Number of Guests: 20 / Wedding Date: 4 July 2020
Meet the couple
The couple met in July 2013 when Sara started working at a call centre withLincoln. After working on a tricky customer together, Lincoln asked Sara on a date but on the day he nearly cancelled at 9pm as he assumed Sara was going to cancel and he wanted to get in first! Turns out Sara just super loves Ikea! So when she finally messaged to say she was home, they went to Bar None in Camberwell and have been together ever since. Over the six years of dating, they moved in together, travelled and adopted Billy the chihuahua. Over the years, they have worked separately, and now are working together again at a marketing agency. They got married the day before their seventh anniversary.
Who proposed?
Lincoln proposed on their six-year anniversary at Bar None.
How did you choose your ceremony and reception venue?
“When we originally came across Zonzo Estate online, we thought that it would be perfect as Sara’s family is Italian and we were attracted to the Italian feast style reception (especially the woodfired pizza!). We didn’t want to do the traditional chicken/beef alternate drop cookie-cutter type deal. We also loved the indoor ceremony space offerings. We opted for the Capella over the Barrel Room as it was a winter wedding, and we needed somewhere that was warm and matched our vibe! The price was a little out of our budget, so we had initially ruled it out. However, they offered a winter discount and we decided to go ahead!
What was your wedding theme?
No theme specifically. We wanted darker colours (deep greens/reds) for winter, to make ethical and sustainable choices where possible, native Australian floralsand nods to some wedding traditions. We were (mostly) able to pull this off – near the end we had to be a bit flexible though!
What made your wedding unique?
We didn’t have a dance floor. By the time of our wedding, we had to cull our numbers to 20 guests, and we thought that it was too small to have dancing.
Instead, we had Awkward Portraits come and set up where the dance floor would have been. Everyone loved it – it was a perfect alternative! Because we didn’t have dancing and mingling was tricky, halfway through the night we went outside for photos under the lights. We shuffled seats so people sat with different people, and Zonzo Estate had an opportunity to sanitise.
Tell us about any special elements of your day.
We tried to include a few traditional touches in the day. We gave sugared almonds as bonbonniere, we did something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Sara’s dad, along with her mum, walked her down the aisle. We also had one of our best friends design our stationery and Sara’s aunt did our bouquets – unique and special to us. On the day, we enjoyed some downtime after the chaos of planning and shared a glass of cognac with ourparents and close friends.
What makes your marriage?
Simple – communication! We value honesty above everything else, and we’ve never “shelved” the relationship under the assumption that issues are resolved and we can stop working on them. We work hard to never take one another for granted, and always put the relationship first over our own personal wants or needs. In addition, we love to laugh and find fun in every day we spend together.
What’s your best advice for planning the perfect wedding?
We’re not sure that there is such a thing as a perfect wedding! But perhaps we’re feeling a touch jaded as our wedding was in the middle of a global pandemic. We started wedding planning before we even knew the word ‘Coronavirus’. Organising an iso-wedding was stressful as we had to adapt to new restrictions almost weekly in the lead up. It was vital that we were flexible. Things didn’t go to plan (and they won’t, even in perfect circumstances) so it was helpful to have a contingency plan for everything. We had planned a ‘if A falls through – we’ll do B instead’ for almost every aspect of the day – including the dress and the venue.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Don’t rule out winter as a great option to have a wedding. It is risky with the weather (but it can rain in summer too!), but if you plan for rain – it’s perfect! Photographers and Videographers prefer it when it isn’t sunny as it means they’re not competing with sun/shadows, your guests won’t be too sweaty and hot to enjoy your ceremony, you can choose your date without having to negotiate and you may also enjoy better prices from your vendors as it’s off peak.
We know a few couples who are due to get married whose plans have been impacted by Coronavirus and are postponing the wedding or just not sure what to do. Hearing how grateful our vendors were for work in the current climate was enough for us to know that we made a good choice.
Although it wasn’t our ‘dream wedding’, we’re looking forward to dragging the celebration out for as long as possible and celebrating with our friends and family once we’re able to.”
Vendors
Photography | Emily Howlett
Videographer | Four by Four Films
Bouquets | Sara\’s Aunt
Ceremony and Reception Venue | Zonzo Estate
Catering/Cake | Miss Ladybird Cakes
Stationery | Brian Cheung
Printer | PrintTogether
Celebrant | GoLightly Celebrants
Entertainment | The White Tree (Garth Ploog & Mark Brunott, Awkward Portraits
Engagement Rings | Moi Moi Fine Jewellery
Wedding Bands | Michael Hills Jewellers
Accommodation | The Vines and Stefani Estate Wines
BRIDE CREDITS
Jewellery | Swaroski
Bridesmaid dresses | Pilgrim
Hair & Makeup | Hairby Inez
GROOM CREDITS
Groom & groomsmen attire | YSG & Co
