which was good, given we had approximately 50 guests total. I also appreciated that we were able to decorate the hall as we desired. The staff were fantastic, and not once did I stress about things not being done. Our wedding facilitator, Pam, really took care of everything and was a great help in the lead up to the wedding. It was a breeze and would happily recommend the venue to anyone else.”

The couple chose not to walk down the aisle, instead meeting guests as they arrived. Sarah shares, ”Tim and I got ready together and our celebrant announced the commencement of the ceremony. The ceremony was very quick and fairly straight-forward. We wanted it to be casual but with some personal touches too. For example, we read our own vows that we prepared together and two of our friends read ‘A Lovely Love Story’ by Edward Monkton (a children’s book about two dinosaurs getting to know each other and growing old together). During the ceremony, I got so nervous that during the exchange of rings, I put Tim’s ring on the wrong hand! It was a good laugh, not only because I did it wrong but Tim didn’t seem to realise either and our celebrant and guests had to point it out for us.”

Matching his shirt as closely to Sarah’s skirt as possible, Tim wore a navy blue suit in Italian fabric with no tie, a brown leather belt and brown leather shoes. The bride shares, ”The suit and shirt were made to order by Institchu. Tim chose them as he wanted to wear something that properly fitted his build, wasn’t too formal and that he could wear again. Tim said he really enjoyed his experience as he was able to select the colour, the fabric (from a range of swatches) and even smaller details such as monogramming the inside of the suit jacket. The staff also took time to do proper measuring and a follow-up fitting to make sure everything was to specification. The result was great, and Tim was very happy with it.”

Sarah made her brooch bouquet, and the reception flowers (baby’s breath and pink carnations) were purchased at a florist and arranged by her mum, Julie. Choosing some favourite folk to work with, the bride tells of, ”Pam, our events organiser, from Ginninderry Homestead. She helped to make the event so easy to manage and organise and on the day, she did all the hard work for us. We didn’t have to worry about anything which was fantastic.” Sarah also loved Julian from Elegant Slice and Hayley and Darren from The Beautiful Collective.

With a handmade bouquet, other DIY details were lovingly crafted. Sarah shares ”The table decorations were paper tassels and painted vases with super Mario or Princess Peach silhouettes. We had a Super Mario themed wedding cake – it was definitely at the top of our wishlist for our wedding. We also had a balloon arch and pom-poms, giant jenga and a live acoustic guitarist for the ceremony.” The couple had their first dance to ‘You’re My Best Friend’ by Queen, with Sarah sharing, ”We did a fun little waltz which we self-taught ourselves. It was really fun and silly as neither of us are dancers.”

Thank you to our lovely bride and groom for sharing your wedding, and congratulations! Thank you also to The Beautiful Collective for sharing your beautiful photographs!