Rachel & James

It is weddings like the handmade country house wedding of Rachel and James that make me excited for long Summer days. Captured by Tony Evans Photography, the day was filled with sunsets, drinks in the garden, laughter and homemade cake. The bride remarking “We wanted our wedding to be country house rustic with lots of friends helping out, with fun games, excellent music and good times.”

The bride wore a gorgeous gown from Bronx and Banco that featured a soft high low hemline. She paired it with gold sandals.

The bride and groom travelled to their ceremony in a blue ute, remembering “One of our venue hosts, Al, was kind enough to drive us down from the house to the dam where our ceremony took place in his old blue ute. We sat on the tray on a hay bale, with Tony clinging on to the side madly snapping pictures as we bumped through the paddock. Our favourite photo was from a little way back from the ute as Rachel jumped off the tray and onto the ground, heels and all.”

The couple arrived at the ceremony together and then walked down the aisle with their parents, Rachel explaining “We both walked down the aisle with our parents either side of us (so it was a pretty wide aisle). We chose Sally Seltmann’s ‘Harmony to my Heartbeat’, which we love a lot and has a lot more vibe to it than lots of the beautiful but softer and more sobering stuff we’ve heard at other weddings.”

Rose Girdwood officiated the ceremony, Rachel remembering “We asked a very close friend of both of us to officiate at our wedding, and she put together a really beautiful ceremony that was actually quite a surprise to us in many ways. She spoke beautifully about us and our relationship and she gave the ceremony a really personal feel, which was particularly important to us.”

The groom surprised the bride with a serenade. “My favourite detail of the day was when James sang a song he had composed for me during the ceremony. There were plenty of tears all around, covering the bridal party, parents and some guests too.”

The newlyweds note, of their wedding party “We both chose to have our siblings as our best ‘people’, with two sisters on the groom’s side and two sisters and a brother on the bride’s. It was a really special thing to have all of our siblings involved, as we’re really close. We still got to have our best mates in the ceremony, giving a series of amazing readings.”

The private property, that featured an 1860s bluestone house in Tylden, allowed the newlyweds to celebrate with their guests in an outdoor picnic style reception, enjoying decadent dinners by Verde Providore.

The floral arrangements were styled by friends, the bride remembering “Some friends of ours who have a particular eye for this sort of thing volunteered to put flowers together for us, which even involved an insanely early morning trip to the flower market. Their choices were really personal and appropriate. Not TOO much, and lots of natives.”

Family and friends baked their famous cakes for dessert.

Of their photographer, the bride remarks “Tony Evans is a friend of ours and, having seen a lot of his work over the years, he was by far the number one pick to take photos of us. He’s just so great to get along with, very easy to talk to and to be around, and it helps that he takes pictures that are stunning.”

But the serenade at the ceremony was not the only surprise of the day, Rachel telling “It was a surprise and James figured it was the only surprise of the day. But then, after the speeches, Beyonce’s ‘Love on Top’ boomed from the speakers and Rachel and her closest friends were suddenly engulfing James in a flashmob dance routine. It was…unforgettable. And amazing.”

Congratulations on your marriage Rachel and James1 Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Tony Evans Photography for sharing today’s gorgeous wedding!