Isobel and Tom's Tattersall’s Club Wedding
What was your wedding venue (ceremony & reception) and why did you choose there?
Our wedding ceremony and reception were held at Tattersall’s Club in Brisbane CBD.
We fell absolutely in love with the history of the beautiful art-deco building, especially the Member’s Bar where we held the reception.
It also holds a special family connection as both Tom’s father and grandfather are members of the club, and Tom held his 21st birthday celebration there. The staff were also THE BEST in the business.
Did you have a wedding theme/style? If so, tell me about it please.
Honestly, we are both very easy-going people and quite terrible planners! We knew we wanted an inside venue to avoid any weather stresses, and we wanted it to be in Brisbane to reduce travel for 90% of our guests.
At the end of the day, we just wanted to be surrounded by those nearest and dearest to us and just have a big party.
How did you and your now Husband meet?
Tom and I met about 10 years ago through a mutual friend Charlotte (my Maid of Honour on the day).
Her and I grew up in the same town together, and her and Tom went to high school together. We started dating about a year after meeting.
What is your proposal story?
We got engaged on a ski slope in Japan while holidaying with Tom’s family in January 2020.
It was the nearing the end of our trip and we got the most beautiful bluebird day. After questioning Tom for about 15 minutes as to why we were standing on the hill for so long, he finally unzipped his ski jacket and popped the question.
Captured by Jessica Guy
How did you hear about Prea James Bridal?
Like almost everyone nowadays – Instagram!
From where did you purchase your gown?
From lovely Alex at Hope x Page in Gymea, NSW.
Note: Prea James Bridal is now socked exclusively at the Paddington Flagship within NSW.
What do you love most about the gown?
When I started researching bridal brands/styles I initially loved the simpler separates available from Prea James. I then saw Amelie and my eyes immediately widened in awe!
Not something I ever thought I would choose, and knew I needed to try it on to be sure. THE SLEEVES! THE FABRIC! It didn’t feel like a dress-up for me, I just felt so comfortable and like my true self.
Are there any special details about your wedding that you would like to share? (A particular reason you chose the venue, or the date, or did you have a special ritual in your day that was important to you?)
Our family history with the club was a big drawcard, but we both just fell in love with the space as soon as we walked in.
The date was a funny one as it was originally meant to be 30th October 2021 but we were unable to travel into QLD during that time due to border restrictions. We went with 14th May as it was the closest available.
Were there any details that you (and friends and family) made yourselves?
Our MC’s on the night Lizzie and Ryan made a big sign that said #SCHMIDTEN and rolled it out. Tom’s best-man Kieran also had multiple photos printed out for each table to look through while he was speaking.
Finally, Do you have any words of wisdom for couples planning their big day? This can be to do with any part of the wedding – eg, planning, budget, or the day itself.
I think we both tried to stay very calm and easy-going with the whole thing, which we highly recommend! Trying to control every minute detail will drive you crazy.
People were shocked I didn’t know the names of the flowers in my bouquet.... I know nothing about flowers and gave my florist a very vague brief of white and green, and knew she would do an amazing job.
Budgeting was put into perspective as Tom works in finance and put the whole thing into a spreadsheet so I could really see the potential damage!! I highly recommend this be the first thing you do. It will help mitigate your expectations and reduce disappointment/stress further down the line.
On the day, remember to stop and take it all in as it really does go so fast.
Wedding Vendors
Photographer: Jessica Guy
Instagram: @jesstookthis_
We found Jess through some really good friends who used her for their elopement. After a Facetime call to her and Chris (her husband) we immediately fell in love.
Jess has a way of instantly making you feel comfortable, as though you have known her your whole life. It was such a pleasure having them both there on our special day.
Videographer: We didn’t have a videographer as it didn’t make the cut on our budget. We thought we might watch it once or twice...
Hair & Makeup:
Hair – Vanessa Di Sipio
Instagram: @vanessadisipiohair
Vanessa was recommended by my makeup artist. She did such a good job both at my trial and on the day, even stepping in to fix my mum’s hair after it got wet in the rain!
Make up – Lily Brady
Instagram: @lilybrady_mua
Lily is a good friend of my sister-in-law - another personal connection on the day! She did such a good job and saved us by bringing her wireless speaker so we weren’t sitting in silence!
Stylist: We didn’t really have a stylist per-say... The venue provided a certain amount of flatware, chairs, etc. and we styled around that with the flowers and details.
Wedding Co-ordinator: Emma Hollands from Tattersall’s Club
We had a change in wedding co-ordinator half-way through planning which at first was stressful. Emma was incredible and an absolute dream to work with. She helped us plan via email/phone while we were living in Sydney, including a postponement due to Covid.
Florist: Jessica Reeve
Instagram: @hanakostudio
I had worked at the same company with Jess right up until the wedding and absolutely adored her floristry style. I know next to nothing about flowers so knew I could trust her to kill it – and she did! It was extra special seeing her on the day.
Stationery: We went with Paperless Post app! If I could do it again I might do a wedding website such as Tie The Knot, but it was fairly seamless.
Cake: Megan Stewart from Hansel and Gretel Cakes
Instagram: @hanselandgretalcakes
Megan is a local cake maker from Brisbane who I found on Instagram. I sent her a photo of a cake I had seen and she was so accommodating with me.
We had a few gluten free people attending and she provided a separate GF cake identical to our wedding cake to make them feel included. She also gave us the best cake tasting box I have ever seen (or tasted)!!
Caterer: Tattersall’s Club
Blew our expectations away! Absolutely delicious.
Veil: I bought my veil from Hope x Page as it was the one I tried with my dress. It was the Eva Single Tier Veil from Dove Grey Bridal.
Bridesmaids Dresses: Shona Joy – I chose the colour and let the girls choose their own styles to suit them!
Groom & Groomsmen’s Suits:
Groom – Hugo Boss tuxedo purchased from the Edward Street store in Brisbane
Groomsmen – Tuxedo Hire
Band/DJ: Radio Club Band
Instagram: @radioclubband
We saw this band at a friend’s wedding and thought they were great. As we’re both big music fans, we went for the full 7 piece band which included some brass instruments (such a great decision!). At the end of a long day and night they continued to provide some much appreciated fun and energy, with the dance floor full until final note.
Any other vendors you would like to credit:
Wedding Rings: Our rings were made by the beautiful Jess from OHLIGUER in Brisbane CBD
We were introduced to Jess via close friend and she was so lovely to work with.
Our celebrant: Barbara Gilbert – celebrantbookings@gmail.com
We also had a special connection with our celebrant Barb, who worked with Tom’s dad for almost 30 years before recently retiring. It was another level of comfort to add to the day.
