Real Weddings Blog ❤️ Hello May

Welcome to Sara & Jordan’s garden party, delightfully immortalised by Across the Forest photography. Looking at it, you wouldn’t know the turbulence these two experienced during their wedding week. It started when their home lost hot water. Then came a floral hiccup, and to top it all off, torrential side-ways rain wedding-day-eve, making set-up all the more interesting.

Despite all that eventfulness, their soiree was as gorgeous and non-muddy as ever, hosted at Poachers Pantry, just a short hop over the boarder from their Canberra home. The vibe: “warm, fun and elegant, but never stuffy or ostentatious” just as planned. The bride “fell in love” with this floral silk frock at Prea James, complementing the surrounds, the bridesmaids wore a selection of earthy green silhouettes (inc. our mates Bec + Bridge), while the groom and his guys suited up with P. Johnson, stating the team there were “absolute gents”.

Below these lovebirds, who’ve known each other since high school, reflect on the wedding day details that stood out and share their advice for those currently in planning-mode.

Vineyard wedding venue near Canberra

“It was the ONLY venue we saw! We’d had lunch at Poachers Pantry once before and loved the food and wine, which was the biggest “must” when planning our wedding. The winery is perched in stunning countryside, elegant but quaint – and just a half hour from Canberra. Once we met Lauren – the venue manager and owner – we were certain Poachers Pantry would deliver everything we wanted, so why look further?”

Handwritten letters and Spiral Botanicals blooms

“So many people told us how quickly the day goes, and how little time you get to catch up with friends, so we wanted everyone there to know exactly how appreciate we were of their friendship and the impact they’ve had on our lives. I bought an amazing wax seal to finish it off. We also loved our florals, lovingly curated by Greta at Spiral Botanicals. And of course, the huge Golden Elm tree we got married under. It was so beautiful.”

Speeches and quiet moments together

“Our parents’ speeches were so beautiful and heartfelt, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. The love directed our way from friends and family was palpable, I was just on cloud nine the whole night. Also, the Macedonians hitting the dance floor before entrees had been served really set the tone for the fun to come. Walking into the reception while Barry White Can’t Get Enough of Your Love played was a highlight! I also loved having a quiet moment with Sara amongst the trees while getting our photos taken… the light was magnificent.”

Macedonian wedding customs

“We danced the Oro, of course! And there was plenty of Rakija supplied by the father of the bride. Our MC, Jamie, also brought a jar of a capsicum relish called Ajvar for good measure!”

Advice for approaching wedding day hiccups

“Don’t sweat the small stuff. Remember: things will go wrong. It will still be beautiful. Spend your money on the things you care about – whether that’s food, or music, or photography – but also, it doesn’t have to be extravagant to be special. Finally, everyone always says, “make sure you both do what you want to do”, but the truth is your wedding kind of is for other people, in the sense that the celebrating with your loved ones is actually what makes it so special. Invite that uncle you haven’t seen in a while, you won’t regret it.”

Standout New South Wales wedding photographer

“Our photographer Anton from Across the Forest really delivered! We felt incredibly comfortable with him, he was professional, artistic and captured such a variety of photos that are just stunning.”

Winery Wedding Inspiration

For a second helping of winery wed ideas and vineyard wedding venues in your neighbourhood, the real wedding section is where it’s at. Or if you’re ready to start assembling your vendor team visit our directory. It’s where you’ll find the amazing photographer behind this darling day, Across the Forest. For more weddings featuring Bec + Bridge frocks click here.