Romantic and Rustic Victoria Wedding at Anderson's Mill
SMPers, you might want to sit down for this beauty. Sitting? Good. Because this wedding captured by 35mm Photography is one for the books. With a custom gown from the Bride's talented sister Anna Campbell, gorgeous florals from Flowers In A Vase and an overall beautiful couple, this gallery is jaw-dropping to say the very least. See even more here.
From the bride...Sam and I had been dating for about two months when we first visited Anderson's Mill together.The gorgeous, heritage, blue-stone building is it a stunning slice of Victoria's history and is moments from my parents' country property. It's somewhere I visited often with my sisters when we were growing up and is a very special place for our family. It was way back then, on that first visit together, that Sam said that one day, should there be a wedding, the mill would be the perfect place.
Four years later we were married in the picturesque grounds of the historic mill. We exchanged vows in dappled, afternoon sunlight under lush green oak trees beside Birch's Creek on a beautiful spring day. The ceremony was personally written from beginning to end by Sam and I as we wanted everything about this special moment in time to be unique, memorable and heartfelt. The result was a touching ceremony that elicited both laughter and tears from our family and friends.
I would have to say that walking down the aisle on my dad's arm and glimpsing Sam's excited expression was one of the best parts of the entire day. He was jigging with excitement and had a smile from ear to ear. I felt an overwhelming sense of incredible happiness - something Sam has said he felt as well. A tree planting ritual was held as part of the ceremony and our parents each contributed soil to the pot of a special tree which is to be planted at my parents' nearby property. It will become a lasting symbol of our marriage and reside at a place that will never leave our family - somewhere we intend to spend a lot of time together in the future.
I must be the world's luckiest bride - my little sister (and one of my two maids of honour) is the incredible Australian bridal designer Anna Campbell. Anna crafted six exquisite, made to measure bridesmaid dresses for the day. The six dresses were created in soft, feminine flowing fabric in nude and featured stunning embellishments. Anna also designed my mother's gown and the groomsmaid's dress and, of course, she also created my breathtaking, made to measure wedding dress, veil and headpiece. My dress was beyond beautiful - dripping in intricate beading and covered in heavenly lace – it was more gorgeous than anything I had ever dreamed of.
The whole day had a soft, rustic, romantic look and feel. The colour palette consisted of soft neutrals, pale blush and lush foliage green with plenty of cream and ivory. Everything was soft and feminine with a vintage touch, all chosen to compliment our stunning backdrops and rustic, historic surroundings. Abundant, unstructured flowers flowed out of vintage drawers, encircled poles, dripped from rafters and climbed across our ceremony backdrop, while gorgeous single stems were placed in vintage vessels. My bouquet and many of the arrangements were interspersed with flowers from my mother's garden - something that was very special to me. My incredible florist Arnie Way from Flowers in a Vase worked with mum for months and incorporated hundreds of blooms from both mum's garden and the garden of a close friend. I collected antique furniture and decor over two years to give the day a vintage, rustic and romantic feel. Queen-Anne style dressers and tables, vintage cane furniture, antique silverware, vintage bottles and more were sourced at markets and in second hand stores.
Programs and other paper goods, save the dates, lace and twine wrapped candle holders, bunting, blackboards and wooden signs were handmade by me with the help of family and friends. My collection of items was perfectly complemented by stunning birdcages, decanters, lanterns, cake-stands, drink dispensers and a host of other items provided by Style By Anna Campbell. Many of the gorgeous hand selected items that I collected for the day will now be available for hire through Style by Anna Campbell.
While capturing an elegant, romantic style and feel was important to me, Sam and I both felt it was equally as important to hold an event that was full of fun and personality and that reflected our love of celebration and entertaining. I am an event planner and couldn't resist creating a wedding that was not just a wedding but the party of a lifetime and a true experience for ourselves and our guests. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a 'make your own' ice cream sundae bar with homemade brownies, sauces and delicious toppings and an outdoor drinks bar with summery punches in gorgeous drink dispensers. Guests drank punch from mini milk bottles which I hand decorated with twine and homemade 'drink me' tags. They also enjoyed an array of outdoor games which included quoits, badminton, croquet, giant jenga, vintage skittles and corn-hole,while guest also enjoyed playing 'Minglo' (a 'mingling Bingo' idea inspired by Offbeat Bride).
The reception included a vintage style photo booth with hand made and personally collected props and dress ups, a reception cocktail bar featuring 'his and hers' cocktails (mojitos and kamikazes), a 'mad-libs' guest book, and a scotch/whisky bar complete with vintage crystal decanters and decorative silver trays. The reception also featured a wedding pinata in the shape of J&S (script letters). One of the highlights of the wedding for us (and, anecdotally, for many of the guests) was the first dance. Seven months of dance lessons resulted in a performance to two very special love songs - Van Morrison and Ray Charles' version of 'Crazy Love' and the Waifs' 'Love Serenade'. The dance featured spins, lifts, hat throwing and more. I appeared from a little side door in a second gown for the dance. The one-off creation was crafted by and given to me by my incredible sister Anna. It featured delicate lace in the bodice and tassels that twirled and flared when I spun, catching the light. A gorgeous, Anna Campbell embellished headpiece finished the whole look. The first dance was followed by the official guest 'dance off', which was hotly contended with categories, prizes and dance off 'finals' (judged by the bride and groom). Prizes featured local produce and Sam and I were blown away by the enthusiasm and moves our guests brought to the floor! We ended the evening with a sparkler send off. As 'Ho Hey' by the Lumineers played, guests surrounded the getaway car (a vintage FJ Holden owned by a family friend), with giant sparklers and bid goodbye to the bride and groom.
Preparing the venue was, in itself, a labour of love. Andersons Mill is an empty heritage building with no water, no kitchen and no bathroom facilities. It is also home to a host of persistent resident possums! We cleaned, prepared and set up the venue for days prior to the event with the help of dedicated family and friends. My dad built many structures from scratch including backdrops, screens and even a set of stairs for the verandah. Mum sewed floral cushion covers for the outdoor cane furniture (to match fabric used in the invitations) and grew herbs for favours. My two sisters sewed, styled, baked and cleaned and were my maids of honour while the groom's sister, one of Sam's closest friends, was our gorgeous groomsmaid.
Favours were hand raised herbs (lovingly grown by my mum), wrapped in rustic recycled paper, tied with twine and finished with handmade, recycled paper labels inspired by shipping-tags. Our family friends lent us their paddock (which features hauntingly beautiful ruins from the gold-rush era) for photos. These ruins became the incredible backdrop for our windswept bridal party shoot. The dessert/cake table was filled with delectable home baked cakes contributed by guests. Every cake was the baker's 'signature cake' and featured a personalized label handmade by me. Catering was provided by the our good friend Chris Little (Geelong based chef) who tailor-made an exciting and decadent menu of canapés and mini, roaming meals which featured everything from oysters, salmon and scallops through to pork belly.
We can't express how grateful we are to everyone who had input into our big day, including our vendors and suppliers, many of whom are close, personal friends. Lyndel and Daniel from 35mm Photography were wonderful. They are two of the loveliest, most talented individuals around and their photography speaks for itself. Thank you also to all the incredible inspiration provided by the gorgeous Style Me Pretty, Blogs were a huge part of planning for our wedding and Style Me Pretty is one of the most insanely beautiful sources of prettiness you could hope to find.
I adored the entire planning process and my wedding planning journey has inspired me to work alongside my talented little sister and move into the wedding industry. I can't wait to begin an exciting, new chapter, using my professional event experience and wedding obsession to specialize in planning, managing and designing bespoke weddings for other Australian brides.
Four years later we were married in the picturesque grounds of the historic mill. We exchanged vows in dappled, afternoon sunlight under lush green oak trees beside Birch's Creek on a beautiful spring day. The ceremony was personally written from beginning to end by Sam and I as we wanted everything about this special moment in time to be unique, memorable and heartfelt. The result was a touching ceremony that elicited both laughter and tears from our family and friends.
I would have to say that walking down the aisle on my dad's arm and glimpsing Sam's excited expression was one of the best parts of the entire day. He was jigging with excitement and had a smile from ear to ear. I felt an overwhelming sense of incredible happiness - something Sam has said he felt as well. A tree planting ritual was held as part of the ceremony and our parents each contributed soil to the pot of a special tree which is to be planted at my parents' nearby property. It will become a lasting symbol of our marriage and reside at a place that will never leave our family - somewhere we intend to spend a lot of time together in the future.
I must be the world's luckiest bride - my little sister (and one of my two maids of honour) is the incredible Australian bridal designer Anna Campbell. Anna crafted six exquisite, made to measure bridesmaid dresses for the day. The six dresses were created in soft, feminine flowing fabric in nude and featured stunning embellishments. Anna also designed my mother's gown and the groomsmaid's dress and, of course, she also created my breathtaking, made to measure wedding dress, veil and headpiece. My dress was beyond beautiful - dripping in intricate beading and covered in heavenly lace – it was more gorgeous than anything I had ever dreamed of.
The whole day had a soft, rustic, romantic look and feel. The colour palette consisted of soft neutrals, pale blush and lush foliage green with plenty of cream and ivory. Everything was soft and feminine with a vintage touch, all chosen to compliment our stunning backdrops and rustic, historic surroundings. Abundant, unstructured flowers flowed out of vintage drawers, encircled poles, dripped from rafters and climbed across our ceremony backdrop, while gorgeous single stems were placed in vintage vessels. My bouquet and many of the arrangements were interspersed with flowers from my mother's garden - something that was very special to me. My incredible florist Arnie Way from Flowers in a Vase worked with mum for months and incorporated hundreds of blooms from both mum's garden and the garden of a close friend. I collected antique furniture and decor over two years to give the day a vintage, rustic and romantic feel. Queen-Anne style dressers and tables, vintage cane furniture, antique silverware, vintage bottles and more were sourced at markets and in second hand stores.
Programs and other paper goods, save the dates, lace and twine wrapped candle holders, bunting, blackboards and wooden signs were handmade by me with the help of family and friends. My collection of items was perfectly complemented by stunning birdcages, decanters, lanterns, cake-stands, drink dispensers and a host of other items provided by Style By Anna Campbell. Many of the gorgeous hand selected items that I collected for the day will now be available for hire through Style by Anna Campbell.
While capturing an elegant, romantic style and feel was important to me, Sam and I both felt it was equally as important to hold an event that was full of fun and personality and that reflected our love of celebration and entertaining. I am an event planner and couldn't resist creating a wedding that was not just a wedding but the party of a lifetime and a true experience for ourselves and our guests. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a 'make your own' ice cream sundae bar with homemade brownies, sauces and delicious toppings and an outdoor drinks bar with summery punches in gorgeous drink dispensers. Guests drank punch from mini milk bottles which I hand decorated with twine and homemade 'drink me' tags. They also enjoyed an array of outdoor games which included quoits, badminton, croquet, giant jenga, vintage skittles and corn-hole,while guest also enjoyed playing 'Minglo' (a 'mingling Bingo' idea inspired by Offbeat Bride).
The reception included a vintage style photo booth with hand made and personally collected props and dress ups, a reception cocktail bar featuring 'his and hers' cocktails (mojitos and kamikazes), a 'mad-libs' guest book, and a scotch/whisky bar complete with vintage crystal decanters and decorative silver trays. The reception also featured a wedding pinata in the shape of J&S (script letters). One of the highlights of the wedding for us (and, anecdotally, for many of the guests) was the first dance. Seven months of dance lessons resulted in a performance to two very special love songs - Van Morrison and Ray Charles' version of 'Crazy Love' and the Waifs' 'Love Serenade'. The dance featured spins, lifts, hat throwing and more. I appeared from a little side door in a second gown for the dance. The one-off creation was crafted by and given to me by my incredible sister Anna. It featured delicate lace in the bodice and tassels that twirled and flared when I spun, catching the light. A gorgeous, Anna Campbell embellished headpiece finished the whole look. The first dance was followed by the official guest 'dance off', which was hotly contended with categories, prizes and dance off 'finals' (judged by the bride and groom). Prizes featured local produce and Sam and I were blown away by the enthusiasm and moves our guests brought to the floor! We ended the evening with a sparkler send off. As 'Ho Hey' by the Lumineers played, guests surrounded the getaway car (a vintage FJ Holden owned by a family friend), with giant sparklers and bid goodbye to the bride and groom.
Preparing the venue was, in itself, a labour of love. Andersons Mill is an empty heritage building with no water, no kitchen and no bathroom facilities. It is also home to a host of persistent resident possums! We cleaned, prepared and set up the venue for days prior to the event with the help of dedicated family and friends. My dad built many structures from scratch including backdrops, screens and even a set of stairs for the verandah. Mum sewed floral cushion covers for the outdoor cane furniture (to match fabric used in the invitations) and grew herbs for favours. My two sisters sewed, styled, baked and cleaned and were my maids of honour while the groom's sister, one of Sam's closest friends, was our gorgeous groomsmaid.
Favours were hand raised herbs (lovingly grown by my mum), wrapped in rustic recycled paper, tied with twine and finished with handmade, recycled paper labels inspired by shipping-tags. Our family friends lent us their paddock (which features hauntingly beautiful ruins from the gold-rush era) for photos. These ruins became the incredible backdrop for our windswept bridal party shoot. The dessert/cake table was filled with delectable home baked cakes contributed by guests. Every cake was the baker's 'signature cake' and featured a personalized label handmade by me. Catering was provided by the our good friend Chris Little (Geelong based chef) who tailor-made an exciting and decadent menu of canapés and mini, roaming meals which featured everything from oysters, salmon and scallops through to pork belly.
We can't express how grateful we are to everyone who had input into our big day, including our vendors and suppliers, many of whom are close, personal friends. Lyndel and Daniel from 35mm Photography were wonderful. They are two of the loveliest, most talented individuals around and their photography speaks for itself. Thank you also to all the incredible inspiration provided by the gorgeous Style Me Pretty, Blogs were a huge part of planning for our wedding and Style Me Pretty is one of the most insanely beautiful sources of prettiness you could hope to find.
I adored the entire planning process and my wedding planning journey has inspired me to work alongside my talented little sister and move into the wedding industry. I can't wait to begin an exciting, new chapter, using my professional event experience and wedding obsession to specialize in planning, managing and designing bespoke weddings for other Australian brides.