Yarra Valley wedding - a bushfire crisis
On Saturday 7th February, Chameleon Events coordinated a wedding at De Bortoli Winery www.debortoli.com.au. With the assistance of leading suppliers, a marquee for 170 guests was erected on the beautiful grounds. Suppliers and dedicated De Bortoil staff sweltered while setting up as the temperature reached 46 degrees. We thought the worst case scenario for the day would be that the ceremony be moved inside De Bortoli’s restaurant due to the high temperature. But in the end, the ceremony was the only thing that went as planned.
the view from the middle of the inferno
Guests were handed bottles of chilled water, fans and misting spray as they arrived to keep them as comfortable as possible. This enabled us to hold the wedding ceremony outside as planned.
During the ceremony guests watched as flames created an amazing backdrop to a breathtaking location. This was put down to back burning and created a spectacular sight. It wasn’t until drinks were served and smoke was billowing that these were deemed uncontrolled fires.
We were in contact with the CFA who thought it best we stay put as roads to Melbourne were closed. We directed all guests to De Bortoli’s restaurant building and had a makeshift cocktail wedding. De Bortoli’s incredible staff turned a three course sit down dinner into a beautiful stand up party, serving each of the courses on small plates so guests could manage standing up.
The families of the bride and groom remained calm and positive. They continued to look after their guests – to ensure their safety and their continued enjoyment of the evening.
Several guests with related expertise came forward including some CFA officers, an off duty Policeman and an Ambulance Officer (also a bridesmaid!) who put herself on duty for the night.
Fortunately the wind changed direction and we were able to move guests to the marquee for an hour until conditions changed again. Guests were able to enjoy dessert, dancing and speeches in the marquee. Months of planning the beautiful styling was able to be appreciated by guests.
Our heartfelt thanks go to:
- Lisa, Pat, Brett, Tim and the team at De Bortoli for looking after us, our suppliers and the guests so beautifully. We have never worked with such professional and caring staff. They should be commended for their work under such challenging circumstances.
- Brett Currell www.brettcurrell.com.au , stylist extraordinaire, and his staff for their marathon effort of 10 hours work in the heat and their ability to keep the flowers looking beautiful.
- Andrew of Select AV www.selectav.com.au who was out in the heat, moving around equipment just before the wedding ceremony.
- Matt from Stand Clear band http://www.standclear.com.au/ who was outside hosing down the building while we kept all guests safely inside.
- Hamish of the Marquee People www.themarqueepeople.com.au who drove for 3 hours trying to get to De Bortoli to help us secure the safety of our guests in the marquee, but was unable to get past Coldstream.
- Cath Connelly, the harpist, who came to play for the ceremony, but had to stay for the night because the roads were closed.
A huge congratulations to our beautiful Bride and Groom, Liz and Ben van Deventer, who managed to keep positive and enjoy their different but memorable wedding day!!
Published: Feb 8, 2009 12:00am
Your comments
Kasey
Hi Sara,
I have just spoken to someone who has informed me grape grazing is cancelled and he was currently watching the fire approach de bortoli.. lets hope it doesnt get there - what a nightmare!
Kasey
Cath (the harpist)
Hi Sara.
Just wanted to thank you publically for your most extraordinary professionalism under incredible circumstances. You appeared calm and happy throughout, whilst maintaining your duty of care to 170 guests. An amazing effort on an incredible night.
Corinne Maunder
Hi Sara
What a wedding! Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication that day. It made my job of videoing Liz and Ben's wedding a lot easier. You managed to make the day a great success under the most difficult circumstances. Well done.
See you at the next wedding!
Cheers, Corinne
http://www.corinnem.com.au/blog
Robyn Wagner
Good afternoon, what amazing stories. My name is Robyn Wagner and I am a marriage celebrant on the Gold Coast and would love to assist anyone you know that wants to get married on the Gold Coast. I also perform Ray of Hope Ceremonies and New Beginings and would love to perform a ceremony for anyone who has personally suffered as a direct result of these terrible fires. Depending on personal circumstances, I sometimes perform a ceremony for free, if I feel there is a genuine hardship being faced. Plse contact me anytime for a obligation free chat. Email address below or website robynwagnercelebrations.vpweb.com.au. Many thanks and best wishes Robyn Wagner
derek
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Denise @ The Wedding Zone
Hi Sara
We had our own dramas with excessive heat and garden weddings on the weekend. Our Mt View Estate client also made a heartfelt decision to cancel her reception to safeguard her own guests and family. Her dream wedding reception was left untouched as guests departed and returned to the safety of the city. This morning the Ivory linen and the ash-covered wedding cake were the only reminders of what would have been. At the end of the day, they were all safe and in the scheme of things today, that is the most important thing of all.
Sara i cant imagine any other wedding planner who could have handled your situation better. Im sure that your bride and groom will be forever thankful for having you and your wonderful team with them on the day.
It's certainly a weekend that we wont forget in a hurry.