Fun Garden Wedding - Polka Dot Wedding

Ashtyn & Patrick

A fun garden wedding never goes astray and today’s backyard celebration is full of fun moments, happy moments and love filled moments. So it ticks all the Polka Dot boxes! The two handmade, or worked with family and friends to create most of the elements of their day- from origami flowers guests pinned to their dresses and suits as they arrived, to the wedding arch they married under. Each little detail was carefully thought out. Ashtyn and Patrick chose We Are Alchemy to capture their wedding day.

Of how they became engaged, Ashtyn tells, “We had been together for almost 10 years when Pat proposed. We met at high school when Pat was the new kid at school and have been together ever since! We chose the ring together and then Pat proposed a few months later one Saturday afternoon on a favourite walk of ours … without the ring! I got the ring the next day when we got back home. It was great! It was a whole weekend event.”

Pat adds, “Ash and I got together in high school. In early 2014 I proposed to her at one of our favourite bush walks/look outs down on the Great Ocean Road. Her extended family was staying down there with us at the time so it was great to be able to share the special moment with them too.”

Ashtyn chose a gown by Grace Loves Lace, she remembers “My dress was the Loren Chiffon from Grace Loves Lace (swoon!). I was totally open to buying a second hand dress (as long as it met my criteria of being ‘backyard’ appropriate and comfortable to eat and dance in!!) Next thing I know, less than a month after our engagement, this baby popped up on ebay!

I bought it so quickly that I realised only a few minutes later I didn’t even ask the girl I was buying it from how tall she was! Thankfully she was the same height as me, meant to be! I altered the straps slightly from the way I bought it and I was done, easy! It was such an exciting experience from start to finish. And, man! That dress was so comfortable!”

The couple chose to meet before the ceremony to maximise the time with their guests.

The couple chose the backyard of Ashtyn’s parent’s home for their wedding day. The bride noting, “We were incredibly lucky to have our entire wedding at my parent’s house! From the minute we were wedding planning we knew our dream venue. Thankfully they said yes! It was so much fun preparing everything as a family and oh-so-special on the day to be celebrating with our nearest and dearest in our childhood backyard!”

Pat adds, “From the start we were set on getting married at Ash’s parent’s place. There is a lot of history there for all of us and we wanted that to be part of the day. I suppose we were extra lucky in that not only is their home such a beautiful property, but Mark and Linley put in a huge amount of time and effort getting the grounds and house in top shape for the ceremony and reception.”

Of their photographer, Ashtyn and Patrick remark, “We loved her from the moment we first met. She made us feel so comfortable and was always listening to our crazy plans. Her work is just beautiful and well beyond what we ever expected. She is just lovely, as are her photos!”

Seriousness did not come into play for Ashtyn and Patrick – an inflatable swan and flamingo even had a veil and bow tie made for them to get into the spirit, Ashtyn telling, “I totally fell in love with the giant inflatable birds we made into a bride and groom! They managed to stay upright the whole night too, bonus!”

Ashtyn tells, “I love a good ‘crafternoon’! I felt like every moment of planning, collecting and making everything for all of our projects was a treat! We made all the bunting ourselves (with the great expertise of my mum), the cushion covers on the hay bales, the origami flowers, the twine covered jars and the arch for the ceremony. We also put together our own save the dates and invites. ”

Ashtyn walked down the aisle with her father to Cat Power’s Sea Of Love.

Ashtyn remarks, “We wanted a vibe that was fun, happy and ‘us’. We didn’t stick to many traditions. We stayed together the night before, worked to set everything up together on the day, had photos together before the ceremony and just stayed at our own house that night. We aimed to do as much as possible ourselves and involve friends and family, I think it made for a very love-filled atmosphere.

We also made the decision not to have bridesmaids or groomsmen which was a bit different. We instead chose to allocate roles to special people throughout the day (like Ash’s sister and Pat’s brother being witnesses at the ceremony) hoping this would create a relaxed atmosphere because no one had set ‘jobs’ to do! It’s not for everyone, but we loved it for the very relaxed style of wedding we had.”

The arch the couple married under used to be part of the swing-set Ashtyn and her sisters grew up playing on, the groom loved the sentiment. Not only that, but the spot was the exactly the same one as where Ash’s parent’s married thirty years earlier.

Guests enjoyed a feast from Luckman Catering and Kegs on Legs. Ash noting, “Every single vendor we were involved with was brilliant, we were absolutely blown away! We particularly bonded with our photographer Peta from We Are Alchemy, she really went above and beyond as did my sister’s two friends who shot our wedding film! It was their first wedding film, amazing! We were also really happy with the service provided by Kegs on Legs. The beer and cider were great and bar staff for very friendly and professional.”

For their first dance, Ashytn and Patrick chose Otis Redding ‘That’s how strong my love is”. There was no garter toss, instead the groom threw a football! Ash adds, “I loved dancing with Pat at the reception. I had a moment when we were dancing together under the sparkling lights surrounded by all our friends and family and I looked at him and thought I can’t believe I am looking at my ‘husband’ and we have achieved everything we dreamed of for our day.”