It made perfect sense for Sophie to walk down the aisle to a Beatles song after bonding with Mark over their love for the band on their first meeting. These guys had a simple list of priorities for their wedding: to do things their way, make sure their guests had fun and create a relaxed bohemian vibe. They nailed all three!
The Planning Experience
“It was hard because I had this vision in my head of how I wanted the wedding to look but we didn’t have a wedding planner. Pinterest was my best friend so I was able to show people what I wanted, but a lot of them still didn’t get it, which made me feel a little alone in the process. I loved the creative aspect of doing things myself, but making decisions would have to be my least favourite thing.”
Ceremony Styling
“My mother-in-law styled the ceremony. She decorated the arbour with flowers and a beautiful lace curtain, set up the vintage runners and chairs and made it look just how we imagined!”
Bridal Party Styling
“We found this quite hard but after trial and error we eventually just agreed on something and it worked! Having our wedding party spread out across Australia made things a bit more challenging.”
The Dress Search
“Well, you have to learn the hard way! I bought a dress online which I could barely get into it was so small. It never made it back to the shop in China and consequently I never got my money back, but luckily it was cheap.
At one of the bridal shops I went to, I told the owner a little about myself and what style I was into, and he recommended a dress called ‘Kobi’. Once I tried it on it felt like me in a dress – it even had pockets! So of course I ordered it.
I started questioning my decision on the way home, which is normal to do over such an important item. But after my first fitting a couple of months down the track, I knew I had made the right choice. I was in love with it and never wanted to take it off!”
DIY Projects
“The whole wedding was basically DIY. We had a practice run with some of the items we had purchased and took some photos so I could show people to help with set up on the day.
We arrived on the Friday morning and spent all day styling the venue with hay bales, fairy lights, wine barrels, coffee tables, pallets and dried flower arrangements to get it looking like a bohemian wedding.”
Best Advice
“Do what you want to do, within reason. Don’t have someone else’s wedding, have yours! You will upset someone, I think it’s impossible to get away without upsetting people, but remember why you’re getting married and stay focused on that.”
Location: Wollombi, New South Wales | Photography: Jack Henry | Venue: Stonehurst Cedar Creek | Officiant: Ceremonies by Jo | Styling & Stationery: DIY | Drinks Service: The Wandering Waterhole | Catering: Fratelli Pulcinella | Transport: Rover Wine Country Coaches | Wedding Dress: Jean Fox Bridal | Bridesmaid Dresses: Show Me Your MuMu | Hair & Makeup: Boho Hair and Makeup | Suits: Roger David