Winter in the country is one of the most magical settings for a wedding and the colourful winter wedding of Annabelle & Justin, filled with fresh flowers in the brightest of colours was the most beautiful way to celebrate a cold grey day. The pair worked with Zoe McMahon Photography to capture their day.

Annabelle tells us the story of how the couple came to fall for each other. “We met through mutual friends. My roommate was a friend of Justin’s and I got home one day to find she had gone out and left her keys home. Being the good roommate I am, I called past to give her keys to her. This was the first time I met Justin. I decided to stay for a drink… four hours later we hadn’t stopped chatting and the rest is history!”

Annabelle was lucky enough to have her mother make her wedding gown, remembering “I had no idea when we decided on a quick engagement that dresses generally take a lot longer than 3 months to be made. Oops!

Being winter, I knew I wanted a long sleeve dress and there was hardly anything around. The princess dress I always imagined I would wear totally didn’t look like I had imagined in real life. A panicked phone call to my mum (who made my clothes growing up but hadn’t made a wedding dress since the 90’s – hello puffed sleeves!) and begged her to make my dress. She willingly obliged but after the first fitting, I think she was questioning her decision to say yes. Thankfully that first version of my dream dress was made from curtain lace, because, again, what I had thought I wanted turned out to look like a 1900’s conservative lace curtain in real life. So hours on Pinterest later, I came up with my mood board for mum – neck like this, back like that, skirt like this… you get the idea.

We purchased the fabric together and ended up going for something a little different (again) in a beautiful heavy lace. Perfect for winter. Somehow, she took my brief and turned it into the dress of my dreams. I could not have been happier with how it turned out, it was perfect for the season, the venue, everything. And because Mum made it to measure it fitted me like an absolute glove.”

Annabelle walked down the aisle to Higher Love by James Vincent Mcmorrow.

Tina Marie Shiel officiated the ceremony. “Our ceremony was outside in winter so we kept it short and sweet. Just as well considering it was 8 degrees and blowing a gale on the day! We incorporated our little boy Sawyer and our nephew Zach into the bridal party. Sawyer was our ring bearer as well and his gorgeous little personality really added to the day. Our celebrant, Tina Marie Sheils was wonderful – very relaxed and kept it all together in the crazy weather. We were both so nervous and excited during the ceremony that it was such a feeling of relief and excitement once the formalities were out the way and it was time for the party to start.”

Of their photographer, the bride remembers “We worked with Zoe McMahon and she was absolutely amazing. Not only was she pregnant and shooting us in freezing cold weather but she totally kept it together and made us feel so comfortable. Neither of us are usually that relaxed on photos but Zoe just put us at ease and made it all so much fun.”

Annabelle and Justin held their wedding at the beautiful Collits Inn , the bride remarking “The barn offered so much already in terms of theming that we didn’t need to add too much. But we didn’t want to go too country either with boundless hessian and lace so we opted for bright florals, lots of gold vases and candles and modern floral designs for the menus and place cards. We also incorporated lots of white to keep the barn feeling bright and fresh. This whites and colours really popped against the barn and in the candle light so it all came together perfectly. It was laid back, relaxed and literally felt like my Pinterest board came to life which was the most satisfying feeling ever. The flowers were done by our wonderful friend Ashley who flew all the way out from New York. Countless trips to the flower markets helped us work out the flowers we wanted while still keeping with the country venue and winter season.”

The bride had a lot of fun making the details of the day. “Justin definitely came home a few times to find our living room turned upside down and the floor covered in vases as I was planning out the table centrepieces. Being involved in the wedding industry with my business, I have attended a lot of weddings and wedding fairs and was so inspired to create something amazing ourselves. Having that personal touch really made the day that much more special.”

Amazing vendors made the day wonderful for the couple, Annabelle telling “I loved every aspect of planning a wedding. I can’t believe it’s all over! The great thing about a short engagement was that we didn’t have time to mull over different vendors for months. We did our research and made quick decisions. I couldn’t fault anyone – Zoe McMahon Photography , The White Tree for the video and music, Alexandra Penton for making me feel totally relaxed about my hair and makeup, The Art of Baking for a scrumptious cake, Collits Inn was THE perfect venue choice, Tina Marie Shiel was a wonderful celebrant, of course, Social Playground for the photo booth and hashtag printing! Everything just came together so well.”

Of their first dance, Annabelle remembers “We chose Can’t Help Falling in Love by Haley Reinhart. It’s a classic song but the Haley Reinhart version is just so beautiful. The first time we heard it we looked at each other and knew this would be our first dance song. We were in a bubble the entire song, barely taking our eyes off each other or noticing what was going on around us. It was one of our favourite moments of the day.”

The couple booked a double whammy with The White Tree who not only provided the band and music for the day, but also filmed the celebrations!

Congratulations on your marriage Zoe and Justin! Thank you for allowing us to share your day! Thank you also to Zoe McMahon Photography for sharing today’s wedding with us!