Anna & Will

This vintage country riverside wedding is all kinds of perfect! Anna & Will planned a gorgeous day, collecting beautiful decor from op shops and incorporating stunning personal touches to make their day simply breathtaking! Photographer John Benavente was on hand to capture every beautiful moment.

The bride and groom knew each other for quite a while before romance blossomed, with Anna sharing, ”We were both studying together at university and, having friends in common, we eventually started to see each other more. What started as an awkward friendship led to a relationship that lasted all through uni and across a few cities.” We do love a good slow-burning romance!

Anna found her dream gown at Theia Couture whilst on a holiday in New York, telling, ”I had tried on a few dresses and knew that I wanted something a little art deco and with lace. When I tried on the dress I knew straight away it was the one for me!” The bride wore French Connection shoes and vintage art deco earrings. Will accessorised his Georgio Armani tuxedo with luxurious details, with Anna sharing, ”Will wore vintage mother of pearl clip on buttons, along with midnight blue boots that I had bought him for his 30th birthday.”

Enlisting Miss Adams Florist to create their dream day, Anna recalls, ”We wanted the flowers to be bright and reflect our love of Australiana. We chose wattle and foliage as the main features along with lovely white flowers including roses, cyclamen, ranunculus and orchids. We also framed our ceremony with a floral semi-circle which was constructed of more foliage.”

Not having a bridal party allowed Anna and Will to include their friends in alternative ways, with the bride sharing, ”Our ceremony was short and sweet and we tried to make it humorous. We wrote our own vows and our celebrant, Amy Watson, helped us to capture the relaxed vibe we were after. We chose not to have readings and instead asked a few of our close friends to say a few words about our lives and friendships.” The bride walked down the aisle with both parents to ‘Open’ by Rhye.

Having gorgeous photos was a given with talented photographer John Benavente on hand, and Anna tells, ”He was lovely and super excited about capturing all the things that we liked! We were novices at having professional photos taken and he made it feel fun and never awkward. We were very happy with how he captured the spirit of the day as well as all the little details.”

Combining the rustic countryside with an industrial reception venue worked beautifully, with Anna remembering, ”We had our ceremony and reception on site at the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre, Bundanon Trust. Our ceremony was down by the river framed by farmland, and our reception was in the Education Centre which has stunning views.” Filling the room with wattle and other gorgeous blooms, the couple also gave Russian Dolls for favours which they had bought in Moscow.

Having thoroughly enjoyed food tasting in the lead up to their wedding, the bride and groom were thrilled with Duck Duck Goose Catering on the day. Anna and Will also included many personal touches on the day, with the bride telling, ”We had a Russian Napolean cake made by my Aunt, along with dessert from Noga’s Cakes. William’s Aunty also handmade a beautifully embroidered good luck charm. It was a very special tradition to be a part of.”

Anna and Will were delighted with the many beautiful details of their day, especially the styling of the reception. The bride tells, ”We were really happy with all the glassware and pottery we collected, it gave our wedding a very personal feel.” Will also shares, ”As Anna is Russian we tried to capture this with a ceremonial vodka shot during the speeches. The shots proved a little too much for some people and there were a few early departures!” The bride and groom didn’t have a first dance, but opened the dance floor with ‘You’ve Got the Love’ by Florence and the Machine.

A huge congratulations to our stunning bride and groom on your wedding, and thank you for sharing your gorgeous day with us! And a special thank you to John Benavente for sharing your exquisite photographs!