Pretty Gum Gully Farm Wedding

Jess & Sam

There is little that pulls my heartstrings more than seeing a couple so emotional and happy about making this incredible commitment to each other. And, as you will see, Jess and Sam had a hard time containing these emotions during their ceremony and reception, and the result is just the loveliest thing. The couple chose a rustic, relaxed country feel for their wedding, and White Rabbit Productions were there to capture all the love and emotion of their pretty Gum Gully Farm wedding.

The couple reminisce about how they came to be. “Jess was living in Kyabram at the time and Sam was living in Chirnside Park. We met at a mutual friend’s New Years Eve party, and we began chatting about a few common interests we shared, namely music. Sam had just left to head into town, when he heard a voice from back up the street saying, “Where are you going?!” Needless to say, he didn’t make it into town! A month later, Jess’ friend talked her into applying for a teaching position in Monbulk (where the friend was living). Jess didn’t realise at the time that Monbulk was only 30 minutes from where Sam lived. She got the job, and the rest is history!”

Jess wore the Peter Trends “Dominica” gown, purchased from L’Amour Bridal Boutique. “It was a lace wedding dress with a sweetheart neckline, pearl detail and scalloped edging, and I paired it wit a lace bolero,” the bride explains, saying she chose it due to its vintage feel. “My mum joked that the train even looked like it was made out of doilies! The owner of L’Amour was so helpful, and very particular with the way the dress fitted, even making last minute changes at my final dress fitting. She is clearly brilliant at what she does!”

Kelly Utting, who is a parent from Jess’ school, did the makeup on the day, and the bridal party hair was created by Styled by Nicole Whitty.

The groom’s and groomsmen’s wore dark navy suits from Giotto, with matching vests from Briggins, and brown leather lace-up Florsheim shoes. The ties were navy Ben Sherman. “I chose this look to match the vintage feel of the venue, and both Jess and I both really liked the look of it,” Sam tells.

The venue for both the ceremony and the reception was Gum Gully Farm in Victoria. The ceremony was held in their purpose built chapel, and the bride walked down the aisle to “Wonderful You” by Bob Evans, escorted by her father. Jess and Sam tell, “We wanted a simple, relaxed ceremony that represented us.”

“Our amazing photos were taken by Joel and Chloe from White Rabbit Productions. They understood the relaxed style we were after, and were able to capture the day beautifully.”

“Where do we start!” the couple laugh about the extent of DIY that went into creating their day. “Jess designed and co-ordinated the DIY for the wedding, including the invitations, she hand-made and painted table numbers, signage and photo booth, including props. Jess spent months collecting vessels from op shops and cleaning jars for the flowers, and also collecting doilies for the table runners (Sam never wants to see another doily again!) and some of them were actually made by a friend. There was so much work involved, that even on the night before the wedding we still had hundreds of doilies arranged on our floor, ready for Jess to hand stitch together. A huge amount of people pitched in to help. One of the groomsmen’s dad specially brewed three varieties of craft beer for the occasion. Jess’ mum and a friend’s mum baked all the sweets on the dessert table, and Jess’ work colleague created the wedding cake. Parents from Jess’ school arranged all of the bouquets and floral arrangements. Jess’ mum also made the bunting and the favours – relish using Jess’ gran’s recipe.”