Mel and Lynden

There’s nothing quite like an Australian country wedding. The golden fields, the rusty old buildings, the olive green of the trees! Today’s beautiful celebration comes to us from Nundle, NSW.

Today’s newlyweds Mel and Lynden met through a friend. “We met through a mutual friend. Our first date was on the back of Lynden’s bike to the Peel Inn Nundle for lunch-very romantic. This is why we chose the venue as it held a special place in our hearts.”

Image Photography captured today’s memories! Such a fun vibe runs throughout these shots and it’s clear Mel and Lynden were so happy and comfortable with their photographer! (I adore seeing the Australian landscape there too!)

Mel and Lynden were careful to include their families in every aspect of their day. Mel says, “ Everything was special to us. Nothing was done just because. My brother was the second witness on our marriage certificate. My sister in law and brother also read at the church. Lynden’s brother was best man. Both my father and step father walked me down the aisle together. All the families were included and I think it shows in the photos how special our families and friends are to us!” The boys wore Issimo suits.

Mel wore a gown from Bewitch Fashions with a veil made by her mother. She carried a bouquet by Weddings Only.

Mel’s bridesmaids wore asymmetrical black gowns made by Marilyn Binney of Tamworth, NSW.

Mel and Lynden were married at the Dungowan Catholic Church, Dungowan. Mel walked down the aisle to “Crazy Love” by Michael Buble.

The couple made sure to use venues in their photography that meant something to them. “ Odgers & McClelland Exchange Stores which is where we had some great photos taken on the front of the old verandah. . The only stipulation I had for Karissa was that we use this beautiful old shop in Nundle for background photos as it has the most beautiful verandah with red/orange leaves and old wares to buy, such as old millet brooms or a cordial mix your grandmother made for you when you were little. It’s such an old store and suited Lynden and myself perfectly”

The childlike elements, red balloons and fairy bread were chosen especially to represent their personalities. “ Karissa used red balloons and fairy bread as props in a few. Red is my favourite colour and we asked that a little art be incorporated into the photos. When I first met Karissa over coffee to talk about the big day I ordered fairy bread to have with our coffee. The staff asked where the kids were when they brought the fairy bread over but we explained it was for us. I wanted Karissa to know us as a couple and serious is not usually a word used to describe us so fairy bread just seemed perfect on the day.”


Lighting boxes scattered around the area were made by a friend,

Mel and her bridesmaids made a personalised seating plan. “It was something a little different showing the faces of the bridal party and the cool little caricature bodies drawn by Lynden, as well as the seating table cut outs for guests (butterflies). Lots of comments on this.”

Mel and Lynden held their reception at The Peel Inn. Mel says “The reception was held at the ‘Peel Inn’, Nundle. The Peel Inn meant a lot to us. We had our first date at this venue. After riding up on Lynden’s bike (45 minutes from Tamworth) we ate lunch and explored the town. It is such a beautiful, picturesque sleepy town. The vine which stretches out over the outside seating area of the Peel Inn, has leaves that change a beautiful red/orange when autumn begins. Our wedding was during autumn and we knew the venue would be one of the most important aspects of making this wedding so memorable for us and for our guests.

We loved Romona Babic, our event coordinator. Made everything run smoothly. Cue music, cue food, cue stress free great night!”

The black lace was a theme throughout the wedding, from the invitations Mel & Lynden made, to the centrepieces to decorating the cake. Mel says “ The cake was made by every woman in our family – Fruit cake by both mothers Denise and Narelle, the mud cake by my sisters-in-law Leanne and Jodie and the banana cake by our nieces Mackenzie and Caitlin.” The music for the day was provided by Matt Zarb.

The couple danced to “At Last”, the cover version by Beyonce.

One of Mel’s favourite memories happened after the “official” proceedings. “I loved the VIP after party that kicked on upstairs until the wee hours for all of the “stayers” on the night. Nathan and Bec Schofield from the Peel Inn kept our closest friends and family well watered upstairs for the after party late into the night.”

A big thank you to Mel and Lynden for sharing their wedding day on Polka Dot Bride! Congratulations! Thank you also to Image Photography for sharing today’s gorgeous photos!

Photos by Image Photography