'Til Death do us Party' - Nat + Simon Dec 2012 EventZen Real Wedding Spotlight

Garden Wedding, Marquee Wedding, Reception

'Til death do us party'. This was the theme of my own wedding - the first wedding I organised and the reason I decided to become a wedding planner! So I thought to myself, what better wedding to write about for my first spotlight blog?!

Simo and I met on one of the first social media platforms MySpace way back in 2006, pre Facebook days! I happened upon his page and his photos and thought to myself “this guy looks like fun - I have to know him”. I nervously sent him a message saying exactly those things, and little did I know that brief message would start the most important relationship of my life.

After a bit of chatting online, we met at a music festival a few months later and had an amazing day together - it was like we had always known each other. He just got me. We share a love of music, good food and wine, parties, fun and life in general.

Five years later when Simo proposed in Santorini (take me back), I couldn’t wait to start planning our wedding! We wanted to get married in summer and we wanted a venue we could stay at all weekend with no time restrictions. We only saw one venue – The Turpentine Tree in Kurrajong, and it was perfect. There was a cottage on-site, nearby accommodation for guests, a permanent marquee to decorate and a gorgeous garden that we had all to ourselves for 4 days.

To keep our budget in check, we created a full DIY wedding and had our talented friends help out with things like photography, flowers (all bought for under $400), a decadent dessert table and music that kept us dancing all night.

Styling - The theme was a mash of summer, garden, 50s vintage & fun with pops of vibrant colour. Flowers were purchased fresh from the Sydney Flower Market the morning prior to the wedding - we had a family friend put them together in bouquets and small posies for the tables. White paper parasols were provided as shade for our guests, and were displayed in old suitcases that have been in our families for years.

For the ceremony I hand-made 100 paddle fans which doubled as the order of ceremony. Guests enjoyed yard games during the post-ceremony garden party while picnic blankets were laid out for those who wanted to relax and enjoy an acoustic set (courtesy of talented friends).

We hosted a crafts evening with friends prior to the wedding and made paper fortune tellers which acted as place cards at the reception. They contained different facts about us as a couple then a thank you message to our guests when opened. Flowers and candles were beautifully arranged in mismatched jars we'd been saving for months, and a 2nd hand large mirror from an op shop was perfect for the seating plan.

Wedding cake, dessert table. made with love

Food & Drink - Good food is all the sweeter when shared with great friends and we wanted to create a space where our guests could graze and enjoy as much as they wanted.

During the pre-dinner picnic, we provided a 2 metre antipasto grazing table full of cured meats, cheese, breads and olives.

When it came time for the sit down dinner, having a bridal table wasn't really something that appealed to us, so we decided to sit amongst our family and friends on long tables. A delicious spit roast was cooked for hours in the lead up to our meal, and served on platters with a mix of salads and vegetables to each table.

The dessert table was full of home baked treats made with love by some of our beautiful friends. They were happy to help out and one ambitious friend even made a croquembouche for us!

We purchased our favourite drinks in bulk from Dan Murphy's and there was plenty to go around.

There was a whole lotta love put into this wedding, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and perhaps found some inspiration for your own wedding! If you have any questions please get in touch, I'd love to help you as best I can.

Top tip – Whether you have a planner there through the planning process or not, I highly recommend having one on the day to set up and deal with suppliers and timings. This leaves you to relax and just enjoy every part of your wedding day with no stress. Relinquish control and roll with it, what will be will be - just enjoy every moment. I did this and it was the best decision I made!

Nat xoxo

Photography: Artof2 Photography

Nat's Dress: Sottero & Midgely

Simon’s suit: MJ Bale

Flowers: Sydney Flower Market

Venue: Turpentine Tree

Caterers: Icon catering

Décor & Styling: EventZen

Hair & Makeup: Lucy Halliday