Bianca & Tom

25 March 2017
The Epicurean Red Hill, Red Hill South, VIC
Photography by Dan Brannan

"Tom proposed in 2015. We had just arrived home from dinner at one of our favourite restaurants in Chinatown. The house was decorated with fairy lights and candles. Tom got down on one knee and said, 'I love it and I want to put a ring on it. Will you marry me?'"

Our wedding

A self-confessed lover of spreadsheets and run sheets, Bianca thoroughly enjoyed planning her and Tom's wedding. "We locked in our venue, photographer and celebrant a year before the wedding and luckily everything else fell into place from there. The day was perfect and there's nothing we would change. Even the weather was sunny and 25 degrees." Bianca and Tom's wedding was a relaxing weekend away. "Staying the night before and holding the wedding on Saturday afternoon meant we could spend quality time with our family and friends before and after the wedding. We originally liked the idea of having an overseas wedding however with lots of friends with small children we wanted them all to be there so instead we opted for a closer destination wedding. We loved the venue when we visited for lunch with our parents. The food was delicious and the idea of shared platters was perfect for the laid back kind of wedding we wanted to host."

The day arrives

Bianca and Tom had 13 members in their bridal party, including 5 flower girls and a page boy. "The ceremony ran smoothly and I was so happy I didn't trip walking down the aisle! Tom looked so happy and it showed as he teared up when I came to stand opposite him. Afterwards we had a ball having our photographs taken by the incredible Dan Brannan."

Walking into their reception, Bianca and Tom were greeted with a standing ovation but Bianca was especially blown away by the efforts of the team at The Three Piece Suit. "I'm lucky enough to be the cousin of The Three Piece Suit's owner and director Belinda Fitzpatrick. When it came to design I had complete faith in Belinda and her team. The only two styling elements I really wanted were kraft paper for the stationery and eucalyptus twisted gum for the arrangements. Belinda knows I love all things rustic and in keeping with our venue, it was so wonderful to see my chosen styling elements work seamlessly in the space."

Welcome

Bianca and Tom's wedding ceremony was outdoors in the gardens of Mantons Creek. With so much natural beauty, The Three Piece Suit enhanced the area by creating a floral arbour and a welcome area of wine barrels set with Bianca and Tom's diamond logo.

The gown

Bianca wore a 2 piece gown. "I couldn’t decide between a fitted dress or a gown with a floaty skirt that I could twirl around in so I had a strapless dress made with a detachable tulle skirt. I wore the tulle attachment during the ceremony and then had the fitted gown for our reception."

For Tom it was a navy suit and bowtie and for his 6 groomsmen, white shirts with braces and bow ties.

The groomsmen made the afternoon even more memorable with a spontaneous rendition of a song by The Backstreet Boys.

Bianca's 5 bridesmaids wore champagne coloured gowns with intricate beaded patterns.

Rustic

"The Epicurean Shed speaks for itself. With its exposed brick walls, wooden beams and high glass ceiling there wasn't too much we needed to add in terms of decorations. We had long tables and low centrepieces so that our guests were able to easily converse with one another."

The same floral styling elements were continued from the ceremony to the reception with light coloured blooms and an abundance of greenery. "We chose soft colours of blush and white." For the centrepieces and the bouquets, Bianca and The Three Piece Suit chose a more relaxed, deconstructed approach.

Edible style

In addition to their 3-tier cake decorated with native greenery, Bianca and Tom had a sweets station for their guests, complete with a custom made donut wall. "Tom adores donuts so it seemed right that the donut wall should become a focal point at our reception."