An elopement of epic proportions, Naomi and Benny (who lived in Paris pre-covid and had to face multiple quarantines with a day to spare to prep for the wedding) tied the knot with zero guests. Zero! “It was just us, plus our beautiful celebrant and friend Sally (of Marry Us Sally), amazing photographer (Milton Gan Weddings) who kindly doubled as a witness, along with the owner of the property who popped up to be our second witness and share a glass of champagne and a piece of cake.” Sounds pretty damn dreamy to us. Scroll down for all Milton’s pics and more deets from the couple themselves…
LITTLE LOL “Not so much a funny story, but our original wedding plans were in April, that got cancelled due to COVID. We only just made it out of France in time, arriving back in Australia to do 14 days quarantine at home. We then faced another [two] rounds of quarantine after Benny accepted a contract to work at Falls Creek in Victoria. He was ‘released’ from quarantine with a day to spare, and we spent the day before our wedding eve running around and picking up his ring, suit and shoes!”
THE VENUE “Kimo Estate had been on my travel wish list for a while. They were booked solid for 12 months, but low and behold, a cancellation became available and we grabbed it. Both the location and the incredible scenery absolutely exceeded all of our expectations.”
FAVE DETAILS “We had a vision to use a round jute rug to stand on, and wanted to stand in a floral ‘circle of love’ – it was a highlight. Ash (of With Love Bespoke Styling) created a beautiful floral table setting and styled the table with a jute table runner and our plates and glasses, so everything was set up before we arrived. She did an incredible job and we were so happy with how she brought our vision to life. It perfectly complimented the relaxed nature of the setting and seamlessly blended with the beautiful scenery we looked out on during the ceremony.”
THE DRESS “I actually had two dresses. The first was the dress that I planned to wear for our ‘engagement party’ (which was to be a surprise wedding). Given Benny and I were getting ready together, I thought it would be nice to surprise him with an outfit change for our ceremony. I sense-checked my plan with our photographer the night before our wedding and he absolutely loved the idea and offered to distract Benny while I was changing before the ceremony (he even helped to zip me up – talk about a full-service photographer!) so maybe it’s a bit extra, but I decided to go ahead with that plan.”
THE SUIT “My jacket and chinos were from M.J. Bale. Their style is pretty timeless and modern, so it was just a matter of trying a couple of things on. Everything came together really well (luckily as we didn’t have a lot of time to spare with me only getting out of quarantine the day before our wedding eve!).”
KEY VENDORS “Hello May was probably the biggest source of inspiration, the lists of recommended vendors were particularly helpful. We were lucky to be able to get our vendors of choice, which was probably only due to the fact that we chose to go ahead and get married in a time when many weddings were not going ahead! I found Instagram really helpful to find out more about local florists/stylists and get a good idea of their style.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “Probably our favourite moment from the day was after cooking ourselves dinner of steaks on the BBQ (so Aussie I know), taking a bottle of Penfolds Shiraz to the wood-fired hot tub on the front deck of Sweeney’s Hut and sitting together under the stars reflecting on the day from start to finish. How utterly magical, overwhelmingly emotional, fun, stress-free, and just full of happiness it was. There was something incredibly intimate about having the day all to ourselves.We still plan on having the big party and celebrating at some stage in the future with our loved ones, but given that wasn’t an option for the foreseeable future we’re so happy that we did things our way and on our timeline (take that 2020!).”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Don’t skimp on a photographer – for us having incredible photos meant that we could share our day from start to finish with our friends and family, and we now have the most incredible photos/ artwork that we will always treasure.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “All of our vendors went absolutely above and beyond. Milton Gan Weddings was fantastic. From the beginning, he was so understanding of the circumstances, so much so that he didn’t ask for a deposit ahead of our ‘first’ wedding plans given the uncertainty surrounding COVID. He was friendly, easy to get along with and just an all-round nice guy, which is important given it was just us and Milton for much of the day! He also has ninja-like qualities, as we discovered after getting our photos back. He moved around us during the ceremony to shoot from various angles (which was no mean feat due to the location) all while we had absolutely no awareness of his presence. It’s definitely a skill! Also, Kate Lily Dressing Hair and Jessica Peris (makeup) were so flexible in the circumstances, offering to travel to Gundagai and moving plans around to make it work.”
If you’re keen to get in touch with Milton Gan after this couple’s rave reviews, head on over here for contact deets and a bunch more beaut real weddings he has shot. If it’s a suit you’re after, don’t miss more from our friends over at M.J. Bale here and lastly, wedding day hair is a must research, so don’t miss more real brides who had their locks tended to by Kate Lily Dressing Hair here. But first…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Milton Gan Weddings Stylist & Florist With Love Bespoke Styling Ceremony Kimo Estate (Sweeney’s Hut) Catering The Coffee Pedaler (Picnic Hamper) & Kimo Estate (Dinner) Cake Cakes of Your Dreams Celebrant Marry Us Sally Wedding Rings HG Diamonds (Naomi) & Dora via Arnold & Co Jewellers (Benny) Accomodation Flash Jacks (Night Before) THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Self-Portrait Jumpsuit Talbot Runhof Bridal Boutique Net-A-Porter Robes Homebodii Shoes Nine West Accessories Bianc (Earrings) Hair Kate Lily Dressing Hair Makeup Jessica Peris THE GROOM Jacket, Pants & Shirt M.J. Bale Shoes R.M. Williams Watch Nixon Grooming The Cock & Crown
