Danielle Taylor certainly didn’t expect for her boyfriend Adam Tarrant to propose to her while seated at her desk, but that’s exactly what happened. Surprising her at the marie claire office in Sydney, where Danielle works as Deputy Art Director, Adam got down on one knee and completely took his bride-to-be off guard.
“I was in complete shock that I forgot to answer him. Instead I was just repeating ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this here.’ The word spread so quickly around all the offices that soon we were surrounded by everyone congratulating us,” she remembers of the day they got engaged.
Flash forward one year and the pair were getting ready to marry in Queensland.
Settling on the first venue they saw, Danielle and Adam instantly fell in love with a laid back homestead in Currumbin Valley, located in the tropical Gold Coast hinterland. Evoking the same feeling of a villa in Italy — the pair’s dream destination — the couple made the venue decision early on.
“Ideally, our dream wedding was to get married in a villa in Tuscany — in the countryside around a pool drinking wine and eating cheese. We knew this was near impossible as we wanted all of our closest friends and family to join. We found what turned out to be far better,” she says, noting in particular the huge pool which overlooked one of the Valley’s most picturesque views.
It was a day packed love, friends and family, with the couple’s nearest and dearest travelling to the homestead for the event. Staying at the house for the days surrounding the wedding day, the couple turned one special day into many — made even better by a number of restaurant-worthy meals, naturally.
“Because we were setting and styling the venue ourselves, we were constantly surrounded by our friends and family to help out, which basically turned into dinner and drinks every night. We were lucky enough to have my brother who was also my ‘man’ of honor and his husband (who is a chef) cater for the days leading up to the wedding.”
Turning to Australian fashion designer Michael Lo Sordo for her dress, Danielle decided on and bought the dress within a matter of hours, first discovering it on Instagram. “I knew I wanted something simple and stylish. I saw the dress on Instagram and knew it was the one. I bought it the next day online and that was that!” she says of the process.
The decor on the day was relaxed and simple: the same sort of understated elegance you’d expect from someone who looks at beautiful pictures for a living. Enlisting one of her flower-loving bridesmaids, Chloe Hamill for the florals, having Adam’s sister be the celebrant (her first, too!) for the day, and opting for tequila shots in lieu of a wedding cake, the wedding day with filled with personal touches. And besides, with the added bonus of staying at the property that night, the newlyweds and their guests could indulge in a little non-traditional dessert.
“Make sure you have an on the day coordinator,” Danielle recommends to other brides. “It was by far one of the best decisions. And definitely take some time out during the wedding to just spend with your partner alone. Our coordinators set up drinks and a cheese platter in the air-con (which was heaven since it was a very warm day) for just the two of us to sit, have a drink, something to eat and take in what was going on — it was so nice!”
The hit list:
Dress: Michael Lo Sordo
Rings: Natalie Marie
Hair: The Beauty Line Up
Make-up: Bridget Manning
Groom’s suit: Polatix and MJ Bale; RM Williams
Venue: Hillview Homestead, Currumbin Valley
Photographers: Figtree Wedding Photography
Videographer: Roost Film co.
Catering: Char Baby
Cheese Board: Mary Ann Boerjan and Brad Colenso
Music: Honey and Stone
Furniture: Harry the Hirer
On the Day Coordinator: The Events Lounge
Flowers: Chloe Hamill
Balloons: Ruby Ju
Plants: The Borrowed Nursery
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