Emilie & Chris

Emilie & Chris

Friday 12th April 2024

When we first met Emilie and Chris, they told us straight away that good food and good wine was a huge priority for them! They were keen to enjoy long table feasting with their guests and wanted to bring along a special wine from New Zealand that meant a lot to them and of course…we obliged! Pair this with working with stylist Danielle from Til Death and we had ourselves a magical day.

Tell us about working with Til Death and how your styling came together for the day!

“Undoubtedly the best decision we made the during the entire wedding planning process was hiring Danielle. We hired her for both styling and on the day coordination. She went above and beyond for us, and made it all look and feel so easy. She helped me (Emilie) come together on all of my styling ideas and endless Pinteresting, and really hone in on the style, she helped edit and curate our day which is invaluable. After settling on wanting our styling to be chic, elevated and slightly non traditional yet somehow modern with a dusting of funk, we discussed details like bows, embellished fruit, candles and working with the stunning mood of The Refinery. Danielle had our total trust and she nailed it completely with the creative freedom we gave her, and it was perfection in every way. She took over coms early in the piece and really helped keep our anxious brains calm and organised with all the small things and vendor coms as our date edged closer. We were both able to be very present and not distracted by practical details on the day knowing she was our white knight. We cannot recommend her enough, genuinely our superstar!”

Why you booked your wedding at The Refinery:

“It felt like a no brainer to us as soon as we met Rach and Amelia, this duo and their team are the most organised, meticulous, thoughtful, detail oriented and absolutely stunning women we’ve ever met. The team are flawless as is the food, which was a huge priority for us. Having eaten at Rogue Bistro before, we knew The Refinery would also provide incredible service, exceptional food and incredible wine all inside a moody, intimate, and elevated venue. The venue styling is so dreamy and gorgeous but also so complimentary to whatever styling you’d like for your Wedding, and Rach and Amelia are so unbelievably accomodating and helpful. During the planning process we felt so nurtured and cared for, and at no time did we feel like just another couple to them. Genuinely we cannot give enough love to the team, they were utter perfection and we have heard so many kudos from all of our guests on every single element. The Refinery is exceptional, and we couldn’t be prouder to have been married there.”

What do you know now that you wish you knew before?

“You’ll always spend more money than you expect, particularly if you’re detail orientated or specific on styling, especially the seemingly “small” things closer to the day. It all feels totally worth it during and after when replaying the day, but just be emotionally and financially prepared, or prepared to edit more than you’d like as emotion plays a big role.

We did our best to prep prior to be as present as possible on the day, however we found that difficult because it moves so fast in all the joyous ways, and time goes so fast because it’s not a normal day. So trying to let go and not hold on so tight to that, and also all the smaller details, such as exact timings of certain songs, on the day everything is incredible and amazing, trust in the vendors and that regardless of what second you walk out in the song, you get to be married to the love of your life, in front of all your favourite people, and that’s pretty bloody amazing.”

How did you spend your honeymoon?

“We chose to spend the first of two weeks on Tokoriki Island in Fiji, which was absolute paradise. We have never been, but what an incredible and breath taking experience we had. We wanted to spend the first part of the trip relaxing, coming down and debriefing post wedding as we left just a couple of days later. It was the whole package and all the RnR we needed. We then headed off to NZ where we ate and drank our way through Auckland and Queenstown (our fav place, and where we got engaged!). Truly the perfect holiday and incredible experience that was just so us. We came back home so happy, so in love and a few kgs heavier.”

Absolute favourite moment of the day?

“We both agreed it was our first dance, hands down. Our day was perfect for us in every way and it all went off without a hitch, but it was the world’s faster day! Our first dance wasn’t overly complicated, and although we were surrounded by our entire guest list with sparklers (highly recommend btw, photos are dynamite!) it was the most connected, and intimate moment of the whole day for us both. We both felt like each other was the only other person in the room, we felt truly us, so in love and really in the moment.”

Hot tips for couples planning their wedding?

“Have a wedding at The Refinery, and hire Til Death = utter dream team.

Aside from that we decided early on what our key priorities for a wedding would be, both emotionally and financially. For us, it was to priorities food, wine and photos. As cliche as it sounds, stay very true to your personalities as people and as a couple as this is a celebration of you both and your life together, you don’t have to impress or please anyone other than yourselves. If you want to include or exclude traditional elements or change up the usual dynamics, go for it, if you want to do everything by the book, go for it, it’s your day, you’re the guests if honour, not the hosts.”