The Wedding Venue
Although I am known as Melbourne Celebrant Julie, I conduct many Yarra Valley weddings and Stones of the Yarra Valley is an exquisite Melbourne wedding Venue.
Located in Coldstream, Stones boasts expansive manicured lawns encapsulating century-old oak trees with a rough-rendered, light-filled chapel and two venue options: The Stables and The Barn. It is understandable why Siena and Dave fell in love with the Yarra Valley wedding venue and chose to have their wedding ceremony and reception here.
The Wedding Ceremony
Like many grooms when I arrive at the wedding venue, David approached me that his mind was blank and he couldn’t remember a thing! Cue Melbourne Celebrant Julie guiding everyone prior, during and after the ceremony. Both Siena and Dave were extremely nervous about the ceremony and relaxed as it progressed. Melbourne Pianist Calvin entertained us before the bride arrived and throughout the ceremony. There were many laughs when telling their story and sharing their vows. And, after the signing, the couple were showered with petals in a guard of honour outside the chapel; a tradition at this beautiful venue.
“Julie is very experienced and has been a great help to our wedding planning and ceremony. We highly recommended her!”
Their Love Story
Siena and David met at their workplace in 2018 when Siena first moved to Melbourne from Canberra. They were introduced by a mutual friend, Christina. David instant messaged Siena and went to visit her, welcomed her to the Office and shook her hands. Siena was attractive, dressed well and David was curious as to whether she was single. Siena thought David looked like a nice guy but did not dress very formally (he had no tie) and looked very tired.
They had many lunches at the office and at the food court downstairs at work and got to know each other. This expanded to sharing food and then to dinners and shopping together, on occasions, after work. After David chased Siena for a while, Siena couldn’t resist David’s charms anymore and finally said yes to dating, after a few attempts.
I these early stages of dating Siena says David was very talkative and she was impressed by his ability to speak Chinese. David was impressed by Siena’s nice and sincere personality, and how she was able to listen to and seem interested in all the stories that he shared.
David knew it was love when Siena accepted him for who he is, feeling so comfortable being able to talk to Siena in just about anything and discovering that she supported me in the things he does meant so much. For Siena, she knew it was love when they we went on a trip to Sorrento and, whilst taking photos together, a wave came awfully close, and David carried her out of the wave protecting Siena from the water. David’s jeans became wet but she was completely dry. Their relationship developed and a proposal was on the cards. And, thus, it was here, at Stones of the Yarra Valley, where David proposed during Christmas holidays in December 2020.
Siena describes David as cute, funny and smart. He makes her laugh, and when they have disagreements, he knows how to comfort he. David also communicates and shares a lot of his life with Siena. He also treats her well and gets along very well with her parents. David has taught her to be positive, how to play squash and golf, and a lot about fruits.
David sees Siena as intelligent, caring and beautiful. He loves being able to share his life and feelings with Siena. I love her courage and the support and encouragement she provides him with. Siena cares about David and the things he does. He loves that they share common interests and values in life. Siena has taught him be open and sharing, to eat healthier and be cleaner.
Together, they love travelling, cooking, shopping, playing games and watching TV. Communication, trust, commitment and sharing similar values they will bring to their marriage. David looks forward to starting their lives as a family and Siena wants to have a baby version of David.
And, finally, once coronavirus problems disappear, they can go overseas for a proper honeymoon.
Wedding Vows
Siena and David chose to create their own vows, like many modern-day wedding couples. They emailed them to me, separately, eager to share their words to each other for the first time during the wedding ceremony. I have them printed on card, in a decent sized font, to hand to them prior to the vow exchange. As you can see, Dave was quite emotional during the vows. Dave shared;
Siena,
I still remember when we first met, when I shook your hands and welcomed you to Melbourne.
Your decision to come to Melbourne from Canberra, is a decision that I am truly thankful for. From the very start, I felt comfortable around you. We shared lunches together, dinners together and went shopping together. You listened to my stories with interest as I enjoyed being with you.
As we spent more time together, I realised how much I liked you and would come up with reasons to spend more time with you such as taking you to places in Melbourne that you haven’t been to yet or going to get milk tea (even when I was full).
You are so special:
- You kind and caring – when I am not feeling well, you are always there to ask if I’m okay and to take care of me, and remind me to lose weight to keep healthy
- You support my goals and dreams
- You accompany me to do things that I want to do – such as play sports you can’t play and going for long walks when you could do other things
- You understand me for the person that I am and for person I want to be.
- You are intelligent – I can talk to you about many topics, and have debates with you (sometimes you even prove me wrong)
- You look beautiful – I love looking at your eyes and looking at you smile. I am so happy to stand here beside you and I look forward to sharing my life with you.
- I promise to keep you happy, to support you to achieve your goals and dreams
- I promise to be with you during the good times and support you during the rough times.
- I promise to keep you safe, warm you up when you are cold and protect you from the spiders and insects.
- I promise to love you and cherish you.
- I promise to be a good husband.
You are my best friend and my partner.
I am so lucky to have met you. You complete me and I love you.
Hi!
You walked into my life on April 30th, 2018 – the first day I started at the Docklands office. I had never thought about that I would meet the love of my life at the office. Since the day I met you, you have always been by my side. When you looked at me and smiled at me, you completely drowned me in love. I felt you took away what was broken, healed it and made it whole again.
Our relationship is never easy and it won’t be easy. There are times that I see both of us get tired, but you never give up on us. You make me laugh when I’m sad, make me calm down when I’m angry and help me find words when I don’t know what to say. You make me brave and believe that as long as we are together, we can work through all the hardships.
Now we eventually manage to be here. I want to thank you for being with me and for believing in us.
David, I promise to you that I will always help you find your keys, your mobile and your wallet.
I promise to love you through everything – including your Chinese, your questionable taste in clothes and your bad jokes. To be honest, these somehow make me love you more.
I promise to always be your friend, your lover, and, most importantly, your family. From today and forever, you will no longer walk alone. I promise that I will always be by your side and hold your hand. In this world and the next, I will love you until the end of the time.
The Wedding Dress
Siena chose her wedding dress from Melbourne’s highly-regarded bridal store, Raffaele Ciuca. Melbourne’s house of bridal style boasts Australia’s largest collection of wedding dresses and it’s easy to see why Siena fell in love; she looks absolutely divine and embraces a classic and classy look. The detailed pictures, captured by Theordore & Co, certainly highlight the beauty of Siena in her wedding dress. You can always rely on me to assist in placing and styling the dress for maximum effect in your photos (see pic). And, it would be remiss of me not to mention David looking dapper in his Hugo Boss suit.
Wedding Flowers
The beautiful chapel at Stones of the Yarra Valley is a striking canvas to decorate and style, particularly with florals. Siena and Dave chose a pastel pink theme and entrusted the award-winning, highly-regarded Debbie O’Niell florist and floral event designer to style the wedding ceremony space and reception. They looked AMAZING! David mentioned to me prior to the ceremony how impressed he was with the styling and that Siena would be thrilled.
It was an absolute please to officiate their wedding ceremony and it was the perfect setting for the perfect couple. If you’re looking for an engaging, professional and fun, please contact me here.
