Real Weddings

Article by

Dani Connor

Posted on

18/12/2023

Posted in

Real Weddings

Caitie’s family cattle farm, Canning Downs South, in Elbow Valley Queensland was the breathtaking backdrop when she married her love of 11 years, Adam, in front of 140 of their people. “We were determined to let our beautiful farm speak for itself and not overcomplicate things with a particular theme or too much decor,” the bride shares. “We were going for a modern and pared-back country wedding, but with lots of pink!” The DIY extravaganza was a raging success, despite a few on-the-day hiccups, which required some emergency tradies and the groom clearing out a septic tank (yep, that actually happened). The incredible Daniel Neucom Photography was tasked with taking the happy snaps, and let’s just say he nailed it! Scroll down to see…

THE VENUE “We always knew that if we were to get married, we would do it at home on the property I grew up on. My twin sister was married there in 2019 and it’s a very special place to all of us. Sharing our family home with its beauty and all its quirks was such an honour. It helped we didn’t have to worry about whether it was booked out, and it came with a full-time, live-in event planner extraordinaire (my mum)!”

LITTLE LOL “Our brother-in-law and Adam spent so much time in the lead-up setting up and getting everything ready for the bar. They drilled the beer taps into the bar, made sure they bought the right sized kegs to fit the fridges we had, agonised over the details like making sure all the beer lines were properly attached and had the right amount of ‘run’ so that the lines wouldn’t foam and warm up. Then, the night before the wedding, they forgot to turn the fridges on. We woke up to warm kegs and only hours before thirsty guests arrived! Luckily we had enough ice that we could cool the kegs down in time without letting them freeze. Close one! We also had a few disasters on the day itself! We realised early in the morning that the toilets weren’t working (we have a septic system) and when the caterers arrived we didn’t have the right power system for their ovens. Thank goodness for my dad who swung into action and arranged an emergency plumber and electrician to fix everything just in time. The groom clearing out a septic tank wasn’t on our run sheet but gave everyone a good laugh!”

A TOUCH OF TRADITION “I [Adam] am a First Nations Australian (Torres Strait Islander) on my father’s side and it’s our coming of age tradition to go out with your family and catch a sea turtle of your own to share with the entire group. Up in the pavilion where we were married was that very same turtle shell I caught when I turned 16. This was a special feature of our ceremony and having a representation of our culture on our wedding day was powerful and so meaningful to me.”

WE’RE REALLY GLAD WE… “Featured our own meat (we produce wagyu on our farm) in the reception dinner. We are very proud of what we do and sharing it with our friends and family was so special and the extra effort was worth it. We also had late-night smoked wagyu brisket rolls which were a real hit!”

A WORD OF ADVICE “Focus on the things that really matter to you and forget about the rest (and all the unsolicited advice)! Other than the legal bits, there really are no rules, and you don’t have to spend time, money and effort on things that you don’t value. No one said you have to wear white!”

STANDOUT VENDOR “Working with Dan (our photographer) was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. He was so enthusiastic about our day and our ideas, but was also a force of calm and control in the more stressful and chaotic moments. He really felt like one of the family on the day, wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, and his fix-it kit came in handy more than once.”

Smitten with these phenom photos by Daniel Neucom Photography? Head to our directory to shoot off an enquiry. Stat. Or if you’re suit shopping, look no further than the legends at M.J. Bale.