Real Weddings

Article by

Dani Connor

Posted on

02/11/2023

Posted in

Real Weddings

Throwback Thursday is back, baby! We had a little break from sharing our favourite weddings from the print archives, but there’s just so much goodness to be found in past issues, it was time for a comeback. First cab off the ranks, we’ve got Heather and Tim, who’s Adelaide Hills wedding first appeared in our Real Wedding Special 2021 (unfortunately sold out, but you can nab a copy of the 2022 version here). Sold from the start on these two, Heather and Tim’s definition of marriage as “like undoing the top button of your jeans and relaxing after a big meal” is the most accurate we have read to date. After a decade together, that’s exactly what they were keen to do with food, wine and a big boogie on the cards, with the bride dressed to impress in stunning Moira Hughes Couture. Lauren Campbell also took the most beautiful photos of the amazing autumnal soiree, scroll down if you’d like to see…

THE INSPO “Autumn in the Adelaide Hills is magical. The colours are so vivid and spending time in the lush towns and vineyards is always a top priority for us. We wanted to capture this warmth and romance with hues of deep green foliage and pops of burgundy and gold, candles and firelight. It was very much an autumn wonderland. A focus on quality food and wine and a big band with a horn section ensured it was a dinner party on a grand scale to remember.”

THE DRESS We were living in Sydney at the time and my friend had recently gotten married and had her dress made by Moira Hughes. She spoke so highly of her so Moira’s boutique in Paddington was my first port of call. I fell in love with my dress as soon as I saw it. It’s cliché but it was literally the first dress I tried on. I was instantly drawn to the stunning glass and pearl beaded lace. Moira was a joy to work with and made me feel completely at ease. Her designs are so classic and elegant and I had complete confidence in her throughout the whole process.”

REFERENCES “I poured through wedding magazines, especially Hello May, and looked up many vendors listed in the directory sections too. There was a lot of very deep googling and word of mouth recommendations from friends and other contacts, and setting up Pinterest boards was really helpful too. It took a LOT of research so I have much admiration for people who can turn weddings around with super short engagements.”

MEMORABLE MOMENT “Following the ceremony, where endorphins were running high, and we were able to just relax and enjoy the company of our loved ones around us. Lauren Campbell our photographer took us and our wedding parties for a walk to take photos, and we spent an hour having a glass of bubbles, constantly cracking jokes all while the sun was starting to set over that serene setting.”

DIY “A lot of the wedding was DIY. We brought everything in ourselves and hired from multiple vendors to create the look we wanted. My mum, Sue, made the table numbers from slices of wood cut from a fallen tree up in the Adelaide Hills where we keep a couple of horses. Tim’s dad made his legendary tomato relish for the wedding favours, all from tomatoes he grew himself and we designed and stuck our own logos on the jars. We also had a lot of fun setting up a whisky bar with Tim’s favourite whisky’s from our travels through Scotland.”

STANDOUT VENDOR “Our photographer, Lauren Campbell, was the first vendor we booked and we were thrilled with her photos. We gave her minimal direction before the day yet she had a knack of always being in the right place at the right time, and you’d forget she was there because she was so discreet!”

A WORD OF ADVICE “Plan well in advance, the devil is in the detail and enjoy every minute of it as the whole process is and should be great fun.”

For more real weddings from Lauren Campbell, check out her directory listing here. If you’re loving Heather’s Moira Hughes Couture gown as much as us, reach out here, or for the prettiest papergoods from Peppermint Press, head here.