Mel & Mike

A modern wedding with a touch of vintage glamor? Why I think that might be a splendid way to spend a day! Mel and Mike met at university but it took them a while before they became a couple, they wed in a beautiful ceremony that had the perfect mix of relaxed elegance and retro beauty.

Mel and Mike’s photographs were taken by Sarah Kate Dorman. I love the beautiful light in Sarah’s images she has captured!

Mel wore an asymmetrical gown from Aurelio Costerella with sparkly bronze shoes from Nine West. She added a bracelet from Samantha Wills and barrette from Mimco. Gail Winton styled Mel and her bridesmaid’s makeup.

Mel walked down the aisle to “Sweet Thing” by Van Morrison. She remarks “I chose the song because it feels like love. There is a real sense of hope and joy in the structure of the song.”

Mel and Mike were married at Claremont Museum. Mel explains “Mike and I had been searching for a ceremony venue unsuccessfully for a few weeks. We wanted a space that was unique and intimate. We wanted our guests to feel like they were a part of the ceremony rather than being a spectator. We had driven into the car park of the Claremont Museum to check out the nearby park. We didn’t like the park but the museum caught my eye since I had never noticed it before. We walked through it and the barn doors, the enclosed space & the view overlooking Swan River meant it was perfect.

When we approached the council to use the space we were told they’d never have had a wedding performed there but we were more than welcome to use the public space.” Lesley Gasmier performed the ceremony.

The floral arrangements were styled by Sweet Floral.

Of their photographer, Mel says “We found Sarah after she was recommended by another photographer, who was unavailable on the day. Lucky for us because she turned out to compliment our vision for what we wanted to capture on the day. She was also very approachable and the whole wedding party felt very comfortable with her. The resulting photos were true to our personalities and timeless.”

Mel says “The day felt like us. We wanted both our personalities to shine through the day from our outfits, the music, our vows and the venues.”

Mel and Mike held their reception at Matilda Bay Restaurant. Mel explains “We have a lot of connection with Matilda Bay in general. In the summer Michael and I often have sunset set picnics of Fish ‘n Chips & champagne down by the river. I went to UWA and Michael and many of our close friends grew up in the area so choosing Matilda Bay Restaurant for our reception felt like a perfect fit. ” Mike handmade the shepherds hooks that decorated the ceremony while the flowers and decorations at the reception were provided by friends.”

Mel and Mike had a casual and fun first dance. “We danced to ‘For Annabelle’ by Band of Horses. There is a sweetness and light to this song that isn’t overly sentimental. We were supposed to have practiced the dance but because we were so busy in the lead up and the day we never got the chance. So we winged it and I think we did alright. Luckily Mike is a great dancer.”

Guests had a surprise in store, Mel explains. “I loved having a flash mob of 20 samba drummers (Wasamba)  play later on in the night. This is also a band that the mother of the groom plays in. It definitely took the party vibe up a level.”

Congratulations on your wedding Mel & Mark! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Sarah Kate Dorman for today’s photographs!

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Tobey and Tony

Today’s wedding is simple in it’s beauty. There are beautiful, simple white flowers, a sweet little chapel and a reception at the bride’s parents’ home. This wedding is pure elegance.

Tobey explains the funny way in which she and Tony met. “Tony and I met at a quit smoking seminar! As part of the seminar we were asked to keep in touch as a way of supporting each other. We talked for hours on the phone and one day realised we lived just around the corner from one another! There was electricity between us from the start and he proposed within 3 months. And yes… we did quit smoking.”

Photographs today are by Angela Higgins who captures a graceful beauty in her photographs.

The event started with white lace invitations from Felicitations. Tobey remembers, “I really loved the invitations we had made. I bought the lace for the front and they perfectly suited the theme and feeling that I wanted to convey about the wedding.”

Tobey chose the “Tobey” gown from Pronovias that sound found at Tuscany Bridal. Tobey remarks “Tuscany Bridal was great, a good range of styles and prices. Maria made it easy and fun and my sister and I had a great time choosing my dress.” Nikki Burnell (0421197556 ) styled the bride’s makeup.

One of Tobey’s favourite moments was at the beginning of the day. “I loved having my sister helping me put my dress on was nice because it was just her and me and Angela and it was nice to have that special time with just us.” Tobey wore shoes from Georgies Bridal Shoes and antique jewels. “My hair clip and bracelet were from an antique set of beaded pearls given by my mother since she is an antique jewellery dealer.”

The wedding was held at a beautiful little chapel known as Woodloes Homestead Chapel, “The Church with the Chimney” (08 9451 853) in Cannington. Tobey explains ” It was originally built in 1890 and used as a congregational church but is now non denominational and volunteers from the Canning Historical Society maintain it.” Tobey and Tony handmade the tulle pew bows themselves and bought rose petals and cones for confetti from Simply Rose Petals.

Tobey walked down the aisle to the classic Canon In D. She explains “Ever since my sister got married 10 years ago I have always wanted to get married to Canon in D by Pachelbel. It is just so beautiful I couldn’t go past it. Following I wanted something lighthearted and happy and my dad put together a selection of Mozart which was perfect.”

The first kiss? Utterly romantic. Tobey remarks “The actual wedding kiss was special to me because it was one of the few things which wasn’t planned and Tony took my face in his hands and gave me a kiss with a lot of feeling which I loved.”

The floral arrangements for the day were styled by Natural Art Flowers by Rebecca Grace.

Of their photographer Angela, Tobey says, “I can’t say enough about our photographer, Angela Higgins. She added a kindness and certain kind of magic to our whole wedding. We got to know Angela because we chose to have an engagement photo session done so that we could have some natural photos of us as well as the wedding photos. We were so glad we did because it really helped us to feel comfortable with our photographer and with being in front of the camera. And it was fun!”

Tobey says “I enjoyed the time we spent after the wedding when we went to the park and had some photos taken. It was nice to have a break and have some time alone with each other before the reception.”

After photographs, the couple and their family & friends celebrated at Tobey’s parents’ home. Tobey explains “The reception was held at my parents house which is also a building with history. It was built in the early 1900′s and originated as a maternity hospital. The reception was held in what we call the ‘Big Room’ which is a beautiful, light room where the newborn babies were placed after being born.”

Tobey was inspired by a ruffle cake she’d found online and had it made by Cupid’s Delight. Tobey recalls, “Cupids Delight did a great job on our cake. We dealt with the owner Julia and she was enthusiastic and helpful with ordering our cake.” For the dinner, the couple hired a private chef (Ryan John Private Chef) and waiters to serve their guests an amazing feast. Tobey says, “I loved our private chef Ryan John. Couldn’t have asked for better food and he gave great advice with a menu plan and also helped with bringing some extra catering supplies for us. The food was excellent and the chef came to the house to cook it. All the staff were lovely, particularly the waiter Nathaniel.”

As a fun touch, Tobey and Tony hired a magician! Tobey explains “We hired a magician named Al Kazam to entertain the guests while we had our photo session. His website said he can entertain children as well as adults and wow that was definitely true! He was so much fun for the kids and also hilarious for the adults. They were raving about him all day and he was definitely a highlight of the wedding.”

Guests were seated at one long table adorned with white flowers, white paper butterflies and personal favors from the bride. Tobey says “I spent a lot of time buying personal bomboniere for each of my guests. It was a lot of effort choosing a present to suit each individuals’ personality but it is something I was able to do since had a limited number of guests. I wanted each guest to feel special and also to say thank you for sharing our day.”

Tobey made sure to take time to soak it in.    “I really enjoyed sitting at the reception table and being able to look around and enjoy all the hard work I had put in come to life. Everyone was having fun, the food was great, the room looked great and I was proud and happy that my vision was now a reality”.

Congratulations on your marriage Tobey and Tony! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Angela Higgins for sharing today’s imagery!

Want More? Check Out These Posts:

1. Sinead and Aaron’s Intimate Perth Wedding
2. Caroline and Nic’s Intimate Vintage Perth Wedding
3. Chloe and Sam’s Rustic Perth Wedding

Chloe & Sam

Oh Perth, you do rustic, relaxed beauty so well! A stunning garden, a sweet and cheeky flower girl and plenty of beautiful moments make Chloe and Sam’s wedding a celebration I know you’ll think is just as beautiful as I do!

Chloe tells their story. “We met at our local Surf Life Saving Club on a Patrol. Chloe was doing a shift in the tower and despite it being a 45° scorcher, Sam bought Chloe a coffee and stayed in the tower to chat as he was new to the club. Not much came of this until a few days later when Sam chased Chloe down through a mutual friend and asked her to dinner. We were together for just under 5 years when Sam proposed. “

Photographs today are by Merge Photography. The shots capture the rustic beauty of today’s wedding beautifully!

The stationery for the wedding was created by Mitchell & Dent. Chloe explains ” We had bespoke invitations designed and made by Angela and Leah at Mitchell and Dent. They featured a hand drawn, water coloured peony and also kept the colours simple and neutral. The invitations, along with the RSVP cards were tied together with a few loops of twine and a knot. ”

Sam looked dapper in a suit from  Cubec and shoes from  Ginger’s for Gentlemen. His groomsmen wore suits from Cambridge they found at Tony Barlow.

Sue from Flowers on Scarborough did the flowers. Chloe explains “I wanted all the girls to have the same bouquets to tie in their different dresses, hair and jewellery. Their arrangements had cream and white peonies and lisianthus. We all had succulents added randomly in the arrangements as a little splash of natural colour and texture. The bouquets were wrapped in twine and had long stems to keep them ‘not so perfect’ as if they had just been picked. Because the groomsmen all wore matching suits, I wanted their button holes to be different. These were made with different succulents, nuts and berries, rosemary twigs and small flowers. They were also tied with twine.”

Chloe wore the Johanna Johnson“Ava” gown complete with a French tulle cathedral length veil. She wore Benjamin Adams shoes and Jan Logan aquamarine and 18ct white gold drop earrings (her something blue) and her sister’s bracelet (her something borrowed).

Chloe and Sam married in a beautiful garden. She explains “The Queens Gardens in East Perth was the perfect setting for our wedding. As soon as we went for our first visit we were sold. It is a beautiful tranquil garden nestled away from the buzz of the East Perth office district. It has a lake, busy with water life like ducks and water birds and the flower beds are all immaculately kept. We decided to stand under the shade of one of the biggest trees on the West side of the park. This provided enough shade for the perfect spring day.

Bride + Groom styled the wedding. Says Chloe, ” We used their walnut (wooden) Tiffany chairs and ribbons of different lengths and colours (lattes, creams and white) were tied along the back of the chairs. We had a blackboard to welcome the guests and a little ‘drink station’ set up with water bottles and ice in glass buckets to keep the guests hydrated as there was a heat wave that week and the wedding was outdoors under a big willow tree.  At the beginning and end of the aisle we had wooden crates of different sizes set up with arrangements of peonies and natural flowers.”

Chloe walked down the aisle to ‘Like Fire Like Ice’ by Jack Johnson. The couple were married by family friend Ruth Hillen.

Chloe remarks “It was so good to see how well the day turned out and how much fun our guests had after all the planning that had gone into the day.”

Chloe’s bridesmaids wore different gowns. Chloe explains “The three bridesmaids were given a colour scheme of ‘neutrals, nudes and lattes’. They then found their dresses from their own favourite stores. The maid of honour had a change of heart on the day but the new dress choice was even more beautiful. I didn’t know how dresses would come together until the day so I was so glad it all turned out perfect in the end. I also had a man of honour so keeping in line with the ‘casual and natural’ colouring; he wore cream chinos, a white shirt to tie in with the groomsmen and a navy blazer to break up the nude colours. No tie was worn as it was a warm day and kept the mood relaxed.”

Of their photographers, Chloe says, ” Carolina and Jodie were amazing photographers. The photo’s they took were beautiful and candid and they never tired of taking shots from start to finish. They were organised, professional, always cool and calm and great fun. They fit into the wedding like two more guests (people actually thought they were). ”

The couple held their reception at The Boatshed Restaurant. Chloe says ” We has such an amazing setting, The Boatshed is situated on the South Perth foreshore of the Swan River. Its rustic timber flooring and elegant fit out, with 180 degree views of Perth City on the water lent itself to the perfect reception. Claire and Graeme at the Boatshed were the most fabulous hosts a bride could ask for. Claire worked with me for months making sure she had every detail accounted for and every decoration organised exactly as I wanted. Together, Graeme, Claire and Owen (Restaurant Manager) ensured that the night ran smoothly at all times.”

The couple hired the Camacho Duo  for most of the night until a DJ took over the serious dancing. The couple entered their reception to the tune of their first dance Chloe remarks “We decided to mix up the order of events and we did our first dance straight after the entry of the bridal party. The guests all stood around the entry point and got involved and clapped when the bridal party arrived. Then, the DJ switched from the entrance song (Feel So Close – Calvin Harris) and played Bats by Paul Dempsey for the bridal waltz. A pleasant surprise for guests, the dance finished on a high before all were seated for entree.

Camacho Duo strummed an acoustic guitar and crooned cover songs by artists such as Stevie Wonder and Angus and Julia Stone for the first 3 hours of the mingling and cocktail style welcome. In between sets, DJ JMac spun a mix of ‘dinner music’. After the speeches the DJ took over the festivities and got the dance floor pumping.”

The cake was an added part of the decor. Chloe says “We had a double tiered cake and cupcakes. The cake was a mix of white chocolate mud and brown chocolate mud with butter cream icing. Both the main cake and the cupcakes were decorated with flowers such as peonies and spray rose buds. The cakes were arranged on a table using props such as little wooden crates, candles in jam jars and flowers loosely thrown into lace and twine decorated jam jars.”

The couple spent months collecting old frames which held the table numbers and seating charts. They also collected all the old jam jars and decorated them with lace and tine, filling them with flowers or candles to decorate the reception.

The female and male guest each received a different sweet treat. Chloe explains “Each favour had a little recycled gift tag with ‘love chloe and sam’ stamped in black ink. The girls received a small tin of organic flavoured lip balm wrapped up in a recycled matchbox with twine and the boys received ‘manly mints’ wrapped in a parcel of hessian and fastened with twine. They were displayed in a woven basket and handed out at the end of the night. We wanted the favours to be something memorable and something the guests could use and still a little quirky.”

Congratulations Sam and Chloe! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Merge Photography. for sharing today’s images!

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2. Rustic Western Australia Wedding Venues
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Zara and Andrew

The Australian country side is one that has a unique feeling to it, there’s a quiet nature to the country, but a feeling that there is plenty of room to kick up your heels and dance all night. Which is exactly what Zara and Andrew did when they married in rural Western Australia- just outside of  Kojonup.

Zara explains how the couple came to meet. “We met at the UWA tennis club back in 2002. It was a perfect match from the opening round and we’ve been a winning pair ever since. We met one day at a game of social tennis and we got along so well – her love of football, her ability to beat the groom in a tennis match made him come back for more punishment”.

Photos are by Objektiv Photography who made the most of the beautiful landscape and quirky details that Zara and Andrew’s wedding provided.

As a graphic designer, Zara made the invitations and stationery herself,. She explains “We DIY’d nearly everything in our wedding… and all from the other side of the country as we are currently living in Melbourne. As I’m a graphic designer, I thought it would be cheating not to DIY. Stationery including the invitations, ceremony booklets, menus, table numbers and table layout, candy bar, take-away bags and guest tree, tags for guests to write on were all hand made. ”

Zara wore a halterneck gown from Baccini & Hill  while her bridesmaids wore watermelon pink gowns from Pilgrim. The girls all wore shoes from Betts and jewels from Angelique .

Zara and her bridesmaid’s hair and makeup was styled by Curly Wig Salon. The floral arrangements were done by a Kojonup local, Cindy Westbrook,

The ceremony was held on the Andrew’s family farm ‘Upwood’, 25km north-west of Kojonup. Zara recalls “Andrew’s mum (Jill Mathwin) Andrew’s sister and brother in law  (Deb & Justin Elliott) and family had spent 10 months getting the farm and the gardens absolutely perfect and the ceremony site was built from scratch. 2 months ago it was a patch of dirt. 3 trucks of gravel had to be brought in and compacted, the bordering logs brought over with the bobcat. And nearly everything was recycled from on the farm which gave it a rustic feel. What made it even more special is that the family farm is a reminder of Andrew’s dad who is no longer with us, so the site we chose was very special.”

Zara says “Most things around the ceremony actually came off the farm. The blocks of wood down the aisle were cut up off the farm, the gates and wagon wheels we found in an old paddock, and instead of flowers along the aisle we had wheat that the kids went and picked out of the paddock. This huge project required us to take a few trips back to Perth in the months before to help to pull it all together.” Zara and Andrew hired cream carpet for the aisle and market umbrellas to shade their guests from Divine Weddings and Events .

Andrew wore a suit from Hugo Boss while his groomsmen wore suits from Penguins Formal Hire.

Music was carefully considered Zara explains. “The bridesmaids and the bride walked down the aisle to ‘If This Is It’ by Newton Faulkner, and during the signing we had ‘Better Together’ (Jack Johnson) as this has always been our song, and ‘Empire State of Mind’ (Alicia Keys) which was appropriate as we got engaged in New York.”

The couple were married by Catie Woods  (0419 871 103) . Zara recalls “We decided to write our own vows (and keep them secret from each other until we read them aloud on the day). It was a nice process to go through and when we asked the celebrant did they ‘fit’ together, she just laughed. As it turns out, we had both mentioned that we were each other’s rock and we would be by each other’s side as long as we were West Coast Eagles supporters. This got a laugh from the crowd. We even managed to get the 2006 grand final into our ceremony wording.”

Zara remarks “It was really special to have it on the farm where the groom grew up and somewhere that holds so many memories of his dad. ”

Of their photographer, Zara remarks “Mladen Males from Objektiv Photography was fantastic. From our first meeting when we viewed his gallery of photographs we knew this was the photographer for us. We were not a fan of the posed photographs and would rather the unexpected moments and Mladen captured them all beautifully. We ventured into the sheep pens, had photos in the tall pines and next to the shearing sheds , and of course had running shots through the wheat fields which turned out brilliantly. Everyone has commented on how great our photos are. We were especially excited to see that Mladen had photographed all the my little DIY projects that we spent months putting together, which made the time spent on them all worthwhile. We couldn’t have asked for better photographs of our fun-filled memorable day.”

Two, rather large farm sculptures made a quirky appearance. Zara explains “Also at the ceremony, we made a 12ft tall bride and groom out of hay bales . These sat at the top of the driveway, and the bus full of guests even stopped to take photos. The head of the bride may have fallen off a few times due to gusty winds but finally at 7.30pm the night before the wedding we pulled it all together.”

Zara says “We had a perfect day with the weather – and a beautiful location looking over an amazing farm with 180 degree views. We wanted a personal wedding with rustic charm and a country feel with close family and friends. ”

Guests adjourned to Stone Mason’s Distillery to celebrate the nuptials. Zara recalls “The reception and pre-dinner drinks was held at the Stone Mason’s Distillery (known by locals also as Glenlossie), 1km north of the Kojonup town. It used to be a large stone barn that they have turned into a Distillery and they make their own wines and liqueurs. It is very rustic with stone walls and wooden furniture and a decking out the back overlooking the fields. The reception was held in the function room which included a lot of wooden furniture, stone walls and wooden wine barrels which was the feel we were after. The rest we brought in and put up ourselves (which took 2 days).”

The reception was full of details handmade by Zara, Andrew and their families. Zara explains, “The reception was DIY central. The candle-holders on the tables were originally farm posts from the Mathwin farm. I then took them 800km north to my home town Geraldton where the bride’s Dad then crafted them to size, they then came back to Kojonup for the wedding and put on the tables. He was also responsible for the handmade guest tree and the beautiful candleholder that sat on the bridal table (unfortunately we didn’t get a photo of this). The bride’s mum was responsible for the hessian table runners on every table.”

Sweet treats were a given . Zara says “The candy bar and the ‘Sweet As’ letters were all put together and laid out by us. The lanterns and fairly lights we put up ourselves, the blocks of wood on the table as centrepieces were cut up from the farm. We also made up 10 x A3 posters that hung along one wall with photos of us telling a story using puns (as Andrew is well known in our circle of friends as the Pun King!).” A cupcake wedding cake was made by Littlesweet Baking and decorated with red and cream sugar flowers by Cakes From Heaven.

In lieu of traditional wedding favors, Zara and Andrew chose a cause close to their heart. Zara notes, “We decided to donate money to the Cancer Council instead of favors as this is something very close to our hearts. At the moment, my mum is going through chemo and it was important to us that we should donate to a worthy cause instead of giving useless gifts. My mum even chose which part of the Cancer Council she wanted it donated to.”

Zara’s grandfather provided a little surprise at the reception. Zara remembers “We got to the reception and sat down and there were two eagles made from wool sitting next to our place cards. We found out later that the my Pop had put them there as a little surprise. When you squeeze them out come little baby Fremantle Dockers so you can see why it’s funny!”

The first dance  was a choreographed routine. Zara explains “We learned an actual routine for our first dance. We had lessons to learn a rumba routine to ‘Lucky’ by Jason Mraz (featuring Colbie Calait). Alex at the You Can Dance Studio in South Melbourne had a tough task teaching us to dance, Andrew always said he would be the instructor’s biggest challenge – he was right!. The dance lessons were lots of fun and we laughed at each other… a lot. We were very nervous before our dance with everyone standing around to watch, but once the music started we were ok. We may have missed one step in the middle of the dance (bride’s fault!), but hopefully no-one noticed.” DJs R Us kept the music going through the night.

Congratulations on your marriage Zara and Andrew! Thank you for sharing your story with us! Thank you also to Objektiv Photography for sharing today’s images!

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Rachel and Phillip

Steam trains, Australian natives, laughter through the rain drops? That sums up the joy of the wedding of Rachel and Phillip in Western Australia. Their quirky country celebration embraced life and colour and even though the rain made for a change of plans, the celebration became richer for it- with guests pitching in and helping the couple have a beautiful, memorable wedding day.

Rachel tells their story. “Phillip and I actually went to the same primary school and high school, with Phillip being a year above me. It wasn’t until after high school that we first met properly when we were working on a yearbook together. I then went traveling and it wasn’t until a couple of years after that first meeting that we finally started going out and the rest is history.”

CJ Williams Photography  shot the wedding day and stayed true to the vintage, rustic feel that Rachel and Phillip wove throughout the many elements of their wedding day.

Rachel wore a sweetheart strapless gown from Hobnob Bridal. Her hairband was a prize she won on Polka Dot Bride from Belcanto Designs.

Rachel and Phillip were married at a historic village. Rachel remarks “Kalamunda History Village is a venue we had grown up with as kids and we thought it would make an interesting location for our ceremony and provide a lot of great photo opportunities as well. It is run entirely by volunteers and I would like to thank them for their cooperation and communication leading up to and on the day.”

Rachel chose an unusual song for her walk down the aisle. She explains “We actually went for something a little different and walked down to the Vitamin String Quartet’s version of Highway to Hell. Phillip is a massive AC/DC fan and in a funny way it seemed fitting.” The couple were married by a family friend, Pastor Richard Foster.

Rachel says “We DIY’d practically the whole wedding. I spent weeks colouring rice to be thrown as we walked back down the aisle and hand stamped ‘throw me’ onto 100 little brown bags for the rice. We made all the invitations ourselves, as well as the programs, menus and place tags for the night. We also re-labelled some of the Carldenn Homestead wine with a personalised sticker using the monogram we won from Poppiseed Designs through Polka Dot Bride.

We had made up the chalk board speech bubbles but didn’t really get to use them as much as we would have liked as the rain kept washing the chalk off. We had the bridal party writing things on them and it turned out most of them centred around beer!”

Rachel’s bridesmaids wore black lace gowns from Review and Pilgrim. They added sweet accessories from Lovisa.

Rachel and Phillip used bright, native blooms throughout their wedding ceremony arranged by a dear friend who is also a florist. Rachel says “For the ceremony, we collected the jars and Phillip made the wire loops and our florist sourced the bright red banksias. The theme with our flowers was to have natives and succulents and as many bright colours as possible.

I had a brooch from my Nanna who passed away last year, on my bouquet so it was lovely to have her represented on the day.”

The bride wore pink converse sneakers underneath her wedding gown.

Of their photographer, Rachel says “The photographer, Carly Williams, is a long-time friend of the bride and groom and there was never any doubt that she would be shooting our wedding. We love her style and the way she captured candid moments and had great vintage themed ideas that really worked for our style. ”

The rain did have cause the couple to change plans. Rachel explains “The rain did hamper our day a little but everything does always work out in the end. We had to change to plan B at the reception quite late in the day so all the guests were helping to move tables and wipe down plates and chairs before the bridal party arrived. We are very grateful to everyone that helped out and some even commented they enjoyed it as it gave everyone a chance to meet each other and having it in the smaller location allowed for conversations to flow across tables.”

The groom’s family played a special role at the reception, held at Carldenn Homestead . Rachel explains “The reception was held at the groom’s parents’ house. They have five acres of land in Walliston with a small vineyard called Carldenn Homestead. The original plan was to have the reception on their tennis court, surrounded by the bush and with lanterns overhead. The rain stayed away just long enough for our ceremony and photos but set in before the reception so we had to change to plan B and have it under the giant carport instead. This change of location lead to a ‘cosier’ environment and as a result everyone seemed to mingle with each other with ease.

I really loved our table centre pieces. I bought all different coloured teapots and had them filled with native flowers and succulents. Our florist was a dear friend and did a brilliant job with these and I handed them out to the friends and family that had helped us out in the lead up to the day.”

Rachel says “We spent several days before the wedding setting up the reception area hanging lanterns and calico and putting coloured lights going up the trees. Our mothers sewed the napkins for our 100 guests as well!

The candy bar was one of the few things we had decided to have right from the start and I bought jars here and there in the lead up to the day and then we stocked up on bulk lollies. For a while it seemed there was a permanent line to the candy bar so it was definitely a hit with the guests!” The three tier wedding cake was made by Rachel’s bridesmaid Calli.

The groom and groomsmen wore handmade Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cufflinks from The Clay Collection. Rachel says “We bought the cuff links for the groom and groomsmen very early on in the wedding planning. Once we saw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cuff links we couldn’t go past them!  They were very well received by the boys on the day!

The first dance was held under the night sky. Rachel recalls “Our plan B location for all the tables was the location for the dance floor. So once dessert was over we cleared a few tables away and the dance floor was uncovered! Neither of us are very good dancers so we pretty much just swayed our way through Happy Together by The Turtles and then had everyone join us on the dance floor.”

Congratulations Rachel & Phillip! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us on Polka Dot Bride! Thank you also to CJ Williams Photography  for sharing today’s photographs!

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