Nicky & Tim
How did you and your partner meet?
Our best friends are brother & sister so we had known of each other for years but it was their Mum (Nicky) who first put the idea in my head that we would be great together. As Tim is younger than me, I was hesitant at the idea, but quickly learnt we had so much in common and we hit it off. 8yrs later we could not imagine life without each other, and it was even more special to have both our best friends stand by us in our bridal party on the day and cupid herself (their Mum) also at the wedding.
How did you or partner propose?
Knowing that I would be very suspicious of a date night or romantic picnic, Tim got the element of surprise by planning it while we were on a weekend away in Orange with our closest friends. He had some help from one of my best friends to ensure the plan went smoothly and there was champagne on ice ready, but the surprise also came to the rest of our friends away with us, which made it even more exciting and special. He suggested a morning walk to a nearby lookout with our new puppy (Roo), unbeknown to me he was planning to propose, I declined the offer and said lets just go for a walk on the golf course that our air bnb backed onto. Again so that I was not suspicious he went along with it and ended up dropping a knee on one of the greens, in the rain.
Why did you choose to have your wedding at Terrara House?
We both fell in love with the venue the minute we drove up the driveway. It is a stunning property with the beautiful homestead and extensive gardens and so many options for different places we could have our ceremony, canapes and then reception as well as so many beautiful photo opportunities to capture our day. It was exactly what we were looking for, somewhere we could hire out for the whole weekend, enough room for our closest friends and family to stay with us and for us . Everyone tells you that your wedding days goes so quickly so we wanted to extend it and make a weekend of it so we could spread out the celebrations.
Did you have a theme for your wedding?
We didn’t have a theme but I did have a vision of a look/feel I was wanted to create, at the same time not taking away from the beautiful property which already created so much of the vibe we were wanting. It started by deciding we wanted a long lunch wedding instead of a dinner. I had several Pinterest boards which evolved over a 12 month period and included everything from the design of my dress, the mix match of colour and print for the bridemaids dresses, the gin bar, dress code for the day and I also worked closely with stylist Laice from @lbstyling to bring this to life across the flowers, table setting, stationary and signage.
What was your menu on the night?
Our menu was curated by the amazing Chef Chris from Orchard catering. We had a tasting day where we tried a huge variety of options which we narrowed down based on our taste and what we knew our guests would love. We had a mix of canapes, entrée, main and then a grazing board of cheeses (from our cheese wheel cake) and sweet treats made by our mums.
See exact menu below:
Canapes
Fresh Oysters with mignonette
Trout tartlet with roe and soft herbs (gf)
Rare beef and mash Yorkshire puddings
Jalapeno and smoked cheddar croquettes with smoked tomato relish (v)
Nduja arancini with truffle aioli
ENTREE: Shared
Charred Octopus, Romesco and harissa (gf, df)
Pork gyoza, ponzu dressing, furikake (gf/df) Veg option available
MAINS: Shared
Sous vide rump cap, chimichurri and ancho dukkha (gf, df)
Ballotine of chicken with smoked corn puree and burnt corn (gf/df)
SIDES: Shared
Triple cooked potatoes, leek and parsley aioli rosemary salt (gf, df, vegan)
Charred sugarloaf with goma and seeds (gf, vegan)
Maple caraway carrots with smoked ricotta and dehydrated carrot skins (gf)
What was your favourite part of your ceremony?
I think 2 parts were our favourite. One, when you first see each other walking down the aisle, it is very emotional but probably one of the most amazing feelings you ever feel. All the build up to this very moment has come and you get to marry the love of your life in front of all the most important people in our lives. Second is our vows. We both wrote our own vows which made it very personal and we are so glad we decided to not share them with each other beforehand as it made it even more special to hear them for the first time.
What did you love about your reception?
Everything! We loved the afternoon in the chess garden for canapes with a champagne tower to kick it off, our amazing acoustic duo from Tillee music and after a morning of rain we were blown away when the sun came out and it was the perfect afternoon sunset. The main reception was held in the marquee which was perfect. It was a great mix of sit down long lunch vibes, incredible speeches and one of the best dance floors that no one wanted the night to end. As gin lovers we had a gin bar with our favourite gins & tonic and “his & hers” gin cocktails.
How many people attended your wedding?
We had 120 people attend
What was your favourite location in Terrara House & The Estate and why?
It is way too hard to pick but that’s the beauty of this property, there is so many amazing spaces that we really utilised throughout the whole weekend. I think if we had to narrow down though the homesteads large wrap around balcony scattered with wicker furniture is a favourite spot that we used several times over the weekend. We kicked off with drinks on the Friday afternoon and the boys head back there after the rehearsal dinner for whisky and cigars the wrap up the night. On the wedding day we got married just in front of the large stairs leading up to the balcony, signed our wedding papers and had a first kiss on the balcony. The recovery the next day we had a brunch served on the balcony with everyone enjoying a beautiful sunny morning, lounging on the furniture with the perfect view of the property.
Did you plan a post wedding ‘honeymoon’ celebration and if so, what experience did you plan?
Tim and I went to Singapore for our honeymoon. We stayed in 3 different places and had the most relaxing time spent by the pool, picking from the endless choice of amazing restaurants and food markets, exploring the Gardens by the bay and as a keen golfer Tim even fit in a game with some friends who live in Singapore while I enjoyed a spa day. A highlight was staying at the world-renowned Raffles Singapore which was an incredible experience of luxury which was a bucket list item for both of us. Highly recommend.
What is your advice for any future couples planning their wedding?
We were told this by many people but you don’t quite realise HOW quickly your wedding day flies by. There is so much build up and planning that goes into the wedding day and before you know it, it is over. Try to take it all in and make sure you spend time with each other on the day. You often find yourself trying to get around to see and talk to everyone but it’s your day and you want to enjoy it together. The only other word of advice would be don’t get wrapped up in things outside of your control, like the weather. It can be very stressful but at Terrara House they and the White top venue team are experts in making your day perfect regardless of the weather. Speaking from experience we not only had weeks of raining leading up to our day which meant we had to change our ceremony location but we also woke up on the day to rain. The team were amazing at keeping calm and giving us options and also waiting until the very last minute to set up our ceremony outside as were lucky enough that the rain cleared just in time!
THE DETAILS
Photographer: Scott Surplice (Scott Surplice Photography)
Bride’s Dress: Designed by the Bride, made by family friend/dress maker Louise Greco (Louise Greco | The White Dress )
Brides shoes: Proenza Schouler
Bride’s accessories: Pearl stud earrings (ceremony) – Maria Black / Statement crystal & pearl earrings - Christie Nicolaides / Pearl bracelet – something borrowed from my Mum (my Nanna’s originally) / Sapphire pinky ring – something blue (stone was left to me by my Nan)
Bridesmaid Dresses: SIR the label, Manning Cartell, Bec & Bridge & Asos
Groom’s attire: Custom made suit from INSTITCHU
Engagement & wedding rings: bespoke Natalie Marie (Natalie Marie Jewellery)
Hair: Emma Louise (HAIR & MAKEUP)
Makeup: Eden Gauci (Eden Gauci)
Florist: Flowers on the Mill (Wedding Flower Specialist)
Venue: Terrara House
Catering & Cheese wheel cake: Orchard catering Co.
Planner: Ayesha from White Top Venues
Stylist: Laice Bollen – LB Styling
Stationary & Invites: Peterkin paper & Printery (Peterkin Paper & Printery )
Entertainment:
Acoustic Duo – Nat & Bob from Tillee Music (Tillee Music)
DJ – XYDJ - XYDJ (@xydj) • Instagram photos and videos