Chantelles Wedding Dress Was Named After Her

By Andie Towner

16 September, 2022

“I would encourage brides to go back to their ‘why’ and think about getting to marry their best friend at the end of the day.”

Chantelle and Tanner

Location / Private Estate

Date / 7th March 2021, the long weekend in March.

Photography by Lost in Love

How we met

Tanner and I met through his younger sister Grace, who introduced us when I was 15, and Tanner, 16. We celebrate 10 years together this year, so we have grown up together since we met! Living together overseas and now in our house, we built in Melbourne, married and with our golden retriever pup Sadie!

Our Engagement Story

Our engagement was super special; it was on the weekend away. Tanner proposed at Polperro Winery down at the vineyards. He had organised a whole day, even a photographer when he got down on one knee, and photos after which were extraordinary to capture those moments. We stayed the night on the peninsula and celebrated with family and friends all weekend!

Inspiration

We loved the European feel as it’s so romantic, and we had travelled to Europe together and loved it, so it felt pretty sentimental to us having that feeling. We loved the idea of having it on a property with a big marquee. The flexibility and unlimited creativity you can include to create a beautiful feel were other critical factors for us. Lots of Pinterest boards saved Instagram posts and travel inspiration.

Planning

I had recently met Laura from Weddings of Desire a week before I got engaged at a work event, and I told her I would contact her when I got engaged one day… a week later, I contacted her. I had seen she had worked at our wedding venue before, and Tanner and I loved the look, so we booked a tour! It was the only wedding venue we looked at, and we secured it that day!

I had a good idea of a few other suppliers we wanted to use, such as Lost In Love Photography and Moon & Back Videography. We all worked together on a remarkable bridal campaign job in Paris, so having them on my special day was super special to me! Having Laura was incredible. She took charge of all the details and ran the show on the day. We couldn’t imagine doing it without her.

The most challenging part of the planning would have to be with covid so up and down and restrictions changing every week. The unknown.. but we always stayed super positive and went with the flow.

The Dress

The team at Mariana Hardwick collaborated with me to bring her bridal gown vision to life. The Creative Director, Rebekah, worked closely with me in their South Melbourne atelier to create my custom wedding gown. The collaboration process involved dreaming up the perfect dress and achieving that vision through several fittings to ensure the wedding gown fitted to perfection, followed by The Final Consultation in which the final product is revealed.

Wedding Day Details

Most of our guests stayed for the long weekend as it was in Marcus Hill on the Bellarine Peninsula. We had 125 guests attend, and it felt like just the right amount for our space and marquee area and dance floor space, as well as our closest family and friends.

The day before, we all travelled down. We had a big lunch together and then a quick dress rehearsal at the property before we said our last goodbyes before becoming husband and wife!

My bridesmaids and my parents stayed at the house the night before and got ready in the morning, which was so beautiful. Watching the set-up happen around the property while we were in hair and makeup was very special to watch all unfold! Tanner and the groomsmen stayed close by at a house to get ready; it worked out so well that they were so close to coming on the day and for the photographers to go to beforehand. We had ‘Brides Who Brunch’ arrive in the morning and set up an incredible food table full of selections of brunch foods, bite-size snacks and mimosas! I recommend them to every bride-to-be I meet / or my friends/family as she was just marvellous and made such an easy convenience for the morning, and we were all well fed!

Our ceremony was styled beautifully, the sea of florals creating a soft and romantic feel down the aisle and around the altar. We had an incredible celebrant Natalie, who made us feel so at ease, set a beautiful tone for the ceremony, and told our love story—followed by canapés and drinks, with beautiful furniture and giant white umbrellas. At the same time, the bridal party was close by, getting a few photos and mingling with our guests.

Everyone was then ushered to the reception marque on another area of property/estate, where we had our sit-down dinner and speeches. The food was incredible by Annies Providore; they did a great job! Super accommodating, and the staff felt like friends. Tanner and I loved that we still had so much time with our guests to mingle, say hello to everyone and take it all. We didn’t feel rushed at all, which was something we were conscious about having time. Being on the private property meant we could start our ceremony at whatever time we did at 3:30, getting that extra time in between and taking time at the reception. Another special memory my dad came up with was halfway through our father-daughter dance; we then called up all other fathers and their daughters to join us. We had a lot of family and friends for whom this was super special, and it made it an element of our own.

I quickly changed into my second dress by Jane Hill before entering with Tanner. Everyone was seated, and we did our final speech before our first dance. Everyone got up and surrounded us and then joining the big party began! I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Tanner and I stayed at the property while everyone got transported to the areas they were staying in town. The following day we did a long walk on the property, taking it all in before our immediate families came back to join us for a big breakfast to debrief. We stayed at the crown that night before heading off to Hamilton Island the following day. We loved Hamilton Island and stayed at Hayman Island, which was incredible and the perfect honeymoon destination!

Highlights

The morning was so much fun with the girls; I felt super relaxed and calm getting ready. I had to keep telling myself it was my wedding day. Then, of course, walking down the aisle and seeing Tanner was a moment I will never forget. It felt so surreal, and I was beaming the whole day. And finally just celebrating with our close family and friends. Everyone had the best time dancing under fairy lights at a big party. Our musicians were incredible and set the vibe from our ceremony to the reception and party at night.

Unexpected Moments

I think just with having our wedding during covid times, it was a surprise to everyone that we didn’t have to reschedule, and luckily, we didn’t have any covid restrictions over the exact time of our wedding!

Advice

I would encourage brides to go back to their ‘why’ and think about getting to marry their best friend at the end of the day. Don’t get caught up on the nitty-gritty details if it’s too stressful or expensive. Prioritise your ‘must haves’ and trust your suppliers as they know what they are doing! Let people help you before your wedding, so you don’t stress yourself out! Enjoy it, it’s fun and exciting, and you want to go into your big day super positive and feeling your best!