Once upon a time, in a beautiful patch of wine country called Orange, there lived a group of young journalists. They were tasked with broadcasting local news in-between share-house antics, nights out at The Royal Hotel, vineyard hopping and plenty of garlic pizza at a very fancy bistro called The Robin Hood.
Fast forward eight-ish years and these very same journalists, some now rather famous for their news hounding on Capital Hill, Melbourne, Papua New Guinea and beyond, returned to said wine country. Their calling was a very special reunion – the much-anticipated nuptials of Stephanie Borys and Thomas Lowrey.
Tom and Steffi were determined to say “I do” in central west NSW where it all began – they originally locked eyes at journalism school just down the road, about a decade earlier. So they selected a regal little vineyard called Stockman’s Ridge Wines to host, which captured all the quintessential country charm (and excellent cool climate wines) that the region is famous for.
They also enlisted the help of yours truly to make it legal – which was an incredible honour and so much fun. The best part about marrying close friends is that I get to embrace the party afterwards too, and I’m somewhat proud to say I was one of the last four people standing, at The Royal Hotel no less, for old time’s sake.
This wedding had it all. The bridal party was classier than Meghan and Kate combined. The groom’s party had more swagger than Mick Jagger. The crowd was full of people who weren’t afraid to let their hair down in absolute style, with the odd cheeky Fireball shot here and there too. It was everything.
Very clever creatives at The Studio Door captured highlights from the day on film if you’d like to take a peek - see HERE.
Like every good wedding, there was a calculated mix of ingredients that made for an extra memorable time. So I decided to list my five favourite things, albeit very hard to choose…
1. The bride’s dress: no seriously, Steffi looked a billion bucks. Supermodel-esque. It was definitely THE dress for her and she looked seamlessly happy and beautiful in it, all night long, especially when the twirling began. Her bridal party were quite the picture too, in elegant navy gowns.
2. The best man’s speech: I’ve seen many of these and James Lowrey just nailed it. He had a visual guide, which consisted of three images of a chicken (‘chicks’), beer and a football. Needless to say, communicating with pictures – together with an expert use of prose and pause – won everyone over. Yep, we were all in stitches.
3. Steffi’s Uncle Adrian: Adrian from Circa AD Jewels was responsible for the bride and groom’s very fancy bling – diamonds, pearls, the works. He was just fabulously fabulous all night long. He even invited us all to his Melbourne studio for diamonds and gin (if you’re reading this Adrian, I’ll see you soon).
4. The photographer: Matty from Feather and Birch Wedding Co. not only knew what he was doing behind the lens, he managed to keep up with everyone on the dancefloor too. No easy feat. He’s also responsible for taking a career-defining snap of the groom’s party on a tennis court, which still has me cackling (see here).
5. Sunday recovery: speaking of tennis, the Sunday recovery session was hosted at a country club style estate called ‘Willowood’. It was the perfect mix of posh and personalised, a home away from home, which was just right for those people sleeping on the grass (not naming names). Tom rocked the most magical pair of salmon shorts, whilst we nibbled on cream-cheese bagels. T’was just divine.
These are but a few highlights of the weekend that was, and there are so many more. I’m just delighted for you Tom and Steffi, and I wish you a lifetime of happiness as Mr and Mrs Lowrey.
Thanks again for entrusting me with the very special job of being your celebrant, I’m forever grateful.
Hales x