Welcome to the wedding of Tara and Richard, who met at work in 2012 and found themselves saying ‘I Do’ at Gunner’s Barracks in Sydney just a handful of years later.
The couple opted for a classic style on their day, and decorated with deep chalky greens with pops of soft pastels for their floristry (put together by the remarkable Petal & Fern).
Scroll through gorgeous moments from Tara and Richard’s big day right here exclusively on One Fine Day.
THE PROPOSAL //
On the 9th of September 2017, Rich took Tara on a picnic at Lavender Bay. Rich organised “most” of the day – it was his idea and yet in typical fashion still asked Tara to arrange the food – the night before. Even though Rich “organised” the day, Tara still had to drive, and after a few wrong turns they ended up in the city. Tara thought this was strange – Rich was unusually calm, and made no comments about her driving as he usually does, as the world’s number 1 passenger driver.
Tara also found out that morning that they had to be home by 2pm, as the Melbourne Storm were playing that afternoon in the first finals game of the NRL…
It was here at Lavender Bay that Rich proposed to Tara on one knee – with the bay, the Harbour Bridge and Luna Park in the background.
In a moment of shock, Tara didn’t answer, leaving Rich to sternly ask “well, will you or not..?”
The Most Memorable Moment //
Tara // My favourite part was walking down the aisle with my dad and my son (both of which gave me away). Everything and everyone was a blur once I saw the raw emotion on Richard’s face.
Richard // Seeing Tara for the first time. For months and months, she teased saying she was going to wear a black dress, to the point I pictured a black dress. When she turned the corner and started walking down the aisle, I completely lost it and was a blubbering mess.
THE WEDDING DRESS //
Tara spent hours searching online for the perfect dress, but found herself always circling back to the same designer, Karen Willis Holmes. “I wanted something slightly unique with long sleeves. I knew I didn’t want the ‘typical’ wedding dress, but still had to keep it elegant/timeless.” It was the gorgeous ‘Cassie’ gown by Karen Willis Holmes that Tara finally said yes to.
THE WEDDING SUIT //
Richard had his heart set on a certain style, explaining, “I wanted a traditional 3 piece with wide peak lapels, a more British tailored style”. The groom settled on a tailor that kept popping up in his research, Luxius Bespoke Tailoring. “It was a fully custom made to measure suit, I picked everything from the material, to the lining and how many buttons and where I wanted the pockets. I wanted it as unique as possible for me.”
THE WEDDING ACCESSORIES //
It’s all in the details, and groom Richard was certainly sure to add some personalised touches. “I wore a red Ferragamo tie that had lady bugs on it – red being Tara’s favourite colour and she loves lady bugs. It was the first thing Tara noticed and pointed out to me when we stood together. It was a beautiful gift from my brother and sister.”
Tara kept things simple with a sentimental bracelet gifted from Richard’s mum and a pair of gorgeous earrings from Bond Street Jewellers.
THE ONE THING THEY WISH THEY KNEW BEFORE WEDDING PLANNING //
Tara has one major piece of advice: “Get off Pinterest! Whilst it’s great to have all the ideas, you can just get lost amongst all the details.” While Richard is firm on the financial factors, saying plainly, “This can get expensive! Options are endless, write down and consider different ideas before you start contacting suppliers”.
THE ADVICE THEY’D GIVE TO ANOTHER COUPLE //
“Do the wedding planning together,” says Tara. “Richard was my rock during the whole process. He kept me grounded during a time that could have been quite stressful.” And Richard completely agrees, explaining, “Plan together, split things between each other to research and organise, and trust each other in the process”.
THE MUSIC //
First Dance: Mariah Carey, Joe and 98 Degrees ‘Thank God I Found You’ // Walking down the aisle: Haley Reinhart ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ // Reception Entrance Song: Mariah Carey ‘Fantasy’
THE REGRETS //
The only thing that this beautiful couple would change is being able to up the time spent with their guests. Tara says, “The day was perfect and went without a hitch. I didn’t get to spend time with all our guests and thank them for coming. The day and night went so quickly!” with Richard completely agreeing, explaining the only thing he would change would be, “More opportunity to spend time and talk to everyone, the day really is a whirlwind like everybody says”.
THE CREDITS //
Wedding Venue // Gunner’s Barracks
Florist and Styling // Petal and Fern
Wedding Photographer // Robert Meredith
Hair and Makeup // Alex Penton
Marriage Celebrant // Georgia O’Brien
MC // Elvis Miletic
Jewellery // Bond Street Jewellers
Groom Suit // Luxius Bespoke Tailors
Wedding Cars // HF Wedding Cars
DJ and Photobooth // EV Entertainment
