Sarah + Tom

real life wedding inspo

venue Redbrow Garden phone (02) 6226 8166 email redbrow@adedra.com web www.adedra.com

Sarah and Tom go back a long way. She still remembers that feeling of being the new girl at Tom’s high school.

“There was lots of nervous flirting back and forth” she recalls. It was at her bridesmaid’s sweet 16th birthday party that they finally got together, and here they are now, years later and still together! Not interested in a classic wedding, Sarah says, “instead we wanted to hold a party for our friends and family outdoors in a beautiful garden setting somewhere.” They toyed with the idea of finding a setting they could use over multiple days, one that would allow them to organise and bring in everything themselves, including their own food, drinks and catering options, though they doubted that such a venue even existed. That was until they stumbled upon Redbrow Gardens. It was the most perfect venue for them. They were able to plan and create a ceremony and reception without many of the regulations that often accompany venues, and they could hire it for the entire weekend! Though they didn’t worry about a lot of the more traditional inclusions in a wedding, planning was still pretty intense. Probably more so because they organised the majority of it themselves, with limited vendors involved. When their big day arrived, Sarah and Tom got ready at their parents’ places. Then, rather than spending their morning apart, this unconventional couple met up with each other and their wedding party and had some fun and a few drinks to ease into the day. Having booked Redbrow Gardens for a whole weekend, they could now relax after doing much of the setting up the day before.

When they had arrived the day earlier to set up, they were amazed to unexpectedly find the cherry trees in the garden in full bloom! “It made the whole venue look like a fairy’s garden and it made us smile every time we looked around” she says, adding “it reminded us of our years in Japan having sakura parties on the river.” And it made them even more excited to begin their celebrations! Their ceremony was held on the beautiful open garden that looks out over the nearby lake. Sarah was dressed in a gorgeous, dark green coloured lace and tulle gown. “It turned out really well and was definitely a surprise for most people” she says, “plus I can now crop it to a tea length and wear it again!” The groom and groomsmen all had matching black suits, with bow ties that were custom made from the same material as the bridesmaids dresses. “I’m a sucker for the romantic stuff” she says as she remembers welling up as they read out the vows they had written for each other. Their celebrant, Zoe, who also happened to be their bridesmaid, helped them with their vows and had the guests both laughing and “awwing” on the day. “We also had our fathers read a funny but lovely poem called ‘Love me when I’m Old and Shocking’” and she also recalls Tom’s mum reading a poem about him growing up that brought tears to his eyes.

Once the ceremony had concluded and Sarah and Tom were officially married, everyone helped to set up the tables and chairs around all of the trees, then covered them with candles, flowers and cheese platters. “We had a bar and music set up, and we organised for a coffee van to arrive midafternoon to keep everyone going and to accompany the massive table of cakes and desserts that our families and friends had made for us for the day” says Sarah. Having their ceremony early in the day allowed them to spend the whole afternoon with their guests, drinking, grazing, chatting and playing games. It was just how they had imagined. Once the evening rolled around, the mobile catering they had booked - “the wonderful Mr. Papa” says Sarah, served their delicious Peruvian street food canapes. Then as evening became night, the celebratory mood went up a notch and the dance floor took off, lit up by the magical fairy lights strung through the trees. Looking back on the day, they agree that the best thing they did was to organise a lunch time wedding so they were able to enjoy spending the whole day with their guests, though they say, “it still flew by!”

was indeed the perfect venue

Sarah and Tom say they would happily do it all again, but that planning a wedding like theirs is not for the faint hearted. Luckily they had the support of their wonderful family and friends who helped set up and populate their tables with amazing cakes and desserts. And not to forget Sarah’s super talented Auntie who wrangled the mass of flowers and greenery Sarah had bought from a wholesale florist a few days before the wedding. A range of bouquets, button holes, corsages, a hairpiece, arbour decorations and flowers for the table vases around the venue miraculously appeared within such a short period of time. “They looked incredible” Sarah remarks. The following day, after their full day of celebrations, Sarah and Tom and a group of their guests awoke in the Guesthouse rooms at Redbrow Gardens Guesthouse and had a recovery breakfast together before packing it all away. Redbrow Gardens was indeed the perfect venue for Sarah and Tom’s amazing day of celebration. And reminiscing, Sarah says, “Thommo and All Grown Up Weddings gave us photos that we’ll hang in our home and admire for a lifetime.”

Wedding Date: 5th October 2019 • Wedding Song/Dance: “Rain” by Sekai No Owari • Photographer: Thommo from All Grown Up Weddings • Bridal Gown: Okstyle • Accessories: Floral headpiece made by Sarah’s Aunty, Joanne Barby • Bridesmaids Dresses: eShakti • Rings: No wedding rings, but engagement ring was custom made by Harry Rose based on a ring Tom gave her for her birthday 10 years ago • Hair: Bride • Makeup: Jaki Bradley • Mens Attire: Dressed for Sunday Bow Ties • Wedding Stylist: Bride • Ceremony & Reception: Redbrow Gardens • Celebrant: Zoe Winters Celebrant • Entertainment: Played own Spotify playlists• Florist: Bought from Flower HQ • Cake: Multiple cakes and desserts made by friends and family • Stationery: Riley & Grey Wedding Website