Celebrating their relationship with the people who helped them grow & blossom from a new couple in the prime of their nerdy teenage years into the gorgeous couple that they are today, was everything Emily & Ben hoped for when they exchanged their vows. It was the smaller moments in the day that they enjoyed the most and throwing tradition to the wind with an immaculately curated playlist instead of a DJ, Emily & Ben made their wedding entirely their own.

How did you meet?

We met in our prime and nerdy teenage years on a Friday night after school volunteering at a tutoring program

Any funny first date stories?

Emily
Ben was 20 minutes late to a very forgettable movie…
He made up for it on the next date when I got a free boost juice from his “buy 10 get 1 free” loyalty card… very romantic

Ben
Directly after the movie, Emily was picked-up by her parents who were suspicious about her new “boy friend”

What's one thing you wish you knew before you started planning your wedding?

Emily
Spreadsheet formatting preferences do not always align

Ben
No matter what goes wrong it will still be a beautiful day, so don’t worry too much about back-up plans

What made you choose Stones of the Yarra Valley?

Beautiful greenery and scenery, delicious food and wine, and the confidence of having everything on the one site with amazing staff behind the scenes

What did you think would be your favourite part of the day? What did it end up being?

Emily
I thought my favourite part was going to be the “big” moments like our first dance and walking down the aisle… but I loved the smaller moments like eating an entire trout together, getting rose petals thrown into our eyes, etc.

Ben
I thought my favourite part was going to be seeing Emily walking down the aisle – I was right!!

Did you scrap any wedding traditions? If so, why?

We didn’t have a DJ or band which we felt was a little unorthodox! We had our beautiful friend Dan hit play on a carefully curated series of immaculate playlists – he even adjusted the volume at crucial heart-tugging moments in the ceremony. Thanks Dan!

What was your first dance song and why?

“Young Hearts Run Free” paradoxically a song about being trapped in a loveless relationship but a certified disco bop nonetheless

Have you managed to go on a honeymoon and if so, where?

We finally got to spend some time in Tassie recently… almost a year after the wedding (thanks covid!). Very lovely to be able to travel again, and as husband and wife!

What does marriage mean to you?

Getting married hasn’t changed much in our lives (expect for fancy rings!) but for us it meant an opportunity to celebrate our relationship with all our friends and family who have helped us grow and blossom together.