Real Wedding; Tanya and Stephen @ Worrowing
About You Two;
Now, How did you two meet?
On a night out at Terrigal Beer Garden in 2017. We went on a date a week after meeting each other and we have been inseparable ever since.
Who popped the question and how did it happen?
Stephen popped the question a few days after Christmas in 2020 while we were on a walk at the Botanic Gardens in the city. He completely caught me off guard. It was simple and not over the top, which is exactly how I wanted it.
Why did you choose your venue and how was the venue choosing process?
We chose Worrowing because it ticked all our boxes. It was the first and only venue we looked at. I spent a few months researching some South Coast venues but nothing was really jumping out at me. I stumbled across Worrowing one afternoon and felt an instant connection just via their instagram. We drove down from Sydney a few weeks later to view the property and we locked in a date basically straight away.
Quick Fire Questions;
How many wedding guests did you have?
126
Sit down of Cocktail Style?
Cocktail style with woodfire pizzas
What month?
September 2022
Planning The Wedding;
Was planning the wedding stressful or did you enjoy the journey?
There were parts of the planning process that were stressful, but overall it was relatively easy. I made sure to lock in the vendors pretty early on, as I knew that would be the hardest part. After that I just chipped away at all the little things and tried not to overthink everything. (Pinterest and Instagram can be your best and worst friend). I often felt overwhelmed when I would open social media and my whole algorithm was wedding related. I had to keep reminding myself that my wedding doesn’t need to look as extravagant as what you see online, and that I need to trust myself and the vendors we picked.
How involved were you both in the wedding planning, did one of you take more of the lead on certain aspects then others or were you both equally involved?
I definitely took the lead in the planning process (this was by choice), and mainly because I am a bit of a control freak and was working from home for the majority of the planning process so I had more time on my hands. Stephen helped with the bigger decisions i.e. vendor picking, organising the alcohol etc, but the finer details and communication with the vendors was my domain. I would still get his opinion on most decisions, but as he always said “you’ve got this covered”.
What was the top couple of non-negotiables or important must-have’s at the wedding for you both?
Plenty of food, good music and good alcohol choices. We wanted it to be a party more than anything, so things like flowers and decor were not a high priority for us (we still wanted it to look nice so we did put effort into this, but it wasn’t our biggest concern).
Tell us about your dress and that dress-finding process?
I chose a dress from Grace Loves Lace, mainly because I like that they make the dress to fit your exact measurements. Similar to the venue picking process, I picked the first dress I tried on. I knew the style that I wanted and this one was it. I had researched dresses online for months but didn’t find any that I liked, until GLL released a new collection with “Bella” being one of the dresses. I knew straight away that I wanted to try that dress on.
What sort of theme, vibe or style did you go for?
We both wanted a rustic, earthy and laid back vibe, and that’s exactly what Worrowing provided. We wanted a venue that had its own natural beauty and we didn’t want to take away from that. Our florals were greens, white’s and earthy tones. The bridesmaids dresses were different shades of sage green, and the boys jackets were a grey linen colour. All three components looked absolutely stunning with the venue’s natural backdrop.
In terms of the vibe, we didn’t want our guests to feel restricted and that’s why we opted for unassigned seating. We still had plenty of seating for guests, but it gave them the option to sit wherever and with whoever they wanted. We were stoked with our decision to have Wandering Woodfire as the caterers. At first I was worried people wouldn’t eat much if they had to go up to the table and serve themselves, but we heard nothing but positive feedback from guests.
On the Day;
How did you both feel wedding morning?
I’d say Stephen was more relaxed than me. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be, but I was definitely feeling the nerves. The weather forecast played a big part in that (thank you La Niña). Once I was ready with hair and makeup done I just wanted to get to the ceremony and start the party lol.
What was the best part or moment of your day?
Surprisingly the ceremony was our favourite part. That’s the part I was dreading the most because I hate attention on me, but we both absolutely loved it. Having Stephen’s mum as our celebrant gave it an even better personal touch.
Anything you would change about your wedding or anything that didn’t go to plan?
I would have paid less attention to the weather forecast leading in, because it kept changing even the morning of. We ended up having rain and going to our backup plan, but it was still absolutely beautiful.
I would have made more of an effort to actually spend time with Steve during the night (which I know sounds bizarre), but you don’t realise how distracted you get talking to all your guests. You wake up the next day and think “did we even see each other all night?”.
Are there any rituals, sentiments or traditions you incorporated into the day?
Not necessarily. There were a few non-traditional things we did e.g. donut wall instead of a cake, champagne tower instead of a cake cutting, and no seating plan.
We also wanted to do something different to acknowledge Steve’s late father, so I got a sign made to put in front of the Caravan Bar which said “Butch’s Bar”. This was a hit with his family.
After the Wedding;
Describe newlywed life in a couple of words?
As most newlywed’s say, not much has changed! But in all honesty, it does feel nice to be able to say we’re married. I have a sense of relief now that it’s over, but I also wish we could go back and do it all again.
Best investment or money well spent on the wedding that you made?
Booking WEC for on the day coordination and styling was BY FAR the best money we spent. It took so much pressure off us, not just on the day but the months leading in as well.
And I’m so happy I chose Alana Taylor as our photographer, she was an absolute dream to work with and made us feel so comfortable. Our photos are amazing as well.
Budget-over, under or what you estimated?
Budget was over what we initially estimated by about $15k.
Credits:
Coordination/Styling/Hire; The Wedding and Event Creators
Celebrant; Alison Newell
Venue; Worrowing Estate
Florist; Leah Mitchell
Photographer; Alana Taylor Photography
Catering; Wandering Woodfired Pizza
Bar Staff; Henry Clive Caravan Bar
Entertainment; Duan and Only
Makeup; Taylah Jane Makeup
Hair; Natalie Smith and Lauren Morris