Nicole & Chris
How did you and your partner meet?
At uni, when I was stealing Nicole’s answers in class! She thought I had a killer smile and we became great friends. A year later I was single and she snapped me up.
How did you or partner propose?
It was on my birthday. We ate our favourite dumplings, watched a movie – Yesterday – and Christopher asked if I’d give him a hand with the fairy lights outside to make sure they would work for my party the following evening. He ran inside to ‘grab his shoes’ and came out with a ring box asking “So you wanna get married?” I said, “Yes please!” I was so exited he actually had to ask me if I wanted to have a look at the ring and put it on.
Why did you choose to have your wedding at Terrara House?
We fell in love with the house a while ago when a friend showed us pictures online – at that point we weren’t even engaged, but we filed the house away under “dream wedding.” We wanted a venue where our families could come together for a few days before the wedding and that would allow us to relax and enjoy ourselves. We’d always heard weddings go so quickly, so we wanted something that would draw out the celebrations and allow us to savour every moment. Having the chance to get married there was such a special thing for us because it was like a dream coming true.
Terrara House meant we could have everything – accommodation, pre-wedding celebrations, ceremony, photos, reception, and a recovery brunch – all in the one spot. That was so valuable because it maximised time in the lead up and on the day, and meant we made the most of the beautiful location, venue and the moments we could enjoy both together and with our family and friends.
Did you have a theme for your wedding?
No. I tried my hardest to make it pink themed, because, well, my dress was a very light shade of pink, but this made Christopher rather suspicious. I got my pink candles in the end! We also had a bit of a native floral thing going on – my bouquet and the beautiful plinths for our ceremony (that we moved into the reception) and Christopher’s tie and socks drew on our amazing Australian flora – those muted greens, pinks and burgundies worked so well with Chesters and the Terrara grounds. Table decorations were really easy because Chesters did so much of the work with its beautiful recycled timber and those floral panels. Walking in at sunset was magical.
What was your menu on the night?
We went for the shared plates and they were delicious. We chose the three course with canapes, entrée and main and then used our cake, and some sweets for desert. We started with some spanner crab, pork rillettes and the tempura eggplant. Perfect on the lawn with a celebratory glass of bubbly. The heirloom tomatoes and kingfish for entrée were delicious and then led into the beef brisket and Portuguese chicken with all the sides for our main. The team roamed around with desert on platters – we had cake, gulab jamun and Turkish delight – which meant people on the dance floor enjoyed it too. Our guests kept telling us how amazing it was to have delicious food at a wedding – one of them said “You don’t usually go to a wedding expecting something delicious, but this food was so good.” We wanted the food to be special as its something we take care with when entertaining and the catering absolutely delivered!
What was your favourite part of your ceremony?
Authenticity was really key to our ceremony – we wanted it to be a realistic reflection of who we are. Our celebrant was amazing, so casual and relaxed. His acknowledgement of country was really meaningful and special. He didn’t pretend to know our whole story – he just really reflected what he knew of us from our meetings and let our friends and family tell the story. Our vows were a surprise so that was pretty special, but the stand out moment was when our brass band ‘Phat Brass’ struck up at the end as we were announced as husband and wife and walked back down the aisle. The band played ‘All You Need is Love’ from the balcony as we walked over to the lawn to greet our guests – it was just tremendous fun!
What did you love about your reception?
All of it. We walked in at sunset to the golden sparkle of perfectly arranged wine glasses, candles and the beautiful hubbub of our guests having fun. The food was amazing, our MC was the perfect balance of informative, warm and funny, and the DJ played great dinner music. Speeches were short but very sweet, and as soon as they were over we hit the dance floor hard. That was a real highlight because it was under cover but outside meaning you stayed cool and could just keep dancing! We really feel we nailed our first dance that Christopher choreographed the day before. The venue had spaces for everyone- seating at the tables, the dance floor and the sandstone patio for mingling. Leaving with a sparkler exit down the tree-lined driveway was also really beautiful.
How many people attended your wedding?
We had 100 people, we wanted it to be intimate and it meant we were able to speak to a lot of our guests.
What was your favourite location in Terrara House & The Estate and why?
We had photos at our favourite spot, the stairs at the front leading down from the verandah. It’s just such a pretty way to view the grounds and the house is magnificent. The morning after the wedding I came out to see my new husband and my niece sitting next to each other on those stairs and it just reinforced how special a place it was.
Did you plan a post wedding ‘honeymoon’ celebration and if so, what experience did you plan?
While we wanted to go to Western Australia, border closures were tricky, so we went to Bannister’s at Mollymook instead. It was only forty minutes away from Terrara – perfect because we didn’t have a day chewed up by travel. The south coast is amazing and Kristy and Courtney recommended some pretty special places for us to visit – we loved the beaches and saw dolphins swimming not fifty metres away everyday. It was pretty beautiful.
What is your advice for any future couples planning their wedding?
Getting married at Terrara House was the best choice we could have made. It made everything easy, relaxed and enjoyable. The grounds and the accommodation were immaculate and beautiful. Staying the nights before the wedding meant our families had quality time with each other and plenty of opportunities to enjoy what the estate has to offer. The Terrara team including Kristy, Courtney, Dave, Andre and their staff, and Annabelle our White Top wedding planner were professional, warm and efficient (three things we really love) and they did their work with such care. We can’t imagine it being any easier or any more beautiful than it was and we’re so grateful we got to be married in such a special place with lovely people all around us; family, friends and the wedding team!
the DETAILS
Photographer: Adrian Lammers – Better Together Photo Co
Bride’s Dress: Amanda Spalding – Ballingal
Brides shoes: Jo Mercer
Bride’s accessories: Earrings - Elk
Bridesmaid Dresses: Rosa Bridesmaids
Groom’s attire: MJ Bale, Peggy & Finn (tie and accessories)
Engagement & wedding rings: Grew & Co
Celebrant: Hamish Fibbins
Hair & Makeup: Chloe Nelson and Bride
Florist: Clare Murchie – The Wrong Flour
Venue: Terrara House
Catering: Three Blue Ducks
Cake: Sarah Jenkins (The Groom’s Sister)
Planner: Annabelle Williams – White Top Venues
Invites: Bride, Paperless Post
Entertainment: Band – Phat Brass, DJ – Tristan Nelson