A Vintage Rustic Wedding With A 1950s Twist

Simon and Tegan

Weddings. Are. The. BEST.

Simon and I had a blast creating our big day. From the moment we started talking about our impending nuptials, we both agreed that we wanted to keep it fairly low-key and do things our way, even if it meant straying from tradition. We decided to run with a vintage/rustic aesthetic that paid homage to the 1950s. The wedding took place at Mona Country Manor House  in the historic town of Braidwood, a small town that I have visited since I was a child, and the perfect destination for our guests to enter a 1950s time-warp.

We asked all guests to dress 1950s and, true to form, Braidwood was temporarily invaded by a small army of tea-length dresses, wiggle dresses, braces, hats, bow ties, skinny ties, lace gloves – it was like stepping onto a set of Mad Men. I wore an ivory dress by Dolly Couture, a wreath by Serenity Crystal, a belt by Alannah Hill My beautiful life clipand shoes by Melissa. My hair was by Miss Viki from Do or Dye Canberra and my make-up by Angelina Broso Make-up. Photography was by Cloudface Photography and By Emporia.

The lovely James Pender played an acoustic version of ‘Tale as Old as Time’ from Beauty and the Beast while I walked down the aisle (we’re big fans of classic Disney flicks).

We asked our good friend, Chris, to be our ‘unofficial’ celebrant. I am all for doing the legalities separately and getting a good friend to step in as celebrant – it just makes the service feel so much more personal. I also felt very comfortable on the day with Chris by my side and Simon in front of me. Chris wrote a heart-felt, funny and inclusive service, which featured his introduction as the ‘Gay of Honour’, a presentation of ‘eligible bachelors and bachelorettes’, and a group oath dedicated to ‘spreading the love’. And spread the love we did.

Before and after the ceremony, drinks were served in mason jars from the gorgeous vintage caravan, I am Norma. We also set up hay bales for seats and lawn games to keep people entertained – this went down a treat.

Our reception was held at the Garan Vale Woolshed. We decided to have a cocktail party to encourage everyone to mingle and, of course, hit the dance floor whenever they pleased. Food was courtesy of Vanilla Catering and the Baker Boys Band provided live music for the night. The six-piece band was incredible, the guys managed to get people dancing that we had never seen dance before! I decided on a surprise dress change from my tea-length 1950s number to a long, peach lace vintage dress that I fell in love with in an op shop one day. I also wore an original 1950s pink floral headpiece from New York.

In addition to all of the vintage paraphernalia I have collected over time, I spent a lot of lunch breaks thrifting to bring together my vintage vision – I collected jars, old vintage bottles, vintage china saucers, lace table cloths, picnic blankets, doilies, old suitcases, 50s records, original 50s magazines, books and more. With the help of my family and some special friends, we had some fun DIY days making programs from 1950s romance comic postcards, paper pom poms and tree decorations, wooden signs and cookie favors wrapped in paper CD envelopes. A good friend of mine made endless metres of bunting from doilies and vintage fabrics, and a paper sky-scape featuring paper clouds, kites and hot air balloons. We also managed to survive a few afternoons spray-painting milk crates pink for make-shift seating. It was these details that ultimately made our day reflect us.

Flowers were from Bunyip Jungle in Braidwood. We had fun arranging the flowers ourselves the day before the wedding when we were setting up in the woolshed. I wanted predominantly wild flowers to fit with rustic feel of the woolshed, but was also mindful of choosing soft, pastel coloured flowers to fit with the overall vintage aesthetic. We used lavender, baby’s breath, yellow billy buttons, green wheat, white, pink, yellow and cream chrysanthemums, and pink-tipped white lisianthus.

The dessert buffet was scattered with delectable treats –  lollies and home-baked cakes and slices courtesy of my Mum, my sister, my bridesmaids and one of my bridesmaid’s Mums. My friend also baked a big multi-layered white chocolate rainbow cake for our wedding cake. We had a drinks stand with organic homemade lemonade, which was a nice alternative for the kids and for those who were driving.

If I had one piece of advice for other brides-to-be planning their weddings, it would be to make sure your day is built around what you and your partner love and value. Also, make sure you take a moment together during and after the wedding to reflect on the day… it will (hopefully) be one of the most memorable days of your life but it goes by very quickly, so soak it up!

Photography by Cloudface Photography and By Emporia

Ms Gingham says: What a beautiful, joyful wedding! I love all the vintage details done to perfection! Congratulations to Tegan and Simon.

Tegan says: “I am 27 years old. I live in Canberra, Australia.I love styling and decorating, whether it be styling myself, a room in my house or an event – I have a very keen interest in exploring different aesthetics.”