Waking up on a fresh winter’s morning, in the middle of the stunning Grampians, was just what Rose & Mitch had dreamt of for their day.

“For our wedding, we wanted to create something that reflected who we are and what we love” explains Rose, and that list? An intimate family wedding, where not just the couple, but their two children, and their favourite people were at the centre of it all.

Matt Elliot Photography joined the merry party on the day, with a first look that is nothing short of breathtaking.
Turns out, it was just the ticket for these two outdoor adventure lovers, who bonded over their love of the great outdoors some six years ago. Rose fills us in. “Mitch and I met through my brother six years ago, and from that first introduction, we both felt a connection that only grew stronger every time we saw each other. We both shared a love for the outdoors and that’s when our relationship took off. Every week we would go on new adventures, exploring caves, going rock climbing or 4wd-ing through unmarked tracks just to find the perfect campsite. Ever since then, we haven’t stopped doing those things we love and now we get to share our passion for the outdoors with our two beautiful children, Logan and Jack.”

There were plenty of sweet handmade details, created by the couple themselves – right down to the ring holder, tells Rose “Mitch and I also made our ring holder. It was cut late at night in the rain, dried in the oven, sanded, laser engraved by a local engraver and then tied about 50 times before finding the perfect way to position the rings.”

Rose found her stunning winter wedding gown from Grace Loves Lace.  “Soon after our engagement, I had my sights set on the ‘Inca gown’.” She remembers ” It was one of the first dresses I came across on Pinterest and when I saw it I knew it was the dress for me, so I took a bit of a risk and ordered it online without even trying it on first or looking at other dresses.
When you find a dress that you instantly fall in love with and can’t stop looking at, GO WITH IT! Because it’s probably going to be the one for you.”

Rose and Mitch opted for a (spectacular!) first look with photographer Matt Elliot, who they loved the moment they met. “You know when you meet someone for the first time but you feel like you’ve known them for years? Well, that’s how it was with Matt.” Explains Rose “From the second Matt arrived on our wedding day, I instantly felt relaxed and so comfortable talking to him. He was so easy-going, relaxed and fun to be around on the day. As well as that, he was also very organised and always knew exactly what to say when it came to making us relax and feel comfortable in front of the camera.”

“Being a very adventurous couple, we wanted to include a hike or something involving the mountains on the day. Originally we were going to do a big hike, but instead, we opted to do a first look at one of the lookouts in the Grampians called ‘The Balconies’, which only involved a 15min walk and a very awkward climb over a hand railing (due to being in a wedding dress).
It was the most amazing experience, and seeing Mitch standing at the edge of the mountain waiting to see me for the first time filled my heart with so much love and happiness.”

“I remember the day after the wedding, Mitch and I were sitting on the couch and we received a message from our photographer with our first wedding photo attached. We were blown away! It was the photo of our first look. We were standing on the edge of the cliff, looking into each other’s eyes. Mitch had one hand in his pocket and I was holding my bouquet. We knew the photos were always going to look quite spectacular due to the location we chose, but we were amazed at how well Matt captured it all. The photos turned out better than anything we could have imagined.”

Rose and Mitch chose Mafeking Farm for their wedding, allowing guests to stay onsite, whether inside or by camping. The house, a place which held many special memories for the pair. Rose explaining “Three years ago Mitch took me on a surprise trip to the Grampians which involved a long and tiring hike to the summit of Mount Abrupt, where Mitch proposed to me at sunset with 3-month-old Logan strapped to his chest. Following that incredible and memorable moment, Mitch then drove us to overnight accommodation in the mountains which turned out to be the same place we chose to have our wedding. Every year since the proposal we have gone back to the property and spent the weekend there. And we will continue to do that every year to come.”

Rose walked down the aisle to “Agape” by Bear’s Den.

Rose and Mitch were married in the maze garden of the home, under a handmade wooden arbour (made by the bride’s mother and her partner from using recycled timber) by Love Leah. “The ceremony itself was filled with fun, love and laughter. It was simply a way to show our family the kind of love we share and remind each other of all the things we love and appreciate about each other. It wasn’t so much about making promises for the future but more about expressing the things we are already grateful for.”

Beautiful native foliage and blooms adorned the day, styled by Pot & Pan Culinary Tailoring. Rose sharing “We chose native Australian flowers and lots of greenery to tie the wedding to the landscape. The main flowers we had were King Proteas mixed with different varieties of Eucalypt and gum leaves.
A few days before the wedding, our florist told us that some of the flowers we wanted were unavailable so naturally, I started stressing. It came to the day of the wedding and I was still a little unsure about what to expect the flowers to look like, but when I saw them they were exactly what I envisioned.”

The couple opted out of traditional first dance, instead, explains Rose “It was more of a fun little boogie with our kids and a quick spin and dip in the middle of a sparkler circle. The song we were dancing to was “Love me now” by Ziggy Alberts.”

A big congratulations to you both Rose and Mitch! What a joy it was to share your beautiful day! Thank you both and thank you to Matt Elliot Photography for today’s beautiful images.