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Rachael & Travers

It was one of the first weddings we ever featured that had me fall in love with the weddings on the Tasmanian coastline and the stunning Avalon Coastal Retreat. So it is refreshing some years on to see it again and see another wedding with as much love and as much joy as the first one I spotted all those years ago. Rachael and Travers chose Photography With Cassie to photograph their Tasmanian wedding day.

On how they met, Rachael tells, “I’m a Executive Assistant, Travers a Property Development Manager. We met on a sunny Sunday afternoon in St Kilda. We fell in love pretty instantly and from there life has been on fast forward! Within two years we had purchased a home together and built another in Mt Buller where we share a passion for ski sports – and a month after our wedding almost to the day we found out we’re expecting a baby, due this September!”

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Rachael found her wedding gown at Bluebell Bridal, recalling, “I wanted something simple and slim fitting and spent weeks trawling the boutiques of High St Armadale to no avail. I ended up finding my dress in a little store on Collins St as I was making my way home after another unsuccessful afternoon. I knew it was the one after I received my mother’s seal of approval! I actually thought they had missed a zero when I saw the price – it made me realise that you don’t need to spend a fortune on your dress to feel like a million dollars.”

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The wedding decor had plenty of handmade touches, the bride recalling “Trav’s mum is a wiz on the sewing machine and created 60 metres of bunting for our day! My dad and Trav also set off scouring tip shops for those last minute items including our vintage bike which they spray-painted and decorated with vine leaves and a welcome sign.”

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Rachael and Travers chose Avalon Coastal Retreat for their wedding, remembering, “Trav suggested we get married in Tasmania, my hometown. Because we only set ourselves 6 months to plan the perfect wedding one night I lay in bed until 3am unable to sleep until we had chosen a venue. I came across photos of Avalon and instantly fell in love and excitedly woke Trav to tell him “It’s the one!” Suffice to say he agreed wholeheartedly! We really wanted a small intimate gathering of friends and family so the venue suited us perfectly. Because of the natural beauty of the venue we didn’t have to decorate too extensively, just adding vintage inspired décor with yellow roses, billy buttons and white peonies throughout. ”

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Rachael walked down the aisle to “”Pachelbel’s Canon in D” on an old LP record played on my family heirloom gramophone.”

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“Our ceremony was set up on the front deck overlooking the East Coast of Tasmania. We decorated each chair with a mason jar and yellow rose to add a pop of colour.”

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Kay Haward officiated the ceremony with the couple making it extra special for themselves by writing their own vows.

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Music and  food was a big part of the wedding for the newlyweds who chose Pickled Pear as their wedding caterers. “We were so happy with our catering, we opted for a stand up cocktail style wedding and they didn’t disappoint – none of our guests were ever without a drink in hand or canapé in their belly as we listened to the dulcet tones from our acoustic guitarist.”

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Of their photographer, Rachael notes, “We knew we loved our photographer from our first meeting and didn’t have a single doubt in our minds prior to the wedding. She exceeded our expectations, expertly capturing the happiness and joy in the faces of our friends and family as well as those treasured moments between the two of us. By the end of the night she felt more like our friend than our photographer. And the photos didn’t disappoint! ”

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Rachael loved, “Our stolen moment away from the wedding guests when we got our photographs taken and took a deep breath together”.

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Rachael remembers, “Realising that sometimes everything does just fall into place. It really was a truly magical day. Believe it when people say it will be the best day of your life.”

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Vintage style touches from  Poppy Tom Vintage Treasure and Horri Peacock Vintage Wares decorated the day, Rachael telling, “We were inspired by vintage weddings with a touch of rustic charm so we tried to incorporate these ideas into the day.”

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“Mum and I worked tirelessly in the days and nights leading up to the wedding setting up the tables, decorating lampshade shells with vine leaves and tying the tags on to bonbonniere! It can be a bit more effort to DIY but it so rewarding and so much more personal. We were really proud of the results of doing it all ourselves, from the table settings outside, to the typewriter with our favourite poem inside. Don’t be afraid to delegate jobs, my family were like my little entourage of helpers and it was invaluable and will never be forgotten.”

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“On each table we had a photograph of weddings gone by from our parents and grandparents showing the different generations that had come before us. This added to the Vintage feel of the day. One of our favourite touches was the use of a Polaroid camera to capture each guest. Once a guest’s photo was taken they wrote a message on the photo and hung it on the empty frame with a peg and twine. Soon the frame was brimming with happy shots and it has been such a special keepsake from the day.”

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Of their first dance. Rachael remembers, “We picked the beautiful song “This Years Love” by David Gray. I put my little brother in charge of the music and unbeknownst to me he had other ideas for romantic first dance songs and switched the music to “I’m sexy and I know it” by LMFAO (Redfoo) midway through our first dance! It actually saved us from some awkward dancing and was a hilarious move by my brother! ”

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Congratulations on your marriage Rachael and Travers! Thank you for sharing your day with us. Thank you also to Photography With Cassie for sharing today’s gorgeous day with us!