Sarah and Colbey’s Intimate Tweed Coast Real Wedding at Fins at Plantation House

Sarah and Colbey’s intimate Tweed Coast Wedding at the magical Fins at Plantation House was nothing short of pure joy. Featuring some of the Tweed Coast’s finest suppliers and captured beautifully by Ivy Road Photography, this real wedding is jam packed full of wedding inspiration. Read on as Sarah shares her tips on how she was able to blend both modern and traditional style to create an amazing celebration of her and Colbey’s love.

ABOUT THE DAY //

Colbey and I have different styles (we are each other’s ying to our yang) so when choosing our wedding venue it was important to find a nice balance. I found myself gravitating towards very chic/classical venues but I knew this wasn’t keeping to Colbey’s vibe. Fin’s at Plantation House was one of three venues I planned to visit but visited first, and it was as simple as that. As soon as we arrived it was a straight down the line “this is it” for us. It had everything, a one-stop shop. It ticked the list of: ceremony and reception in one spot, a dedicated area for my bridal party to get ready so I didn’t have to travel post glam, photo ops not only onsite but next door at Tropical Fruit World, top rated food experience for our guests and ultimately, an amazing team that proved their dedication from the first meeting. 

I am lucky enough to say now that it has past, our day was perfect. Nothing went wrong, even down to the weather – it was raining days prior and the morning of but it stopped late morning and then continued to rain days after our wedding. The venue staff made the day feel like I didn’t have to lift a finger or have to go over any details. My vendors were so professional and I was already convinced of this prior to the day, hence why I chose them! 

We had a ceremony start at 4pm (NSW time) and honestly, that’s the only thing I would have changed now looking back because the day just went by so quickly and I would have loved to have more time with friends and family as well as being able to explore Tropical Fruit world for more photo ops! So to say that’s the only thing I would have changed still makes me so happy upon reflection of our special day. We had a small wedding of 55 guests (including bridal party) and ended up being the perfect amount to really appreciate the intimacy of our wedding. The entire day/night was seamless from glam > ceremony > reception and even being ushered out to leave, we didn’t want to go! On that note, this was another reason we chose Fin’s… it was the only venue on our radar from QLD to NSW that had an 11pm end time, the rest were 10pm and we knew that was going to be too early! 

As mentioned before and on my last note: Fin’s food experience was E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G! It was top quality, and it was something our guests were talking about for weeks after our wedding. Snowy’s reputation for fine dining is 100% true. We knew apart of the cost was the quality we were paying for, and it was an absolute highlight of our wedding. I can’t forget to mention the best cocktails (specifically the Lychee martini’s) we’ve ever had! This feedback was also extended by our guests.

ABOUT THE STYLE //

It’s hard for me to think about a word that describes the style of our wedding. I am one of those people who has an idea of things separately with a confidence it will come together in the end. I knew I wanted pops of colour through our floral arrangements because of how lush and green Fin’s space is so I settled on ‘Sunset colours’ and trusted my florist – there was no specifics in colours or types of flowers I gave her other than I didn’t want blue. Again, another part of the wedding that my vendor nailed was tying in my requests that made it so special. I think looking back on the day I probably did always have those chic/classic/traditional vibes but with a twist of modern touches. I’ll let you be the judge of that!

CEREMONY SONG //

My ceremony song I chose was a few reasons, it was a song my live musician vendor could sing and play on his guitar, it gave me CHILLS every time I listened to it (maybe even teary sometimes), it was a newer song so I knew it wasn’t a song many people had walked down the isle too and the last selling point was in the second verse the lyrics sang “from Tassie to Brisbane” – Colbey was from Tasmania and moved to Queensland in his teenage years so I felt like it made it that little more special for Colbey when he first heard the song (which was not until the day I walked down the isle). Did he cry? YES! 
Song: George Shepherd – Feels like Home.

FIRST DANCE SONG //

Colbey and I love fun fast paced music, but Colbey actually is like a walking juke box and appreciates different styles of music. We didn’t want to have a slow sappy song or a song that people overuse at a wedding so we opted for: Kasbo – Found You. It allowed us to have a slow dance at the start and then invite the rest of our guests to jump in for the feel-good drop of the course.

DIY PROJECTS //

I curated all of our reception decor and hand made most of the details. From pouring the candles into eclectic glasses (different patterns but same style), breaking travertine slabs for our table numbers and signs for around the venue, to hand threading the flower drops that hung from the reception ceiling. I had already exceeded our budget with choosing top tier vendors/venue that where I could save some money and make it myself was a given. I think for me personally, it was important I contributed creatively to our wedding as being crafty is something I enjoy doing!

FAVOURITE MOMENT //

Oh, what kind of question is that! Honestly, if I had to pick the top moment, it would have to be walking down the isle with my Dad and then exchanging vows with my now husband. There were tears from both of us. I was trying so hard not to cry when I was reading my vows that my body ended up shaking life a leaf. But once I gave into the feels and let it out it just felt like it was the two of us alone.

NUMBER ONE TIP //

Be as nervous as you want to be leading up to your day! As someone who has a long history of anxiety + panic attacks, I was SO scared it was going to ruin our day. But I think because I allowed myself to worry prior but also affirmed my confidence in all my choices and had control over those things prior to the day, nothing but excitement and calmness carried me through the entire morning to evening. 

All the effort you put into planning ends up being the results on the day and that’s something to look forward too, not be anxious about.

OH, and… CHOOSE YOUR VENDORS WISLEY. We didn’t choose the cheapest options and I based all my picks on how they interacted with me (of course and their quality talents). I needed calm and positivity on the day and I truly believe this was the other reason I was so calm on the day, the people around me bringing my vision to life were the vibes I needed.

FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE //

Just be true to you and your vision. Don’t let the opinions of others get in the way with how you want your special day to look like or try to keep to what is trending. Because you want to look back knowing you were 100% about all your decisions and that it’s a true representation of your couple style!

Venue Coordinator // Fins at Plantation House
Photographer // Ivy Road Photography
Celebrant // AM Celebrant
Hair // Amy Spry Hair
Music // Benny Hanna Music
Florist // Gloriosa
Confetti + Ring Box + Sparklers // The Whole Bride
Transport // Currumbin Valley Bus and Coach
Private Transfers // Wedding Transport Byron Bay
Invitations // M&H Events  
Earrings // LolaKnight
Cake // Hello Little Crumb
Dress // Made With Love Bridal
Bridesmaids Dress // DIISH
Heels // Loeffler Randall
Suit // Institchu
Groomsmen Suits // Yd
Make up // Amber West MUA
Lighting Installation // Out of the Dark Lighting

Final Word From Sarah
“There is no faulting Fins at Plantation House. From the moment you start your booking process to the moment you wave goodbye on your wedding night. The staff were exceptionally professional and kind in all their interactions. Now let’s not forget to mention the food… Snowy and his chefs absolutely hit the ball out of the park with every single guest reflecting and referring to our wedding as « the best wedding food » they have ever had. You’d be crazy not to have an alternative drop just so you can try the other option too! Fins is a one stop shop of your wedding dreams, I know they exceeded all of our expectations, and I am so grateful that I can say they contributed to providing us with our dream wedding. We will be returning for their special open restaurant nights to try and re-live moments from our wedding. To Morgan & Snowy, know that you will be forever spoken about in our wedding memories. “