“You always imagine what you will say when the love of your life asks you to marry them,” bride Kat tells us of the moment Pete got down on one knee. “But all I could think to say was ‘Holy shit!’ I was crying, the dogs were barking… it was all a bit chaotic!”
Isn’t that just life though?! We’re crushing on the realness of it all and, despite the mayhem of the proposal, these two held a banger of a wedding 14 months later. “For us, the venue, the food and the people were the main focus,” says Kat. “Neither Pete nor I are particularly comfortable in the limelight, so our priority was to keep things laid back and informal. Ben Carlyle (our celebrant) in particular did a fantastic job of keeping the ceremony light-hearted and full of laughs, which was the perfect way to start the day.”
We have to shine a spotlight on a few of these magnificent vendors – from Kat’s stunning form-fitting Prea James Bridal gown and Louise Jean ring to Pete’s sharp look, courtesy of M.J. Bale, Peggy and Finn, Blaq and Saba. And top marks go to our friend Elsa Campbell, who’s a lens lady like no other. These pics! Wow!
THE VENUE “We had been in lockdown for so long and just wanted to get out of Melbourne. I had been following Elope on social media for a while and loved their weddings, so we decided to take a gamble that the borders between VIC and NSW would open and reached out to Emily and the team. She was the one who introduced us to Temple Farmhouse and we fell in love with the photos immediately. The ceremony location in the forest had just been built and looked magical, and we knew this was where we wanted to get married. We also loved that the venue was also a house so it felt like a big dinner party and everyone could relax.”
DIY “Every year for Pete’s birthday I make him a chocolate cake with whiskey salted caramel icing. These dessert flavours have become quintessential to our relationship and this was something I wanted to incorporate into our day. The cake turned out beautifully and Wilderness Flowers did a wonderful job of dressing it on the day – but doing DIY in the days leading up to the wedding is not without its dramas! I am a (very) amateur baker and while I had practised a lot in the lead-up, the one thing I didn’t plan for was that the oven in our accommodation would break!”
THE DRESS “I went to lots of different dress stores in Melbourne and tried on a lot of dresses that I liked, but never had the ‘bridal feeling’. Unfortunately, my dress shopping coincided with the start of the first Melbourne lockdown and I figured I would just have to make a decision based on what I had seen so far. When restrictions started to ease, I decided to try one more store and visited Bluebell Bridal. I had gone to all my previous appointments with my mum and sister, but I had to go to this one alone due to restrictions and immediately fell in love with the Genevieve gown by Prea James Bridal. We were only five months out from the wedding and I had to make a decision on the spot to get the dress in time when no one else had seen it!”
REFERENCES “Wedding blogs like Hello May were my lifeline for wedding planning and where all my inspiration came from. Every wedding I looked at that I loved was shot by Elsa Campbell so we locked her in early. We came across Elope after looking at Stacey and Ash’s Byron Bay wedding on Hello May and I’ve been following them on Instagram ever since. Since we are not from Byron, she put us in touch with all our other wonderful vendors to coordinate our day.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “Right after the ceremony when we were back at the house and finally got to eat some food! There are so many nerves going into the ceremony and it was awesome to just sit down and have some cocktails and canapes with all our guests and relax! The rest of the day didn’t feel like a ‘wedding’ and just felt like we were hanging out with our closest friends and family which is exactly what we wanted.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “We are so glad we had a micro wedding! It never occurred to us until we were forced to change our plans due to COVID, but it was such a great way to spend so much time with our favourite people and really get them involved in the day. Instead of gifts, we were also so glad we asked our guests to bring a coffee mug. Everyone had already given up their time and money to travel to celebrate with us and we really don’t need any more kitchen appliances. Pete and I are big coffee drinkers but are always short on mugs. Now we have an eclectic mix of mugs that remind us of our 13 favourite people.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Honestly, everyone was great. The whole team from Elope was a well-oiled machined and the whole day ran so smoothly. But special mention has to be given to our photographer, Elsa Campbell. She was the ultimate professional and was always touching base to see how our plans were progressing with everchanging COVID restrictions. She was so friendly, put us completely at ease on the day and I think the photos speak for themselves!”
You’ll find the lovely and talented photographer Elsa Cambell over on our directory, as well as other Hello May faves Prea James Bridal, M.J. Bale, Louise Jean and Peggy and Finn – all peeps we totally rec for your big day!
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Elsa Campbell Event planner/Stylist Elope Florist Wilderness Flowers Ceremony & Reception Temple Farmhouse Cake Bride Hire Items & Lighting The Wedding Shed Celebrant Ben Carlyle Celebrant Rings Louise Jean Transport Go Byron THE BRIDE Gown & Veil Prea James Bridal Bridal Boutique Bluebell Bridal Pyjamas Piyama Shoes Aquazzura via Net-a-Porter Hair & Makeup Unveil Brides Bridesmaids Bec & Bridge, Grace Loves Lace (tops), Zimmermann (skirts) THE GROOM Jacket Blaq Shirt M.J. Bale Pants Saba Tie Peggy and Finn Shoes Florsheim Groomsmen jackets Blaq Groomsmen gifts: Peggy and Finn, Chubbies