It’s easy to see why Mary-Jane and Jonny were determined to find their venue from a single picture they had fallen in love with – it has atmosphere in spades! Their elegant day includes stunning reception styling with abundant florals, draped greenery and beautiful lighting, unique handmade gifts for guests and special details to make their wedding a party to remember.
Love Story
“We unsuspectingly met at a day at the races and after hanging out for some time, I was convinced he was interested. Luckily he called a few days later and had organised a perfect first date. Three years later we were engaged. The engagement was also a complete surprise as Jonny had taken the day off work to ask my Dad for permission, borrow a family recipe off my Mum, pick up my beautiful ring that he had designed himself months earlier, and cooked up a storm. It was the perfect night in and the best surprise of my life.”
Finding the Venue
Finding their mystery venue required some searching, “It took a few weeks to piece it together and realise the stone wall in the picture belonged to Golding Winery. We visited the venue and our first impression was confirmed after seeing the exposed beams, beautiful stone wall, gardens and gorgeous lake. We secured the earliest date possible!
The Dress Search
“Totally unexpected! To Jonny’s surprise, the wedding dress was found and purchased one week after our engagement. My sister was planning her wedding and we had just begun the search for her dress – it was that day that we both found our ‘one’. Despite my usual procrastination when clothes shopping, it was the second dress I tried on and immediately realised it would be the last.”
Ceremony Styling
“The church was more of a country chapel with more standing room than seats. For this reason, and because of its own beauty, we decided to keep it simple with no additional flowers or other decorations.”
Flowers
“The soft, loose bouquets have a ‘just been picked’ look, filled with seasonal and fragrant blooms including David Austin Roses, ranunculi, anemones, tulips, poppies, sweet pea and orchids, with jasmine tendrils, lavender and loose green foliage to tie in with the reception. Deep berry colours, buttery creams and soft pinks were used to contrast the deeper hues.”
The Planning Experience
“We are pretty organised people so made sure we didn’t leave anything until the last minute – this allowed us to relax during the lead up to our wedding day, trusting that our suppliers had everything in hand and it would be everything we had dreamt of. The most enjoyable part of planning the wedding was definitely the creative element of styling the reception and choosing the flowers. Over the nine months of planning, the hardest part was balancing busy lives with the demands of planning a unique wedding. The actual day was pretty relaxed, apart from a minor dress malfunction, so we were able to begin our festivities early!”
Reception Styling
“The reception space was a blank canvas inviting creativity! Working with our suppliers, we were able to create a whimsical, romantic yet modern styled wedding reception that featured low hanging foliage installations over the guests, which were interspersed with low hanging Edison bulbs. Above the bridal table, was an incredibly beautiful wreath of foliage which included berries, lavender and jasmine. To create an intimate feel, we sectioned off the room with soft draping. The table runner was olive branches and foliage to tie in with the homemade olive oil that was given to our guests as wedding favours.”
DIY Wedding Favours
“We thought it would be special to incorporate family tradition into our favours for guests. For months leading up to the wedding, our family hand-picked the olives from the family farm to make oil that we would later give to our guests as a personal thank you.”
Favourite Moments
“Apart from exchanging rings, our first dance was a memorable moment. From this point on, the dance floor was full, drinks were flowing, everyone was having a great time – and we were married!”
Most Important
“To plan the day as we wanted it to be as a couple. Throughout the planning process, we questioned certain traditions and expectations and decided to only include things that had meaning to us. We wanted to make sure our wedding day was memorable for everyone and people would remember it as a party, not a dinner.”
Best Advice
“Organise the big ticket items early, back your decisions, don’t forget to have fun and remember the prize at the end!”
Photography: Two Chairs Photography | Ceremony Venue: St Thomas Anglican Church Balhannah | Celebrant: Father Bob Huppfield | Reception: Golding Winery, Adelaide Hills SA | Lighting & Installations: Rapture Events | Flowers & Installations: Blooming Bridal | Stationery & Seating Chart: emkho – a creative collective | Dress: Essense Designs | Bridesmaids: Alfred Sung | Hair: Parlour Hair | Makeup: Claire (Inglot) | Suits: Peter Jackson | Transport: Carrington Wedding Cars | DJ: Paul Gurry