GABBY & JAMES' KANGAROO VALLEY WEDDING

From an awesome proposal story in Portugal to an epic day at the newly rebuilt Kangaroo Valley Bush Retreat, this love story gave us all the feels, guys. Stunning in Prea James Bridal, complete with four-tier tulle Grace Loves Lace veil and velvet yellow boots (yes, girl!), Gabby walked down the aisle to meet her man James while The Beatles’ Here Comes The Sun blared and the guests did fireball shots! We love that our mate Matt Ashton was there to capture it all so perfectly. Scroll down for all the deets…

THE PROPOSAL “At the tail end of a romantic, fun, and adventurous road trip through Portugal, we find ourselves at a Lisbon pub. A bit of a misunderstanding involving Gabby getting on one knee and asking James to get tattooed (an ongoing debate), resulted in a giant bell being rung and the whole pub cheering for us. When the smoke cleared and we worked out the miscommunication, James figured this would make a pretty good engagement story regardless and took us down by the river, dropped down on one knee and proposed with a dollar store umbrella in the rain. We celebrated with tequila shots and long distance 3am calls to our siblings back home. James is yet to get that tattoo.”

THE VIBE “We wanted a simple elegant look so as not to take away from our beautiful venue, so we went with a natural background and pops of big colour. Our engagement in Portugal was a big inspiration, we used Portuguese tiles, a blue and yellow colour scheme to accent and Portuguese tarts for our wedding cake.”

THE DRESS “My dress was something I was hugely excited about from the beginning! I visited a store about 1.5 years before the wedding and chose a design from a brand I love and paid the deposit. However when my mother and sister were able to visit and shop with me, they felt the dress didn’t really fit my style or the wedding. So my sister came with me on a little ‘let’s just see what else is out there’ trip and we visited Prea James Bridal where I fell instantly in love with the Cara Gown. I had actually seen it online and just loved its chic simplicity. It worked perfectly with my velvet yellow Vintage Dries Van Noten Boots, and my mother and sisters loved it. My wonderful tailor added custom sleeves for a little more modesty (I have heavily tattooed arms) and some warmth in the winter and it turned out perfectly. I added a big statement four-tier tulle veil from Grace Loves Lace (because why not) and it was the most beautiful I have ever felt.

REFERENCES “Hello May was gospel. Prior to getting engaged we knew very little and it took while to wrap our heads around the process. We found our photographer, rings, cake topper, bridal dress and almost all the style inspiration through looking through Hello May Real Weddings and Instagram.”

WE’RE SO GLAD WE… “Went the extra mile and had everyone stay onsite for the full weekend. It allowed a more relaxing family-style barbecue on Friday where our friends and family (most of whom had never met!) got to know each other and settle in, plus the recovery brunch on Sunday made for some hilarious stories.”

STANDOUT VENDORS “Our photographer Matt Ashton was super patient with our antics and running around on rocks and the shots turned out amazingly. And the lovely Kira from Prea James Bridal, she was an absolute star and went above and beyond to make the dream dress come to life.”

Gabby and James were clearly chuffed with Matt Ashton’s photography prowess and we happen to think he’s pretty darn great, too. Catch up with him on our directory and book him for your big day. While you’re there, we also definitely recommend you squiz the beautiful gowns Prea James Bridal and Grace Loves Lace serve up.