Home » The Real Wedding Of Ariana & Tom - Nowra, NSW

The Real Wedding Of Ariana & Tom – Nowra, NSW

Ariana was never one of those girls who sat around dreaming about her wedding day. She didn’t have a pinterest board, or a clear vision of what she wanted – that is until Tom proposed.

So excited at the prospect of spending the rest of her life with her person, it also meant that more than a few decisions needed to be made about how their special day would play out. The enchanting gardens of Merribee House was the first item ticked off the list. An easy choice, as Tom grew up on the south coast of New South Wales, it already felt like a very special place to them both. On a chilly May evening, the gardens glowed with the warmth of the love from the people Ariana and Tom love the most.

What resulted after a lot of thoughtful planning, was an incredibly heartfelt, whimsical – and above all, fun – wedding day with a hundred highlights, a thousand laughs and a million memories no one lucky enough to attend is likely to forget.

THE PROPOSAL //

My husband Tom proposed at sunset at Wategos beach in Byron. We were away for our anniversary, our first trip away together after COVID lockdowns and he waited until the final night… He got seafood and a bottle of expensive champagne, I thought something may have been on the cards but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. My husband does not move quickly! He waited until the sun was setting then got down on one knee. I was beside myself I couldn’t even give an answer, I just cried and hugged him. He finally. had to ask if that was a yes.

The Most Memorable Moment //

Probably the speeches which is quite ironic as it was also the part I feared the most. I nearly didn’t make one, since traditionally the bride doesn’t give a speech but I felt like I had a lot to say. There were people in my life I wanted to mention, most importantly my family. My dad passed away when I was a baby so it was a moment to give thanks and reflect on what an amazing job my mum had done bringing up 3 kids on her own. She’s also a hard nut to crack but I saw a few tears so I knew I’d delivered it well.

THE VISION //

I was never one of those girls who dreamt about her wedding, there was a period of my life I didn’t even think I wanted to get married until I met Tom so my expectations for the day were honestly just to have fun.It’s the most extravagant party you’ll ever get to throw and you’ll never be this young again so I just wanted good food, good wine and long night of dancing – which I got!Also, the venue was absolutely stunning it exceeded our expectations in terms of beauty. The gardens made it feel like you were somewhere in Europe and not in the south coast of NSW.

YOUR DAY IN YOUR WORDS //

It truly was the best day of my life, everyone says it will be but you don’t really believe them until it happens. I’d been pretty stressed leading up to the day just with the amount of planning that comes with a destination wedding but when the day came this insane feeling of calm just came over me. I can only put that down to being surrounded by everyone we loved and the appreciation and support we felt. I had a few friends helping out for the day so I was just in awe of their generosity. The day ended up being colder than expected for May and looking back I think that comes through in our photos really beautifully. There is a sense of moodiness and winter colour palette that I love.

THE ADVICE THEY’D GIVE TO ANOTHER COUPLE //

Take time to smell the roses, there is so much planning in the lead-up to it that it’s easy to get caught up on the day and notice little things that aren’t going as planned but honestly, no one will notice! Make sure to stop, spend some time with your new hubby and just soak it all in. If I could do it all over again I would. Any day.