The wedding of Bec and Louis took place in one of the most exclusive locations in Australia - The Valley Estate. The picturesque landscapes resembled those of a masterpiece painting, complemented by the timeless attire of the bride and groom, an intimate guest list, and an abundance of romance. Bec shared with us all the details of the wedding, alongside the tale of her love story with Louis.
Tell us a little about yourselves.
Louis and I met about seven years ago at work. Louis was on secondment to Brisbane from his office in London and we were put on the same project together. We felt so in step with each other from the get-go and it wasn’t long before our little office fling turned into something much more. Despite being from the other sides of the earth, we discovered so many common interests, our time together felt so easy and it was like we had known each other for years. When Louis secondment ended, we moved to London where we spent an exciting few years before deciding to put down roots back in Australia. Louis now works as a finance manager and I am a tax advisor. We adore travelling and exploring new places together, dining out with friends and spending our weekends with our fur baby, Jasper – whether it’s at the beach, going on walks or cuddling up on the couch.
What was the concept behind your wedding and how did you find your inspiration?
We wanted to ensure our wedding felt relaxed and romantic, and that it was truly a celebration of our love with our nearest and dearest. It was also important to us that the reception felt like a big family meal so we opted for a less formal feasting style menu with roaming desserts and sat with our guests. One of my favourite elements of the wedding was our signature cocktail which we sourced from Louis work (he works for a brewery). Given our first date was to a gin bar, it was of course gin based and Louis insisted we name it the ‘Fizzy Foster’ (my maiden name) – it added a bit of extra fun to the night and was a total hit with the guests! Our incredible stylists were the source of much inspiration for us, and really helped us bring our concept to life. We also gathered other inspiration from social media, magazines and blogs.
Where was your wedding? Why did you choose this venue?
Our wedding was at The Valley Estate in Currumbin Valley, Queensland. As soon as we visited The Valley Estate we knew it was the one. Its immaculate grounds are surrounded by the incredible natural beauty of the hinterland, with rolling mountains in the background and wallabies and horses grazing in the nearby field. I loved that all its wet weather options are stunning – and given it poured on the day these were put to good use! To top it off, it came with the most amazing chef and menu which was a priority as we take our food seriously.
How many guests did you have?
We had 60 guests in total which was the perfect amount of people for us. We wanted to ensure when we looked out to everyone after saying our I Do’s every face looking back at us was one that we loved and cherished, who we knew was genuinely there to support us and who we were delighted to share our precious moment with.
Tell us about your outfits.
Louis had his suit custom made by The Cloakroom in Brisbane. His jacket was an off white with a subtle herringbone finish, paired with black trousers and dressed up with a tuxedo shirt and silk bow tie. My ceremony dress was a custom design from Ella Moda, also a designer in Brisbane. Whilst I knew I wanted something romantic and traditional, I never seemed to find a dress that had everything I was after. When I came across Ella Moda, it was a dream come true. I was able to select elements from a few different dresses I liked, and the wonderful ladies pulled them together into one custom gown. My reception dress was a Marquise bridal gown which I had customised into a one shoulder dress. I wanted this dress to feel chic, fun and something that I could dance the night away in! I paired my reception dress with shoes by Manolo Blahnik which added the perfect sparkle to the outfit. Finally, for jewellery I wore my mum’s diamond earrings and a tennis bracelet Louis gifted me the morning of our wedding.
What was your first dance song?
‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift. The lyrics of ‘Lover’ are so fitting for us and reflect so many aspects of our relationship, so it was the perfect first dance song.
What flowers did you choose for the bride's bouquet and why?
I had complete and utter faith in our florist, Estelle from The French Petal and left this up to her. Knowing my concept for the wedding, she pulled together a predominately white bouquet with a medley of roses and ranunculus which was truly stunning.
What was your wedding cake like? And where did you order it?
Our wedding cake was by the very talented Sammy from Hello Little Crumb. It was a two tier, with the bottom tier being strawberries and cream, and the top tier being a chocolate devils food cake with bueno sauce. It was the perfect combination of both our favourite flavours! We kept the florals for the cake simple with stemless orchids.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
All our vendors were utterly incredible and we feel so lucky we had them be a part of our special day. Our florist, Estelle sourced the most incredible flowers for us, despite the difficulties faced by florists at that time with supply. In particular, Estelle knew that I wanted to honour my mum with her favourite flower, the orchid, displayed predominately throughout the wedding and she did such a beautiful job of this. Our photographer Tessa Shannon captured so perfectly the true emotion of the day and I can’t thank her enough for producing photos that will always bring us right back into each moment.
I would also love to mention our stylists – Olivia and Kate from The Romantics who provided me with so much guidance and advice in the leadup to the wedding and on the day itself! They are so talented, patient and easy to work with, we couldn’t have done it without them.
Venue @thevalleyestategc
Photographer @tessashannonphoto
Videographer @bluevalefilms
Dress 1 @ella_moda
Dress 2 @marquisebridal
Groom’s suit @thecloakroom
Celebrant @carlysladeweddings
Stylists @theromanticsweddings
Signage @signedbyshaun
Florist @thefrenchpetal
MUAH @leighmccoy_
Cake @hellolittlecrumb
Entertainment @elevationliveband
