{"id":625281,"date":"2026-04-23T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T08:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/625281\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T08:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T08:00:09","slug":"inside-riley-hemson-and-vita-tomoanas-dreamlike-wedding-weekend-in-the-nsw-countryside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/625281\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Riley Hemson and Vita Tomoana\u2019s \u2018dreamlike\u2019 wedding weekend in the NSW countryside"},"content":{"rendered":"

As one of Australia\u2019s online-it couples, the wedding of Vita Tomoana<\/a> and Riley Tomoana, n\u00e9e Hemson\u2019s<\/a> might have been expected to be a cinematic spectacle. But for the couple, their instinct was to draw the curtains back entirely. Set against the rolling green hinterlands of New South Wales, their weekend nuptials became a reflection of everything they value most dearly: ease, family, and an unwavering sense of love.<\/p>\n

The couple first met in June 2017, in Wellington, New Zealand<\/a>, where the pair were studying\u2014Riley, now a model and founder of fashion labels Remmie by Riley and Jorja + Joseph, and Vita, also a founder. What began as a simple connection quickly sparked into something more enduring. \u201cIt felt easy from the beginning in a way I hadn\u2019t experienced before,\u201d Riley shares with Vogue Australia. Within days, there was a sense of mutual understanding that felt almost too seamless to trust. \u201cI remember texting a friend saying, \u2018he told me he likes me, I said me too\u2026 but there has to be something wrong because at the moment he\u2019s done everything right.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

But as she would find out, there wasn\u2019t. The pair\u2019s early days were marked by an effortless routine: vegan caf\u00e9 dates, long gym sessions, and nights that blurred into mornings. \u201cWe just never really left each other\u2019s sides,\u201d Riley says. What could have been fleeting trices instead became foundational for the couple.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That same sense of ease carried into Vita\u2019s proposal years later. After secretly securing a ring from Tiffany & Co. and keeping it throughout their travels, he waited patiently not for an orchestrated moment, but for a reprise that felt true to them. That moment came unexpectedly in the Tuscan countryside. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t planned. It wasn\u2019t grand,\u201d Riley reflects. \u201cIt was calm, intimate and completely us.\u201d Sitting at a small vineyard with a glass of red wine, surrounded by rolling hills, Vita asked Riley to spend forever with him. Nearby, a cat resembling Riley\u2019s childhood pet appeared, as if the universe was offering its subtle approval. \u201cIn that moment,\u201d Vita later said, \u201cthere was nothing else to wait for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their wedding<\/a>, held across April 17 and 18 at the Linnaeus Collection<\/a> in Berry, New South Wales, was a natural extension of that moment. Planned alongside Place of LB<\/a>, the celebration prioritised feeling over formality. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want anything to feel overly traditional or overworked,\u201d Riley explains. \u201cIt was important that it felt like us\u2014clean, warm, and considered, but still relaxed enough that people could actually enjoy themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple chose the Moraea Farm for its sense of privacy and natural beauty, reminiscent of their New Zealand roots. Having spent time there with friends in the lead-up to the wedding, the location already held meaning. \u201cIt gave us space to create something personal without needing to transform it too much,\u201d Vita says. Rather than rigid schedules or overdefined concepts, the bride and groom focused on how they wanted each aspect of the ceremony to feel. \u201cWe made decisions emotionally,\u201d Riley notes. \u201cIf something felt right, we went with it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The styling for the weekend reflected a distinctly modern, minimal and intentional aesthetic, layered with what Riley describes as \u201can understated European ease.\u201d Notably, the couple chose to forgo traditional florals entirely\u2014aside from the bride\u2019s bouquet\u2014in favour of custom fabric installations. \u201cWe wanted everything to feel lasting,\u201d Riley says. \u201cSomething we could keep, rather than something that would disappear overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fashion across the weekend was similarly considered. Riley wore three custom looks, each designed by Australian female designers<\/a>. \u201cIt was important to me to celebrate the women behind the work,\u201d she says. For the welcome dinner, she chose a playful, textural Atalie Studios<\/a> ensemble featuring a sculptural corset and romantic skirt. \u201cIt felt like a deconstructed version of bridal,\u201d she explains. And for the ceremony, the bride wore a Lillian Khallouf<\/a> gown with a dramatic corset and princess-like skirt. \u201cIt felt like the most elevated version of what I had always imagined,\u201d she says. \u201cStrong, but still feminine.\u201d Later, she changed into a custom Paris Jade Burrows<\/a> piece for the afterparty\u2014a more fitted, sensual silhouette designed for the movement and celebration required of a newlywed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Accessories were also kept minimal, with Riley focusing primarily on earrings to mark each stage of the weekend. Aside from Jimmy Choo<\/a> shoes that both bride and groom opted for throughout the celebration, the most meaningful piece was her great-grandmother\u2019s earrings, worn during the ceremony. \u201cShe passed away a few years ago,\u201d Riley shares. \u201cWearing them felt like carrying her with me.\u201d By coincidence, her great-grandmother\u2019s wedding anniversary fell the day before theirs. \u201cThat felt really special,\u201d she adds. Pieces from Jaz Hand Made<\/a> and Isabel Marant<\/a> also made their way into the bride\u2019s earring rotation. And beauty followed suit with a similar memo: clean, refined, and timeless. A French twist kept the focus on Riley\u2019s face and gown, while a natural luminous make-up look enhanced rather than transformed the bride throughout the festivities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vita\u2019s wardrobe mirrored this level of detail, transitioning from relaxed tailoring at the welcome dinner to a custom P. Johnson<\/a> suit paired with Jimmy Choo shoes for the ceremony, and finally a more contemporary Boss look for the evening celebration. \u201cWe approached it the same way we approached everything,\u201d he says. \u201cIntentional, but not overthought.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reception marquee embodied this ethos: a striking \u201cwhite on white on white\u201d setting, softened through texture rather than colour. Clear acrylic panels floated overhead, and a live artist from Studio Roux<\/a> painted guest silhouettes onto acrylic throughout the evening. Guests were seated to digitally printed plates\u2014menus disguised as place settings\u2014while a custom menu by chef Alex Pritchard wove together personal references from Riley and Vita\u2019s life, offering dishes that felt nostalgic to their story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the sun dipped and conversation gave way to music, the reception began to soften at the edges, gradually giving itself over to boisterous celebration. But before the night fully unfolded, Riley and Vita marked the transition with a cake-cutting moment, eschewing tradition in favour of three smaller creations by Vege Mamma<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The final hurrah post-dinner formalities were when guests were led into a hidden barn, transformed into a dramatic afterparty space draped in deep purple velvet and accented with silver. \u201cWe wanted moments of surprise,\u201d Riley explains. \u201cThat shift in energy was one of the most exciting parts.\u201d From there, the dance floor quickly filled, remaining that way well into the night.<\/p>\n

When asked about the most memorable moment, both Riley and Vita return to their vows. \u201cWe hadn\u2019t shared them beforehand,\u201d Riley explains, \u201cbut they ended up mirroring each other in ways we didn\u2019t expect.\u201d Standing together for those 20 minutes, surrounded by their closest family and friends, time seemed to pause. \u201cIt felt completely still,\u201d Vita says. \u201cLike everything aligned for a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt never felt like just a wedding,\u201d Riley reflects on the celebrations. \u201cIt felt like an extension of our life together.\u201d As Vita puts it simply, \u201cIt was exactly what it needed to be. Nothing more, nothing less.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahead, see inside Riley and Vita Tomoana\u2019s countryside nuptials.<\/p>\n