Deborah & Ben
There is a sense of understated beauty in Deborah and Ben’s chic Mountain Goat Brewery wedding. There is no pretention, no doing something just because it’s different – it is very much a wedding that is true to them and their loves and that is exactly why I love it so very much. Deborah and Ben chose Jason Vandermeer to capture their day.
The newlyweds fill us in on how they came to be. “We met in Melbourne and subsequently discovered that we had both grown up in Perth and had many mutual friends.”
Janice Wu styled the bride and bridesmaid’s hair and makeup. Janice created beautiful softly swept up hairstyles for the girls, decorated with fresh flowers.
Deborah chose a lace wedding gown by Mariana Hardwick, the gown was called “Nightingale”. Deborah remarks, “I wanted a dress with a bit of lace that was both modern and simple. The Mariana Hardwick team was incredible every step of the way and helped me select the perfect gown and jewellery. Fiona made my dress and I’m so grateful for her patience, flexibility and amazing craftsmanship.”
Deborah and Ben chose the bluestone church of Christ Church South Yarra for their ceremony, noting, “Christ Church South Yarra was a beautiful old church with plenty of character. An organist played during the ceremony and the church bells were rung as we exited the building.”
Deborah walked down the aisle to “A piece for piano and cello written especially for the day by friend and composer Andrew Aronowicz.”
We had both wanted a traditional church ceremony, and the setting combined with the rich organ music made for a great morning. Music was especially special for the ceremony. Deborah’s friends played the piano and cello as she walked down the aisle, and Ben’s friends performed the hymns.”
Of their photographer, the newlywed’s remark, “Jason Vandermeer was so easy to work with. Our shoot felt super comfortable and natural, and our wedding party loved hanging out with him. We’re so impressed with how the photos turned out, and enjoy looking back on the memories. Jason spent the entire day and night with us and had an amazing energy the whole time. We’re so grateful to have had a great photographer and all-round great guy to shoot our big day.”
“The whole day had a relaxed feel. After our ceremony and photo-shoot, our wedding party was able to return home to hang out (and nap!) before the evening reception. Some rain was forecast on the day, but we thankfully had clear skies the entire time we were out. The only time there was a light shower was when we were in the car on the way to the reception, which prompted my bridesmaid to quote an Italian proverb, “Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata”, which means something along the lines of ‘Rain on the day you get married brings good luck.’ ”
Deborah and Ben chose Mountain Goat Brewery for their reception. “Mountain Goat Brewery was a nice contrast to the traditional church setting. It had a warehouse feel with exposed brick walls that we had been searching for. Not to mention Mountain Goat beers on tap! The team were fantastic in giving us free reign to decorate the space as we pleased.”
The Details Co. planned and styled the wedding – using pillar candles and milk crates to transform the industrial style brewery. Each guest received a bag of coffee from Blacklist Coffee Roasters as wedding favors. “The Details Co. team worked with florists Bunched Together to fill the room and ceiling with lush foliage. The main wall was lined end-to-end with candles, which created such a magical atmosphere.”
Ed Dixon Food Design created a grazing style cocktail menu for the wedding, Deborah and Ben explaining, “They were so easy to liaise with (as we did a lot of planning whilst still living abroad in London) and put together an incredible menu and grazing table that so many of our guests commented on.”
“Rather than have a seated dinner, we arranged for a grazing table and canapé dishes to be served. It meant that everyone was able to move around the room and mingle with each other. Since many of our guests had flown in from interstate and overseas, it was the perfect setting for everyone to be able to catch up.”
For the first dance, the couple chose Hoppípolla by Icelandic band Sigur Rós. The song had a special meaning to the newlyweds – Iceland being the country in which they were engaged.
Congratulations Deborah and Ben! Thank you for sharing the stories of your day with us! Thank you also to Jason Vandermeer for sharing today’s celebration!
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