Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met in our teen years, he was a chef and I was a waitress. Whilst it sounds a bit like a romcom, I haven't found one out there yet. He tried to 'woo me' by making me food all the time - it obviously worked! Talking over the pass all day, sneaking out for lunch time break dates together, we started dating just like that. Anna was drawn to Tim aka Bubba with his irreverent sense of humour and confidence. Bubba loved how easy Anna was to talk to and always smiling and laughing at his jokes. Over the last ten years we have travelled all over the world and grown up together.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We initially wanted to get married in Croatia, but due to the pandemic, we had to look a little closer to home. The Southern Highlands has such a beautiful garden feel and due to lots of rain throughout the year, it was super lush and green. Bendooley Estate is by far the most beautiful winery in the area – as soon as we saw the homestead and lakeside garden under the huge oak trees – we knew you wanted to get married there. It reminded us of a storybook! Also their food, wine and service is amazing – everyone raved about it afterwards!
How many guests did you have?
135.
Tell us about your outfits.
Anna – Being in lockdown and engaged for 7 months prior to booking our wedding date meant I had a lot of time to browse on Instagram and online through designers. I knew I wanted to wear some a little different, that I hadn’t seen before. Katherine Tash is an LA designer I found online who is stocked at Sphere Bridal in Bondi. Typical to many brides, I ended up selecting a completely different dress to the one I thought I end up with. I’m still obsessed with it to this day! For the shoes, I’d had my eye on the Prada slingbacks for a while, which poked out a bit whenever I walked. The dress was the main feature, so I went simple with some gold Amber Sceats earrings. Tamara from My Private Tailor tailored the dress to fit like a glove.
Tim - it was a very easy choice. I had a suit made previously by Grant from Mawson Ossa for my brother’s wedding. Grant was able to craft a beautiful black suit that looked formal enough for our wedding, but also light enough for Australian summer. He also did a great job of making my groomsmen’s suits – a dark charcoal to make my suit stand out ever so slightly in the photos.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
The most important aspect for us was all about creating a celebration that felt like us and was balanced. We wanted to ensure that all those that wanted to do a speech and be involved was. We deliberately extended our dancefloor time and cut back an hour from the canapés because we wanted to dance the night away!
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We wanted to ensure Anna’s heritage was celebrated as a lot of her family couldn’t make the celebration. Both were surprises for our guests, which was fun! We had a bagpiper play as Anna walked down the aisle as a nod to Anna’s Scottish mother. After Bubba’s speech – we had the Bendooley staff place a shot of rakija we had provided to get the party started and acknowledge Croatian tradition of her father. The rakija was a particular hit on the dancefloor!
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Trust your vendors – they know best and have done this a million times! Do things that feel unique to you – don’t copy everyone else’s wedding inspo!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Jimmy Raper– the best photos ever, I especially love some of the 35mm ones he got on the day. Both of our parents have printed and framed out the photos and made wedding shrines in their houses! Alexandra Lollback – The most amazing celebrant, was super helpful the whole way through and told our story better than we could have imagined!
Photographer : Jimmy Raper @jimmy_raper | Videographer : Chevell Photography @chevellphotography | Ceremony + Reception Location : Bendooley Estate Garden, Bowral @bendooleyestate | Celebrant : Alexandra Lollback @axweddings | Entertainment : Mark Matthews @markmatthewmusic (DJ + Sax) + Marc Malouf (Guitarist) @mrmarcmalouf | Styling + Flora : Gabrielle Chevalley @gabriellechevalley | Makeup : Georgia Hull @beautybygeorgiahull | Hair : Renee Sayed @reneesayed.bridal | Cake : Food Thrills @foodthrills (Groom's Sister) | Stationery : Terrace Press @terracepress | Dress Stockist : Sphere Bridal Bondi @spherebridalgallery | Tailor : My Private Tailor @myprivatetailor | Nails : Claudia Spirou @setsbyonyx | Facials : Kaelon @kaelonbeauty | Bride’s Dress : Katherine Tash @katherinetashbridal | Groom’s + Groomsmen Suit : Mawson Ossa @mawsonossa | Engagement + Wedding Rings : Deltora Diamonds @deltoradiamonds | Brides Shoes : Prada @prada | Ring : Bride's late Grandmother’s | Veil : Borrowed from Bride's sister in-law | Bridesmaids Dresses : Bec + Bridge @becandbridge