Flowerdale Estate Wedding | Yarra Valley Celebrant | Kiara and Drew
As a Yarra Valley celebrant, travelling the back roads to a Flowerdale Estate Wedding, I get excited. It’s a gorgeous Melbourne Wedding Venue with wonderful features, surrounds and staff. And this wedding was no exception. Kiara and Drew had chosen an intimate wedding reception and ceremony and chose to stand up to marry with only each other, sans wedding party, but with their dogs, Diesel and Launch. Unfortunately, due to thunderstorms, the dogs remained safe at home, so it was Kiara, Drew and me! But, the dogs were there in spirit, particularly via their wedding cake by Fantasy Cakes which replicated a dog in spectacular fashion.
The ceremony was moved into the Pavillion, due to the inclement weather, seamlessly by Maria and her team at Flowerdale Estate. The ceremony setup was immediately adapted and replicated inside and Kiara and Drew rolled with the punches. This bride and groom were both a little nervous about standing up, professing their love, in front of their family and friends, but I was there to support them every step of the way.
They shared wonderful vows, included a hand-fasting to symbolise their love and their friend, Opi, presented the reading for the day;
“Love is like a fart. If you have to force it, it’s probably shit!”
The photographer, Kelly Jane Photography, captured the day and much of the styling was undertaken by our bride, Kiara, and I loved her special touches (check out the book!) I loved working with these guys and helping them enjoy their wedding ceremony immensely. Kiara sent through this;
Julie was incredibly easy to deal with both leading up to and during our special day. She worked her magic at making two wall flowers feel comfortable and confident. She made our ceremony stress free and it flowed really well, especially with the last-minute location change due to bad weather! We cannot thank Julie enough for holding our hands through this experience and were both very impressed by her ability to memorise the hand fasting section of our ceremony. Both my husband and I cannot recommend Julie highly enough!
If you’re looking for a fabulous celebrant and one who can tell your story, like below, please get in contact here.
Kiara and Drew’s Love Story
Kiara and Drew met on the 13th November 2012 whilst doing a bartending course at TAFE in Adelaide. Drew manipulated himself into a position where he would be put into a group with Kiara every week and then ‘assisted’ her with serving drinks by knocking the tray all over her. Kiara moved to Melbourne 6 months later and Drew followed her.
When Drew first met Kiara he thought she was really good looking and they shared a similar sense of humour and love of sarcasm whilst Kiara’s first impression of Drew was tall, dark and handsome and a little mysterious. For their first date they went to the movies and saw Skyfall. They were never intending to be more than friends and Kiara knew she was moving states soon. Obviously, the date ended up going pretty well as they started spending most evenings together and the rest is history!
In these early stages what most impressed Drew about Kiara was that she was always fun to be around and super supportive. Kiara loved how driven Drew was. He had a plan for his life and a determination to continue to better himself. She was terrified about moving state, even though she had been planning it for almost a year, but he was her rock. He had such an incredible sense of self confidence and the belief that he will be successful and can do anything.
Drew proposed to Kiara on their 5th anniversary (19th January 2018). He planned an entire day of surprises, starting with a helicopter ride over the city , the Melbourne Star, lunch at an American style diner (their favourite type of food) in the city, the break room which is a where you get a baseball bat and a box filled with plates and glassware to destroy. It is here that Drew got down on one knee and hoicked up his short leg to present a tattoo he had secretly got saying ‘Kiara, will you marry me?’ with a yes and no check box. He then had to spend the next half hour convincing Kiara it was a real tattoo. Then they went to an escape room, a real test of a relationship being locked in a room solving puzzles to escape and then to dinner and a hotel in the city. The next day they got matching tattoos and the cross Kiara had made in the yes box was made permanent.
Drew loves that Kiara is fun, extremely loving and intelligent. She is the glue that keeps their little family together and she does things for others without being asked. Kiara is the most generous and selfless person he’s ever met and is also the best dog mum. The thing he loves the most about her is that she can make me laugh when I’m having a bad day. Kiara has taught him how to reach his goals. Drew has always had big plans for his life, but Kiara has helped make those dreams a reality.
Kiara describes Drew as caring, humorous and giving. He has a big heart and he’s always willing to help the people around him. Drew is the only person she’s ever met who can snap her out of a bad mood. He has this ability to make her smile and laugh, no matter how crappy she’s feeling. She loves how much he adores their dogs and does everything he can to provide the best life possible for all of them. Life with him is better, for the first time Kiara is truly happy most of the time. They’ve been through both good and bad times and Drew has stuck by her. She knows he will always be there for her, even when she’s acting a little crazy. Drew has taught me to not sweat the small stuff and to let things go.
Together, they love playing with Diesel and Launch (hide and seek or piggy in the middle), going hiking, playing Xbox or just relaxing at home together. In continuing their relationship in marriage, they know that trust, laughter and mutual respect are extremely important, and Kiara looks forward to growing old with Drew and Drew looks forward to calling Kiara his wife. They can’t wait for their honeymoon, their first holiday in 6 years! But mainly just enjoying life, seeing what the future holds for them, buying some investment properties and moving to Tasmania one day.
