Andrea and Ashley

I am so delighted to bring you a wedding today from one of my favourite venues- The Convent in Daylesford. A relaxed countryside wedding with a hint of vintage and a lot of gorgeous olive green, soft pink and latte colours.

Ash proposed to his bride Andrea in a very special way.  Andrea told the story. “Ash used to take me to Daylesford for weekend getaways when I was studying at law school and during my first years as a lawyer. On one of the weekend getaways, Ash took me to a lookout at sunset, got down on one knee, pulled out a bottle of French Champagne and a ring (of course) and popped the question. After searching through many wedding venues in Melbourne, we could not resist having our wedding at the beautiful Convent in Daylesford.”

Today’s photographer is Stewart of Stewart Leishman Photography. I’ve long admired Stewart’s work as I’ve come across it- there’s an artistic beauty to his work. Each shot could easily be an oil painting, full of warm, rich tones.

Andrea wore a strapless gown from Linda Gorringe Couture. She says “The dress was a strapless vintage lace in ivory with pearl detail.   The girls at Linda Gorringe were amazing. Their attention to detail was fantastic and there was nothing they wouldn’t do. All of the jewellery was also from Linda Gorringe which made it a lot easier because we could try the jewellery on with the dress. The beautiful earrings and bracelet were a gift from my parents as the “something new” that I wore on the day.” She wore shoes from Mallouk Shoes- made to match her wedding gown.

Stewart says, “Both Ash and And’s family had hired cottages directly opposite from the Convent for the weekend but on different sides of the road so that the Bride and Groom could not sneak a peak at each other before the ceremony. It was so special to both Ash and And having the day of the wedding (up until 4pm) with their respective families.”

The wedding was structured to make it easy for guests with The Convent providing the perfect all-in-one venue. Andrea says “The day was structured so that the ceremony was held at 4pm and the guests were not required to drive anywhere after arriving for the ceremony. The ceremony was held in the Chapel, followed by drinks and canapés in the St Lawrence Room, the reception in the St Michael’s room and finally the after party in the Altar bar (all within the Convent Gardens). The venue is just beautiful and every room so different. The views are stunning.” Andrea walked down to a string quartet playing Pachalbel’s Canon in D.

One of Andrea’s favourite memories was all about the loved ones “I loved having the whole family together and seeing everyone so happy on the day.”

Before the reception, the bridal party had a quiet drink together. Andrea says “Ash and I also allocated half an hour between photos and the reception to escape to the pent house (also at the Convent) with their bridal party. The group sat there drinking champagne and talking about the day before firing up again for the reception. That was the Stewart’s idea based on his own wedding experience and it was great advice!”

A beautiful white iced cake was decorated with roses and made by La Dolce Vita Pellegrino’s in Shepparton. Flowers were styled by Wombat Hill Florist. Andrea and Ash made the favour boxes and name tags. The favour boxes were filled with iced short breads made by a Dolce Vita Pellegrino’s in Shepparton.

The Baker Boys Band had everyone on the dance floor all night. Andrea says “Most of our guests stayed in Daylesford for the weekend and so everyone was in the mood to party. There was barely a time when people were not up dancing and one of the highlights was a huge Conga Line which everyone joined in on weaving in and out of the tables to the music.”

Thank you to Andrea and Ash for sharing their wedding day on Polka Dot Bride! Thank you also to Stewart Leishman Photography for sharing today’s photographs with us!