Courtney & Daniel

If there is a Summer style wedding that everybody loves – it’s the garden party. Courtney and Daniel chose the best kind of garden party for their fun handmade barn wedding. They welcomed guests with tables of fruity drinks, married in the garden, celebrated under the sparkly lights, dined on doughnuts and danced, until what I am certain was almost dawn. It’s one of those weddings that is free of constraint – a wedding where everyone had a good time with a drink in hand, So beautifully captured by Daniella Melfi Photographer.

The couple met through mutual friends, Courtney telling the story. “I am a primary school teacher and Dan is a travel agent. We met through mutual friends (who are now our son, Madden’s godparents) at a music concert. Our meeting turned into a flirty friendship which then blossomed into a relationship. We were always so excited to see each other! There is so much I love about Dan, but some of his stand out qualities and the reasons why I fell so in love with him is because of his caring and loving nature. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body! I truly hope that Madden grows up to be just as respectful and loving as his Dad.”

The couple chose the country venue of Baxter Barn for their celebration, Courtney telling “The moment Dan and I walked into the Baxter Barn we knew it was the perfect place for us. It was funny, as on the journey there Dan looked at me and said, ‘whatever you do don’t agree to put a deposit down as we have only just started looking and I know what you’re like – compulsive. Well, as soon as we walked in and sat down, Dan was like ‘where do we sign and pay a deposit. We just knew it was the place.”

The groom’s sister sang a version of “Angels” by The XX as the bride walked down the aisle after her son.

Claire Paterson  officiated the ceremony, Courtney remarking “Baxter Barn staff, Dani our photographer, Claire our celebrant, Jared (bride’s brother) MC, the bridal party and family members and friends all made our wedding the best day we could have ever imagined and we are so grateful!”

 

The bride, not a fan of shopping, wore a gown she found from Jonte Designs. She explains “I am not one to love in-store shopping, so ‘wedding dress shopping’ sounded just awful. I saw a dress on Instagram (Jonte Designs) that I loved, got in touch with the designer located in Perth and I tried it on and it was just perfect. Tick – took me less than a month to find the dress and the price was a dream.”

“Demi Luna Designs worked her magic with the florals. Everything just went so well with the colour theme and style of wedding we had.”

 

Handmade details were key decor, the bride explaining “All the decorations you saw in the barn were DIY. Donut wall, bunting for the outdoor “photo booth” and photo frames for the bar. My mum made our wedding cake too which looked amazing!”

Says the bride “The whole day went so fast. We would probably say the dance floor during the night and having espresso martinis during the photos around the barn. The speeches were all awesome too. Many guests said they were the best speeches (especially the groom’s) they had heard. The food (which we didn’t eat any) was 10/10. I know it’s cliché but it really was the most perfect day.”

  

Of their photographer, Courtney notes “Our photographer Dani was absolutely amazing, she was incredibly easy to work with and got our vibe and what we wanted our photos to be spot on. Our celebrant was another standout, she was amazing to work with also. We truly formed two friendships through the process of our wedding and cannot thank them enough!!”

Courtney reminisces “It sounds cliche but we both wouldn’t change a thing about the day, it was just perfect. Everything went to plan and everyone was loving the day/evening. If I had to say the best part, it would probably be when Dan (groom) made his speech.. and singing Purple Rain at the end of the night.”

Congratulations on your marriage Courtney and Daniel! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us and thank you to Daniella Melfi Photographer for today’s photographs!