Relaxed Country Garden Wedding

Nikita & Hugh

What does a wedding makeup artist do when she ties the knot? Well, apart from doing her own makeup, she turns the day into a heartfelt, intimate celebration in her own backyard. This relaxed country garden wedding is a beautiful sight to see and I can’t wait to dive in and tell the stories! Nikita and Hugh chose Silk Truffle Photography to photograph their day.

Nikita did her own hair and makeup (she styles other wedding makeup through her freelance business Nikita Lauren) while Colour.Beauty.Brides assisted. One of the couple’s favourite stories of the day was a complete accident. They tell, “We loved accidentally seeing one another in the morning, which allowed us to loose the nerves & actually help finish things off together. Hugh walked into the area where I was getting my hair done, and said “I thought you were going to be in another room,” and went to walk away. “Well you’ve seen me now, so come & give me a kiss!” is how I replied and received the biggest, best hug.”

Nikita chose a Pronovias gown from Sposa Bella. “I looked for months for a dress that fit my thoughts – slinky, unpretentious, unadorned & with a gorgeous low back. When I finally found something similar to what I wanted, I realised it was just ‘too plain’ for me. Pronovias had a beautiful assortment of dresses that were more ‘bridal’ than I first envisioned, but perfect all the same as they had a similar feel.” Her bridesmaids each wore a floor length gown in a shade of pink.

The groom, a woodworker, chose to have his wedding ring tattooed on by Picton Tattoos.

Nikita and Hugh met before the ceremony for a first look. “It was so special and fun seeing one another all dressed up, and privately before our ceremony.”

The couple chose Nikita’s family home in the Southern Highlands for their wedding, noting, “The ceremony & reception were both held at my family property in the Southern Highlands. It’s untouched, natural & unique. It’s somewhere we can always return to, both physically and emotionally.”

There were so many hand made elements on the day – from the wooden log welcome sign, the invitations and stationery, the cross the couple married in front of – even the flowers were arranged by the groom’s sister.

Nikita chose Ortopilot’s acoustic version of Kings of Leon’s ‘Use Somebody’ for her walk down the aisle.

One of the special touches of the day was the bride and groom’s grandparents signing the marriage register, Nikita remarking, “Our grandmothers didn’t know they were going to be the witnesses, and just when everyone thought they had finished crying from Hugh’s vows, they cried again at the gesture of inviting the Nans up to do that.”

Nikita tells, “The guest list was literally just our family, & only a few family friends. The few friends that were invited, were in our bridal party, as they’re as close as family gets, without the blood connection. We included our sisters & brothers in our groomsmen & bridesmaids as we value family connection greatly, and wanted them to play a huge part in our day.”

Of their photographer, Nikita notes, “Our photographers & videographers were amazing on the day, and all of our family & friends mentioned how they barely noticed them, yet thought our video & photographs were so beautiful. I much prefer candid photographs & being able to enjoy our day how it is, rather than being directed to do things, which will then be on film as untrue memories. We and our day were captured for how it was, and it makes looking back on the real moments even more special!”

Guests enjoyed a feast by Diamonds Catering, the bride noting, “Everyone loved the food brought to us by Diamonds Catering. They were extremely friendly, and the baked dinner was amazing! Our favourite part of wedding planning was looking around at other venues, and realising what we had on our own back door step was perfect.”

Of the first dance, Nikita remembers, “With all of the commitment & effort it took to set up the wedding site within a couple of days, I forgot to charge the Ipod, and only remembered to do so on the morning of the wedding. When it came time for the first dance, the Ipod hadn’t been synced from new songs being uploaded especially for the wedding, so our original first dance song wasn’t available for use. Instead we used the same song from when I walked down the aisle, and it was perfect all the same.”

As a special finishing touch for the day, Way Up High captured this beautiful film. I love that is captures all the emotion and all the fun of the day!