Colorful Swan Valley Wedding
This just in: sherbet hues totally rock. And when added to a beautiful rustic meets vintage wedding, well... they make for one gorgeous color combination. Think vibrant orange, pink and peach hues coming together to add a touch of romance to a day that is already overflowing with lovely. See every beautiful moment (and there are a lot of them) captured by Albedo Photography in the full gallery.
From the Bride... From the moment we got engaged in September 2012, I referred to SMP religiously for ideas, comparisons and general inspiration. Matt tended to let me take control of the planning - trusting my vision would come together (whilst I constantly doubted this over our 17 month engagement)! Ultimately, I wanted to incorporate elements of vintage, to fit with our rustic venue, an equestrian estate in the stunning Swan Valley, whilst still keeping it fresh and light - think crystal vases, lots of white, light colours and beautiful flowers throughout.
The day began early - I was staying with my bridesmaids at my parents' house, and I realised in the middle of the night that I had left my engagement ring and my 'something blue' ring at home, a half hour drive away. My amazing maid of honour drove me home at 6am, careful not to let me see my future husband, who was staying there with his groomsmen. After this, however, the morning went smoothly - we arrived home and had a filling breakfast, made by my bridesmaid, and then proceeded to have our hair and makeup done by the amazingly talented Jessica and Thiana.
We ended up being ready an hour early, so sat and sipped champagne to calm any last-minute nerves! Then our photographers arrived, and the whirlwind that was our wedding day really began!
I got my dress from Hob Nob Bridal, and it included so many elements I swore I would never have - on the first day gown shopping with my two bridesmaids, my mum and two of her own bridesmaids from 27 years ago (mine and my sister's godmothers), we set out to three stores, visiting Hob Nob last. All the girls were choosing gowns for me, and mum's friend, who doesn't have a daughter of her own, chose what ended up being my perfect gown - it had straps, I wanted strapless; it had tuelle, I didn't want tuelle; it was fitted to the thighs, I wanted a princess gown with full skirt - but as soon as I tried it on, I knew it was the one!! Mum got teary, the godmothers got teary, and with that, it was decided. My outfit was completed by a veil from Hob Nob, with gorgeous lace trim, a hairpiece from Mosquita, and shoes designed by me from Shoes of Prey - love my gold glitter heels!!
Jen and Richard from Albedo Photography were amazing, coordinating all sorts of shots of us getting ready, all the while ensuring that we were running on schedule, despite my sister's boyfriend trying to steal the limelight with his 'modelling' shots in our dressing gowns...
We ended up at the venue half an hour early, and decided to make a quick pit-stop at the ladies' room - a note to all your brides-to-be - definitely suss out your bathroom plan with the bridesmaids ahead of time, as I couldn't go in my dress, and it had to be taken off to allow me to use the toilet, resulting in us being twenty minutes late to the ceremony... Also a good idea to practice bustling the dress with the bridesmaids, as we couldn't get mine to work, so I had to carry my train whilst dancing.
Our ceremony by the lake went off without a hitch, aside from (many, many) happy tears from me - luckily, I had a handkerchief to dry my eyes, made from my late-grandmother's wedding dress, as well as garter, worn by all the girls in my family as my something old. We also had our celebrant request that guests please refrain from taking photos for the duration, so as to ensure that our professional shots were full of their smiling faces, not their camera lenses. This request was a success, and we couldn't be happier with the gorgeous shots from our ceremony - no moment was missed!
It was super-hot that day, around 35 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky so we attempted to keep the guests cool(er) by having large market umbrellas, ice-cold water and fans, which doubled as programs at the ceremony.
From there, we had family photos, before our guests moved up to the shaded courtyard for pre-dinner drinks and the bridal party had more photos throughout the Estate grounds. Brookleigh really is a perfect venue - so many photo opportunities in the one place - the Château, paddocks, barn, grape vines, the list goes on! While we didn't have time to visit all the amazing locations, our photographers (who've shot here many times before) definitely picked some perfect spots for us.
Aside from me standing on a bull-ant nest, and being attacked by hundreds of ants, the photos were great fun, even for my camera-shy husband!
Onto the reception, and the real party began - my one request of our Dj, the amazing Tony from Tonita Sounds, was the dancefloor NEVER be empty, and he certainly delivered! The staff commented the next morning that they have never seen a dancefloor so packed all night.
Our centrepieces comprised alternately of gorgeous crystal vases, and mason jars covered with lace and ribbon and filled with beautiful posies from Tali at Twigged. Tali understood my vision perfectly, and set each centrepiece up just right. I collected the vases over many months and now can't bear to sell them, as they're just too pretty!!
All the decorations used throughout the day were collected by me over the months preceding our wedding, from garage sales, op-shops, e-bay and gumtree. We saved so much money doing a bit of DIY, including a french-style sidetable which I painted in white and used as our ceremony. My groom also made some gorgeous wooden boxes which we used to present our ceremony programs, which doubled as fans, as well as a bathroom box for the ladies containing everything from painkillers to face wipes.
Our MC for the evening was my godfather and he did such an amazing job - he introduced our guests to the bridal party with a little quirky fact about each of them, and kept the frivolities going all night, even giving the Father of the Bride a Fremantle Dockers cap and the Father of the Groom an Adelaide Crows cap.
Another lovely moment at the reception was my parents having a photo with their bridal party of ten from 27 years ago, only missing two people - what an achievement!
After entree, my husband and I headed out for sunset/dusk photos and the results are amazing - glad I could tear him away from the food for this! Jen and Richard produced some amazing images with the sunset to our west, and a full moon to the east.
Back to the reception and the speeches were brilliant, so heartfelt and loving, with of course the requisite jibes. Then we cut the cake, made by my talented Nana - she did such a perfect job, and we can't thank her enough!
Our farewell was supposed to be a sparkler exit, however my bridesmaid tried to light too many at once and they exploded, causing her to burn her hand (not badly, thank goodness) but a word of warning to brides thinking of using them - make sure they're lit safely! This was really the only hiccup of the day, and luckily two of our guests are trained in first aid, specifically burns, so the damage to her hand was very minimal!
After all the guests had left at midnight, we were still full of adrenaline so had some further photos using the sparklers with Jen and Richard. Finally, we went to bed around 2am and left them to keep working on some sparkler photos - so much dedication!
Overall, we had the most perfect day we could have imagined. Special mention to three of our vendors - Twigged by Tali for the most perfect bouquets and floral decorations - she understood my vision 100% and exceeded all expectations. To Jen & Richard from Albedo Photography - they are INCREDIBLE. We had so much fun working with them, and they caught every moment on film, in the most spectacular way possible. And to our DJ, Tony Doney from Tonita - he ran with what was a limited guide to music - essentially, we just told him to play anything he felt would keep the dancing going, and he did just that - we didn't sit down all night!
The day began early - I was staying with my bridesmaids at my parents' house, and I realised in the middle of the night that I had left my engagement ring and my 'something blue' ring at home, a half hour drive away. My amazing maid of honour drove me home at 6am, careful not to let me see my future husband, who was staying there with his groomsmen. After this, however, the morning went smoothly - we arrived home and had a filling breakfast, made by my bridesmaid, and then proceeded to have our hair and makeup done by the amazingly talented Jessica and Thiana.
We ended up being ready an hour early, so sat and sipped champagne to calm any last-minute nerves! Then our photographers arrived, and the whirlwind that was our wedding day really began!
I got my dress from Hob Nob Bridal, and it included so many elements I swore I would never have - on the first day gown shopping with my two bridesmaids, my mum and two of her own bridesmaids from 27 years ago (mine and my sister's godmothers), we set out to three stores, visiting Hob Nob last. All the girls were choosing gowns for me, and mum's friend, who doesn't have a daughter of her own, chose what ended up being my perfect gown - it had straps, I wanted strapless; it had tuelle, I didn't want tuelle; it was fitted to the thighs, I wanted a princess gown with full skirt - but as soon as I tried it on, I knew it was the one!! Mum got teary, the godmothers got teary, and with that, it was decided. My outfit was completed by a veil from Hob Nob, with gorgeous lace trim, a hairpiece from Mosquita, and shoes designed by me from Shoes of Prey - love my gold glitter heels!!
Jen and Richard from Albedo Photography were amazing, coordinating all sorts of shots of us getting ready, all the while ensuring that we were running on schedule, despite my sister's boyfriend trying to steal the limelight with his 'modelling' shots in our dressing gowns...
We ended up at the venue half an hour early, and decided to make a quick pit-stop at the ladies' room - a note to all your brides-to-be - definitely suss out your bathroom plan with the bridesmaids ahead of time, as I couldn't go in my dress, and it had to be taken off to allow me to use the toilet, resulting in us being twenty minutes late to the ceremony... Also a good idea to practice bustling the dress with the bridesmaids, as we couldn't get mine to work, so I had to carry my train whilst dancing.
Our ceremony by the lake went off without a hitch, aside from (many, many) happy tears from me - luckily, I had a handkerchief to dry my eyes, made from my late-grandmother's wedding dress, as well as garter, worn by all the girls in my family as my something old. We also had our celebrant request that guests please refrain from taking photos for the duration, so as to ensure that our professional shots were full of their smiling faces, not their camera lenses. This request was a success, and we couldn't be happier with the gorgeous shots from our ceremony - no moment was missed!
It was super-hot that day, around 35 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky so we attempted to keep the guests cool(er) by having large market umbrellas, ice-cold water and fans, which doubled as programs at the ceremony.
From there, we had family photos, before our guests moved up to the shaded courtyard for pre-dinner drinks and the bridal party had more photos throughout the Estate grounds. Brookleigh really is a perfect venue - so many photo opportunities in the one place - the Château, paddocks, barn, grape vines, the list goes on! While we didn't have time to visit all the amazing locations, our photographers (who've shot here many times before) definitely picked some perfect spots for us.
Aside from me standing on a bull-ant nest, and being attacked by hundreds of ants, the photos were great fun, even for my camera-shy husband!
Onto the reception, and the real party began - my one request of our Dj, the amazing Tony from Tonita Sounds, was the dancefloor NEVER be empty, and he certainly delivered! The staff commented the next morning that they have never seen a dancefloor so packed all night.
Our centrepieces comprised alternately of gorgeous crystal vases, and mason jars covered with lace and ribbon and filled with beautiful posies from Tali at Twigged. Tali understood my vision perfectly, and set each centrepiece up just right. I collected the vases over many months and now can't bear to sell them, as they're just too pretty!!
All the decorations used throughout the day were collected by me over the months preceding our wedding, from garage sales, op-shops, e-bay and gumtree. We saved so much money doing a bit of DIY, including a french-style sidetable which I painted in white and used as our ceremony. My groom also made some gorgeous wooden boxes which we used to present our ceremony programs, which doubled as fans, as well as a bathroom box for the ladies containing everything from painkillers to face wipes.
Our MC for the evening was my godfather and he did such an amazing job - he introduced our guests to the bridal party with a little quirky fact about each of them, and kept the frivolities going all night, even giving the Father of the Bride a Fremantle Dockers cap and the Father of the Groom an Adelaide Crows cap.
Another lovely moment at the reception was my parents having a photo with their bridal party of ten from 27 years ago, only missing two people - what an achievement!
After entree, my husband and I headed out for sunset/dusk photos and the results are amazing - glad I could tear him away from the food for this! Jen and Richard produced some amazing images with the sunset to our west, and a full moon to the east.
Back to the reception and the speeches were brilliant, so heartfelt and loving, with of course the requisite jibes. Then we cut the cake, made by my talented Nana - she did such a perfect job, and we can't thank her enough!
Our farewell was supposed to be a sparkler exit, however my bridesmaid tried to light too many at once and they exploded, causing her to burn her hand (not badly, thank goodness) but a word of warning to brides thinking of using them - make sure they're lit safely! This was really the only hiccup of the day, and luckily two of our guests are trained in first aid, specifically burns, so the damage to her hand was very minimal!
After all the guests had left at midnight, we were still full of adrenaline so had some further photos using the sparklers with Jen and Richard. Finally, we went to bed around 2am and left them to keep working on some sparkler photos - so much dedication!
Overall, we had the most perfect day we could have imagined. Special mention to three of our vendors - Twigged by Tali for the most perfect bouquets and floral decorations - she understood my vision 100% and exceeded all expectations. To Jen & Richard from Albedo Photography - they are INCREDIBLE. We had so much fun working with them, and they caught every moment on film, in the most spectacular way possible. And to our DJ, Tony Doney from Tonita - he ran with what was a limited guide to music - essentially, we just told him to play anything he felt would keep the dancing going, and he did just that - we didn't sit down all night!