Real Weddings

Article by

Laura Wilson

Posted on

23/08/2018

Posted in

Real Weddings

While planning this wedding, the bride tells us they envisioned “something along the lines of Frida Kahlo meets Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet. Essentially, I was imagining a church with peeling paint, filled with bright flowers, Milagro crosses and candelabras flickering candle light,” she explains. We like them already! And they nailed it in our books! The lovely Lucy from She Takes Pictures He Makes Films was there to make sure the memories last, and inspire all of you, of course. Scroll down…

THE VENUE “I have always loved Religious Iconography, the spirituality of religious spaces and have been pretty fascinated by beautiful old churches, but am not religious at all. We both liked the idea of getting married in an old chapel, that was no longer affiliated with a particular religion, abandoned or de-commissioned. Turns out that’s pretty hard to find! When we found Churchill we fell in love with the setting, the incredible old church and the gorgeous view from on top of the hill, looking out over Taradale. We loved that we could have the ceremony in the church, then go outside for drinks and nibbles, while the church was reset for dinner with long tables, and the altar became the stage.”

FAVOURITE DETAILS “The gorgeous invites created by one of my best friends, Alice, absolutely blew us away. She hand painted in water colour all the figures and created a scene of Churchill with dancing figures leading up the hill. It was so special- we will treasure it forever. The catering was provided by one of Nick’s best mates, Jordan Jeavons from The Happy Motel. They did the most amazing job of feeding 100 of us the most beautiful feasting menu of delicious salads, local seafood and meats from a charcoal grill he set up behind the church. The band was the other standout memory from the day, it was absolutely brilliant, and involved two bands, Max Savage and The False Idols and Jimmy & The Mirrors, as well as our friend and solo artist Ryan Oliver Music coming together to form a “super group” we jokingly called The Savage Mirrors.”

THE DRESS “I was not the most organised bride, and left my dress to the eleventh hour which nearly caused my mum and to have a mental break down. Eventually I settled on a Tanya Didenko Bridal Couture as her dresses are so incredibly well made and tailored to your body. It was the palest of pinks with a French lace overlay in ivory. It seemed old-world and had a faded grandeur, and yet was modern and dramatic at the same time. The gown had a bare back and the most incredible bare lace train. For the reception I changed into a backless silk Reformation dress in cream. It was relaxed and perfect for dancing the night away.”

WE’RE GLAD WE… “Stuck with our vision of getting all our friends and family to a rural venue in Victoria, when so many were travelling from Adelaide. Despite a few initial protests on the day my mum said she finally understood what we wanted to create and she partied up a storm. It also meant that many of our closest mates and families from Adelaide got a special weekend away, and got to spend unforgettable time together. We had dinners both the evenings before the wedding and after, getting to know the town of Kyneton really well. We loved staying at Ellis House, Flop House and Camp Kulning in the days after the wedding.”

STANDOUT VENDORS “Lucy Spartalis has been a friend from years, we have similar tastes and I have long admired her incredible aesthetic and approach to photography. Her photos are insane and I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather document our wedding. Kerry from Le Petit Moineau was an amazing vendor, she met up with me for coffee, offering advice and support above and beyond her gorgeous calligraphy she hand scribed on all the invitations. Cassie from Fig & Salt makes cakes that look like artworks and our celebrant, Chris Johnson was a great guy. We had many a beer together leading up to the day and some great chats- we felt like a friend was marrying us.”

This wedding was originally published in Issue 20. If you’d like to check out more from this issue, limited copies are available via our online store.

And if you’re looking for even more inspo once you’re done below, head here for all the gorgeous real weddings She Takes Pictures He Makes Films has caught on camera.