Sophie & Alex
What fun it is to marry at home! Sophie and Alex chose the equestrian centre Sophie’s parents own for their big day – they dined with their guests in a tipi right under the main arena, celebrating their glam country wedding with photographer Renee Stamatis capturing it all.
Sophie tells the story of how she and Alex came to be. “We met at a music festival nine years ago. Alex claims to have spotted Sophie out of a crowd of 25,000 people, and new straight away that she was special.”
Sophie and Alex chose Sophie’s family home for their wedding. “My family farm was transformed into a stunning garden wedding venue. The ceremony was held on the deck in front of the house overlooking the dam, and the reception was held in giant tipi’s on the large horse arena.”
For her walk down the aisle, Sophie remembers, “We had a string quartet playing Pachelbel’s canon. The four piece were playing from the balcony above so the sound traveled down to the audience.”
Kate Wallis officiated the ceremony, of which Sophie says, “We wanted it to be intimate, yet relaxed and informal. We wrote our own vows and read them to each other for the first time in the ceremony. It was very personal, there were lots of laughs and tears.”
“Our dog Pedro was there on the day, he followed me down the aisle. In the middle of the ceremony after my maid of honour had fanned out my train over the deck where we were standing, Pedro came and sat down on it as if we had laid it out especially for him. Everyone laughed, it was really cute.”
She Sews crafted Sophie’s gown, the bride remembering, “My dress was handmade, one of a kind made by my soon to be sister in-law, a dress maker in McLaren Vale, South Australia. It was fishtail cut, with a V shaped back, covered in white lace sourced from Italy over champagne/bone coloured silk.”
Of their photographers, the bride remarks, “We had two photographers. Renee Stamatis was a friend I worked with a few years ago, and I noticed she had started shooting weddings. Her shots were beautiful, artistic and un-staged. I contacted her straight away and was delighted she was available. Our second photographer (Walton Vision) was a friend who had recently started professional photography. We jumped on the opportunity to have Jason help capture the day. Being a good friend, he helped make the whole process feel relaxed and easy. Between the two we have an amazing assortment of photos!”
TipiKata set up a tipi for the wedding reception in the main arena.
Of their first dance, Sophie remembers, “We chose a slow foxtrot to an acoustic cover of Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ on a small wooden dancefloor with overhanging string lights. The best part about our first dance was that after our final move almost every guest joined us on the dancefloor with their partners and sung the lyrics loud to each other. It was absolutely packed, with everyone singing so loudly to their loved ones.”
Guests enjoyed a feast catered by Fred and Ginger Catering. The bride remembers, “The whole wedding had a ‘hand made’ feel. A close family friend helped plan the day, and took charge of catering with the help of Fred and Ginger Catering. They provided the most delicious canapés at the house followed by dinner in the Tipi with the menu designed to be shared by our guests at the table. It was everything we hoped for and we had so many guests commented how amazing the food was. The wine was sourced by the groom’s winemaker brother. The decorations, flowers and gardening was all done by family in the weeks leading up to the event. Everyone worked so hard to make the place look fabulous.”
DJ Nic Owen performed all night, Sophie remembering, “Our DJ was a friend of a friend from Perth. We paid for him to fly down, and he agreed to play for us in return for flights and accommodation. He was awesome!! Everyone danced until the sun came up. He played lots of mash ups of old and new music, which appealed to all guests. Given that the wedding was at a private farm, the music played and people danced until 7.30am!”
Congratulations Sophie and Alex ! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Renee Stamatis for sharing today’s wedding.
Such a fun wedding, was great to be a part of such a special day at an interesting venue!