Real Wedding // Mel & Steve’s Forget Me Not Wedding

Mel & Steve’s magical Forget Me Not Wedding was totally dreamy! From the lush surrounds of the venue to the beautiful styling and surreal sunset, their day looked like a fairytale and in Mel & Steve’s words, “The entire day was an absolute dream, we’ve never felt so surrounded by love.” Thank you to our amazing team of suppliers for pulling this incredible day together!

Tell us your story, how did you both meet?
We had gone to high school together a couple of years apart but it wasn’t until after leaving school when we got together. After several failed attempts, we finally went for an afternoon coffee, where I nervously rambled for hours and Steve was thankful to not have to say a word. That was nearly 9 years ago now and we have been together ever since.

How did the proposal happen?
We take a pre-season holiday on the same weekend in September each year before Steve starts cricket for the summer. Steve had taken the reigns on organising a weekend in Byron staying at one of the incredible Byron Beach Abodes villas. We had been for a long lunch at Raes and returned to our villa to laze by pool on what was an uncharacteristically warm September day. We had not long been home from lunch when Steve, ever so cooly, popped down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Despite having been together for so many years, I hadn’t expected it and instantly burst into tears! The surprises kept on coming when a chef knocked at the door to cook us an incredible three course meal pool-side. It was exactly how we love to spend our days and I was thankful for it to have been simple and private, the happy tears streamed down all night long.

A year later, we returned to Byron for our pre-season weekend away. This time we brought all our family and friends along with us and were married exactly a year from when we got engaged.

What were the reasons for choosing Forget Me Not as the venue for your special day?
It’s hard to explain but anyone that has been there will know why. The grandeur of turning into the driveway and being faced with the beautiful rolling hills of the Byron hinterland is truly stunning. We were always torn between a beach and country wedding but Forget Me Not felt like the perfect mix of both. Also, I was an absolute sucker for those floppy eared cows!

Why style were you striving for with your table settings, florals and reception? Was there a certain look or vibe that you wanted to create?
If I’m being honest, I think Steve can take the credit for our overall vibe! Our favourite times are spent with our friends and family around the dinner table, so Steve made the very practical suggestion that our wedding theme ought to be based on an epic home-style dinner party. Our home is filled with a very natural colour palette and we love timbers and linens, so we based our cocktail and reception décor on that. We sat amongst our friends, filled long tables with a feast of platters from Fig Tree Catering and were surrounded by incredible suspended floral arrangements by Bower Botanicals.

Were there any vendors that you particularly loved working with and why?
We were so lucky to be surrounded by some seriously talented vendors, but more than that, they were also just bloody great people. Kind and patient when we needed it, they made us feel truly supported throughout the whole process but as always, there are a few that we would like to throw a little love at.

We were lucky enough to have had two different wedding planners throughout the process at Byron Bay Weddings, Kiera and Aoife, so we really can say that the care and attention they give you extends beyond just one person! Lloyd, from the Byron Bay Weddings On the Day Coordination team was another standout. He was someone we had no interaction with in the lead-up but felt instantly at ease with on the day. An epic sunset also made us change our entire afternoon timeline, I’m sure he was probably beyond stressed, but he didn’t flinch once.

The Story of Us looked after our invitations, on the day stationery and videography. They became so integral to our planning and were involved in our direction every step of the way. The way they go about their business is really beautiful and had me completely convinced I needed to up and pursue a career in the wedding industry immediately.

We were so lucky to have some incredible photographers, Shane and Dee from Shane Shepherd Weddings and our videographer Tom from the Story of Us. We’re two pretty awkward sorts in front of the lens but having these people whom we barely knew, feel like life-long friends, made it all the more enjoyable.

We were also lucky enough to be married by a dear friend of ours, the lovely Kelly from Soul Tree, which brought a beautiful personal touch to our day.

Finally, Jaala & Kelley from Bower Botanicals, who are seriously talented and made magic from my most convoluted visions.

We have become those crazy people that LOVED planning our wedding. It’s not lost on us that our lack of stress throughout the process was mostly, if not entirely, due to our vendors. We will forever be indebted to them for the most fun year of our life.

Overall, what was your favourite part of your wedding day and why?
The entire day was an absolute dream, we’ve never felt so surrounded by love.-
We absolutely loved our dance floor after dinner. The first dance was something we had actually both dreaded in the lead up to the wedding, the whole thing just made us feel super uncomfortable! On the afternoon before the wedding as we were going our separate ways for the night, we even looked at each other and just said “Oh s**t, we forgot to come up with a first dance!”. We got there in the end and picked ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen for the first dance, not a totally conventional choice but it worked really well for us. We did a few spins, had about a two-second bop, then were joined by our friends and family to scream out the lyrics of one of our favourite songs. It really filled the dance floor and set the night up for one of the funnest dance parties we’ve ever been a part of (we’re biased, we know). We walked out of our wedding head to toe covered in espresso martinis and couldn’t have been happier about it.

Mel & Steve xo

Suppliers
Venue: Forget Me Not // Structure: Sperry Tents Byron Bay // Hair & Makeup: The Future Mrs // Celebrant: Soul Tree // Photographer: Shane Shepherd // Videographer: The Story of Us // Florist: Bower Botanicals // Musician & DJ: Upon A Moment // Ice Cream: Wheel & Spoon // Guest Transport: Byron Bay Double Deckers // Catering: Fig Tree Catering // Lighting:  Byron Audio // Furniture & Styling: The Wedding Shed // Planning & Coordination: Byron Bay Weddings