I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I’m obsessed with Australian weddings! The views, the bright pops of color, the super happy people…they are always just so, well perfect! I wonder what their secret is? Perhaps it’s hiring an amazing photographer like NJOY THE MOMENT? Whatever it is, I’m a huge fan for life and I’ll think you will be too once you see what’s waiting for you in the gallery!
See entire image gallery here!
I don’t think Rob and I will ever look back on our wedding day without ahuge smile. To spend such a gorgeous day, in a stunning setting, celebratinglove and friendship – what more is there to life?
We have been to many beautiful, romantic weddings over the seven years we’dbeen together, so we wanted a day that we very “us” – relaxed & nontraditional. We also wanted a big party that all would enjoy! So we picked the happiest colour we could (yellow), a rocking song to walk down the aisleto (You’ve got the love – Florence and the Machine), a stunning location…and went from there.
We ran our wedding on a very tight budget, so we used a lot of creativityand “sweat” – and not just our own! We literally could not have staged sucha beautiful day without HOURS and DAYS of help from our families andfriends.
My mum scoured charity shops for the 180 vases and 30 jars for the candybar, which we then decorated. My step-mother sewed all the table runners andbunting. My sister selected all the wines, in addition to being my matron onhonour. The other bridesmaids & the ‘groom’s crew’ (rob’s son, sister, herhusband and best friend) spent two days helping with set up – and keeping usall laughing. My mother in law decorated the pots for the guest gifts and my sister in law grew the 150 plants over 4 months! My dad did a lot of mowing& hauled a lot of beer. A very talented fashion designer friend made my dress in a fun and collaborative design process. One girlfriend did ourmakeup, another two girlfriends Dj’d, a comedian friend MC’d – luckily wehad a talented friendship group!
I also spent a LOT of time on Etsy, tapping into the creative and affordable talents of that community for the pinwheels, my headpiece, invitations,thank you cards, pompom decorations, cupcake wrappers and even our caketoppers.
My fabulous cousin and her husband generously loaned us their property, TheWhitehouse, near Lorne, Victoria – where the only challenge was a bride being outshone by the view! They had their own wedding there a year before,so it was already a very romantic place for us. It also meant we had acaterer and florist that already we knew were great. We sourced other suppliers locally. As a bonus we got to see kangaroos and wallabies out the window each morning we were there.
We actually stayed at The Whitehouse for a week, along with some of thebridal party and a few of our interstate & international guests for a fewdays, so we had a lot of time to party. It is a couple of hours away from Melbourne, so our guests could enjoy a weekend away too if they wished. Many came to a casual dinner the night before and a casual bbq the day after. Wewere VERY lucky with the weather – it was just perfect – the one thing an outdoor bride will always stress about!
As a bride that built the wedding from the ground up – and packed it allback down again – I definitely will never say “It went too quickly.” But it was really worth all the hard work. We had a ball and many friends gave it astamp of “best wedding ever”.
I am really excited to be featured on Style Me Pretty as I was SO inspired by the many beautiful weddings here, so a big thank you for all the creative brides & grooms out there. Special thanks to our photographer, Narrelle, who managed to capture the fun and beauty of the day – and managed to make us look as happy as we were.
Photography: NJOY THE MOMENT / Bridal Gown: Lapore Bridal / Event design: Brazen Productions / Pinwheels: Rule 42 / Headpiece: Bethany Lorelle / PomPoms: Prost to the Host / Catering and Cake: Bruce Niemann Confidential Catering Flowers: Heavenly Scent Flowers / Marquee and Furniture: Ballarat Party Hire / Hair: Jan-Marie Henry