Sweet Murrumbateman Wedding - Polka Dot Wedding

Claire & Brett

There is such a romantic feeling to Claire and Brett’s sweet Murrumbateman wedding. From the bride’s floral printed ballgown, to her smile that positively lifts you up, Claire and Brett worked with Emma Hampton to capture their day.

Claire tells the story of how they came to be .”We met in maths class in high school and I (Claire) was a pretty keen bean from the get-go. We became close friends and then the relationship developed and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”

The bride chose a floral print gown from Wendy Makin, remembering, “My close friend Harriet and I were looking at wedding dresses online and we came across this gorgeous pink floral dress by Wendy Makin which we went bananas over. I didn’t think much more of it until I was at one of the bridal stores, talking to the owner about this amazing dress I’d seen online. Funnily enough she knew exactly which dress I was talking about and had it in store. I put it on and it was love at first sight. I was beside myself with excitement. I always knew I wanted a dress that was a little different, and I love flowers so it was perfect. One of the best parts was seeing the surprise on Brett’s face! And then to see Harriet’s reaction when she saw me wearing the gown that we had gushed over all those months ago, was pretty epic.”

Claire and Brett chose Gold Creek Chapel for their wedding ceremony, noting, “We held our afternoon ceremony at The Chapel, Gold Creek. It is filled with character and charm, wooden windows and plenty of warm natural light. The lush greenery surrounding the chapel provided the perfect backdrop for our family shots. The styling for the chapel was quite simple. We dressed the pews with peonies (my favourite!) and greenery, and set up our entrance table with welcome signage, candles, and tissues for happy tears!”

Claire chose an instrumental version of Turning Page by Sleeping At Last for her walk down the aisle. “From the locations, live music, flowers, well wishes, warm embraces, food and drink, our loved ones – the atmosphere was awesome! Walking down the aisle with my dad was really special. I was so excited, almost bursting even, and Emma captured the moment perfectly just outside the chapel doors as I waited with my dad – pretty special stuff.”

Rev. Michael Dasey officiated the ceremony, the bride telling, “Our ceremony was intimate and represented us. It was not only about our love for one another but the family and friends we shared it with. We chose four prayers of the faithful which were read by our lovely friends Laura and Michael.”

Moxom & Whitney styled the floral arrangements for the day, Claire remembering, “The team at Moxom + Whitney were hands down the most amazing bunch of crazy talented, creative, dynamic, passionate, joyous people who totally understood our ideas and brought that vision to life. We are so grateful for the love and attention to detail they put into their work. They were very patient and approachable, and we were totally rapt and wowed by the final product.”

Of their photographer, Claire tells, “Emma was amazing. She was super friendly, easy going, caring, clever and so talented. She captured the emotion of the day perfectly which resulted in natural shots that were candid, playful, fun loving and just us! We are so grateful for Emma’s thoughtfulness and creativity, and for our beautiful photos which we will treasure and cherish forever.”

Murrumbateman Winery hosted the reception festivities, the bride telling, “We chose Flint at Shaw Vineyard for our reception venue for its stunning location in Murrumbateman, delicious food and drink, rustic décor, and for the feeling of home in the large yet cosy dining room. The atmosphere matched our theme perfectly, and was a magical setting for a big family dinner with our nearest and dearest. We chose to use three long tables to maximise the feeling of intimacy, styling them with kraft paper menus and place cards, tall candles and amazing floral arrangements. The true stars of the show were the long table runners of striking greenery, soft peonies and roses. We used old-school rustic chairs which tied the whole look together.”

“Brett and I were sure to focus on a warm, comfortable and inviting environment for our guests, and we put a lot of time and thought into the planning and preparations to ensure our wedding was really enjoyable for our loved ones. We set three rules from the get-go which was a warm, relaxed and intimate wedding. We really thought about things from our guests’ perspectives, featuring different sections of interest so there was something for everyone! We had a grazing table of cheeses, fruits and nibbles, photobooth props and a polaroid camera, a lolly bar filled with sweet treats, comfy couches, a drinks station on the terrace, and a dancefloor. We also asked the guests to provide song requests which was really fun.”