Ashley and Jason’s Cheerful Winery Wedding

Ashley & Jason

There is something about Ashley and Jason’s winery wedding that is utterly cheerful!  There’s the cheerful yellow colour tones, the cheerful guests and of course the cheerful newlyweds who took time and care to ensure the elements of the day reflected who they are, without taking away the sense of occasion. Captured beautifully by Fennel & Fox Photography.

Ashley chose a stunning gown from Brides of Melbourne. The stationery, featuring yellow chevron was handmade by the couple.

Chick Flicks Event Hair styled the bride and bridesmaids hair while Beth Haywood Make-up styled their makeup.

One of Ashley’s favourite memories was,  “The look on my father’s face when he saw me come down the stairs in my wedding dress, it was like a fairytale.”

Ashley and Jason chose Jack Rabbit Vineyard for their wedding, noting, “When searching for a venue, we wanted to find a place that was as welcoming as it was beautiful. From the moment we arrived at Jack Rabbit the first time we visited, we knew that it was the perfect location for us, with its sweeping ocean views over the vines, it was absolutely breathtaking.”

For the processional, Ashley remembers, “Two of my close friend played acoustic guitar and sang me down the aisle. I selected ‘I Won’t Give Up’ by Jason Mraz but mixed it with ‘Annie’s Song’ by John Denver, the song my mother walked down the aisle to. As expected, she was in tears when I reached the end.”

Jason Tuazon-McCheyne  performed the ceremony. Ashley remarking, “The fact that in the years that Jason and I have been together I have only ever seen him cry once, but on our wedding day he broke into tears at least 3 times. It really touched my heart.”

“It was love, sunshine and happiness all wrapped up into what was a perfect day to celebrate not only our love for each other but for our friends and family.”

Moss Industry Weddings created the cheerful floral arrangements for the day. Ashley’s bridesmaids wore mustard yellow dresses by Charlie Brown.

Of their photographers, Ashley notes, “Just spectacular. She really captured the feeling of the day in every shot that was taken. Ursula and Lisa from Fennel & Fox Photography made everyone feel comfortable, making sure they blended in with the guests to capture the perfect moments. I couldn’t have been happier with my decision to chose them and I want everyone else to be just as happy as I was. I would recommend Fennel & Fox to every bride.”

The couple made a charity donation instead of traditional favors, Ashely explaining, “We chose to donate money to charities on behalf of our guests instead of the traditional bonbonniere. Our chosen charities were AIDS Trust Australia and Children First. Each guest was present with a small card saying “A donation has been made on your behalf. Thank you for your generosity”. This was very warmly received.”

There was one extra special message for guests to carry. “One thing Jason and I were, and are, very passionate about is marriage equality. We believe that everyone should have the right to legally celebrate their love for their partner, regardless of their gender, by getting married. We didn’t want to force this on our guests, as everyone has the right to their own opinion, so we created white knot cards and they were given our to guests when they arrived for the ceremony. The white knot ribbon was to be worn for the day. To our surprise, every one of our guests chose to wear the ribbon.”

Tables were represented with herbs. “I had edible table numbers. Basil, Thyme and Rosemary. I gifted them to one person on each table so they could plant them at home and let the love grow.”

The first dance kicked off the reception. Ashley remembering, “We greeted our guests with the first dance. After being introduced as Mr and Mrs Mill we took to the dance floor and gently swayed to ‘That’s All’ by Michael Buble, which my band The Bombastics, learnt especially for me. Surprisingly my eyes stayed dry, but as I looked into my new husbands face, I saw tears running down his cheeks. It was just perfect.”

Dancing was a priority for the bride, who recalls, “My band The Bombastics‘ where phenomenal. Very professional, always willing to help or go over and above what was asked of them and also not too pricey. I have already recommended them to many other brides, family members and friends that are planning events.”

The bouquet toss was replaced with something far more special to the bride. She tells, “I had decided that I didn’t want to throw my bouquet. Instead I chose to give it away to someone there on the night. I had already decided who I would like to give it to so when that part of the evening arrived, I stood up and took the microphone to say a few words as to why I was choosing this person. Standing there I was suddenly overwhelmed with my feelings for this person and sad that the night was coming to an end that I broke down in tears. Through my sobs I managed to say that this person meant the world to me, that I was proud of them for how far they had come and grown over the last year and that I wish them all the love and happiness in the world as they had finally found their one true love, luck was no longer needed. My friend Mel was the recipient and as she approached to take the bouquet we both burst into tears again. It was one of the most beautiful moments.”

Ashley spent the week of the wedding baking so guests could enjoy a plethora of sweet treats. She tells, “After quickly realising how much weddings can cost, I decided that I would DIY as much as I could. One of the things I am most proud of was instead of having a traditional wedding cake, my bridesmaids, mother, mother in law and myself created a dessert buffet for everyone to enjoy. The week leading up to the wedding saw us baking caramel slice, salted chocolate and pistachio fudge, honey joys, mini carrot cakes with cream cheese icing and so much more. As expected, the kids tucked into the treats straight after dinner and the adults quickly followed, leaving not one piece at the end of the night.”

Congratulations on your marriage Ashley and Jason! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Fennel & Fox Photography for sharing the wedding with us.