Samantha & Chris
I’m not sure a day could get any better than sharing such a heartfelt and intimate wedding day such as the intimate country wedding of Samantha and Chris. Ruby Yeo was there to capture it all in every teeny moment and every wonderful memory.
Samantha tells the story of how she met Chris. “We met via an online dating site, like many couples these days do! I had a private profile, and after a few weeks of checking potential suitors off against my long list of “must haves”, I eventually shortlisted three – Chris being one of them. After a few emails worth of witty banter with Chris, I was smitten, and by the second date we had both agreed to close down our profiles. The rest, as they say, is history!”
Samantha and Chris chose the beautiful Tannamurra Homestead for their wedding! They note, “It’s a privately owned, Tuscan-inspired villa in the Perth Hills. As Chris’s family were visiting from Canada, we needed a venue which could not only accommodate them for a week, but also one that showcased everything our beautiful city / country has to offer! The venue suited our requirements to a tee – from the perfectly manicured gardens, to the amazing views, to the friendly local wildlife.”
The couple decided on a first look, with a surprise guest! Samantha explains, “Ruby and I colluded for months to create a “first look” with a difference! We wanted something fun (hence the silly glasses), and to build suspense (hence sending Lachy out in my place initially). Unfortunately Lachlan is not the best at being sneaky, thus I suspect the element of surprise was lost on Chris!”
Of her walk down the aisle, Samantha remembers, “I chose ‘Give Me Your Forever’ by Ben Harper. The lyrics really resonated with both of us, and we just knew that our musician, Trevor Jalla, would do an amazing job of it. Every time we’ve been to one of his gigs since, he’s either played this or our impromptu first dance song for us – it’s such a kind gesture and, as you can imagine, evokes some pretty happy memories for us.”
Travis Rickson performed the ceremony, Samantha noting, ” Whilst it is an important part of every ceremony to make promises to one’s spouse, Chris and I had another very important person to make promises to. After first reciting our vows to each other, we then took turns reciting each line of our “vows” to Lachy. It was a very touching part of the ceremony (not just for us, but for our parents also), and one that I hope we will all hold each other to.”
The littlest family member received a very special surprise. “To commemorate the occasion, our wedding celebrant presented Lachlan with his very own star (strategically selected from the constellation Phoenix), which we had named officially through the Sydney Observatory as “Lach’s Star”. Lachy was absolutely gobsmacked to receive such a special gift, and Ruby captured the moment perfectly.”
The decor was largely handmade by the bride and her family, who notes, “Many of the larger scene setters we had earmarked on an earlier stay at Tannamurra (the house is full of rustic European antiques), however we supplemented with additional pieces from Hire Society. For the smaller more decorative details, we DIY-ed pretty much everything! I was working full-time in the lead up to the wedding (as well as planning a two week travel itinerary either side of it!), which meant that many Sunday afternoons were spent with either my Mum or bridesmaid Louise making backdrops, sewing picnic blankets and pillows, and cutting doilies to size for jars, milk bottles or garlands. We also created a bohemian inspired tent (so that we had somewhere cozy to retreat to throughout the day), and even “the boys” assisted by constructing the ceremony arch and signage. In addition, Louise had recently DIY-ed a number of decorations for her sister’s similarly themed wedding, so these came in handy as the deadline rapidly approached!”
Samantha remarks, “We loved the post-ceremony picnic and chilling on the lawn, sipping Dom Perignon and listening to our favourite tunes.”
The couple snuck off and enjoyed a bottle of wine together post ceremony.
The couple had two first dances, explaining, “We had always agreed upon using “our song” (‘You Make It Real’ by James Morrison) for our first dance, so I sourced a beautiful acoustic version (strings and all!) which for some reason decided not to stream quite so beautifully on the night. I tried desperately to get lost in the moment, but the crackling and popping kind of ruined it for everyone else! Fortunately Trevor Jalla had treated us earlier in the day to an impromptu first dance (‘Everything’ by our favourite Canadian crooner, Michael Buble), so Ruby was able to catch some gorgeous moments from that – including my new husband taking a moment to play air guitar toward the end of the song. Each time I look back at our photos, these particular images make me smile the widest, so we’re definitely indebted to Trevor and Ruby for the memories they inadvertently helped to create!”
As an ode to the processional, Samantha notes “I also wrapped each letter of the song title in yarn and we hung it in the void between two hedges at our ceremony spot. It (and the amazing view of the Perth city skyline behind it) provided a stunning backdrop for several of our favourite photos.”
Of their photographer, Samantha remarks, “After weeks of researching and comparing around 30 Perth-based photographers, I just couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful photo-journalistic approach of Ruby Yeo. I had seen her work previously on Polka Dot Bride, and the way she captured the relaxed vibe of one particular celebration (Lisa & Phil’s rustic picnic wedding) had me convinced that there was no other photographer for us. Despite the fact that Ruby is only in Perth for three months of the year, she somehow managed to squeeze us into her busy schedule. We are so grateful for the beautiful memories that Ruby has helped to create and capture, and the ease with which we were able to share her work via social media and across the globe.”
Ryan John Private Chef catered the reception dinner, Samantha remembering, “For the reception, we employed a private chef to prepare our favourite foods for the first two courses, pairing each of the four meal options with two different wine options. We closed the evening with a dessert buffet, which featured petit fours by Ryan John, a wedding cake made lovingly by Louise (Cakes By Louise), and a tiered cheese “cake” with the necessary accompaniments.”
The wedding had a grand total of thirteen guests! Samantha explaining, “We only had our nearest and dearest present (13 in total), including four guests from Canada and two from Queensland. Chris and I are both fairly low-key people, however as we still quite enjoy the finer things in life, we could think of no better solution than to host a refined dinner party exclusively for the enjoyment of our favourite people. The atmosphere couldn’t have been more relaxed, and we never experienced the post-wedding guilt that many other newlyweds do of not having spent quality time with each and every guest.”
Congratulations on your marriage Samantha & Chris! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Ruby Yeo for sharing today’s wedding!
What a beautiful and intimate wedding!!!