Real Wedding Blog; Tennille and Jacob @ Figbird Cottage Terara
About You Two:
Now, How did you two meet?
Our parents were friends when we were young but we connected at the annual camping trip when we were both at uni.
Who popped the Question and how did it happen?
Technically Jacob did but it was more of a conversation when we were talking about our plans coming up in the future and we thought it was a good time.
Why did you choose your venue and how was the venue choosing process?
We actually didn’t choose our venue the first time around – we loved it but didn’t look into it due to budget concerns however when our first venue we had booked cancelled we went and saw the venue and it was perfect. Could not be happier we were forced to look into other venues even though it was a little stressful at the time!
Quick Fire Questions:
How many wedding guests did you have?
About 85
Sit down of Cocktail Style?
Planned Cocktail but had to have seats because of COVID so was a bit of both.
What month?
January
Was planning the wedding stressful or did you enjoy the journey?
I enjoyed it – there were stressful parts but all in all I liked it. I Had a really close friend also getting married a few months before me so it was nice to have someone on the journey with me. Also my mum was super helpful in a lot of the things.
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 did a lot of the doing and organising but we made most of the decisions together.
What was the top couple of non-negotiables or important must-have’s at the wedding for you both?
A short and sweet ceremony, lots of food, and not a full formal sit down meal – we wanted people to move and socialise and enjoy a more casual vive.
Tell us about your dress and that dress-finding process?
I actually didn’t have the funnest dress finding experience. I went to quite a few stores and tried on lots of dresses and while there were some that I liked there was nothing that was exactly what I wanted. I left the day we went looking feeling a little discouraged thinking I was going to have to settle for something that wasn’t exactly it as I didn’t have the highest budget either. But then I found Bridal Melody. They are an online dressmaker in China and they make the dress that you design for an extremely reasonable price. I spent a couple of weeks working with them on the design and fabrics of the dress. During this process they did sketches and sent pictures of fabrics and also provided some really good assistance in the process, it was clear they knew their stuff! I was a little scared not being able to try it on but the style I wanted was something I knew was safe for my body and I was so happy with how it turned out. After wearing it there were a few small things I might have done differently but as always your views change slightly retrospectively and they were more from a comfort perspective. It was exactly what I wanted and I felt so myself and beautiful in it on the day so I couldn’t be happier. And a custom made and designed dress for under $2000 is definitely one of the better decisions I made for my wedding.
What sort of theme, vibe or style did you go for?
A real garden party relaxed summers day kind of vibe. I think we achieved it pretty well!
On The Day:
How did you both feel wedding morning?
We both felt great. A little nervous mostly for our vows but overall really relaxed.
What was the best part or moment of your day?
It’s hard to pick a favourite, everything was great. Obviously the actual finally getting married part! But also from the cottage we got ready in we could see the guests arrive and that was really exciting to watch them all walking in with my bridesmaids.
Anything you would change about your wedding or anything that didn’t go to plan?
Nothing, a few tiny mishaps like breaking some glasses we got as a gift and some garden game accidents but nothing that was a real issue!
Are there any rituals, sentiments or traditions you incorporated into the day?
Not out of the ordinary. My dad walked me down the aisle, our mums signed our papers, we did do a champagne toast before we walked back down the aisle which was a way to incorporate those gifted glasses but they broke before we did it still was nice to just hooray with everyone and get the party started, can’t think of anything specific.
Describe newlywed life in a couple of words?
The same as before? haha. Not a lot changed for us, it is nice to have been able to change my name and have that formal legal type connection but nothing really change for us day to day.
Best investment or money well spent on the wedding that you made?
You!! Your help in the planning process and Julz coordination set up etc on the day was absolutely invaluable and everyone who attended our wedding 100% agreed – she was the best asset.
Budget-over, under or what you estimated?
Definitely over but pretty close to what I expected. We had tried to aim lower but I kind of knew we were aiming a bit low. Overall not too bad considering we didn’t really compromise on anything. We got everything we wanted and for a little extra money it was worth it.
