If there’s one particular style that seems to be sweeping weddings everywhere, it’s the ultra-romantic garden affair. Think soft shades of pink, an abundance of florals and outdoor venues straight from the storybooks. It’s exactly the route these Australian lovies took, and Natasja Kremers captured the gorgeous moments they’ll treasure for years and years to come.
From the Bride… Our wedding day was a real life fairytale: every girl’s dream, and the day I got to marry my very own prince charming. Our ceremony was held at The Secret Garden in Margaret River, a beautiful wine region three hours drive from Perth and the perfect location for a summer destination wedding. As soon as Ryan and I stepped foot in the garden we knew it was where we wanted to start the rest of our lives together; it was breathtaking. Our reception was held at nearby Wills Domain Winery with its gorgeous vineyard vistas.
The day I went wedding dress shopping is a day I will never forget. I felt like a princess and it was such a fun day spent with my beautiful bridesmaids (my three sisters and two best friends). I knew I had found ‘the one’ because when I tried it on I saw myself walking down the aisle and bawled like a baby; it was the perfect dress. The colour palette was easy for me to choose; as a lover of all things pink and a confessed ‘girly girl’, blush pink, soft peach, ivory, taupe and accents of gold were perfection.
My headpiece was very special to me as it was made by one of my best friends from the lace of my sister’s wedding dress. I fell in love with my invitations from Rifle Paper Co.; they were so pretty and the design was a perfect fit for the look and feel of our wedding: elegantly beautiful with a pretty and romantic garden feel.
We walked down the aisle to Eva Cassidy’s gorgeous rendition of ‘Songbird’. Ryan and I wrote our own vows; they were so heartfelt and emotional that I was holding back tears the entire time. There wasn’t a dry eye in sight and all I could hear were the sobs coming from my bridesmaids and (believe it or not) my groomsmen! I managed to hold it together and reading my vows to Ryan was one of the most romantic moments of my life. I will never forget how I felt in that moment.
I wanted my bouquets to be garden inspired. My bridesmaids carried white spray roses, lisianthus, carnations and glossy green jasmine leaves tied off with ivory grosgrain ribbon. My bouquet was made of soft pink David Austin roses, soft peach carnations, white spray roses, lisianthus and jasmine leaves finished with ivory lace. Attached to my bouquet was a gold locket that belonged to my nanna, who was unable to attend the wedding; every time I looked at it I was reminded of her and it made me smile. My florist, Amy, from Sweetpea Designs, was amazing and what she created was exactly what I had imagined; I will never be able to thank her enough for truly one of my favorite elements of the entire day.
All the little details like the flowers spilling out of the draws, the arrangements on the signing table, the storybook flowers tied to the chiavari chairs, all made for a ceremony that looked like it came straight out of a fairytale. I am a huge Disney fan so as my guests arrived at the ceremony site we played the instrumental version of ‘Tale as old as time’ and other instrumental songs from our favourite romantic movies like Love Actually, Pearl Harbour and The Holiday. I wanted to take our guests on a journey of our love through music.
Ryan proposed to me in Paris under the Eiffel Tower and the stars and so, in a nod to Paris, we had ‘Bon appetite’ menus at the reception, French macaroons for guests to nibble on and the ‘Je t’adore mon amour’ sign I hand painted myself (meaning ‘I adore you my love’). I had cuff links with vintage maps of Paris custom made as a gift for Ryan to open the morning of our wedding day.
Family and friends came together to help add personal and meaningful touches to our day. Our linen table runners were custom made by my bridesmaid’s mum, a longtime family friend. My father sings professionally and I grew up surrounded by music. I have fond memories of him dancing around the kitchen with my mum, serenading her with the song, “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You”, so it was so special for Ryan and I to have him sing this to us during our first dance.
One of the most important decisions surrounding the day was our photographer. When we met Tasj we loved her style and knew we wanted to book her to capture our wedding day. She did an amazing job and we will be forever grateful for the memories she captured for us.
Photography: Natasja Kremers | Videographer: Urban Light Films | Floral Design: Hope Stanley | Cake: Sugar Mummy | Invitations: Rifle Paper Co. | Ceremony Venue: Margaret River Secret Garden | Reception Venue: Wills Domain Winery | Brides Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids Dresses: Studio Collections | Make Up: Nicole Forde | Hair: Krystal Okey | Lighting: Cape Marquees | Grooms Suit: Roger David | Celebrant: Jennifer Etherington | Accomodation: Incognito Escape | Beauty (tan): Definitive Faces | Bride Bridesmaids Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar | Brides Dress: Pronovias | Chiavari Chairs: Chic Rustique | Custom Embroidered Wedding Bouquet: Miniature Rhino | Day Of Stylist: Cape Style | Garter Design: Florrie Mitton | Personalised Cufflinks: Paper Arcadia | Program Fans: White Tulip Designs | Reception Furniture: Whole Lotta Love | Ribbon Wands: Lily Amond Thorns Bride | Ring Bowl: Paloma's Nest | Vintage Jag: Margaret River Chauffeurs