Kat and Courtney
Courtney and I were married on 28 February 2015, at his family home, The Red House, in Yallingup, Western Australia. It was really important that our wedding was in a place that was meaningful to us. We have celebrated many Christmases and holidays at The Red House, and we feel very connected to the place.
From the start, we really wanted our wedding day to feel fun and relaxed and to be a reflection of us as a couple. Our whimsical stationery with a sweet cat and owl illustration was designed by Mitchell & Dent.
My hair was done by Lisa McIver whilst Sophie Farrar and Jessica Bridge did my make up; I was so happy with the result!
I wore a custom-made wedding dress by Elvi Design, silk flower crown by Olive Farm Designs and Hobbs Shoes.
Courtney wore a Country Road suit and tie and shoes from Hype DC.
We decided pretty early that we wanted to share the experience with our friends. Our bridal party, which we called our ‘bridal crew’, totalled seventeen people! We booked two houses for everyone to stay in, and it turned out (by pure coincidence) that these two houses were right next door to The Red House! In the days leading up to and after the wedding, we had around thirty people staying close by. I know it sounds crazy, and it is definitely not for everyone, but this made it so special for us. It was one of the best things we did for our wedding.
The home provided us with a lot of inspiration and it allowed us to create the wedding of our dreams. The colour palette we selected was green turquoise, watermelon and grey. These colours were the base palette for the bridal party, the invitation, the blooms, some styling items and the dessert table. We felt these colours had a sweet, fun and playful feel whilst also complementing the colours of The Red House.
The Red House was already so beautifully furnished so any additional details we selected were neutral, with a rustic feel, allowing the style of the house to shine through. We loved the look of bunting, so this was a feature when we were deciding on the set up. Bunting looks beautiful by day and can be transformed by strings of lights at night.
Stunning bush land surrounded us and we wanted blooms that would complement this. So naturally we selected mostly native plants and flowers as well as King Proteas (because I absolutely love them!) We had been given many different jars in all shapes and sizes and we used these as vases.
Our ceremony took place on the western side of the backyard, surrounded by trees and bushland. During the ceremony, the sun was at a beautiful spot behind us. My Dad and I as well as my eight ‘bridesmates’, two flower girls and our dog Maddie walked down the aisle to the Crystal Fighter’s song ‘At Home‘, which was remixed by one of our friends especially for the wedding day. It was a very moving moment for everyone and there were many happy tears.
Emma Dickson conducted the ceremony. We both wrote our own vows, which was very special. They meant a lot to us. Our wonderful friend Amaya delivered a beautiful reading which she wrote herself, based on song lyrics from some of our favourite artists. Neither of us had heard it before the day, which made it even more special and exciting!
We decided to ask our mothers to witness our marriage. It was a great way to honour and acknowledge the important role that they both play in our lives on the day.
As The Red House is located in the South West of Western Australia it has a wonderful holiday destination feel. We were lucky enough to have our wedding on a long weekend, which meant our guests were able to extend their stay. It is such a pretty part of the world and of course provided a beautiful backdrop for our wedding photos, taken by Gordon Becker Photography.
We also made and set up many of the elements ourselves, including the bunting, the flowers and styling, the dressing of the trees (which were draped in white fabric), the ceremony area including a candelabra covered in blooms, the photo booth and the dessert table (with some help from Heavenly High Tea – thank you Peta!)
Courtney’s dad and uncle even built a new area of decking before the wedding day, which became the stage for our speeches. We were so lucky to have so many creative and capable family and friends helping us with our wedding. The best thing about having the wedding at The Red House was that we were able to bring in many things that would not have been possible at a wedding venue, including a caravan for the photo booth backdrop!
We were also able to celebrate well into the night, which was a huge bonus – we didn’t want it to end! We had such a wonderful time at our wedding. Both of us have never felt so much joy ever before in our lives.
Ms Chinoiserie Says: Congratulations Kat and Courtney; what a fun wedding! Love the caravan backdrop for the photobooth!
About Kat: Hi, I’m Kat! I am a newlywed from Perth, Western Australia. We were married on 28 February 2015 at my husband’s family home in Yallingup (down south Western Australia). It was the best day and I am so pleased I have been able to share it with you!
Love these two! Pure joy to work with from go to woah!