Lexi & Chris

There are Australian country weddings that make my heart swell, my goosebumps pop up and my little patriotic heart grow big and Lexi and Chris’? Well if this doesn’t make you feel proud to be Australian, nothing will!

There is something about the colours of the Australian countryside, and when captured by Georgia Verrells, with a few enormous grins, special moments and stories unfolding – well there is definitely no place I’d rather be.

The couple met on Tinder, though their paths just missed plenty of times before, Lexi remembering “Chris and I officially met over Tinder, he was my first and last Tinder date. We find it funny that we didn’t meet earlier in life as we may have crossed paths many times, we both lived at the same ski resort in Canada at the same time, in London at the same time and used to holiday with our families every Easter in Bright. We even narrowed down a night celebrating Canada Day here in Melbourne where we were sitting two tables away from each other, but just wasn’t meant to be at that time. When the time was right it just all fell into place.”

The bride wore a stunning  Suzanne Harward gown, that she found pre-loved, explaining “I saw the dress online and just loved it from the instant I saw it, the lace, the cut, the train I just loved every inch of it. Sadly I knew I could never afford but was so lucky to find it on Still White the second-hand wedding dress website. My bridesmaid Natalie and I went to try it on at the girl’s place and she was just the most lovely person, she showed us photos of her wedding and it was just beautiful and so similar to what I had in mind for mine. When it was time to try the dress on, Natalie helped me get into it and do it up, though a little tight, it fit, but the zipper was not my friend and broke once it was done up, I was devastated, Natalie and I looked at each other in horror, how could I tell this lovely girl I broke her dress? I felt horrible but the girl was so understanding and laughed with us, obviously, I bought it, got the zip fixed, lost 3kg and it fit like a glove! It’s a story Natalie and I won’t soon forget.”

The bride walked down the aisle with her parents to Sleeping At Last’s “500 Miles”.

Greg Evans officiated the ceremony, the bride remembering “I wanted the ceremony to be touching and funny. We’re not serious people but we have a lot of love for each other, so wanted a nice mix. Greg our celebrant was just amazing in making it come true, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house but there was also lots of laughter.
My cousin did a reading for us and it was The Art Of A Good Marriage by Wilferd Arlan Peterson.”

“We incorporated a traditional Scottish ‘Quaich’ into the ceremony. It’s a two-handled cup often referred to as the love cup and is a showing of the trust that the two parties who drink from it share and symbolizing the two ‘Clans’ becoming one. Each father poured some whiskey from his ‘clan’ into the Quaich symbolizing the bond of the two families. As they toast the guest say ‘Slangevar’ and the bride and groom take turns to drink from the cup. Great way to get the guests involved at the end of the wedding and the swig of whisky was nice to calm the nerves.”

“I love the photo of Chris and I coming down the aisle with confetti in our faces, we’re just so happy in it and it’s 100% our natural selves.”

Edith and May styled the bridal party flowers for the occasion, the bride remarking “Mansfield isn’t exactly spoilt for choice, but with “Edith and May flowers” who needs choice. They were just so amazing, I could have had over a hundred choices and I would pick them every time. They did the bouquets, buttonholes and the Arbour. The table flowers were a labour of love from my now Mother in Law, who bought them from Melbourne and arranged them with the help of my cousin, family and bridesmaids. The ladder in the marquee ceiling was done by myself with the help of my bridesmaids and cousin.”

Of their chosen photographer, the bride raves “Georgia what a great person! She was so easy going and fun, just the kind of person you want around for your day. Her photos as you can see are just stunning, I actually fall in love with them more and more each time I see them. She really captured the day and the emotion.”

The couple chose Lexi’s family farm as their venue. “It was my parent’s farm property, they’ve had the place for over 20 years but only recently retired up there. I feel like I’ve grown up there over the years and it was such a special place for me. But for Chris and I, we love being outdoors, especially in the mountains, so an outdoor country wedding was always on the cards.”

“My favourite detail besides my dress, which I’m pretty sure, I’ll ask to be buried in, was actually the cheapest detail, I bought an old atlas from an antique bazaar in Daylesford, it cost me $5 and was our guest book. Guests were able to leave messages for us and circle places we should visit in our marriage or that meant something to them.”

The first dance was a sweet, fun tune, says the bride “We chose This will be (An everlasting love)” by Natalie Cole – Like us, we wanted something light and fun.”

“Everything went to plan, it was a miracle but they did. The whole wedding was a barrel of laughs, from the entertainment of Greg Evans during the ceremony, to the speeches where the bridesmaids sang, to all the guests linking arms and singing Daryl Braithwaite’s “Horses” at the top of their lungs.”

A big congratulations to the newlyweds! Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us! Thank you also to Georgia Verrells for today’s beautiful images!