Real Wedding: A Picture-Perfect NSW South Coast Wedding
Love was meant to be for Naomi Dodds and Tom Ford, who met at a work function in 2015. Naomi, a registered nurse in Children’s Emergency and Tom, an interventional cardiologist, hit it off immediately and within a year they were jetted off to Tom’s home country of Scotland to move in together for the first time.
“He wanted to move back to Scotland and he asked me to come with him. We had been dating for just one year and we lived together for the first time in Scotland and travelled all around together,” Naomi remembers.
Tom proposed a few years after while the pair were on holiday to Glengorm Castle on the island of Mull in Scotland — and with some clever timing, it become memorable for all the right reasons.
“We climbed to the top of Ben More at A Munro in Mull — the highest peak in the Hebrides. We made it all the way to the top despite some seriously bad weather and Tom proposed just as the sun came out against the backdrop of Mull,” she says. Once it time came to plan the wedding, weather certainly wasn’t getting in the way for this Australian-born bride. Opting to marry in the NSW South Coast of Milton, the couple chose November thanks to its temperate weather and spring flowers.
“I love spring flowers and we thought it would be the perfect temperature for our Scottish guests to enjoy some sunshine,” Naomi says. Luckily, the weather was perfect and the rural-cum-coastal setting put on a spectacular show for their overseas guests.
Opting to host the reception at a local winery near Mollymook, the pair had personal touches all throughout — including the favours and the choice of venue, which was the location of their first weekend away together.
"The theme of the wedding was inspired by Tom's Scottish heritage and the place where we first lived together as a couple. We had the family ribbon tied around our wedding favours, Scottish gin and whisky. The Botanist Gin and Tobermory Whiskey are both from Scottish islands we have visited and Tobermory is from the distillery on Mull where we got engaged. One of Tom's best friends played the bagpipes for our wedding ceremony — it was very special.”
Naomi choose her wedding dress from Suzanne Neville, a simple design made from ivory crepe and silk organza.
“I loved the simple elegance of the dress, it felt very soft and pretty and flowed beautifully. The silk organza bottom rolled nicely and I couldn't help but feel special,” she said of the decision. “We added a silk satin ribbon around the waist to tuck me in and make the dress my own.”
“I had antique pearl and diamond earrings from my grandmother with a pearl hairpiece from Tania Mara. I added a bit of bling with my Sophia Webster shoes — the finish was champagne sparkle!”
Kicking off the dance floor early, just after they’d been introduced as a couple, Naomi and Tom showed off the dance moves they’d learnt through lessons in Glasgow prior to the wedding.
“We did our first dance early, after we were introduced as a couple. It was to Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson and played by a live band. We then got all our guests up on the dance floor — it created a fun vibe early, so it was great!”
Remembering the highlight of the day, Naomi recalls the speeches, which saw her father take the stage for a challenging moment in the spotlight — but not for the reason you’d expect!
“My dad lost his voice from chatting at the Friday night welcome drinks so that was nerve racking for him. But he pulled through and did a great job with some embarrassing and hilarious stories from me as a teenager. Tom recounted some fun tales and told a great story of our proposal, but my favourite part was sneaking off with Tom between speeches for some photos and time together as the sun set.”
Hit List:
Venue: St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Milton. Cupitt's Winery, Ulladulla
Dress : Suzanne Neville
Rings: James Porter and Son
Fragrance: Jo Malone
Shoes: Sophia Webster
Bridemaid's outfits: Bec & Bridge
Hair: Jaala Brinsmead
Make up : Eloise Proust
Grooms Suit: MacGregor & MacDuff.
Photographer: Jack Henry
Videographer: HoneyBear Films
Catering: Cupitt's Winery
Cake: Rose & Co. Milton
First Dance Song: Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson
Flowers: Botanic Art, Mollymook
Invitations and Stationery: Paperless Post
Event planner/stylist: Melanie Louth from Cupitt's Winery helped us plan the smooth running of the reception but we didn't have an official event planner or stylist.
