After being engaged for three years, Sarah and Daniel finally bit the bullet and made things official. “We were actually considering not getting married and just sticking with the engagement, but after the pandemic had set in for a while, we had some friends who made a fair point that it would be good to have something to celebrate. Strange time to pick to organise a wedding maybe, when movement restrictions could easily shut it down, but we thought it was worth a shot and we were prepared to make changes if needed.”
And so they did – and we are very glad that they did, because look at this gorg day! The bride kept it casj in a custom skirt and cashmere knit while the groom rocked not one but two of our faves, M.J. Bale and Peggy and Finn – and these folks made very sure to have plans in place should restrictions come knocking. “Everything had to be easy so that if we had to reschedule for COVID or rearrange for rain, it wouldn’t be hard,” they tell us. This turned out to be a solid move – not because of COVID but thanks to the massive storm that hit. “Our hopes to have an outdoor ceremony were canned with wild winds and a torrential downpour. Tiller has a whole wall of glass windows and a great view to watch a storm roll in, and the celebrant and venue had it sorted, so it wasn’t the end of the world.” Far from it – just check out the impressive pics by Emma Macaulay Photography of the dramatic, moody day!
THE VENUE “The Tiller team have a solid reputation for creating great food, and they’d just opened a private dining venue on a small farm. We stopped by and met George and Kayleigh, who came across as good people, in a beautiful location, and we loved the vision that they had for the place. We got married in late July, so emphasis on food, drink and a good space for a backup indoor ceremony was high on the list! Keeping it simple turned out to be a good idea, because whilst we dodged the worst of the pandemic restrictions,
DIY “In late spring we collected flowers and foliage from bushland on a neighbour’s farm and hung them to dry, so we didn’t have to worry about wilting if we shifted the day. We were also gifted some fresh natives, and we had help from family and friends to bring everything together.”
FAVE DETAILS “The ceremony, food and drink were all spot on. Guests had great things to say about Tiller’s food, the head chef George had a chat with the room about what was being served and the philosophy behind it. Sarah’s sister (Bread Local) pulled off some delicious wedding cakes. We had our dogs with us, tucked away in a kennel on the back of the ute, and Chief Dog-Handler Seb (Dan’s mate) managed to keep them well in hand when we took them around with Emma Macaulay, our photographer. She did a great job of capturing the day and getting us to relax. Everyone went above and beyond the expected.”
THE DRESS “I went with a grey cashmere jumper from Sonya Hopkins and a skirt, custom-designed and made by Maevana. I’m not a fan of shopping, really, but the process of bringing the skirt to life was good. I found Maevana when a friend pushed me through her studio door. She’s lovely, rock-climbs and is a very talented dressmaker (the first two items were the main priority – she could have made me a potato sack and I probably still would have enjoyed it!). We exchanged photos, she drew up sketches, convinced me I needed a train, and the skirt she created was beautiful.”
REFERENCES “Aunts, uncles, friends, parents and a cousin all gave us a hand which was a lot of fun. Hello May was handy, too! We looked through the website to see what other couples were doing with local and winter weddings to get ideas.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “Aside from all the usual parts (saying vows, etc), a standout and one of the best memories came from one of Sarah’s close friends not being there. Hayley was meant to be teaming up with another friend to give a speech, but lives in Sydney and was locked out of WA with COVID-19 restrictions. The time came for the speech and Sasha threw open a set of giant barn-style doors to reveal that she’d brought along a life-size cardboard cut-out of Hayley (massive grin, wine in hand, wedding ready). Hayley took to the dance floor, posed for photos, got seat-belted into the bus on the way home, and was almost taken on our honeymoon camping trip (until Dan said no, she was too fragile and bulky to fit in the ute). She’s still hanging out at our house.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “We were really fortunate with everyone involved. It’s fair to say they all went above and beyond.”
Emma MacAuley is just one of the many fab WA-based vendors you’ll find over on our directory. Guys, if you’re still searching for some suiting gold, hit up M.J. Bale and check out Peggy and Finn for ties, socks and groomsman gifts galore!
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Emma MacAulay Photography Florist DIY Stationery DIY (handpainted and written) Ceremony, Reception & Catering Tiller Cake Bread Local Wedding favours DIY (handmade pinch pots) Hire Items Bread Local (dining tables, chairs, benches, decorations), Hire In Style (sofas, cocktail tables, table linen), Cape Events (dancefloor, outdoor lighting) Lighting Hire Cape Events (outdoor), Tiller (indoor) Celebrant The Salty Celebrant Rings Ecali Fine Jewellery (engagement ring), wedding rings made by friend Transport Gannaways Charters & Tours Guest Book Rebound Books THE BRIDE Gown Maevana (skirt), Sonya Hopkins (knit) Shoes Blundstone Hair Kendall at Cinco Hair Boutique Makeup Jose by Josie THE GROOM Suit & Shirt M.J. Bale Bow tie Peggy and Finn Shoes R.M. Williams