It’s that time again, guys! Throwback Thursday is here and this glorious day, originally printed in the Real Wedding Special Volume 8, showcases the magnificent WA landscape, shot magnificently by James Simmons Photography. Katie and Georgia’s wedding was filled with sparkle, joy and SO much love, much like the gals themselves. We’ll let them fill you in on all the best bits…
THE INSPO “The Yallingup area has always been really special to us, and there’s just something about the landscape, colours and lifestyle – the brown grass of the paddock, the blue ocean and laid-back approach. Katie’s family were all due to come out from Ireland and London for the wedding and most had never been to Australia, so we wanted to make it a really West Australian experience.”
DIY “We made a pinata wedding cake the day before the wedding, filled with tacky op shop sunnies and pre-packed shots – it was probably a bit too much to tackle the day before, but we got Katie’s brother and his partner involved and made it a bit of fun over a few drinks. The final result was a bit of a disaster but we used it and the sunnies were a hilarious addition to the dancefloor as the night wore on. The arbour was decorated using some fresh and dried flowers and leaves from friends’ farms in the area, and my mum and her friends put it all together. It just framed the backdrop to the ceremony perfectly.”
TRADITIONS “An Acknowledgement of Country was important for us to start the ceremony, and we taught all our guests to say ‘cead mile failte’ to the zoom camera for Katie’s parents, family and friends watching from around the world. It means ‘a hundred thousand welcomes’ in Gaelic, and we wanted to acknowledge Katie’s family not being there but also feeling like they are a part of the day.”
THE DRESSES “We both found our dresses relatively easily, and went to only a handful of shops. Neither of us had much of a clue about what we wanted, however we both had pretty amazing bridesmaids that made us try on a whole bunch of different styles until the right dress, Karen Willis Holmes for Katie, and Madi Lane for me, just stood out for each of us. We didn’t see or tell each other anything about our dresses so it was a complete surprise on the day.”
REFERENCES “We did a lot of research on all of the vendors to find the right look and feel for the day. Hello May and Instagram were our top picks for inspiration, as well as recommendations from family friends with local insights.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “James Simmons, our photographer, was incredible to work with. He made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera, which is definitely not usually the case for us. Katie and I were so caught up with each other on the day, we barely even noticed him taking all these spectacular photos. Going for our photos ended up being one of our favourite parts of the day. Feeling like we were alone, overlooking the spectacular coast, laughing and dragging our dresses through dirt, it’s a time we’ll cherish.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Try different locations to do your wedding planning. When it was all getting a bit stressful we would go away camping for a night or even just to a cool cafe or bar somewhere to do our planning. The change of scene really helped us make the whole process super fun and gave us the opportunity to think a bit differently about how we wanted the day to go.”
If you’re feeling inspired by Katie and Georgia’s big day (and we have a feeling you might just be), you can get even more of the details in the Real Wedding Special Volume 8, which is available over at our online store. While you’re out there a-clickin’, take a squiz at our directory for all our fave vendors, such as fab photographer James Simmons and gown guru Karen Willis Holmes.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer James Simmons Photography Cinematographer Wyatt Wedding Films Stylist & Hire Items The Zest Group Florist De La Terre Stationery Paper Fusion Printer Paperlust Ceremony & Reception Eagle Bay Farm via The Zest Group Catering Supper Road, Dunsborough Cellars, Forest Hill Wines Glassware South West Event Studio Sound Hire Sound Pro Entertainment The Broken Pokers Celebrant Nina Durack Rings Nina’s Jewellery Transport Gannaways Toilets EventRent Jackets Rachel Burke Earrings Chachi HairAngela Mee Makeup Jasmine Hair & Makeup THE BRIDE (Katie, brunette) Gown Karen Willis Holmes Shoes Tony Bianco THE BRIDE (Georgia, blonde) Gown Madi Lane