On the morning of Ariel and Will’s wedding, first seen in the Real Wedding Special, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. That is until the heaven’s opened up and Mother Nature’s wrath began, dishing out rain, hail, thunder and lighting forcing 100 guests to huddle under one gazebo and a small collection of umbrellas while passing around bottles of champagne (doesn’t sound too bad to us!).
£We relocated the ceremony to a sheltered part of the property and low and behold, mid vows, the skies cleared and the sun came out again. I walked down the aisle to The Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun’ so it seemed very fitting. The freak weather event made for lush greenery, an epic sunset, a dance floor mud pit and a very familiar group of guests thanks to all having shared umbrellas, so we wouldn’t of had it any other way.
Hoping to create a super relaxed springtime soirû?e, Ariel and Will hired out their venue, Mango Hill Farm, for the weekend turning it into a mini-holiday for the 20-person wedding party.
£The most important thing to us was that our guests felt comfortable and the atmosphere was conducive to simply unwinding and having fun. It was as much a celebration of how lucky we are to be surrounded by loving and generous family and friends, as it was about us as a couple, explains Ariel, who grew up in a creative family so having tonnes of DIY projects was a no-brainer.
Favours, reception flowers, styling, antipasto boxes, signage and an awesome gold-flecked cake were just a few of the do-it-yourself masterpieces.
£My dad is an artist, my mum was a gallery curator and a lot of my family work in the arts or creative industries so creativity and DIY is in my DNA. Will has a very practical job but an extremely creative brain. I think it’s a lovely sentiment to incorporate DIY elements in your wedding, as it’s a reflection of yourselves and your personality, says Ariel, who surprisingly found the whole dress shopping process quite simple.
£I found two pieces from The Babushka Ballerina separates range online, beelined for them during my fitting, and walked out with a wedding dress 20 minutes later. It was very me’ and I couldn’t have asked for anything more than that.
Captured by Stories by Ash, indeed it seems the whole wedding was very them’ and not just what happened to be trending on Pinterest that week! And Ariel couldn’t agree more… £Pinterest is great but try not to let it overwhelm you or make you feel like you need to have a certain type’ of wedding – do it your way. Try to only include traditions that are important to you as a couple, not just because £that’s what is done. Hear, hear!
Want to see more awesome weddings like this one? Pick up Issue 12, on sale now!
CREDITS Photos Stories by Ash // Bridal gown The Babushka Ballerina // Hair piece Aya Jewellery via Etsy // Robes / getting read tees BrideTribes via Etsy and The Print Bar // Lingerie Bridal Trousseau // Shoes ZU Shoes // Accessories Samantha Wills // Hair and makeup The Beauty Case // Rings Bellrose Jewellers // Bridesmaid dresses Zimmerman // Bridesmaid shoes Midas, Jo Mercer and Miss Shop // Bridesmaid gifts The Daily Edited and Treasure Imports via Etsy // Shirt Michael Innis Meanswear // Pants Roger David // Suspenders James Harper // Tie / Bow tie A Threaded Addiction // Shoes Blaq via Myer // Socks Topman // Watch Skagen // Barber / grooming Aldos Barber // Flower girls Collette Dinnigan // Page boys Little Adam and Eve via Etsy and Country Road // Florist Twig & Grace // Stationery Printable Wisdom via Etsy and Stamp Joy via Etsy // Printer Officeworks // Ceremony and reception Mango Hill Farm, QLD // Food trucks / carts Pizzantica // Other desserts Whipped Cake Co // Decorative elements Vieille Branche, Birchware, Green Pack, Printed Napkins and Typo // Prop and furniture hire Brandition and Perrys Hire // Nanny service Miss Poppins Agency // Entertainment Black Indie // Celebrant Oliver Thomson // Transport Glasshouse Country Coaches.