Tara & Nick

12 November 2016
High Church, Fortitude Valley, QLD
Photography by Evernew Studio

As fate would have it

Nicholas proposed to Tara on the beach of a secluded island in the Whitsundays. "We met in Toronto. We had been working for the same company for several years in 4 different countries spanning 3 continents and had many mutual friends who believed that we were destined to meet. It's incredible to think how different our lives would have been if Nicholas hadn't been transferred to Australia or if we hadn't both been in the office on that same day in Boston. Our paths were destined to cross and both our lives changed forever. Fate inevitably had its way, and although it was a bit of luck that brought us together, true love would make us whole and see us the rest of the way."

Plans

"A lot of work goes into planning a wedding, especially one that is planned from overseas. At one point, we were sending between 5 and 10 emails a day! We want to acknowledge all the hard work that took place behind the scenes. We had an exceptional team of suppliers and vendors and we could not have pulled it off without the dedication of our amazing wedding planner Danielle White and the ladies of White+White Weddings and Events. We were both absolutely thrilled with the outcome."

Charming chapel

"High Church was the first venue we saw. The charming chapel and surrounding roof top patio provided the perfect setting for our wedding. We knew we wanted the wedding to have an intimate and classic feel and the venue allowed for just that. The venue had been newly renovated in a heritage-meets-modern style, with stunning views of the Story Bridge right in the heart of Fortitude Valley. The interior stained glass windows, trailing ivy, crystal chandeliers, and heritage features combined with its location, evoked a romantic but modern feel and presented us with a blank canvas with endless possibilities."

The styling vision

“We worked closely with our planner Danielle on the various styling elements. We first met with Danielle a year prior to the wedding with a vision of a classic, elegant and romantically styled reception. We were drawn to natural wood elements and for a contrast, white and green. We introduced wooden textures with natural wooden banquet tables, wine barrels and a distressed timber, oversized mirror which provided the perfect backdrop for the bridal table and created visual interest in the space.”

“To highlight the vaulted ceilings, a stunning installation of cascading foliage, willow branches and hanging tungsten bulbs spanned the length of the chapel. Also in keeping with the clean and classic look, white buds and blooms were also used throughout the space. I especially loved the abundance of cascading florals of white peonies over the bridal table.”

"Table settings were clean and simple with white linen napkins, white crockery and copper cutlery. The copper accent was also carried out in the personalised menus with custom copper ink and letterpress.”

"My advice to other brides is to trust your wedding planner and enjoy the process. Be as detail-oriented as you can and absolutely without a doubt, learn to love spreadsheets! A lot of work and effort goes into the process but in the end, every bit pays off on the day when your wedding comes to life."

Dress to impress

Tara wore a strapless, drop waist, tulle gown edged with nylon ribbon and accented with a dove grey silk ribbon. Nicholas chose a midnight navy Calvin Klein suit with matching silk braces and tie. A crisp custom-fit white cotton shirt completed the look. “My bridesmaids wore ivory, strapless, asymmetrical, fit and flare silk dresses with a subtle blush, ecru and crimson graphic print background. The dresses were paired with blush pumps and delicate rose gold and pearl earrings.”

Sweet piece

"Another highlight of the wedding was our cake which was a 3-tiered chocolate and whisky mud cake with chocolate ganache and white buttercream frosting. Peony buds, blooms and foliage sprigs were used to adorn the top and bottom tiers giving the cake a simple but classic look. Oh boy did it taste great!"

"It was also a delightful surprise to find out that that our chosen wedding date was right in the midst of the peony season. Knowing this, there was naturally no other choice! With their soft petals it's easy to see why peonies are a classic wedding flower. We elected for white peony buds and blooms to be featured throughout the wedding reception including in the entrance, in copper bud vases placed in between the table runners of foliage, flanking the edges of the natural timber mirror and in massed groups cascading over the edge of the bridal table. Peonies were also used in the bridal bouquets with apricot and soft pink roses and freesias."

A worldly celebration

"As Nick and I are from diverse backgrounds it was important to us that the wedding was representative of both of us and be inclusive of all our guests travelling from abroad. For some of our guests our wedding would be one of their only visits to Australia so we included with our invitations, information about obtaining travel visas as well as our top picks of things to see and do. We wanted everyone to feel comfortable and well taken care of. "

"Our menu was a fusion of quintessential Trinidadian and Australian flavours. We worked closely with our caterer to create the custom menu which included eggplant choka tostada, roasted Harvey Bay scallops, beef and shiraz pies and pasture fed chicken wontons. Celebrity chef Alastair McLeod of Al’FreshCo. Catering made a surprise appearance during dinner to give our guests an overview of the various elements of the menu and the ingredients which went into creating the main course."

"The music at our reception was a blend of modern sounds with Latin influences as well as the groovy sounds of calypso and high octane soca (native Trinidadian music) which created a carnival-like atmosphere that had everyone on the dance floor!"