Growing up on opposite sides of the world, this inspiring couple were brought together by their mutual love of professional athletics. Whilst Vanessa lost both her legs and Scott one of his in earlier accidents, it was their endurance and perseverance that brought them together at a Paralympic competition in London in 2013. A love story for the ages, Vanessa credits marriage as being “able to steal my husband’s leg when mine doesn’t work”.
After a blissful beachside proposal, the bride walked down the aisle in a dreamy gown from Grace Loves Lace alongside both her parents. Guests travelled far and wide to attend this gorgeous outdoor wedding at which they were treated to an epic dessert table and to die for gelato by Mr Goaty Gelato. A clear marquee supplied by South Coast Party Hire, lit up by 300 metres of fairy lights ensured the day was just as magical as the love story. Scroll down for more details and to take a look at the stunning pics captured by the talented Chris Jallard of Red Berry Photography…
THE VENUE “We really wanted a venue that would allow all of us to have a small weekend getaway together, something that felt like a small vacation for everyone and truly represented the beauty Australia has to offer. The Woods Farm was the perfect location with all of the beautiful beaches and wildlife around.”
THE VIBE “We did not want to go with any trends or full wedding packages as we really wanted to create something that was as unique as us and our story. We both love the outdoors so it was natural to us to set up the day under the stars surrounded by the beautiful nature of Australia.”
THE DRESS “The dress was probably the first thing I started looking for after we got engaged. I had my eyes on a long sleeve dress with an open back and almost decided to buy it online without trying it on. When the opportunity came up to go into the Gold Coast studio of Grace Loves Lace, I tried this particular dress and loved it, but got blown away by a different dress I barely even considered, with basically no sleeves and a vibe that was almost just in-between a wedding and a summer dress. The dress felt like the perfect fit of who I am as a person and what I had in mind for our wedding.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “I really loved our invites, with our small budget in mind and my background as a media designer I decided to design everything myself. I found an old vintage map of Australia that made up the background and kept everything else nice and simple. We found an amazing local letterpress artist, that gave my design the last special touch that it needed.”
DIY “The entire wedding really was a DIY project and I loved that most about the entire experience. From the experience of creating the invites, to sitting long nights together with my girlfriends over wine and snacks hand painting the timber signs, to hanging 300m of fairy lights on a really sketchy ladder, to putting every little piece of decoration on the tables the day before the wedding and mixing the cocktails (with waaaay to much liquor) on the morning of. The entire lead up turned out as a huge bonding experience for us, our families and our friends.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “I’m really glad we decided to have a small wedding and host a pizza night on the night before the wedding. Lots of our guests had not met each other, including both sets of parents, and this way I felt like we actually got the chance to spend a wonderful time with our friends and family, we actually had the chance to have a proper chat with each one of them and had enough time to connect, enjoy and make some amazing memories together.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “We found an amazing connection with our lovely Photographer Chris. I fell in love with his pictures on social media, but the first time we met I knew straight away that he was the one. He really felt like part of our family by the end of our wedding day and that truly shows in the pictures.”
If you love these gorgeous pics as much as we do then be sure to check out more weddings shot by the wonderful Chris from Redberry Photography over here. We particularly loved Alana and Brad’s super sweet South Coast wedding which you can find here.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Chris Jallard from Red Berry Photography Stationery Artforme Ceremony & Reception The Woods Farm of Jervis Bay Florist Carol Reardon (Family) Catering Michel Seymore Catering Dessert Mr Goaty Gelato Cake Kristy Steinhardt (sister) Favours Favour Perfect Hire Items South Coast Party Hire, Hoorah events Entertainment Jesse Everett Celebrant Steven Murray Rings Unique Diamonds Canberra BRIDE Dress Grace Loves Lace Robes Homebodii Earrings Bo and Luca Necklace Christine Wolf Jewellery Hair & make-up Chantel Elliott Bridesmaid Dresses Two Sisters The Label THE GROOM Suit Ferrari Formal Cufflinks Top 3