Sophie & Brody

18 September 2016
The Refectory, Werribee Park, Victoria
Photography by Joseph Koprek Photography

"Brody says, 'It was love at first sight,' and I have to admit it didnt take me long to fall for him either." The proposal came one Friday afternoon in September. "Brody suggested a drive down to the state rose garden in the precint of Werribee Park (my happy place) and we strolled around the gardens where the roses were in full bloom. He led me into the rotunda and got down on one knee. He presented me with a beautiful emerald cut diamond."
Sophie and Brody chose nearby, The Refectory to hold their wedding ceremony and reception. "We secured a date and then had time to find the vendors who we thought could bring our vision to life."

Come rain, hail or shine

"It was a magical day. Although the forecast for the day was showers and it did in fact rain, we decided to go ahead with our outdoor location. We had clear umbrellas to catch the rain that fell." Sadly, Sophie's late parents were not able to celebrate the joyous day with the couple however her 94-year-old grandfather was there and walked her down the aisle. "My grandfather gave me away. Seeing Brody at the end of the ceremony aisle was such a special moment. Despite the rain, it was the perfect way to start our married life together."

A special place

Both the location and style of the wedding were very important to Sophie and Brody. "Werribee Park Mansion and its surrounding grounds was a place I often used to visit with my parents. Even though they could not be at our wedding physically I knew they would be there in spirit. Also, as a carpenter, Brody has a passion for architecture and beautiful buildings and what better place to marvel at such grandeur and incredible design than The Refectory?"

Bride's bouquet

"All of our wedding flowers were based around tones of purple and lilac. My bouquet was created using fresh lavander, spray roses and wheat grass. My bridesmaids also held bunches of fresh lavender. They smelt as beautiful as they looked. Delphiniums roses and lavender where used throughout our wedding as sweet-smelling decoration including to line the ceremony aisle and to decorate our ceremonial arch."

Styling that suits

"The styling elements of our wedding were heavily influenced by the location. We wanted to create a wedding that was styled to suit the country manor and had added hints of opulence and luxury. My late mother's favourite flower was lavender so we used this flower and colour as a base for all the design. Also, being spring we wanted to keep a fresh pastel colour palette. In keeping with the grandeur of the building, we incorporated hints of gold through the signage and seating chart."

His and Hers

Sophie had always known that she wanted a traditional ballgown style wedding dress to wear for her ceremony. She chose a Bonita Couture gown with sweetheart neckline and full duchess satin skirt. "It was timeless and elegant. I fell in love with the gown as soon as I tried it on!" Sophie then changed into a different dress for the reception. "It was something that was a bit of fun. It was made from gold lace with a fitted silhouette. Perfect to dance the night away in!"

Brody also opted for a traditional look with a black tuxedo. "The boys all looked very handsome in their custom made suits."

Let us entertain you

"We wanted to ensure that our guests where entertained throughout the afternoon so we had games, yummy cocktails and canapés on offer before the reception kicked off in the evening." Sophie and Brody chose to make a donation to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation in the place of wedding favours. "Even though we didn't have traditional wedding favours, we did have a takeaway coffee cart and cake station available for our guests to visit at the end of the night so no-one left empty handed!" Sophie and Brody's 4-tier wedding cake had an ombre effect. It was a combination of chocolate mud cake with salted caramel filling and red velvet cake with homemade jam filling.