Kate & David
Today’s couple chose a sweet, Sunday afternoon to hold their wedding, in the luscious backyard of the bride’s mother’s home in Western Australia. Kate and David wanted a rustic garden party vibe for their day, the bride says, “Having it at the house I grew up in, surrounded by friends and family, and getting to marry the man I love was what made it special to me.” The couple chose River and Fern to capture their enchanting backyard wedding.
Of how they came to be, Kate remembers, “We met through a mutual friend. I worked with someone who needed me to sign a shift swap form, and made me meet him at the pub, where he was meeting David and another friend. Dave almost turned down the invitation in order to go home for his mum’s roast dinner (!), so it was lucky we hit it off so quickly!”
Kate knew exactly what she wanted for her wedding dress. “Rather than go dress shopping and confuse myself with lots of different styles, I went straight to Etsy to find somebody who made the dress I was looking for – something with a tulle skirt, and covered in lace. Ieie Bridal made my gown, and I was so happy with my dress, and felt amazing!” Kate’s sister did their makeup for the day, and Kate did their hair – a beautiful team DIY effort!
Kate also took on the task of creating her wedding day florals herself, with help from her mum and sister. “I have worked with flowers before, so I did all the bouquets and centrepieces myself. My little sister was living overseas at the time, so we didn’t get to dress shop together; we went flower shopping and stood around the kitchen arranging centrepieces together. All the gum leaves used were cut from my mum’s trees, and we used Australian natives with roses for the pretty natural look I was going for.”
“The ceremony and reception were both held in my mum’s garden. We set up chairs on the lawn in front of an arch my step dad built out of recycled wood, then after the ceremony people just moved the chairs to some tables set up under the veranda. We had a few nervous days watching the weather forecast for rain, so organised a marquee in case. I was so happy using my mums house. We could store things there for weeks before the wedding, and I think a few things are still there now. We didn’t have to kick people out at a certain time, and everyone appreciated the relaxed natural setting. And I loved that I was so familiar and comfortable with where I was, which probably took a lot of the stress away.”
The bride chose “In Love for a While” by Anna Rossinelli to walk down the aisle to her waiting husband to be, who wore a grey suit with matching waistcoat from Britton’s Formalwear. Of his attire for the day, Kate says, “I managed to subtly convince him to wear grey rather than black, which I thought would work better with my dress and the setting.” The couple chose their siblings to be in their bridal party, and they had the family dog wear a suit, and sit up next to them during the vows. Kate laughs, “He was supposed to walk out with me, but he disappeared just before to go and sit with my mum!”
Of their ceremony, Kate tells, “We wanted it to be equal parts funny and sweet, so we wrote the ceremony together which made it meaningful and full of inside jokes for each other. We wrote our own vows in the form of a list of promises to each other and, even though we kept them a secret from each other, we both included quotes from “Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia”.
Mary from River and Fern was on hand to catch all the magic of their day. “I absolutely adored Mary! She was so good at making us feel comfortable, and capturing the natural beauty surrounding us. Plus her photos are just beautiful.”
“We decided to skip the first dance. Neither of us much like being the centre of attention, so we decided that instead of worrying about it all night we just wouldn’t bother. Our first dance was after our guests and photographer had left. Our music was still playing, and we had a moment to enjoy each others company. And it was just for us.”
Congratulations Kate and David! Such a relaxed, pretty wedding, and thank you to River and Fern for sharing it with us!
Lovely looking wedding. Great photos.
What a gorgeous wedding! I found your post because I’m thinking of buying the same dress from ieie bridal. Can I ask, did you order it in blush or champagne?