I sometimes still can’t believe we’re married!! Phil and I were friends for 3 years prior to the stars aligning and realising our undying love for each other! We met in Banff, Canada, two Aussies doing the ski season,partying, snow boarding, partying! I went on to the UK and Phil returned home. It wasn’t until we went to a music festival in Tassie when we thought ‘Hang on, what’s this? I like, LIKE you!’. It was a nice feeling being in love with someone without ever having kissed them!

When it came to celebrating our wedding day, like all couples, we wanted it to reflect what ‘we’re about’, casual and fun. We love going to gigs, drinking yummy vino and dancing the night away. So with this in mind, we decided our wedding would be a day of picnic and partying, with the ceremony and reception to be held at the one place… amongst the picnic blankets.

It was SO exciting when we came across ‘Riverside at Woodbridge‘ cafe in Woodbridge, Perth. Suzie, the owner and manager, was super helpful!! She dug our idea from the start and never balked at any suggestions. For example, we were keen to have shared picnic platters filled with terrine, pate, cheeses etc.. done! The food was soooo tasty. If you are interested in an outdoor venue, I’d recommend checking this place out!

To go with our picnic theme I thought it’d be cool to sew ‘wineglass necklaces’. My sister is the BEST because as it happens,I’m a hopeless sewer so Christie and my mum spent a day at the sewing machines sewing these cute holders (I promise I wasn’t Bridezilla… they wanted to do it! I think…). We also tacked together doilies to make the doilie table runners. It’s astounding how a very uncrafty girl can become crafty when needed!

Isabel Aujolet did a gorgeous job making my dress come to life, I wanted a bit of a ‘Boho’ vibe and didn’t want to be too sparkled up!! In saying that, 2 weeks prior to the big day I had a ‘bride freak out’ moment where I thought I didn’t look ‘Bridey’ enough or (ironically) ‘Sparkly’ enough, so that’s where the beautiful head piece comes into it. Fiona Dixon, a Perth Milliner created that little piece of magic.

Grace Buckley did a gorgeous job on our faces and Nicole Forde kept it simple with our hair. My bridesmaids looked sooo beautiful in their ‘Wish’ dresses, funkied up with nude Fishnet tights.

Each chickie wore different floral arrangements. Bec, from Fox & Rabbit designed the corsages, hair flowers, bouquet and button holes (which I thought were especially fabulous as Phil is a massive foodie so the button holes were made with herbs).

We were lucky, lucky people as Phil’s Uncle made our wedding cake. It was a nod to Phil’s Russian heritage, a traditional Napoleon cake, YUM. A real feat considering he had to make it in his hotel room!! Our cake topper was my mum and dad’s from their wedding 40 years ago (keep your cake toppers people, very sentimental)! Other homemade tidbits for the dessert table were, Honey joys, Rocky Road and Patty cakes. It was sweet having homemade elements to the day as it added a personal touch.

Hmm… our photographer! Ruby Yeo! She was great! We now have an album full of beautiful, candid shots. I don’t know about you, but we were slightly intimidated at the thought of being photographed all day but it was FUN and there were times we didn’t even know she was there. We love that she got sneaky picnicking shots… hehe. I’d seen Ruby’s work on a blog and loved her style so we were lucky enough she was available on the day. One very happy couple.

A piece of advice I’d like to give to couples is to set aside some time on the day for just you two. After the ceremony, Phil and I stole away for a picnic, just us and our dog, Seren. It was only 30 minutes but it was such a lovely, romantic thirty minutes. Our Bridal party and Ruby then joined us for Champers and a few photos! During this time our friends and family enjoyed local jazz trio ‘The Larrikins”.

What a day! Enjoy and embrace the planning, scour blogs and think outside the box. People may think you’re crazy (fiance included) at your new found obsession with Paper Garlands and doilie table runners but it’s FUN and will add to the uniqueness your day. Think of it as the two of you planning your perfect party because that is what it should be!

Ms Gingham says: What a gorgeous celebration! Love the corsages, the buttonholes, the photography, the dresses… everything!!!

Lisa says: “Well, Im Lisa & in March married my ever-lovin man, Phil! I can’t proclaim craftiness, or excessive amounts of creativeness but when the term ‘I’m planning our wedding’ was spoken the crafty & creative just FLOWED..I think it goes hand in hand with “girl plus wedding”, something peculiar & fabulous happens & its really, really fun!! My world is a happy one due to my man, our gorgeous labrador Seren and of course our friends and family. Surround yourself with such awesomeness & there will ALWAYS be someone around to share a bottle of vino with on a Saturday afternoon!”