Their love story started over fish and chips and two litres of milk (Emma was behind the counter, and Justin coincidentally became a regular customer), they swapped numbers and ten years on they had the wedding of their dreams with 65 guests and our friends Lucy and Alastair of She Takes Pictures He Makes Films behind the lens. Scroll down for all the pics, plus the gorgeous wedding film at the very bottom…
THE VENUE “We were on a Sunday drive checking out venues in Daylesford and decided to drive the ‘scenic route’ to Melbourne. We were only planning on doing a drive-by of the Emu Bottom Homestead, but they were having a Wedding Open Day. The second we stepped into the dining hall our eyes widened, we simultaneously gave each other a glance, read each other’s mind, and gave a knowing nod.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “Our invites, menus and favours. They were created with author and illustrator Meredith and included a divine watercolour of Emu Bottom Homestead. We also gifted our guests one of her books, 101 Moments of Joy and Inspiration. I also loved working with Annie from The Refined Bloom Co. She definitely went above and beyond to bring my Pinterest boards to life. I could not have dreamt up something more perfect. The foliage installation above the dance floor was epically beautiful and so gigantic.”<
DIY “All the pom poms! I created just over 150 handmade teeny weeny pom poms which we used as confetti at the end of the ceremony. We also created a Pinterest-inspired wall hanging using some much larger pom poms. Our place settings were Polaroid photos which Justin and I created online. My parents and I also created a seating arrangement using the springs of an old mattress and bush foliage from their backyard. We pegged the Polaroid photos of our guests on there and we were told it was a great conversation starter.”
THE DRESS “My mum and I made appointments with several bridal stores in High Street, Armadale and fluked a park out the front of Zimmermann. We had some time before the first bridal appointment and I spied a dress in there that appeared to be a similar lace to my mum’s wedding dress. Without realising it, I had found the dress and the ones I tried on that afternoon didn’t compare. I made appointments in Geelong, Melbourne and even Sydney. Nothing compared. I ended up purchasing the Zimmermann dress online (on sale too… woohoo!). Whilst initially a little apprehensive as it wasn’t a ‘bridal dress’, I adored it, I felt like myself in the dress and I knew I’d be able to bust out all my awkward dance moves in it!”
REFERENCES “Hello May was our bible. We collected every Hello May magazine during our two and a bit year engagement, and I still have them stacked up nicely in our dressing room. I post-it noted every page that featured a vendor I needed to investigate and bookmarked several of your featured ‘real weddings’ the I fell in love with.”
WE’RE GLAD WE “Had a small wedding. Also, book the ice cream cart! We were slightly apprehensive when booking Bianco Latte, we didn’t know whether this would be a hit considering Melbourne’s unpredictable weather but our guests still talk about it!”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Lucy and Alastair of She Takes Pictures He Makes Films. We knew from the moment we stumbled across their work in Hello May that they were the perfect duo for us. Every photo exceeded all our expectations and the film was simply divine. They captured the essence of us including every ounce of our awkwardness that our nearest and dearest adore. The Baker Boys Band, we locked these guys in early and we were definitely given the creme of the crop. They followed through on their promise of dancing guests! Boy was there some dancing! Emu Bottom Homestead was stunning! Communication with the venue throughout the planning process was easy and they were very quick to answer any of my queries. The food and wine were exceptional- we could not recommend them more highly.”
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer & Cinematographer She Takes Pictures He Makes Films Florist The Refined Bloom Co. Stationery Meredith (Invites & Menus) Place Cards Photo Box Printer Peterkin (The Printery) Ceremony & Reception Emu Bottom Homestead Food Cart Bianco Latte Cake Perfectly Petite Treats Wedding Favours Meredith & Booktopia (Books) Festoon Lighting Pan and Tilt Lighting Sound Baker Boys Band Entertainment Demi Louise Music & Baker Boys Band Celebrant Reverend Glen Wesley (Friend) Rings & Earrings Janai Jewellery Bride’s Get Ready Accommodation Bolobek THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Zimmermann Robe Sportsgirl Hair Salon 604 Makeup Claire Warmenhoven THE GROOM Jacket, Shirt & Pants Ralph Lauren Shoes Wild Rhino Grooming Musket & Bayonet