Tom & Emily a Perfect Fairy Tale

FINDING ‘THE ONE’

Emily was 18 and in her final year of high school when she jumped on a dating website and found Tom, a 23-year-old refrigeration technician. ‘As soon as I met him, I just didn’t want to leave him alone,’ Emily says. They caught up over meals, and very soon they were doing ‘married couple things together.’

Emily describes Tom as ‘an old soul’ – a trait she sees in herself, too. They share the same values around family, with Tom growing up in a big, tight-knit family, and both remaining close with their respective families. Emily has found Tom an open communicator who is supportive of anything she decides to do in life. ‘And he’s pretty good-looking,’ Emily laughs.

From the beginning, Tom found Emily ‘more mature than other girls.’ He appreciated the way she just slipped in easily with his circumstances at the time, working full time and living independently. ‘She’s very caring, as well as beautiful,’ Tom says.

A HOME OF THEIR OWN

One fateful weekend in 2019, Emily and Tom decided to go for a Sunday drive out to Grantville in Melbourne’s south-east. They found themselves idly looking at real estate listings for the area – no real thoughts of buying any time soon – when they spotted a house that seemed perfectly suited to them. They drove out to have a quick look from the outside and felt themselves being drawn in.

Booking for an inspection, they almost hoped it wasn’t as good up close as they initially thought. Walking through it, though, they fell in love with the house. They put in an offer and were accepted. ‘When we like something, we just go for it; we don’t shop around,’ Tom says – speaking to more than just their spontaneous decision to enter the property market.

THE ENGAGEMENT

If there is one thing that can be said about Emily and Tom, it’s that they know what they want, and they don’t hold back. The year 2020 saw them begin tackling renovations on their new house and, just two years into their relationship, getting engaged. As the coronavirus pandemic took full force around Melbourne and the world, the couple enjoyed entering a new season of intimacy as they planned for their wedding.

Tom & Emily a Perfect Fairy Tale

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Tom & Emily a Perfect Fairy Tale
Tom & Emily a Perfect Fairy Tale

WEDDING PLANS

Despite the difficulties of lockdowns and restrictions, Emily and Tom say that planning their wedding has been ‘the easiest process,’ with everything simply coming together. Their closest call as they got ready for their February 2022 date was organising the dress. Emily was booked in at Fairy Tale Bridal in Nunawading to try on dresses when another lockdown was announced, effectively cancelling the appointment.

Fortunately, she was able to reschedule for one of a handful of days between two sets of lockdown. Emily went with her mum to look for the perfect gown. She took inspiration from her mum’s wedding dress, an off-the-shoulder style she loved. When she tried on the fifth dress for the day, her mum started crying and she knew she had found the one.

Meanwhile, Tom took his groomsmen and headed down to Trevino, Richmond to find an outfit for the big day. His side of the bridal party included high school bestie Tim as best man, brothers Nick and Joseph, and friends Andrew and Mitch. Going in with a vision of what he wanted, Tom quickly found just what he was looking for.

Emily had enlisted her cousin Katelyn as her maidof-honour, two primary school friends Sarah and Alexia, and Tom’s sister Alexandra as bridesmaids. They found beautiful and affordable dresses online at White Fox Boutique.

Things continued to tumble into place. During their engagement, Emily and Tom attended Tim’s wedding. During the reception they connected with the photographer, Morgan Lee, and before long had enlisted her as photographer for their own wedding. Hearing that they were struggling to find an affordable venue, Morgan suggested Emily and Tom check out Barn Events at Homestead Park, a gorgeous rustic barn in Nar Nar Goon. The property features a beautiful farmhouse and lush lawns, the perfect setting for a garden ceremony. The large barn space, conveniently upgraded just before Emily and Tom’s wedding, was the perfect place to host a lively reception.

Organising and executing a wedding takes a lot of work and careful planning. Kaye and Seamus from Barn Events recommended enlisting the help of event coordinator Aimie Parry, of Events by Aimie. With Aimie’s help, they started locking in the finer details of the day, including two black convertible Shelby GT 500 Mustangs for Tom and his groomsmen, and a sage green kombi van for Emily and her bridesmaids that would stay throughout the event and convert into a photobooth for guests.

Two weeks before the wedding and confused by the constant changes to pandemic restrictions in Melbourne, the florist pulled out – thinking the wedding wasn’t going ahead. Aimie leaped into action, finding a replacement just in time. Gippsland-based boutique Brightwood Blooms saved the day with their bespoke floral arrangments.

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THE BIG DAY

Tom waited under blue skies and warm sunshine for his breathtaking bride to walk down the aisle. After the ceremony, they took to the dancefloor, where their friends and family surprised them at the last song by forming a dance circle around them and lifting the newlywed couple up onto the shoulders of those below. They both agreed that it was a great way to cap off an amazing day/night.

And while no wedding is without its hiccups, Aimie was there again to save the day. When the wine Emily and Tom had supplied ran out only an hour into the reception, Aimie had the bar staff duck out to the shops for more – and the couple didn’t even know anything had happened until much later.

Tom & Emily a Perfect Fairy Tale

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Emily and Tom will enjoy a few quiet days at home before heading off to honeymoon in Port Douglas and Hamilton Island.

When they return, they will keep going with renovations, while looking forward to starting a family of their own. Tom continues to work in the field as a refrigeration technician, travelling across Gippsland and outer eastern Melbourne; Emily enjoys her role as a receptionist at Fernwood Fitness. In their downtime, Tom plays football with the Kilcunda Bass Football and Netball Club, while Emily connects with her creative side through piano, guitar and singing

Tom & Emily a Perfect Fairy Tale
Tom & Emily a Perfect Fairy Tale

Event planner
@events_by_aimie

Photo + Video
@morganleephotography_

Celebrant
@thecelebrandt

Makeup
@g.r.l.beauty

Florist
@brightwood.blooms

Catering
@petalandfigevents
@primostreetpizza
@vanillancoau

Bar service
@cheersdarlingvic

Entertainment
@unpluggedentertainment

WORDS OF WEDDING WISDOM

Emily and Tom encourage other engaged couples to hire a wedding planner. Not only does a wedding planner have lots of connections to other great businesses and services, they are on hand to manage any issues that crop up, fuss-free.

Their other piece of advice is to immediately write down anything wedding-related that comes to mind in a notebook or diary. “The amount of thoughts and ideas that whizz through your head in those last few weeks are just too many to memorise. Always write down and then schedule when you have to get that done by.”

Tom & Emily a Perfect Fairy Tale
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