Real Wedding; Sarah and Todd @ Terara Riverside Gardens
About You Two;
Now, How did you two meet?
We met in Florence, Italy at a karaoke bar in 2018 while both on holiday.
Who popped the question and how did it happen?
Todd popped the question while we were sitting by the fire at home, he said ‘I knew it was the perfect time to propose as I looked at you smiling and relaxed and realised I didn’t need a fancy proposal, this moment was perfect for us’.
Why did you choose your venue and how was the venue choosing process?
We had a shortlist of a few venues we wanted to look at. We decided that we wanted a venue close to home and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The moment we walked into Terara Riverside Gardens (our venue), we felt instantly at home by the beautiful landscape and welcoming vibe from the owners. Some venues we looked at made us feel like just another ‘money maker’ to them. TRG is a family home and the owners are so proud of their venue and made us feel at home too. We knew instantly this is where we are meant to get married!
Quick Fire Questions;
How many wedding guests did you have?
70
Sit down or Cocktail Style?
Mix of both, cocktail during pre-reception and sit down share meals during reception.
What month?
September
Planning The Wedding;
Was planning the wedding stressful or did you enjoy the journey?
I really enjoyed the process. I kind of knew everything I wanted and am a very organised person so once we booked our vendors, everything just fell into place. I think the most stressful part for us was trying to manage family expectations of what they wanted to include and had to remind ourselves a lot that this is our day and to plan a wedding that we want.
How involved were you both in the wedding planning, did one of you take more of the lead on certain aspects than others or were you both equally involved?
I definitely took the lead on the planning. Todd is so low key about everything and let me ran with my plans. Before deciding on anything, Todd was involved in the decisions and took the lead on a few things but it was definitely my forte to organise everything,
What was the top couple of non-negotiables or important must-have’s at the wedding for you both?
Our biggest must have was to have drinks flowing, plenty of food and people having fun at all times! One of our non negotiables was that the wedding would be at the same venue from ceremony to reception, we wanted to spend as much time with our guests as possible as we live away from our families so this was our top priority.
Tell us about your dress and that dress-finding process?
I went to a few stores early on in the process and fell in love with an Australian designer that I knew I would end up with a dress from their collection. I tried on a dress in Melbourne I was 90% sure I would buy, but when I came back to Sydney to try it on again the stylist brought out another dress that ended up being my dream dress. I can say from experience, you will know when you try on your dress that it is ‘the one’.
What sort of theme, vibe or style did you go for?
I would say our style was ‘romantic/rustic’. We kept our decorations minimal as the venue was so beautiful on its own.
On the Day;
How did you both feel wedding morning?
A bit nervous but so excited!! I think I was more nervous about everything going to plan. Todd was as usual, relaxed and feeling good. I think we both knew once the ceremony was over, we would be able to relax a bit more and have fun.
What was the best part or moment of your day?
For both of us, seeing each other for the first time as I walked down the aisle.
Anything you would change about your wedding or anything that didn’t go to plan?
I know this is cliché but our day was perfect. All of our vendors were incredible and made the day so much more special by making us feel like family. If we could change anything, we would probably have had our first dance just the two of us to spend some more time together. It goes so fast that I wish I could slow down time.
Are there any rituals, sentiments or traditions you incorporated into the day?
We kept a lot of traditions in our wedding. We had a first dance, a father/daughter dance, bouquet toss. One thing we chose to do was not have a ‘traditional’ bridal table for dinner and instead had a table just for us to have dinner together which I think was really special to be together.
After the Wedding;
Describe newlywed life in a couple of words?
Blissful, fun and loving.
Best investment or money well spent on the wedding that you made?
Absolutely you guys!! I am a very organised person and have worked wedding functions before so I knew a bit about what needed to happen on the day. Having an on the day coordinator to just make sure everything was going well, taking care of us and family and setting up our décor was the best money spent. Amelia was so amazing at not just her job but she made all of our guests feel so welcome and we trusted her the moment we met her. The whole WEC team were invaluable at making sure every little detail leading up to the wedding was exactly what we wanted.
Budget-over, under or what you estimated?
Budget was a bit over what we estimated, not by a lot though.
Credits:
Coordination/Set Up; The Wedding and Event Creators
Celebrant; Cindy Cawsey
Venue; Terara Riverside Gardens
Florist; Ivy Lane Collective
Photographer; Matt Ashton Photography
Catering; Bumpy Road
Bar Staff; The Frisky Filly
Cake; Wedding Cake Art
Entertainment; Oberon Lane
Makeup; Amanda La Monica
Hair; Jervis Bay Hair Design
Hire; South Coast Party Hire
