The heart of a soul of this seriously sweet wedding is in the details…the spent-months-preparing, scoured the internet for hours + crafted-all-night details. And the result? Well it’s pretty stinkin gorgeous if you ask me. Elleni Toumpas brings us this The Beacon on Tamborine fête which was DIY-ed to perfection by the bride and groom + their families. I can assure you that your entire afternoon will be spent swooning in the full gallery!
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From the Groom… The inspiration for the wedding was really the special spot where we decided to be married. Mt. Tamborine is a sacred spot for both Jules and me. Jules and her family have camped on the location since she was a child, it is where I asked her to be my girlfriend and where I proposed to her. It was just obvious that it is where we should be married. Jules and I both enjoy the beauty and charm of vintage. We enjoy searching for items that speak to us, restoring them (if needed) and adding them to our growing collection of eclectic awesomeness! We also enjoy picnics, so it was easy to decide on our afternoon tea, vintage picnic wedding. We also knew that we wanted door tables and bunting to play a part in the wedding. The door tables were one of the first things that Jules and I planned. In a way the reception was planned around them — our first obstacle was finding 16 VJ (tongue and groove) doors! We traveled all around Brisbane to demolition yards to find them (not an easy task). We then sanded them back (not a quick or easy task) and put four coats of paint on them. The trestle legs were engineered and made by Ken (Julianne’s dad). Looking at them on the day was just how we imagined them! The bunting was another element that was not negotiable but finding 60 meters of white bunting is not easy, but this is where Marilyn (Julianne’s mum) comes into it. That dear woman made the entire length of bunting! Saying thank you just doesn’t seem enough after so much work and effort.
We love the beauty of difference, so finding a range of jars and vases for the flowers on the tables at the reception was something that we worked hard at. It wasn’t until a few days before the wedding that we found the perfect range of bottles at riot art stores. We also used bottles and jars from Italian drinks. We love our families and we wanted to pay homage to them and their contribution in making us who we are today. We did this by using items our grandparents (deceased) used/owned (books, teacups, a brooch) in creating a little vignette at the ceremony by the signing of the register table (The table was made by Julianne’s maternal grandfather. Jules and I restored it just last year as a gift to Julianne’s mother).
As part of the reception, we offered our guests afternoon tea, and what afternoon tea is complete without vintage cake forks and napkins? We discovered that it was quite challenging to find 90 vintage cake forks, but searching for them was a great adventure and we love the eclectic and authentic touch they gave. One thing that we wanted to avoid was our guests sitting around for hours bored while we were getting photos. To help them pass the time and get in the mood of the vintage picnic atmosphere we were aiming for, we set up a few games — badminton, complete with a handmade lace net and shuttlecocks with real feathers, as well as croquet with vintage wooden mallets and balls. We also brought some of our favorite furniture pieces from home to give our wedding and reception that familiar, vintage feel that we tried to create. Jules also put in a huge amount of time and energy into the programs. The cover featured two stamped trees and bunting individually cut from carefully selected paper. On the inside was a pocket made from pages from an old book. The pocket held a folded piece of paper with the day’s schedule. Jules sewed the bunting and the pocket on. The back page of the program had a personalized find a word.
Wedding Photography: Elleni Toumpas / Wedding Venue: The Beacon on Tamborine in North Tamborine, Queensland / Floral Design: Florabunda Flowers / Event Design + Planning: DIY / Catering + Wedding Cake: Exclusive Catering / Wedding Invitations: DIY / Wedding Dress: Hilde Heim / Hair + Makeup: The Powder Room / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alannah Hill / Groom’s Suit: Presbyterian Church Op Shop in Mount Tamborine / Rings: The Diamond Box