Charming, wholesome, and full of heartfelt gestures, the family touches sprinkled throughout Rach and Sam’s day tell you just how treasured these two are. In a quaint chapel a couple of hours south of Adelaide, an intimate group gathered to watch them marry – with the groom’s father officiating. Later, a larger circle of loved ones joined the celebration at the bride’s great-uncle’s countryside property, welcomed with burgers, chips, glow-sticks and a vibrant wedding cake baked by the groom’s mum. “Everyone seemed to enjoy being a big kid for the night which was the dream,” the newlyweds say, reflecting on their joyful, nostalgic reception details.
Below, immerse yourself in Rach and Sam’s wedding album, captured by Beaux Art Co, and hear about how the bride, with the help of her cousin, made her own wedding gowns (yes, plural!).
Family Farm Wedding Reception & Charming Chapel Ceremony in South Australia
“From the very beginning we knew that we wanted to have the reception at my Great Uncle’s farm, Twin Oaks. The farm is postcard worthy and it’s been in the family my entire childhood. I’ve made lots of memories at Twin Oaks with my family, friends and Sam, so having it there was a no-brainer for us. The ceremony was at the Delamere Uniting Church, a place that we had ridden past a few times and fell in love with instantly (think tiny white chapel near a creek).”
Dreamy Wedding Blooms & Fun Party Details to Inspire Your Day
“Glow sticks and fun glasses/party favours at the reception – we loved getting our boogie on and getting a bit sparkly! Flower field in the church during the ceremony – Donna and the team at Botanic Poetry truly outdid themselves. The wedding cake made by Karyn (Sam’s mum) was exactly what we had pictured. She also wrote ‘til death’ on the top which we thought was a bit fun.”
DIY Wedding Dresses: Bride’s Journey Creating Her Own Gowns
“I ended up making both dresses with my beautiful cousin, Leah… For the wedding dress I was aiming for an elegant, timeless look – I got a lot of my inspo from Chanel. We made a mockup of the wedding dress using bed sheets and after a few alterations we had a final sewing pattern. We both loved how the veil was like a cape, it complimented the dress so nicely and created an insane silhouette for photos. And the fact that we could make the veil as long as we wanted (three metres to be exact) was also the best thing ever! I wanted the party dress to be unique and different from your average dress. I loved the layers of tulle and the coloured sequins – the vision was to make it look like a tiered wedding cake covered in sprinkles. I had friends help me sew the hundreds of sequins onto the tulle (shoutout to Bea and Lucy).”
A Personal, Family-Led Ceremony
“(Sam) My Papa used to be a minister, so he officiated the wedding ceremony for us. We both found this very special – how often can you get your papa to marry you!? We spent a lot of time working with Robert and Connie (Sam’s Grandma) to get the ceremony just how we wanted it to be – special, personal and bringing glory to God throughout.”
Carving Out Alone Time on Your Wedding Day
“If we had to pick a single highlight, we’d say driving from the ceremony to the reception venue. Sometimes the simple moments are the most meaningful. Just being able to sit and talk quietly together while being driven through stunning scenery, fog and sun, was really special. Wedding mornings are naturally busy, and the ceremony was beautiful (but jam packed), so it was the first time we’d spent time just by ourselves all day. We’d highly recommend carving out some alone time on your wedding day – both to take in the day, but to also chill together for a few minutes.”
Planning a South Australia Wedding? Tips & Vendor Resources
Thinking of getting hitched in South Australia? Overflowing with vineyards, scenic coastline and charming countryside, we can see why. For help finding excellent wedding vendors in the area, head to our directory. Catch pages upon pages of amazing DIY weddings (just like this one) here on the blog or for inspo/fun summer reading, shop the latest issue of Hello May online.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Beaux Art Co. Florist Botanic Poetry Ceremony Venue & Sound Hire Delamere Uniting Church Reception Venue Private Property Food Trucks or Carts Caro Club Cake Maker Kayrn Farmer (Family) Wedding Favours Temu Marquee Olympic Party Hire Photo Booth POV Camera Lighting Hire Gary (Friend) Entertainment Ben Mitchell (Friend) Celebrant Robert Farmer Rings Ezara Jewellery THE BRIDE Bridal Gown & Veil Designer Rach (Bride), Leah Gauthier (Family) Party Veil Shona Joy Shoes Betts Accessories Swarovski, Agapée, Armani Hair Lucy Wicks (Friend) Makeup Chloe Laycock (Friend) Fragrance Chanel Bridesmaid Dresses Shona Joy Bridesmaid Shoes Tony Bianco Bridesmaid Gifts Gorman THE GROOM Suit, Jacket, Shirt, Pants, Bow Tie & Groomsmen Suits Peter Shearer Menswear Shoes R.M. Williams Watch Garmin Grooming Hutto’s Barbershop
