Hayley and James’ Delightful Dunsborough Wedding

Hayley & James

The delightful Dunsborough wedding of Hayley and James really did capture my attention. Beautiful celebrations under the stars after a classic black and white styled ceremony.  The couple chose a venue they had fallen in love with while they were dating – it allowed them the freedom to have a stunning ceremony, dinner under the stars and plenty of dancing – just as they had dreamt of! Gavin Wyatt Photography captured the day in beautiful photographs.

Hayley starts us off with their story.  “I lived with James’ cousin Michelle in London and we met through her and also knew each other through my close friend Mikki.”

Indy Bloom created the floral arrangements for the day, Hayley telling, “Our flowers were put together beautifully by our florist Tahnee at Indy Bloom, who’s creativity was overwhelming! The first time I cried was when Tahnee brought in the beautiful bouquets. I didn’t have much to do with the flowers I just gave her my theme and some colours and what she produced was beyond amazing!”

Hayley wore a strapless gown with a sweetheart bodice by Pallas Couture. Her bridesmaids chose black gowns from Seduce.

Hayley and James chose Empire Retreat for their wedding, remembering, “We stayed at Empire Retreat and fell in love with the property, especially the shearing shed. After 6 months of being together, it was our first weekend away together and although it was probably a bit premature but also off-the-cuff, we both said ‘if we ever get married we will absolutely do it here!’ and nearly 3 years later we did!”

Hayley walked down the aisle to “Higher Love by James Vincent McMorrow (performed by our acoustic musician Melanie Timms – beautiful).”

Of their photographer, Hayley tells, “We used Gavin Wyatt Photography. James was mates with Gavin through a mutual friend and he also had done some work with James’ dad in the past. Even though Gavin had moved interstate we loved his photos and style from other weddings he had done. We didn’t know he was there most of the time. He was brilliant to have around on the day!”

There were a few fun DIY touches, including massive letters! Hayley tells, “The huge J and H letters were something we saw in a bridal magazine and loved them. James was given the task to build these letters and he made them as big as possible. He brought his dad into this task and they many laughs. Not really sure what we are to do with them now?”

Empire Events styled the reception, each guest receiving a handmade candle from Soaps For The Soul as a wedding favor.

The speeches were a highlight of the night for the bride who remembers, “The speeches and readings our friends and family gave were really special to us, also the MC is a close school friend of mine (Hayley’s) and was brilliant on the night.”

The first dance was to Angus & Julia Stone – Babylon. Hayley remarking, “We love the lyrics, and have our own interpretation of them.. “rest your head – you’re all mine. And I stay awake, I won’t go home.” Hayley has trouble sleeping so James will normally try to stay awake with me until I fall asleep. Also when we first stayed at Empire (where the wedding was) we played Angus & Julia on repeat – particularly that song. We talked a lot during the first dance, we laughed and swapped stories on how our day was going so far – it was a great moment de-briefing the night so far.”

Congratulations to you both Hayley and James! Thank you for sharing your story with us! Thank you to Gavin Wyatt Photography for sharing today’s wedding!