Tasmanian Winter Wedding - Polka Dot Bride

Amanda & Adam

Winter is my favourite time of year and when a beautiful Tasmanian Winter wedding like Amanda and Adam’s comes along I know we’re in for a treat. Amanda and Adam chose Mavis Jean Photography to capture their Winter wedding day.

Amanda recalls the story of how they met. “Adam and I became aware of each other through mutual friends in 2006. Our bridesmaid (Krystal) arranged for us to be in the same place at the same time on several occasions, and he won me over with his story-telling ability, sense of humour and love of dogs. We lived at opposite ends of the state at the time, and spent countless hours traveling the midlands highway to see each other. One of our first dates was to a Hobart cat show!”

Amanda and Adam chose Red Feather Inn for their wedding, Amanda noting, “The Red Feather Inn (built in 1842) offers luxury Edwardian/French provincial accommodation and doubles as a cooking school when it isn’t booked out for weddings. The Red Feather Inn was the ideal venue for us as we were able to have our ceremony and reception at one place. The original barn became an amazing setting for the ceremony once the open fire was lit, and the room filled with our closest friends and family. From within the cosy barn, our guests looked out through the open doors as we said our vows under the large willow tree.”

Amanda chose a gown from Anna Campbell, noting, “I bought my dress from Anna Campbell. I had always admired Anna Campbell dresses from afar, but had never dreamed about my own fairy tale wedding. From the moment I walked into the Brunswick boutique all of that changed. The store itself was exquisite and the staff were genuinely delightful. I fell in love with the “Indianna” dress and bought it that day.”

Blooms By Angela Bertram created beautiful modern flower arrangements for the day, the bride remarking, “Our florist (Angela Bertram), used seasonal flowers, foliage and succulents to create vibrant table decorations, bouquets and a head piece. The posies were still in perfect condition ten days later, and I was able to plant the succulents in my garden as a lasting memory of the day.”

The couple met before the ceremony for photographs.

Of their photographer, Amanda tells, “Alice (Mavis Jean Photography) traveled to Tasmania from Melbourne to photograph our wedding. Alice’s calm, unobtrusive approach made all of us feel more comfortable about being the centre of attention, and resulted in lots of beautiful candid shots. Unlike many wedding photographers, Alice stayed until the end of the reception to capture the fun moments at the end of the night.”

Amanda remembers, “I walked down the aisle to “Walk On Water” by Neil Diamond. I have many childhood memories of Neil Diamond being played on our record player, and this is such an upbeat, happy song.”

Meg Culhane officiated the ceremony, the bride remembering, “Our celebrant, Meg Culhane, guided us through the ceremony which was formal yet individual and ran at a pace that allowed us to enjoy it. Adam’s brother Isaac read the children’s book “Puppy Love” by Eric Hill. My Mum often read it to me as a bedtime story. It is a short, sweet little reminder that love is all you need. At the end of the ceremony, Meg read “Sail away from the safe harbour” by Mark Twain.”

“My bridesmaid Krystal introduced us way back in 2006, and Adam has known his best man Simon since they were 7 years old. It meant a lot to us to have them by our side at the ceremony.”

The reception was decorated with sweet details, the bride telling, “In the lead up to the wedding, I collected copper pots and vases from op shops to use as table decorations. We also made a photo board, featuring wedding photos of our parents and grandparents. We sourced vintage copper wallpaper and picture frames from my grandfather’s garage. We also made our own jars of jam and chutney as wedding favours.”

Amanda tells, “We always wanted to have a small-ish wedding. Although our venue does cater to larger groups, we were limited to 60 guests for our indoor winter reception and that suited us perfectly. Many of our guests had travelled from interstate and it was important to be able to catch up properly instead of a fleeting conversation.”

Amanda remembers, “During Adam’s speech, Adam re-told his proposal story as many people had asked to hear about it. Adam proposed on Christmas Eve 2014. He bought me an assortment of presents he knew I wouldn’t like, and I found myself opening an Axel Rose calendar and various ugly ornaments. He then proceeded to get down on one knee to propose with my Grandmother’s engagement ring.”

Amanda and Adam chose The Print Fairy to create their wedding stationery.

“The staff at the Red Feather Inn far exceeded our expectations in every way. We chose the weekend package, which included accommodation and dinner for ten guests the night before the wedding. From the moment we arrived on the Friday night, our group was treated to the most incredible, attentive service and every little detail had been thought of. It was hard to believe that the staff were working so hard just for us! The food was sourced from their own vegetable garden and from local suppliers and vineyards. On the Sunday, we woke to a cooked breakfast served in the cooking school. Our decorations and flowers had been thoughtfully re-arranged, and it was the perfect setting to reflect upon the weekend (and cure the hangover).”

Kerryn Elise Cakes created a two tier cake decorated with succulents.

For their first dance, Amanda remembers, “We chose “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Andy Williams for our first dance. We are both big Andy Williams fans, and everyone got up to sing and dance with us.”