Tim & Simon's Serafino Winery Wedding
"Our wedding was a true blend of both of our personalities and character. It was a dream day for both of us."
Wedding date: 1.5.2021
Meet Tim and Simon, a South Australian couple who opted for a black and white themed winery wedding at Serafino Winery, McLaren Vale.
Read below to hear about their 'Ninja Vows', surprise confetti cannons, and walking down the aisle with their dog! Also find out what vendors they chose to make their gorgeous wedding a success!
How did you meet?
Simon and I met online in September 2014. We caught up for a coffee and we hit it off. It was like two souls finding their missing parts. We dated for a few months and knew there was something very special about our relationship.
We moved in together, and eventually; once Australia said yes, we decided to get married.
How was the question popped?
Simon asked Tim to marry him on their “Epic USA Adventure” in Las Vegas. They had both been out shopping and Simon spied a ring that he liked. He took Tim to the counter and tried it on, purchased it and then held onto it (much to Tim’s confusion!)
Before meeting our friends in Las Vegas, in a private moment in our hotel room, Simon asked Tim to Marry him. It was a moment that was so pure and beautiful. It wasn’t elaborate or over the top. It was just perfect.
We then surprised all our friends who were with us with our giant news… and the champagne flowed!
Where did you get married?
Serafino Winery, McLaren Vale
Ceremony; Barrel Room
Reception; Courtyard
Our Wedding was a true blend of both of our personalities and character. It was a dream day for both of us. We set a Black and White theme for all our guests and followed that through with all our stationary.
Tell us about your wedding ceremony.
Our ceremony was very uniquely us. We opted to have our Ceremony in Serafino’s Barrel Room. We had the pleasure of having Camille Abbot as our celebrant who suggested we might like to try ‘Ninja Vows’ – this is where we each right a vow for each other from the other persons perspective. We took her up on this and by far was a massive highlight of our ceremony. We want to have an inclusive ceremony with all our Family and Friends and a part of that was having a rose ceremony with our immediate family. We also opted to not have a ‘groomal’ party, except walk down the aisle hand in hand with our gorgeous Golden Retriever; Malibu.
Tim’s one wish list item for the ceremony was a Confetti Cannon (supplied by Venue Productions) – this one element not only surprised our guests but made for some amazing photos too.
Tell us about your wedding reception.
Our Reception was held in the Courtyard at Serafino. All our dreams came true in this one room.
Venue Productions did all our canopy lighting and drapes.
Set Your Scene did all our table styling and furniture hire.
Rustique Koncepts did our giant LOVE letters
Picture Blast did our Photo Mirror.
Custom Neon designed our Monogram in a neon light which took centre stage.
Xylobands provided our guest with a flashing wrist band that had our monogram on it.
Both Simon and I were blown away when we saw it all come together. Our Reception had an electric atmosphere of love and party. All our suppliers helped create this atmosphere and we are forever grateful for their expertise.
Any funny moments?
In our ceremony when everyone (including Camille) had been crying and a few people lost their eye lashes… not naming names, but it was extremely funny at the time.
Our Ninja Vows – both Simon and I wrote these in secret not knowing what the other would write. Turns out we are pretty suited to each other as both our Ninja Vows cancelled each other out and were the same thing! Let’s just say Tim’s love of Christmas will be tolerated by Simon.
Our best friends, Sam and Lauren did a speech that featured a video from Willie Garson (Stanford Blatch from Sex and the City) – this was something incredibly special and meant so much to both Tim and Simon.
The last funny moment, when John from Middleton Events produced a couple of maracas and tambourines – our dancefloor suddenly became a giant conga line and I’ve never seen anything like it before.
What was most important to you both on your wedding day?
Simon – for me it was coming together of both family and friends in one room to help celebrate our wedding.
It was important for me to have an inclusive ceremony and an atmosphere that was electric and relaxed. It was important for me to ensure our guests felt accepted, loved and included in all aspects of our day.
Tim – for me it was about letting go and enjoying our day. We both had planned this day (this was more my role than Simon) and I didn’t want to get caught up in running it. This is where Jo from Serafino was my saviour! I also wanted our day to be full of love, surprise and acceptance. I feel we ticked all 3 of these aspects off quite well.
Who was your favourite wedding vendor and why?
It’s really hard to single one vendor out as they all played such an exceptional part in our day.
HOWEVER, Jo from Serafino was our stand out… why!?
Jo went above and beyond our expectations. She ensured everything ran smoothly and to time. Her attention to all the details was next level. She was professional, accommodating and ensured all our dreams could come true.
She also made sure we were cool, calm and ready right before we walked down the aisle. She took the time to make sure we were ok, to take some big deep breaths and to smile. This moment is one I will never forget.
She isn’t just a Coordinator, she is someone who takes great pride in her work. She ensured our day was the epic confetti, firework and full of love day that it was.
Tim & Simon's Wedding Vendors:
Venue - Serafino Winery
Photographer - Glenn Alderson
Celebrant - Camille Abbot
Reception Styling - Venue Production
Flowers - The Turquoise Rose
Ceremony and Reception Styling - Set Your Scene
Cake - Frangipani Cakes
Photo Mirror - Picture Blast
LOVE Letters - Rustique Koncepts
Bonbonniere - Say it with a Smash
Suits - Joseph Uzumcu
Take a look at some more Real Wedding features, or alternatively you can start planning your own wedding using the ABIA Wedding Directory to find trustworthy vendors in Australia.
