Cosy Autumn Red Hill Wedding - Polka Dot Wedding

Annie & Alex’s cosy autumn Red Hill wedding was one of the many postponed several years ago. During this time, they have collected memories, created a home together, and quietly eloped – which made it all the more special when they finally had the chance to celebrate their love with their nearest & dearest, captured by Danae from Me & My Camera. As they were already legally married they asked a close friend to perform the ceremony and he was able to tell many personal and heartwarming stories to the intimate crowd. Overlooking the scenic views of the Red Hill hinterland, surrounded by beautiful autumn foliage the wedding was as picturesque as it was unique. As the night fell, under pontoon lights the guests snuggled up by the campfire, for some red wine, wood-fired pizzas, and great conversation.

Annie tells us about their wedding…

We had been doing long-distance while Alex was studying at Stanford University in California, and had planned for me to fly over on a 3-week trip to the US over the Christmas and New Year break. Once I arrived, Alex took me for a tour around the campus and found a quiet spot near the Memorial Church to propose. It was a complete surprise, so much so that I got down on my knees too when I said yes!

We married at the beautiful and rustic Butterfly Red Hill Farm House & Gallery. It was relaxed and perfect as we could have the ceremony, drinks and canapés and reception all in one space. We stayed there the night before and there was space for us both to get ready there with our wedding party.

Alex wore a suit tailor-made in San Francisco, at Tailors’ Keep.

Annie wore a lace dress purchased from a bridal boutique in Malvern, Victoria.

As our wedding had been postponed previously, we had decided to have a low-key elopement before our wedding celebration with family and friends. We asked a close friend to perform the ceremony on the day for us and it felt very fun and intimate with no need to worry about the traditional formalities. For the flowers I wanted something bright with autumn tones and The Flower Press Co. crafted a beautiful flower arbour for us which was perfect.

We were very keen to have a laid-back, minimal-fuss garden wedding. Initially, we had planned a summer garden wedding, but due to a couple of lockdown-related postponements, we ended up having a beautiful autumnal wedding. The atmosphere was very cosy, warm, and relaxed. We wanted it to be a gathering of family and friends in an understated celebration, in a way that made the most of the natural beauty of the autumn season in the gardens and the rustic feel of the venue.

Danae from Me & My Camera was our photographer and videographer and she capture our day in a unique photo film style. The photographs and films she created were absolutely beautiful. She put such care and effort into this, it really shows in her work. I love that she was able to capture the warm and relaxed mood of the evening as well as the autumn feel of the day. Also, amazing that she pretty much managed to get a great photo of every single guest. Alex and I were both extremely happy with her videos and photographs and shared them with our friends and family who are also super impressed.

My best girlfriends from high school wore their own dresses fitting in with the autumn theme, and Alex’s two brothers and best friend wore matching blue suits.

Houghtons Food Store put together an incredible dessert table for us and Sweets For Tilly created a timeless and delicious cake with florals on top. We had a photo board with our cherished memories on it and the special people in our lives. We had a cute wooden sign made with our names for the front of the ceremony and a hand-crafted wishing well box. We also had a photo booth run by Bear Booth which was a lot of fun on the night and rustic wood fired pizzas from Il Padrino Woodfire Pizza.

We had to plan our wedding several times due to the postponement and our planners – Dream Catcher Weddings – were absolutely incredible, they really took all the stress away so we could just focus on enjoying the day. I loved putting all the small details together and seeing the colours come to life. We really had a dream team and everyone worked so hard to create our special vision of the day.

Bringing everyone together after being away and a tough few years was really special, and having great support from our friends and family putting everything together and crafting all of the special little details of the day.