Dane & Ben

We get a lot of garden weddings here on Polka Dot Bride, but today’s wedding, of Dan and Ben, is truly special. One could be mistaken (in fact, many onlookers were!) that this wedding actually took place in the Italian countryside, but no. this bright & beautiful garden wedding unfolded right here in Australia in Wollombi.

The couple chose a black-tie dress code for their day, weaving vivid yellows, hot pinks, sparkling oranges and plenty of stunning florals throughout their day. And although the decor is worthy of your attention, its; also the family, the friends, the story that makes these two stand out. From the family friend behind the camera (Candice Campbell Photography) to the love-filled wedding party that stood beside the grooms. It was a treasure of all that has been and all that is yet to come.

It’s been a long journey for these two, who went on their first date more than ten years ago. Dane shares the story. “Ben and I used to work for a clothing store in Sydney. I had just moved to Sydney from the Hunter Valley for a city change and Ben grew up in the Eastern Suburbs. Both of us worked for the same company and we met officially at an interview whilst going for the same job at another store location. Before that, I saw a picture of Ben in the company’s fortnightly company magazine brief and thought he was attractive. Not long after, we met again at the work Christmas party and decided to go on our first date which was more than 10 years ago.”

Ben and Dane chose country venue Redleaf Wollombi for their wedding, falling in love with its stunning setting. They tell “The venue at Redleaf Estate Wollombi was absolutely spectacular. From the house itself to the lavender gardens, lake, roses and wisteria. We had lots of people enquire with guests as to whether they were either in Italy or France for the wedding because of the house and scenery. It truly was breathtaking.”

The grooms chose P Johnson Tailors and MJ Bale to outfit them on the day, sharing “Ben and the groomsmen wore tuxedos from MJ Bale, while Dane wore a tailored suit from P.Johnson. Ben wanted to wear a tuxedo as it was the one opportunity he’d get to wear it. Dane wanted to wear a custom suit to ensure he looked amazing on the day which he did.”

Alongside the groomsmen, the groomswomen wore white dresses from Bec and Bridge and carried brightly coloured bouquets. “On Ben’s side, there were his 3 best friends Jess, Jess, Courtney, and his three brothers Tim, Kip and Jes. On Danes side, there was his sister Kate, brother Brad, best friend Casey, and his closest friends Kristy, Jena, Annie, and Emma.”

The grooms walked hand in hand down the aisle to Lykke Li “Tonight”.

Ben and Dane were married by celebrant Dom Fox, telling “We both wanted the ceremony to feel special as possible for us and our guests. We decided to walk each other down the aisle which was through the lavender garden after our wedding party led the way. We had
One beautiful reading was done by our niece Ivy which was a Dr Seuss quote about love.”

The couple worked with two pros who captured every moment, and they loved it! They remark “We had our videographer Nigel Hendrikson who was such a nice and professional guy that captured so many great aspects of the wedding. We also had our photographer Candice Campbell who is a family friend who was taking all the snaps throughout the day.”

The stunningly coloured floral arrangements were the mastermind of floral designer Botanica Bird who worked alongside stylist YWC Productions to bring the day together. The grooms sharing “Our florist Rach from Botanica Bird was responsible for the amazing displays at the wedding. We put lots of trust in her and gave her full creative control over flower displays and selections. She did not disappoint. Rach from Botanica Bird and our stylist Emily were such a power duo who pulled the whole thing together in the end.”

The decor was a beautiful part of the day for these two, Dane even lending his hand to create some of it himself! “Dane sourced and sprayed approximately 100 candle holders from different stores, and we also sourced a free piano which we stripped bare and repainted white which was then our feature piece in the wedding.”

Guests celebrated Ben and Dane’s marriage with a reception set at long tables in the courtyard.

And with all that champagne, all that joy, ben and Dane have sage advice for you, brides and grooms yet to be On the day, make sure you take time to be with each other. It’s so busy and fun that it’s hard to catch a moment and just be together. Also, even though leading up to the wedding is stressful, just remember everything will be okay as long as you love, support and respect each other.”

This was a day that was all about family, friends and each other “We wanted to be sure our nearest and dearest each played a part in the day. Whether it was standing beside us, saying a speech or being our MC .”

“We didn’t do a first dance.” remembers the grooms ” Instead we had everyone on the dance floor together dancing and playing instruments. It was so much fun and more inclusive of our family and friends.”

HK Studio were also there to capture Dane and Ben’s wedding on video.

A big congratulations to you both Dane and Ben! It was so much fun to share your stories! Thank you both and thank you to Candice Campbell Photography for today’s stunning wedding!