I would give my right arm to have lived the life of this amazing couple. Getting engaged during a trip through Southern France? Growing up surrounded by the gorgeousness of the Sittella Winery - which just happens to be the perfect venue for your reception? And having a wedding so authentically elegant that's all caught through the lens of Anna Rose Photography? I think I've made my point that this wedding is to die for in every way. And you can see it all in the gallery right here.
Swan Valley Wedding from Anna Rose Photography
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From the Bride... We were on a four week trip through the South of France, from Biarritz to Cassis. It was the fourth day of our trip, and we were in Pau, doing a day hike up a Mountain in the Pyrenees called La Castet. It was on top of that mountain that Johnathan proposed to me. Nearly choking on the banana chips I was eating, I said yes. It was the best holiday of our lives. Celebrating your engagement in France, with French champagne and cheese — it does not get any better. As we had recently bought a house in the Swan Valley, we could not think of a more fitting place to have our wedding. We chose to have our marriage ceremony at a beautiful little church called All Saints Church in Henley Brook. It was built in 1840 and is the oldest church in Western Australia. We organized a string quartet for the ceremonial music and an organist for the hymns. The atmosphere was amazing. The church can only fit 90 people, so I really don’t know how we squeezed everyone in. But we did.
My parents own the vineyard across the road from our evening venue, Sittella Winery. The vineyard has been in my family since 1950. The Swan Valley holds a lot of history for my family, particularly Barrett Street, so it made so much sense for us to have our wedding at Sittella, surrounded by what we know and the things we love. The owners, Mieke and Simon Burns, along with the staff, went above and beyond to ensure we were happy with every detail. The food was exquisite and the wine list never ending. We had our wonderful friend, Sarah, as our master of ceremonies. She really set the atmosphere for the entire evening. When all guests were seated and Johnathan and I had been introduced with our beautiful bridal party, we had a 30 minute break before meals were served. Sarah took this time to ask all tables to come up with a poem, skit or song about Johnathan and me. It gave all guests a chance to get to know each other and gave the entire party a good laugh when they were read out. The menus, place cards, table names all came together from many blogs and our aim to make our wedding day personal. As we got engaged in France, we wanted it to be a part of our wedding day, if only in a small way. We named each table after a place we visited on our trip, with a short blurb of memories from that location. We ordered macaroons and tarts from a French patisserie in Leederville called Francois, as well as some cakes from Boucla because they are divine. We were also lucky to have a Croatian relative make some Hrvatska biscuits.
Our band, The Baker Boys, was fantastic. (they also organised our string quartet). From the time we booked them, to the night of our wedding, they were more than happy to answer every question and learn the songs we wanted if they didn’t know them. The band on the night was incredible. We believe music really makes a party, and The Baker Boys certainly achieved everything we had wanted. A great deal of thought also went into my wedding dress. I had so many inspirations, and it was hard to style all the ideas I had into one dress. I love Elie Saab. I love sequins. I love detail. In the end, it represented my personal style. And as fashion is one of my favorite things in the world, that was so important on my wedding day. Johnathan and I are still talking about our wedding every day, one month on. It really did reflect who we are and what we love as a couple. And from the begining that was what we were trying to achieve for our once-in-a-lifetime occasion. People traveled from far and wide to be there. The love and support from everyone was overwhelming. It was such an amazing day filled with so many great memories.
Wedding Photography: Jen Regan of Anna Rose Photography / Ceremony: All Saints Church in Henley Brook, Western Australia / Reception: Sittella Winery in Herne Hill, Western Australia / Wedding Coordination: Jenn Veza of The Original Wedding Company / Floral Design: Natural Art Flowers by Rebecca Grace / Wedding Cake: DIY by the Mother of the Bride / Other Cakes: Boucla / French Desserts: Francois Patisserie / Wedding Stationery: Vanessa Cicirello of Pixellecreative, A Friend / Cake Toppers: Enamorweddings / Lighting + Stage: Lux Events / Napkins, Crystal Glassware + Silver Rentals: Hire Society / Transportation: Gently Bentley / Wedding Dress: Galleria Couture / Hair + Makeup: Nicole Antulov + Camille