The Wedding of Ashley & Matthew

Ashley & Matthew held their wedding reception in the Ballroom at Victoria Park with ceremony on-site in the Courtyard. Recently the pair sat down to discuss their big day with the Victoria Park team.

Tell us about your journey together, from how you met, to what the proposal was like!

How we met: We met on Tinder, the modern-day bar.

The proposal: We planned a dinner in Sydney as his parents were coming down from Cairns, so we invited my parents also. Matt took the day off of work that day and me unsuspecting anything, had gone home sick from work. He made sure I was okay to still go to the dinner which he planned, to his relief I was still okay to go. He was acting very strange all day and said he had to visit his parents to go through some things with them. He shortly came back to the apartment saying he forgot some “paper work”. As I was getting ready and put on a nice dress, I went to put on a diamond ring he had bought me early in our relationship for my birthday, but I couldn’t find it (suspicious point 1). I went to ask him how I looked and he said “wear the best outfit you own”, (suspicious point 2). He told me there was a light show in the park nearby and that we were going to go before dinner, when we got to the park it was dark and empty (suspicious point 3).

We approached this little garden called the ‘love garden’ and I noticed my dad first standing there, followed by my mum and then his parents. I started to realised that this was “the moment” and I couldn’t hold back the tears. In a garden full of fairy lights he had arranged with the help of our parents, it was such a beautiful backdrop to this moment. He kneeled down on one knee and had a piece of paper where he read his proposal and I was just sobbing from joy. He proposed with that ring he gave me for my birthday as a placeholder (and I was relieved I didn’t lose the ring). It was such a special moment and I was so happy we shared it with our parents.

What (besides the obvious ‘I do’) was your favourite part of your wedding?

I loved how seamless it was. We didn’t have to worry about things happening on time because Victoria Park took care of everything for us, and all we had to do was enjoy the day. We loved dancing the night away with our friends and family, and especially listening to the speeches of our parents and closest friends.

Tell us about your decorations and wedding styling – did you incorporate anything new / a theme? What did you choose for your wedding entertainment and guest favors?

We thought the venue was beautiful enough so wanted to keep the decorations simple and natural. My mum and I did all the decorations ourselves and they turned out great and worked well with the venue. We had laser cut wood name tags for the guests to take home and it added a lovely touch to the table décor. The chandeliers in the Ballroom added a luxurious touch.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give other brides to be?

If you get married on the day your wedding will be a success. Trying to get married during covid was really hard, with lots of disappointment from border closures (so some guests couldn’t attend) and have numerous back up dates to cater to the changes. All the little details like decorations, food, make up are all wonderful but not what you truly remember from the day. You remember how you felt getting to marry the love of your life, with all your closest friends and family.

Would you recommend Victoria Park to other people getting married?

100 times over, yes! Victoria Park made all our wedding dreams come true. Their staff was on point and so accommodating (especially through covid) to make sure we were comfortable and confident that the day will run smoothly. They were flexible when changes were made, and never made us feel bad when asking favors and too many questions. We trusted their judgement and that they knew what they were doing. I would definitely recommend Victoria Park for any event; their event planners were so wonderful to work with and made the daunting process of planning a wedding so easy.

Below are the fantastic suppliers that helped bring Ashley & Matthew’s dream day to life:

• Hair & Makeup: Erindela Hunty Makeup and Hair
• Dress: Oleg Cassini
• Cake: Frosted Indulgence
• Photobooth: Photobombed Photobooth