17 Aug Ella and John’s Yarra Valley wedding

Ella and John 

Determined to create ‘a taste of Italy’, Ella and John chose to hold their wedding in the stunning surrounds of Stones of the Yarra Valley. Looking every bit like Italy with its stone buildings festooned in creeping vines, and its expansive vistas of yellow, red and orange-hued vineyards, it was the perfect setting for a romantic, Autumn wedding. 

What I loved most about this Yarra Valley wedding ceremony

Oh where do I start? Being my first-ever wedding as a newly-minted marriage celebrant, it will always hold a special place in my heart! But apart from that, these are the things that made this wedding ceremony especially memorable:

• The way the bridesmaids’ rust-coloured dresses perfectly matched the autumnal leaves on the chapel façade
• The couple’s 18-month-old nephew was the perfect page boy! Not only did he look adorable in his bow-tie and suspenders, but he walked up the aisle on cue, handed the rings to the groomsman and trotted back like a pro – to the delighted squeals of the attendees! Who said you shouldn’t work with children and animals?
• During the certificate signing, Ella and John decided to play Dean Martin’s ‘That’s Amore’ for a bit of light-hearted fun! It worked a treat, as EVERYONE burst into spontaneous singing during what can sometimes be a bit of a dull interlude for guests

Some unique wedding ceremony touches

Ella is an organiser extraordinaire, so this wedding was always going to be beautifully executed! There were so many special and unique touches, but perhaps one of my favourites was her choice of processional song. It was ‘Kiss Me’ by Ed Sheeran; the bridesmaids walked down the aisle one by one, and as the song reached a crescendo, the chapel doors burst open and Ella and her father entered. I don’t think there was a dry eye amongst the guests – mine included! 

Also, I was so happy that Ella and John decided to incorporate a wine ritual into their ceremony, so fitting for a Yarra Valley wedding! Ella has a wine blog (www.thecheekyvino.com) so I encouraged them to choose a special bottle and they organised an engraved wooden box. During the ceremony I said some appropriate words about the richness and longevity of wine and its relevance to the nurturing of their relationship over time. The groom’s mother presented the box and wine to the couple during the ceremony, and they inserted their vows – to be opened and read on their 10th wedding anniversary.

What made the ceremony extra personal

I always encourage couples to write some personal vows, which can be read alongside the legal vows. I think this makes the ceremony unique to them and creates memories they will treasure forever. Ella and John were happy to include their own vows in the ceremony and prepared them together. They were truly beautiful – heartfelt, humorous but also meaningful. If you can’t express how much you love each other on your wedding day then when can you?

The ceremony – in the couple’s own words…

Maria was absolutely incredible. From the professional planning session to the ceremony itself she went above and beyond to make our day so special. Her speech was filled with personal moments and she made it 100% about us. She also suggested a wine ritual because she knew we loved wine and even went to the effort of printing off special vows for it. She really cares about making the day special for you and truly goes above and beyond. I cannot recommend her more. We had so many people tell us how much they loved the ceremony and Maria which goes to show just how amazing she is.

The team that made the dream Yarra Valley wedding ceremony come true…

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