Claire & Rick

Garden weddings in the country are so beautiful. The dappled shade, the luscious backdrops, the no one for miles and the sense of intimacy is such a beautiful way to celebrate a wedding. Today we’re heading to the south coast of NSW for a beautiful country celebration of Claire and Rick!

Claire tells their story. “We met through mutual friends during school, and remained friends until we started dating seven years after that.”

Scott Surplice Photography captured today’s wedding with such a sense of fun and character- not to mention the beauty!

Claire chose a gown from Mark Holt.

Claire’s bridesmaids wore gowns they chose themselves in pastel hues.

Merribee was chosen as the couple’s wedding venue. Claire says, “It was absolutely stunning. Rick is a garden lover and we knew that Merribee was the perfect location for our wedding after taking a tour through the spectacular gardens. We also loved having a venue that gave us free reign to go crazy with our ideas.”

Claire walked down the aisle to “Real Love – Regina Spektor (John Lennon cover). We walked out to Just Like Honey by the Jesus and Mary Chain.”

Claire recalls, “The venue was stunning, and getting married out of Sydney gave everyone the opportunity to forget about the city and make a weekend of it.”

Shady Fig created fresh garden inspired bouquets for the bridal party.

Of their photographer, Claire says, “He was perfect. Scott had been over to our house for dinner on a couple of occasions, so as well as knowing what style of photo we liked, he also made us feel very comfortable with him, and the great photos we now have reflect this. He was very proactive before and on the day to make sure our photos were as good as they could be. He even had a few tricks up his sleeve to help keep it interesting throughout the whole process. We couldn’t recommend Scott more highly!”

There were plenty of handmade, special touches.  Claire says, “Rick’s Mum and my auntie made masses of bunting; My mum collected hundreds of jars/bottles/vases; Rich and I and Rick’s brother built the photo booth; My dad made the burlap table runners; our bridesmaids stamped the guests names on luggage tags for the seating plan; Rick’s Mum made the groom’s boutonniere.”


Claire and Rick’s friends pitched in to create a table laden with cakes and sweets.

For their first dance? Claire says “We made it up two nights before the wedding! It was to “Time of the Season” by the Zombies.”

Claire and Rich hired The Baker Boys and Claire loved, “Everyone dancing to the live band (we’ve never seen so many sweat drenched shirts).”

Congratulations Claire and Rick! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you Scott Surplice Photography for sharing today’s wedding with us!