As much as we will never admit it to ourselves, extravagant proposal stories are everything. Foiled proposal stories with stealthy cover-ups are even better. Kav proposed to his dream gal mid snorkelling trip, the only issue being Brodie’s lack of enthusiasm to go free diving. Poor old Kav went down to the ocean floor and brought up his surprise which was then presented to a stoked bride-to-be. All’s well that ends well, eh? One and a half years later these two pulled off the bush wedding of dreams. Scroll down for details and Love Wildly’s loved up snaps…
THE VENUE “During our time working in Geraldton we discovered a place called Burnt Barrel Smokehouse. It’s situated in the Chapman Valley and serves delicious smoked meats and fried chicken. Their next-door neighbours are Nukara Bush Farm. Every year they host a music festival for a couple of thousand people which I was lucky enough to attend. The venue blew me away with the river gum trees and barnyard set up. It’s a green oasis in the middle of a valley. I took Kav to see it and he instantly approved.”
THE VIBE “The theme was a fusion between Australian native flora and Sri Lankan spice. We love camping and wanted a bush wedding where people could relax and spend time with each other before the big day. We had a curry night the evening before. Kav’s wardrobe has a large selection of flanno so we wanted to embrace the relaxed atmosphere by allowing everyone to get changed into their finest flanno and comfy ugg boots on the dfloor.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “In the lead up to our wedding day we were receiving daily texts containing riddles about what our present from a group of friends was going to be. My suspicion of fireworks was dampened by the clue that it makes no sound. It turned out to be an artist, Shakey, who painted a portrait of us during the reception. He was very impressive and definitely a crowd-pleaser. The guests loved watching him work during meals and speeches and it was a massive talking point.”
DIY “My friends Erika and Emma created beautiful hand made ceramic glazed leaves as place tags. They made over 145 leaves in their weekly pottery classes! I had a team of foragers to collect local wildflowers for table settings and decorations. During the months leading up to the weekend, I ate numerous pickles to utilize the jars as vases. Also, our friend Bob brewed over 19 kegs worth of delicious beer inlcuding Sena-cider (Apple Cider), Sri Lankan IPA, Rompy Red (Red Ale) and Flanno Frothy (Kolsch).”
THE DRESS “My mother in Law and I discovered the saree in a department store on holiday in Colombo. I was drawn to the blush peach colour and sea of sparkles. Over the course of six months, I had multiple fittings to create the blouse and prepare the pleats. Shoba added all the final detail by hand.”
LITTLE LOL “Kav’s Twin sisters Nadi and Natasha made everyone do yoga shoeys, including a few champagne shoeys. It was a good mix of classy and bogan.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “Hired Aisle Style to assist in the planning and props. Families with kids loved the play areas and my cousin’s child fell asleep in the teepee.”
Fancy some more bush wedding goodness? We recommend you take a peek at Liz & Scott’s Sydney wedding (that took place smack bang in the middle of the Royal National Park). But first, scroll away…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Love Wildly Photography Stylist & Signage Aisle style Florist BotanicalDen Invites Paperless Post Venue Nukara Catering Burnt Barrel Hire Items Geraldton Party Hire, Aisle Style Entertainment DJ Pickles (Friend) Celebrant Barry Lance Rings Rohan Jewellers Live Portrait Artist Shakey BRIDE Dress (saree) Shoba Senasinghe and Yvonne Fernando (White Wedding Dress) Olive and Ivy via Coco and Lola Veil Borrowed Shoes Sol Sana Hair Hair Love by Tenille Makeup Debra Martin via The Makeup Parlour Groomsgirls Makeup Hotlocs Bridesmaid Dresses Silk Laundry, Shona Joy, Bec and Bridge GROOM Suit Daniel Hechter Shirt Studio Italia Groomsgirl’s Playsuits Forever New Bow Tie David Jones Cufflinks Willie Creek Pearls Shoes Connor Watch Tissot Barber House of Riley