Wedding | Isabella & Tom

Tell us a little about yourselves!  

Tommy is originally a Ballarat boy from country Victoria and grew up spending a lot of time on his grandparents spud farm! He moved to Adelaide for a fresh start and has built his business TJM Unique Builders (shoutout!) from the bottom up over here in SA over the last 3 years.  

I am an Adelaide girl, born and bread but don’t hold it against me. I spent most of my 20s living overseas and interstate, but I am really loving this chapter back in Adelaide where all my favourite people are. Oh, and I’m a registered nurse!

Why did you decide to get married where you did?  

Izzy: I grew up going to Port Elliot and Middleton for most of the summers with my family and friends. Each year, my parents would drive down to our beach house and we would always drive past Kingsbrook Estate. When we got engaged, my mum reminded me of how on those drives I would always say “Mum one day I will get married there”. We enquired the next day and the rest is history!

How many guests did you have?  

We invited around 130 guests, knowing there were some overseas guests and older grandparents who may not be able to make it. We ended up having 121 guests.

What was your budget?  

Tom: Wait.. we were meant to have a budget?  

Izzy: All jokes aside, it’s a tough one to answer simply, because for us it wasn’t just a single day. Our wedding was more like a mini destination, with a full week of accommodation for our bridal party, family and friends, plus transport and all the extras that made it an incredibly special experience.  

If you’re talking just the wedding day itself, it probably landed somewhere between $100k and $120k.   We also want to say — people need to be more honest about wedding budgets. There’s no point being weird or secretive about what things cost. It’s your day, spend what you want, and don’t be ashamed of it. Being upfront helps others to understand how much big weddings actually cost, especially destination weddings!

Tell us about your outfits.  

Izzy: My dress was bespoke made by Caleche Bridal. As a young girl, going to family friends weddings, I would envision my dress. Ivory, long sleeve, buttoned, low back and classic. The lace veil was something out of my dreams too. I never swayed from my vision all those years. I really wanted something classic, timeless, classy and traditional.  

Tom: I went straight to Oscar Hunt Tailors here in Adelaide, and the experience was phenomenal — drink on arrival, great vibes with the boys, and for a 6’7” bloke like me, it was the first time I’ve ever had a suit properly fit. It was all in the details: custom stitching, a thick pin stripe down the leg, an extra shirt for a mid dance-floor switch, my initials on the cuff, and our wedding date stitched inside the collar. I doubt any suit will ever fit me like this one did — it was seriously something special.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?  

The most important aspect for us was creating an experience that felt completely authentic to who we are. We wanted a setting that captured that warm European family vibe at “Nonna’s Country Home” -relaxed, beautiful and full of love. It was just as much about our guests as it was about us. We wanted everyone to have the best time with great music, amazing food and drinks, and a real sense of ‘friends  are family too’. Everything from the styling to the atmosphere was about making it feel like ‘us’ and celebrating our love in a way that felt really genuine and unforgettable.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?  

We wanted the wedding to feel really true to us. A bit country as a nod to Tom’s background, with a European touch to honour my dad’s side. Food and drinks were a big focus! Sharing a beautiful meal around a table is something we both grew up with and love. And we kept the styling really minimal, nothing overdone as we wanted to really focus on the beauty of the venue itself.

Any tips for couples getting married?  

Hire Montana Birt as your wedding planner.. say less!

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about? 

Alex Preisz - Houndstooth Films -There are not enough words to express how much we adore this girl! Alex is an incredibly talented videographer whose work is nothing short of cinematic magic.  

Alex is currently based overseas (Portugal, we think… although she floats around the world capturing love stories like the radiant goddess she is). We reached out on a total whim, knowing she was originally from Adelaide, praying the stars might align, and somehow, they did. We were even willing to fly her in ourselves just to have her with us. That’s how much her work meant to us.  

Her films are beyond beautiful.. they are soulful, cinematic and completely drenched in emotion. She doesn’t just document a wedding, she feels it and she lives it with you, and then somehow translates it into this dreamy, timeless piece of art. Her unique eye for detail, use of different film styles and lenses (including Super 8 and vintage film), and the way she layers sound, energy, and emotion… it  all comes together in something that feels more like a Hollywood film than a wedding video.  

Even though we haven’t received our full video yet, the sneak peeks and snippets have already left us speechless. We know we’re about to receive an absolute masterpiece, because everything Alex touches turns to gold.  

But beyond her insane talent, Alex is just pure magic as a person. She is one of the warmest, kindest and most quietly confident people we’ve ever met. She made us feel like our wedding was the only one that mattered, effortlessly guiding us through the process with her calm and creative flow. We genuinely wanted to pop her in our pocket and keep her forever!  

Alex is a rare gem. She is an artist, a storyteller, and a beautiful human being. We couldn’t love her more, and she is worth every damn cent. 

Jaz & Alejandro - In The Mood For Love - We came across Jaz on Instagram and we were immediately drawn to her style. Her photography felt nostalgic and romantic, with a beautiful mix of vintage blur,  Super 8-style shots and timeless portraits. It was a really perfect balance between playful and emotional, which felt like such a reflection of our relationship. As soon as we saw her work, we didn’t bother looking elsewhere. 

When Jaz asked for some inspiration, I went full bridezilla mode and sent her a full Pinterest board that was broken into sections of the day. I half expected her to think I was nuts but instead, she replied “You are the bride of my dreams.” From that moment she made us feel like we were the only wedding on her calendar, even though I know she shoots so many. She truly cared about us, our story and making sure the photos reflected us.  

We’re honestly lost for words when it comes to her talent. Somehow, she captured the exact depth of love Tom and I feel for each other, and the silliness and lightness of us too. Each image feels personal and intentional, like she bottled up the energy of the day and handed it back to us.  

When she sent through the first “sneak peek,” there were over 2,000 photos… and we thought that was the full gallery. We were already completely obsessed. Then she casually mentioned that it was just 10% of what was to come. We couldn’t believe it.  

On the day, Jaz arrived with her cool as ever sidekick Alejandro, and both of them were such a calming, professional presence. Despite all the usual wedding chaos, they just embraced it all. I was so overwhelmed at one point I forgot everything I’d saved as photo inspiration and just went with her direction, but when we saw our sneak peek photos, I noticed she had recreated so many of those shots I had given her from my Pinterest board without me even realising on the day. That honestly blew me away and that’s something I'll never forget.  

These photos will be cherished for the rest of our lives, and we count our lucky stars that we found this incredible duo! 

Chelsea Louise Hair  - This is the sweetest and most talented hair stylist on the planet! Chel is super down to earth, sweet and so calming to be around. I explained the kind of hairstyle I wanted at the trial, and within minutes, she had absolutely nailed it. I looked in the mirror and felt like I’d stepped out of a movie. I still don’t understand how someone can be that talented.  

Chelsea is hands down my dream hair dresser. No request is too hard, no detail overlooked. You show her a vibe, a reference, or just describe how you want it, and she just gets it. She’s fast, confident and ridiculously good at what she does and somehow she does it all with this confidence and chill energy.  

On the morning of the wedding, I was more nervous than I expected to be, but the second I sat down with Chelsea she was like “girl, sit down. I’ve got you” and I’ll never forget how much her cool and calm nature saved me that morning. She is the  best in the biz

Makeup by Lili  As someone who loves makeup and is super particular, I was nervous about letting someone else take over for such a big day. I even considered doing it myself. But when I found Lily’s bridal make up on Instagram I was obsessed. She came highly recommended through mutual friends, and after a flawless trial, I knew I was in the best hands.  

On the day, I asked her to tweak the look slightly, which was slightly risky but when she handed me the mirror, I had to hold back tears. Everyone in the room was super emotional! I looked like a bride but still completely me, just elevated. I could have never achieved that doing it myself, so jokes on me! I still remember looking at myself and thinking “take this in, because you’ll never look this good again” haha!  

And beyond the makeup, Lily is just the best vibe to have around. She is so warm, bubbly, hilarious and calming. She felt like one of the bridesmaids, floating around with her infectious energy and making everyone laugh. None of us wanted her to leave!

Montana Birt– Kingsbrook Estate - We saved the best til’ last! Honestly, we could go on forever about all of our incredible vendors. Every single one played such a huge part in making the day what it was. But if we had to make a special mention, it would absolutely be our girl Montana.  

Montana was our wedding planner through Kingsbrook Estate, but funnily enough, we’d actually known each other from back in our school days. When I sent  through my initial enquiry, she messaged me straight away and from that moment, it just felt meant to be.  

Throughout the entire planning process, Montana became so much more than just our planner, she became a close friend. She listened to every single idea, embraced our big vision, never once made us feel like we were asking too much, and matched us with the best of the best vendors that perfectly suited our style. She made us feel like our wedding was the event of the year, even though we know she’s done a million of these, she made ours feel like it was the only one that mattered.  

She’s one of those people who just gets things done. “She’s an absolute weapon” as Tom calls her and was born to be in this industry. There were so many times I’d message her in a panic like, “Wait, is there something we haven’t done?” and she’d just reply, “Nope, everything’s sorted.” And I’m sure at times things were stressful, but she never let us know about it. On the day, we looked around and were  honestly blown away because every single detail was next level. It felt like magic, and the wedding of our dreams (and more!) and we have her to thank for that.  

She’s not just a wedding planner, she’s a superstar, a hype girl, a calm presence, an absolute boss and someone we now consider a great friend. We could never have done it all without her.

Photographer: In the Mood for Love @inthemoodforlove.jaz | Planning & Styling: Montana Birt @bymontanabirt | Flora: The Lost Florist @thelostflorist _ | Videographer: Houndstooth Films

@houndstoothfilms | Ceremony Location: Kingsbrook Estate @kingsbrook_estate| Celebrant: Hannah Jane @hannahjcele brant | Lighting: Venue Productions @venue.productions | Makeup: Make By Lili

@makeupbylilik | Hair: Chelsea Louise @chelsealouise.hair | Catering & Beverages: La Dolce Vita

@ldvcatering.co | Cake: St Georges Bakehouse @stgeorgesbakehouseau | DJ: Benny Watson

@bennyboobooboo | Musician: Netherby Music @netherbymusic | Dress & Veil: Caleche Bridal @calechebridal | Suit: Oscar Hunt Tailors @oscarhunttailors | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Kate & Kole @kateandkole | Cufflinks: Isabella's Late Grandfather's | Bridesmaids dresses: Reformation @reformation