Terri & Bryan
There is a lot to love about a wedding like Terri and Bryan’s Perth city farm wedding. the photos, of course, are stunning but then there is their approach to the day. The way that they planned their schedule to suit the feeling they wanted to create – something relaxed, informal and one giant party. They chose Emma Pointon Photography to capture their wedding day.
Terri tells the tale of how they came to be. “We originally met and dated in high school (high school sweethearts) but went our separate ways in our early twenties. We’ve always kept in touch with the same group of friends and knew what the other was up to, but it wasn’t until Bryan returned from Afghanistan in 2009 that we properly reconnected. From there we just knew.”
“My dress was by a Canadian designer, Truvelle, purchased from Through the White Door in North Fremantle. I wanted something different, and something comfortable. I cannot recommend the ladies at TTWD enough – they were fabulous and after a day of shopping at ‘traditional’ bridal stores (and having to put up with the ‘you’ve left it a bit late’ comments re looking for a wedding dress 3 months out from our wedding day, even in the quiet season) their willingness to help and ability to make you feel comfortable as soon as you walk in the door was a complete breath of fresh air. They are fabulous! They also stock beautiful dresses you won’t find anywhere else.”
“We wanted a relaxed and informal wedding – one big party. To achieve this we had ‘first look’ photos before the ceremony, so we could roll straight in to the reception after the ceremony. It was nice to have that moment just between Bryan and I earlier in the day.
We had pre ceremony photos at The Flour Factory in the city – this was our back up plan for photos in case the weather was terrible, given the wedding was in the middle of winter. However, Mother Nature was extremely kind to us and it was a perfect sunny day! This meant we were also able to head outdoors for photos in Wolfe Lane and the surrounding areas.”
Terri adds “We also didn’t have a formal bridal party, but had close friends with us for the pre wedding photos. It was a great start to the day and was a lot of fun, and I think this is clearly reflected in our photos, and also made us extremely comfortable for the ceremony, which was filled with love and laughter.”
Of their photographer, Terri notes, “Emma is fantastic! I’ve admired her photography for such a long time, but I’ve never been someone that dreams of their wedding day (I always thought we’d elope), so had never really thought that I would ever end up looking for a wedding photographer, so it was pretty exciting to have her on board for our special day.”
Much of the wedding was a family effort, including the baking, Terri explains, “Mal (Bryan’s mum) also made the wedding cake. The favors were also a family effort, I wanted fig jam as our favours as it is a family recipe on my mum’s side and something that could be part of our special day, as my grandparents on both sides have passed away (Bryan is still lucky enough to have 3 of 4 of his grandparents and they were all able to attend our wedding). Winter isn’t fig season, so we had to raid the family stashes (a family recipe and like gold – it’s hard to get a hold of if stocks are limited!) and convince them it was worth sharing!”
Terri and Bryan chose Perth City Farm as their wedding venue, remarking, “We held the ceremony and reception at Perth City Farm – having both the ceremony and the reception at the same place helped us maintain the low key, ‘party’ vibe we were after.
We wanted it to be a relaxed, fun and informal wedding – just one big party and a stress free day we could truly enjoy with our favourite people. Style / theme wise, I wanted something that was a little alternative, or at least individual. No more vintage! Once we found the venue, style was easy – my vision was greenery, greenery and more greenery with copper and white pops, pulled together with a little boho flair.”
Terri notes, “I DIYed as much as I could! We made all the chalkboards and I did the chalkboard designs myself. Bryan and one of his best mates, Aaron, made all the couches and tables. My mum put together the cushion covers for the throw cushions. My brother found an old bike on Gumtree that was perfect for our ‘present and card bike’ – we sprayed the bike and found a basket, my dad made the wooden box for the back.”
For her walk down the aisle, Terri remembers, “I absolutely adore Clare Bowditch and her song ‘My Love Walks With You’ was the perfect choice.”
Nola Walter officiated the ceremony, Terri explaining, “We wanted something simple, honest and fun. Our celebrant, Nola, was absolutely fabulous and was the perfect choice for us. We didn’t want a lot of readings, but if we did, we wanted to have a reading that suited us as a couple. A very good friend of ours, Parko, delivered a Bob Marley quote as the reading during the ceremony. We didn’t realise he’d chosen to make it a comedy routine, but it fit the ceremony perfectly.”
Linda McCorquodale styled the greenery and floral arrangements for the day, the bride noting “All of our vendors were fantastic – nothing was too much trouble and everything came together really easily, however, my favourite was my florist, Linda. Linda is actually a girlfriend’s mum who just loves flowers and pretty things in general – we had an absolutely fabulous time talking styling, greenery and sticks. That is the one thing I miss about wedding planning! She is a beautiful person and extremely talented – without her the wedding wouldn’t have been what it was.”
Terri and Bryan hired Portobello Road Events & Hire Society for furniture for their celebration, the bride adding, “A lot of the other furniture, bits and pieces and greenery were from my aunty’s home and surrounding gardens in Dunsborough – an expedition for Linda (florist), my mother and Bryan’s mother to explore the gardens, grounds and home with my aunty, finding their wedding inspiration and getting creative.
It was a day thoroughly enjoyed by all! We went hunting for wedding sticks for more of Linda’s creations at my parent’s holiday house in Augusta and traveled the 3 hour journey back with long sticks tied to the top of the 4WD. I’m sure people wondered what the hell we were doing, but the ‘wedding stick’ used for the ceremony back drop was one of my most favourite pieces from the day!”
Of their first dance, Terri remembers, “We chose ‘Walking After You’ by Foo Fighters. We have both loved Foo Fighters since we were teenagers and the song has the perfect tempo and lyrics.”
Terri remembers, “We certainly got the party atmosphere we were looking for! The dance floor opened at around 8:30pm and was full from start to finish – a 4 hour dance-a-thon for some, everyone had a fantastic time… and things may have a got a little crazy with some VERY interesting dance moves and song requests, but it was fantastic fun!”
Congratulations on your marriage Terri and Bryan! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Emma Pointon Photography for sharing today’s wedding with us!
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