Megan and Matt
A garden wedding in a historic homestead always tickles my fancy. Perhaps it’s the echoes of the couples that have married before, the buildings that have architecture so simply stunning from times gone by and the gardens, aren’t the gardens always amazing? Megan and Matt chose the amazing Ripponlea Estate with Tania Savage Photography capturing each and every moment.
Megan recalls the story of how she and Matt came to marry. “Matt and I met through a mutual friend at a party nine years ago (2004). We hit it off straight away and have been almost inseparable ever since.”
Megan chose a gown from Baccini & Hill. She remembers “I absolutely loved my dress. Originally I was planning on getting a dress in London or Paris however I really wanted an Australian design and I fell in love with the Baccini and Hill ‘Vienna’ dress online. I tried the dress on one year before the wedding and knew it was the one immediately. Baccini and Hill were fantastic they who were able to work with my limited visits to Australia to make the dress and every time I went for a fitting I loved the dress more and more.”
The bride’s favourite accessory was a surprise from her husband-t0-be. She tells the story. “During the lead up to the wedding I couldn’t find the right jewellery for the day. After days of searching with no success Matt surprised me with a diamond bracelet from Charles Rose . He had chosen the most perfect bracelet that complimented the beading work on my dress.”
Megan’s mum helped design the stationery in keeping with the couple’s garden style. Megan tells, “Because we were getting married in the gardens of Ripponlea I wanted a garden/flower theme to be incorporated into the details. Matt and I created a garden design for our wedding invitations and my mum (an amazing artist) drew them for us. Consequently Mum drew our invitations, RSVPs, envelopes, wedding programs and place cards. She worked via email with me from across the world, and once she had finished the design, I made them all up.”
Megan and Matt chose Ripponlea Estate for their wedding day, a childhood dream of the brides, who recounts, “For as long as I can remember I always wanted to get married at the Ripponlea Estate. The gardens are beautiful, and there are so many nice places it was hard to chose a ceremony location within the grounds. We loved the idea of having the ceremony and reception rolled into one seamless event. We didn’t want it disjointed by moving locations and Ripponlea allowed us to do this.”
Megan walked down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon In D.
Denise Martin performed the ceremony. Megan remarking, “She was wonderful! Denise was so easy to work with and her gentle and friendly nature was reassuring. She always kept in contact and helped us step by step leading up to the wedding. Furthermore it felt like we were married by a friend not a stranger on the day. I couldn’t recommended her highly enough to other brides.”
Brett Currell styled the event, including the incredible bunches and masses of peonies. Megan remembers, “Flowers were one of the most important aspects of the wedding. I wanted a garden/flower theme and Brett did an amazing job. He listened to exactly what I wanted and filled me with confidence when we met. When I think back to the day and look through our photos I fall in love with the flowers again. Brett managed to capture exactly what I wanted and exceeded expectations. I still get compliments about the flowers 12 months on from our wedding day!”
The couple made use of the homestead’s extensive lawns. Megan remembering, “After the ceremony by the lake our guests were able to enjoy drinks and canapés by the pool or play a game of croquet in front of the mansion while we had a quick walk around the grounds with Tania for photographs.”
Megan’s bridesmaids wore soft blue dresses from Watters. Megan explaining “Before I had decided any of the details or colour theme of the wedding I knew the colour of the bridesmaids dresses. Unfortunately it was a colour that was very difficult to find. After months of searching I found these Watters dresses in Dupioni Silk. It was very difficult organising dresses for three bridesmaids who were on the other side of the world. My wonderful mum tailored the dresses to each bridesmaid to ensure they all fit perfectly.”
Of their photographer, Megan remarks, “Relaxed and natural photos were what we wanted from our photographer and Tania did exactly that. Tania and Richard (her husband) were amazing through the day, both reassuring and reliable. Additionally we wanted to maximise time with our guests and minimise time spent having photographs. Consequently Tania’s familiarity with the location meant that we were able to get the memorable pictures without losing valuable time with our guests.”
After cocktail hour, guests headed into Ripponlea Estate‘s grand ballroom for a feast catered by Peter Rowland. Megan explaining, “We loved the ballroom with its unique 1920’s charm. Straight after we got engaged I took Matt to Ripponlea, and Matt fell in love with it too. And although it was a long wait for our perfect date (almost two years) it was worth waiting for.
The staff at Peter Rowland were amazing. Matt and I were living in London for most of our engagement consequently I did most of the wedding planning by correspondence. Peter Rowland were very understanding and helpful with all details. It was great to know I could trust the staff to handle our important day.”
Guests received chocolates – completely personalised as wedding favors. Megan telling, “We decided to link M’s from our names (Megan and Matt) and bought m&m’s matching our colour scheme (pale pink, blue and ivory) from the m&m store in Leicester Square, London. We then bottled them and sent them to Australia.”
The French Lettuce created a three tier wedding cake topped with fresh blooms.
Of their first dance, Megan remembers, “Matt and I were both a bit apprehensive about our first dance. Neither of us are confident dancers however the week leading up to our wedding we choreographed a dance to Michael Buble’s “Everything”. And we managed to pull it off without a hitch!”
Congratulations Megan and Matt! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Tania Savage Photography for sharing today’s images with us!
Beautiful! Love the look of the reception and all those gorgeous flowers throughout 🙂