Classic Farm Wedding - Polka Dot Bride

Jonika & Fintan

I love the charm of Jonika and Fintan’s classic farm wedding. From choosing a spot where the bride spent hours playing as a child, to arrive to their reception on a tractor. It was all beautifully captured by Mad Love Nation.

Jonika kicks us off with the story of how she and Fintan came to be. “We met initially at Medical School. We used to both study at the library and would regularly say ‘hi’ while there. After initially getting together at Fintan’s 30th birthday bash, fate would have it that we were given job placements in Broome starting at the same time in 2012. It was here the romance blossomed and the rest is history I guess.”

Jonika chose a gown by Loui Col Designs, she tells, “After a hideous first experience trying to find a dress in a bridal gown boutique, I decided to have my dress made. I was referred to Katie Colgan who managed to create my beautiful dress from a few vague ideas I had. I was keen on having colour in my dress so she managed to find a local artist who’s specialty was painting florals. The whole process was so much fun. There was no stress or worry and I would always really look forward to my next fitting as the dress came together. Katie always took the time to listen to what I wanted, while also adding her own stylish touch which ultimately produced a beautiful end result!”

“As we are living in Broome at the moment, it was nice to bring a bit of home to the wedding. I was lucky enough to wear some Broome, South Sea pearl earrings with my dress. Another special detail was being able to include my dad’s epaulettes (wrapped around my bouquet) which he wore as a pilot before he passed away when I was young. It was a nice way to have him there with me on the day.”

“The whole day truly seemed perfect. We had the weather-gods on our side with a sun filled spring day and it felt like everything ran seamlessly (thanks to many helpers!). It went SO well that the morning of preparations with hair, make-up, dresses, photos and cars all ran perfectly on time which meant that I surprised everyone when I rocked up to the ceremony 10 minutes early. This meant doing a few ‘bog-laps’ of the venue so I could arrive exactly on time. I never knew being on-time as a bride was such a rare event!”

For her walk down the aisle, Sarah Gamble performed, the bride telling, “We had two very talented friends who played an acoustic version of Annie’s Song by John Denver.”

Jonika and Fintan chose Harvey Dam Amphitheatre for their ceremony, officiated by Andrew Baker noting, “Our ceremony was held at the outdoor amphitheatre at the Harvey Dam, set below the Dam wall. When my Nan and Ard were alive they would take me and my sister, Abby to the Dam for picnics. So in a way having it there was a way of including them in the day. It was also an opportunity to share the sights of Harvey with our guests!

We both were very keen to give the ceremony a feeling of light-heartedness and fun. Thanks to our superb celebrant, Andy who made this happen! He managed to incorporate the most important elements of our relationship and personalities into the ceremony which made it truly unique to us. It was a fairly traditional ceremony with 2 readings, one read by Fintan’s brother and the other read by Jonika’s brother in-law: – “People are like cities”: Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith – Adapted lyrics from Bob Marley’s “He’s not Perfect”.”

“While having photos in a paddock between the ceremony and reception, an impromptu serenade broke out from the groomsman, singing “this kiss” by Faith Hill (which somehow became the anthem of the wedding, originating from the bucks weekend). This will forever stick in my memory. Thanks to the boys for providing constant laughs and entertainment on the day.”

Of their photographer, Jonika tells, “Pia from Mad Love Nation was an absolute treasure throughout the whole planning process and on the big day! I was lucky that I already knew her as a friend and was well aware of her talents! I love her style of photography which is warm, fun yet creative and stylish. It seem to fit us perfectly. Pia provided a variety of options for our wedding photos, she listened to exactly what we wanted, was relaxed and professional throughout the whole process and on the day of the wedding she was flexible and very accommodating. Best of all she gave us some beautiful pictures and memories that we will treasure forever! Cannot recommend her more highly.”

“The town of Harvey is where my Mum grew up. My Aunty and Uncle’s farm seemed like a perfect fit for our wedding when we were deciding on venues. It was a place where I spent a lot of time growing up, and I have many special memories of times spent there over the years. As a kid I would get up early to milk the cows and do farm work with with my Uncle Graham and as I grew up I would relish spending time with my Aunty Jayne drinking cups of tea in my pyjama’s in their beautiful home. Fintan has loved his recent times at the farm too. His first visit was made special when he was presented with a pair of Rossi boots for farming activities by Uncle Graham. By having it at the farm, it gave the day a very special and warm feel as I was able to involve my family in the planning and set-up while sharing a special place with the rest of our family and friends.”

The bridal party took some very special transport to the reception. “Arriving to the reception on a hay cart being pulled my Uncle’s vintage red Farmall Tractor was definitely one of my favourite moments of the day. Uncle Graham proudly donned his Akubra hat with his suit to drive us in to the homestead where we met our guests for some canapés and drinks.”

“I think we were really lucky to have a great bunch of vendors that we either knew personally or who came highly recommended from friends that had used them before. Having this connection with all of them made things really easy in regards to communication and organisation. We always felt supported and confident that they all were going to make our day special. Thank you in particular to Pia (Mad Love Nation) our photographer, Andy (One Great Life) our celebrant, Rhonda our florist, Lou and Kieren (A Thyme and Place) our caterers who as fate would have it lived on the next door property to the farm, and Katie (LouiCol designs) who created my beautiful dress.”

“My favourite DIY for the wedding was the small jars of home made relish given to our guests to take home. My Aunty Jayne put in a huge effort making 130 jars from a treasured family recipe. They doubled as guest place cards on the tables! We used nicknames of our guests on each jar for a more personalised/fun feel to the evening.”

“Dancing is definitely not our strong point, but we had a special little slow dance to Josh Pyke’s “Sew my name” (A favourite artist and song of ours).”