Christina and Ash have always known that marriage is a marathon, not a sprint. £We had been dating close to 10 years before Ash finally decided to pop the question. Even though that seems like he took his time, we started dating when we were only 19 and 20 and had a lot of growing up to do before we could even think about making such a huge commitment, says Christina, one of our lovely brides from issue nine.
A patient pair, they didn’t want to rush their engagement either and on the day, it was obvious why they’d waited. Inside Gum Gully Farm a stunning property located only a grapes-throw from the Yarra Valley wine region, was an incredible spread of homemade, vintage inspired decorations and mouthwatering desserts.
£The beauty of Gum Gully Farm is that they basically give you a blank canvas so you can decorate however you like, says Christina listing no less than 12 DIY items, including their invitations, place cards, table runners, flower arrangements, home brew beer and personalised wedding favours, to name only a few.
The most sentimental addition to their day however, came from Christina’s Dad. £When I was young my dad had this film SLR camera which he loved and would lug around on every family trip to take photos of my family with. My dad died when I was just seven and his camera was kept in its case and not used again for over 20 years since his death.
I asked Lilli (our wonderful photographer) if she would mind shooting off a roll of film using my dad’s camera, which she was more than happy to do. I think it was a really special thing to do to incorporate my dad into our day and perhaps a tradition that we may have started from now on.
As it turned out, Lilli of I Got You Babe Weddings wasn’t the only person prepared to lend a hand. £The first dress appointment I had was with the most gorgeous ladies at The Bridal Atelier in Armadale. I LOVED all of the dresses from Rue De Seine and knew I was going to find something that was just right for me, says Christina who settled on their beautiful Bella gown (which sadly wasn’t looking quite so spotless following their impromptu Karaoke after party!).
£After the wedding, Ash and I jumped on the bus with over 50 of our friends and we all went to Ding Dong Lounge. People convinced me not to change out of my dress and it was pretty funny how many strangers came up to me I guess it would be a very odd thing seeing a bride out at Ding Dong”, says Christina.
When we got back to our hotel, I looked at the bottom of my dress and it looked as though I had been a human mop all night. I have no doubt the floors at Ding Dong were spotless after I had been there. Nothing a good dry clean can’t fix we say! As for Ash’s Oscar Hunt suit? It seemed to survive okay.
If you missed out on issue nine, be sure to grab a copy of issue 10 on sale NOW at selected newsagents nationally or online via Mag Nation. There’s loads of other gorgeous real weddings plus gowns from Rue De Seine’s new collection, Nomadic Love.
CREDITS Photos I Got You Babe Weddings // Bridal gown Rue De Seine via The Bridal Atelier // Flowers Poppy Elliott // Shoes Kurt Geiger // Rings Amaya // Grooms suit Oscar Hunt // Grooms shoes Loake // Bow tie Ascot via Henry Bucks // Ceremony and reception Gum Gully Farm, VIC // Catering Yarra Valley Catering // Cake Creative Cakes by Alex // Cake topper The Sweet Petite Shop via Etsy // Stationery Vista Print and White Willow Paper via Etsy // Hair VA Hairdo // Makeup Nicole Aquillina and Morgan Harris Beauty // Music Kieran O’Sullivan // Celebrant Jon von Goes // Billy button flowers The Botanical Institute // Wooden hearts Melinda Wedding Design via Etsy.