Amy & Chris
Of her modern Barossa Valley wedding, Amy says the rainy mist just made it all the more magical and I have to agree. There is a sense of the mystic about today’s wedding, of pure beauty and special stories behind each moment. They chose Scout Edwards of White Wall Photography to capture their day.
As for how they came to be, Amy tells, “Chris and I had a Hollywood romance – one of those ones they make a movie out of and you feel all the emotions before finally in the end he gets the girl. Long story short, we met in 2004 when we started working together. It was definitely love at first sight and we dated for a couple of very fun, very happy years. Chris had always planned to live overseas and when the time came for him to start traveling I just wasn’t ready to leave my family, friends and career behind. We decided to break up and went our separate ways.
Chris lived in the UK for two years and then Canada for another two. I visited him once during this time but for the most part we avoided contact because it would upset us. In 2012 Chris moved back to Adelaide but still we didn’t catch up, not wanting to open old wounds. He was still a traveler at heart and had made plans to move to New Zealand in the coming months and I was planning to move to Melbourne for work.
Eventually, just before we were due to go on our next adventures, we decided to catch up for dinner. It was definitely love at first sight (for a second time) and we fell straight back in love. This time though, I wasn’t going to let him get away, I threw out my Melbourne plans and moved to New Zealand with him.”
The couple met before the ceremony, but didn’t see one another, Amy explains “Scout helped arrange a special moment for Chris and I just before the ceremony. We stood on either side of the corner of the villa with our backs to each other. Without seeing each other we held hands and shared the excitement, love and nerves we both had bursting out of us. It was such an intimate moment filled with emotion that makes me teary even now.”
Amy and Chris chose Barristers Block for their wedding. “It combined a beautiful Adelaide Hill Winery with a relaxed hobby farm feel. The property had a few different options for a ceremony location so I loved the versatility. Our morning was full of rain but we ended up braving it on the lawns with the vineyards behind us. It meant the set up wasn’t elaborate as it could have been but the misty hills scene still set a beautiful tone. There were literally baby deer leaping behind us as we got married! Amazing.
We wanted to be outdoor as much as possible but the barn created the perfect backdrop for the sit down dinner. I liked the contrast of organic and industrial and the property was gorgeous, it felt like a private farm with baby deer and angry geese running around rather than a more commercial wedding venue. The villa at the property was an amazing inclusion. It meant the bridal party could stay on site (allowing me to wake up at 6am the morning of the wedding and move the table settings around), it was a gorgeous locations for a relaxed morning of pampering for us girls and on the night of the wedding it meant my nephew and nieces could go to bed while their parents partied on.”
Amy walked down the aisle to Bernard Fanning – Watch Over Me.
Anne Bastian officiated the ceremony, Amy remembering “The celebrant was our gorgeous family friend Anne Bastian. She crafted a beautiful retelling of our love story to entertain our guests and she took such care in helping us choose the right words for our personal vows. She bought an infectious energy to our ceremony, setting with tone with high fives all round. Two close friends, Jess and Brett shared readings during the ceremony. Perfect – Bob Marley and The Union – Robert Fulghum.”
“Anne was insistent we personalise our vows and we were both a bit hesitant (unorganised) in getting them done. But she was absolutely right, so be able to personally express all love, admiration and pride I feel for Chris and hear him to the same in front of all our friends and family was so powerful.”
“The weather – who would of thought it, but the moody rain and mist filled the hills with an unexpected sense of romance and magic on what have should have been a sunny summer’s day.”
Cain Rumbelow of Tempest Hair styled the bride and bridesmaid’s hair while Kara Fantasia styled their makeup. Amy tells, “My hair was one of my favourite parts of my look. We did a trial but on the day when I had the crown of flowers (but) it ended up taking a completely different direction and I loved it. That man can do no wrong! It perfectly complimented the dress, was really distinctive but without being over the top.”
Of their photographer, Amy remarks, ” Scout was so special to work with, he brought a real calmness to the day. He knew when to say nothing and when to give me the gentle coaxing I needed. He made the morning feel special and the night so much fun. He was on the dance floor with us until the very end – he captured every emotion on the day. The bond both Chris and I still feel with him are testament to his endearing passion and open heart.”
Fleurs de Nadia Flowers styled the floral arrangements for the day, Amy remembering, “I stumbled across Nadia’s little pop up wheelbarrow of beautiful bouquets featuring succulents and billy buttons next to a coffee shop one Saturday morning and could instantly see she had a similar aesthetic to me. Knowing we had the same style meant I showed her the direction I was heading, then gave her my full trust and complete control. She does amazing things but has such a soft spoken calming nature.”
Amy chose Paolo Sebastian to make her wedding gown. “I was on the hunt for a dress that had texture and tone to it. I quickly worked out soft grey worked best with my colouring but it became the impossible challenge to find one off the rack. Paul’s fabrics were divine and as soon as we sat down and did a few sketches I knew I had found my dress. I loved that this dress was 100% me. Paul perfectly matched my style with my figure so I felt so special and comfortable at the same time.
Normally I’m a dressed head to toe in black, white or black and white stripes but surprisingly I loved it’s soft flowing nature and delicate beaded lace It felt exactly like I imagine the perfect dress feels. Like I could happily wear it every day of my life, but felt so special and unlike anything I’ve ever worn before that it could only be worn once. It transformed me into a bride.”
Amy roped in the help of family and friends to create a special decoration for the reception. She explains, “Somewhere along the line I had an insane idea to decorate the ceiling with hanging origami paper hearts. Their geometric lines and tactile nature was a really nice way to add some romance to the venue without being too ‘pretty’ – and they only cost me $19 for the blank paper and fishing wire.
Chris, my friends and family thought I was mad as I attempted to fold and hang 500 hearts which took nearly 10 minutes each. In the week before the wedding the whole wedding party came together and chipped in and we had lots of laughs and late night folding parties. These memories are as much a part of the wedding as the day. They were 100% hand made and had a huge impact. Everyone commented on them, instagrammed them and even stole them at the end of the night as a keepsake.”
“I don’t think I was a bridezilla, but I am a self-proclaimed design-zilla. I designed and produced every printed piece you could imagine. I indulged my love for black and white graphical prints and created a set of patterns I used across everything. From the Save the Date to the thank you (notes) everything was different designs but on the same paper stock so it felt cohesive.
It was a really cost effective way to produce a lot of printed material – and everything had patterns on it – menus printed on bread bags, and programs guests received as they got on the bus gave them the back story, on the way to the wedding The programs I made up included back stories on each of our bridal party, the history of the sentimental additions to my outfit and fun facts about the wedding. We also included a silly list of thank you’s so it was a great way to share all our wedding details because you have so little time to talk to people on the day.”
Guests took home custom tea towels printed by Tea Towel Keepsakes, the bride telling, “We had tea towels made using some of the patterns I had created. They brought together Chris’ and my two passions, cooking and design. There were two versions and each had a line from our wedding song at the base. I used them as part of the table setting to introduce the geometric prints theme.”
The menu was a special highlight of the night, catered by Chopping Board Catering noting, “Chris loved the idea of a meal that brings people together. We wanted it to be a celebration of the food Chris has eaten and created in his travels and we couldn’t have anyone leaving a chef’s wedding hungry! Chris was so passionate about the food that we ended up with a really unique and memorable menu. We were so lucky that Josh and his team were so receptive to our plans and executed everything amazingly and to excess. Having Chris and our friends carve whole ribeyes at the table was so special – it was such a celebration of good food.”
“The best man’s speech remains one of our favourite memories. Kris spent days making notes, rehearsing and rewriting one of the most genuine, emotional and memorable moments of our day.”
Of the first dance, Amy remembers, “We chose our favourite karaoke song “I’m gonna be (500 miles)” the band started with an acoustic cover based on the Sleeping at Last so Chris and I had that intimate dance moment and then they kicked it up with the Proclaimers version as the bridal party (and everyone else) joined us on the dance floor. It was such a fun way to kick off a night of dancing and laughter.”
Even the music was sentimental, Amy noting, “The band we chose (The Shizzle) used to play at the hotel we first met, so we (and a lot of our friends) already knew and loved them. They played hard all night and everyone was dancing all night.”
Congratulations Amy and Chris! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Scout Edwards of White Wall Photography for sharing today’s photographs!
Join the conversation