Vineyard Luncheon Wedding - Polka Dot Bride

Lori & Conor

Is there a more splendid way to spend a warm day than with lunch outside under the trees? The long tables at the vineyard luncheon wedding of Lori & Conor gave the most wonderful, relaxed vibe to their Western Australian wedding. Captured by Peggy Saas , Lori and Conor’s day came to be when as lawyers, they met while at work. Today we get to share their story.

The bride chose a long sleeve wedding gown from Dreamers and Lovers . She notes “I came across it on Etsy soon after I started looking. I ordered it online without trying it on and it arrived made to my measurements in 5 weeks. I didn’t try any dresses on so I’m glad it fit! They do offer a service where they can ship you dresses to try on. It was light and easy to wear and perfect for an outdoor wedding.”

“We had photographs of family members who are no longer with us on the church pew ends. There is a beautiful shot captured of Conor and his brother sitting in the pew with a photograph of their late mother, Helen, hanging at the pew end. It was a teary moment when we saw that picture.”

Lori and Conor married at Christ Church, Claremont , Stewart Smith playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D as the bride walked down the aisle. “We had an incredibly talented organist play the beautiful pipe organ in the Church so it was all very traditional.”

“Conor comes from an Irish family so we always knew the ceremony would be fairly traditional (and in a Church!). Christ Church was in Claremont, where I grew up, and is a very beautiful traditional church reminiscent of Ireland that was also the perfect size for our smaller wedding size. The deal was sealed when we met Fr Peter, who is from Dublin.”

Of their photographer, Lori tells “Having Peggy around was also such blessing as it simply felt natural and like a lovely friend was there. We aren’t usually one for photographs but Peggy made us feel so comfortable. We were so very happy with the photographs which we think really captured the carefree spirit of the day. I got along incredibly well with all my vendors but especially Peggy, my photographer and Anna, my florist. Anna and I would end up having these 2-hour coffee chats where we pretty much spoke about everything except the wedding itself. And Peggy and I spent our initial meeting over wine and cheese in my front yard (enough said!).”

Lori and Conor chose Brookside Vineyard for a lunchtime reception, remembering “We stumbled across Brookside not long after we first started seeing each other while driving through the hills. The owners graciously made up a table outside despite being towards the end of their lunch service. We had the loveliest food and wine and instantly fell in love.

We have been coming back ever since for a little escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and both said that it would be the perfect little venue for a wedding. When the time came, it was a no-brainer! We didn’t have any other venue in mind.”

Botanica Naturalis styled the floral arrangements for the day, the bride noting “The garden setting at Brookside is breathtaking but we could not have dreamed it to be as beautiful as it was on the day. The wisteria over the old packing shed had bloomed just that week and the place felt so magical with the incredible blooms by Botanica Naturalis hidden in the trees by the brook.”

The bride remembers “There was no first dance as such, all of us were up and dancing to the traditional Irish jigs by The Broken Pokers as soon as the lunch service was finished. I think everyone was channelling a bit of Michael Flatley that afternoon and it was wonderful to see all our guests hit the dance floor at 3 pm.”