Erin & James

This luxe Byron Bay Hinterland wedding is seriously gorgeous! With the bride and groom’s main aim to ”make it as enjoyable as possible for both our guests and ourselves”, we can safely say they nailed it! Pizza, whiskey and nutella on the rolling fields while the sun sets sounds absolutely perfect, and This Day Forward captured the beauty of it all.

The couple met in high school, over 10 years ago. Erin tells, ”We had a crush on each other in year 10, then lost touch for 6 years when James left school. We ended up bumping into each other at the pub one weekend (just after James had returned from living in Canada), and we have literally been inseparable ever since.” When it’s meant to be, it will always be!

Erin’s gown was an original, and beyond stunning! She shares, ”I actually made my dress. I purchased a top when I first got engaged and was always planning on making my own skirt. I have a background in fashion design and am very comfortable with a sewing machine. About a month before the big day I decided I wasn’t too keen on my original top so I popped into the city and purchased a metre of gorgeous 3D lace and made myself a simple long sleeve, open back top. I then spent the next couple of nights embroidering very strategically placed flowers on the top to make sure all my important pits were covered!” James wore an outfit by MJ Bale, shoes by Aquila with pocket square, tie and cufflinks by Rembrandt.

With such a beautiful backdrop for their ceremony, the bride and groom kept things simple. Erin tells, ”Talitha Mitchell, our celebrant, was so warm and genuine. We wanted our ceremony to be really casual with lots of laughs. We also wanted to make a special mention of SSM (as the vote was happening at the time) so I had one of my best friends, Ben write a passage for Talitha to read about marriage equality. Everyone cheered and clapped after the reading which was so special to see, and I know it meant a lot to Ben and his partner.” The bride walked down the aisle with her mum and dad to ‘Little Bit’ by Lykke Li.

The newlyweds fell in love with their chosen venue on their first visit. The bride remembers, ”We had both the ceremony and after party on one property at Forget Me Not in Byron Bay. The location was just perfect, hidden away in the Byron Bay Hinterland, but not too far from town for all of our guests. It had beautifully manicured gardens set within rolling hills and farm land. There was a field of friendly cows right next to our reception, and the most incredible sunset over the hills. It was just perfect!” Decorating the venue was easy too, with Erin sharing, ”After finding BrambleHaus on Instagram I knew I had to use them for our flowers. They have such a beautiful and unique vision which comes through in all of their creations. I had hired 60 Moroccan brass earns for the ceremony and reception from The Palace & Co and the girls did the most amazing job filling them with a beautiful mix of white and dusty pink proteas, cherry blossoms and orchids. We decided to flank the alter with large urns and dramatic branches and flowers, rather than an expensive arbour piece. This also meant that we could move the flowers over to the reception after the ceremony finished so we could enjoy them all night!”

Focusing on the details procured a gorgeous day in every way, with Erin telling, ”Every detail was really special to me. James thinks I am a bit obsessive but I couldn’t help but spend hours researching every single detail, from the styling and props, to the flowers, airstream bar and yurt. For the food, we wanted to keep it really casual and serve food that people loved and wanted to eat. We started with a giant antipasto table, followed by wood fired pizzas, baked onsite. Dessert was a tower of Krispy Kreme Donuts, mini jars of Nutella and mini choc-coated gelato cones. Music is also super important to us, so on top of selecting the most perfect band, we spent months curating the perfect playlist for each section of the day. The theme I was aiming for was luxe Moroccan with a touch of boho. We wanted a super relaxed environment with no set seating or 3 course meal. The day was all about dancing, laughing and eating.”

Selecting a photographer to capture their day was a smooth decision, with Erin telling, ”I used to work with our photographer about 5 years ago. So when we got engaged I knew we had to use This Day Forward. Will does such beautiful, genuine and natural photos. He really captures the mood of the day and the surrounding landscape. I love that he captured some beautiful images of the surrounding fields and cows. Those are probably the photos I will end up framing for around the house, as a subtle reminder of our special day.”

Creating their special day was no mean feat, with the bride doing as much DIY as possible. She tells, ‘If I could have cloned myself to be the wedding coordinator for the day then I would have! I couldn’t help but continuously check-in with our coordinator to make sure all those little details were executed throughout the day. But I loved every minute of it! The most impressive DIY components came with the help of my incredible friends. They made my cake and our giant antipasti cheese table, and my mum made beautiful cushion covers for all the floor cushions that I bought at Vinnies. Our whisky bar was also DIY. For months leading up to the wedding myself, my mum and all of her friends were raiding second hand stores for vintage scotch glasses and decanters. We have quite the collection now! My favourite detail were the gorgeous flowers. I wish I could have taken them all home and enjoy them for longer! I also LOVED all of the beautiful Moroccan carpets and cushions.”

We love a first dance, and especially when it involves a lift! The bride and groom had their first dance to ‘Coming Home’ by Leon Bridges’, with Erin telling, ”We had practiced so many times at home in the kitchen. But we had never practiced with me in a giant tulle skirt! So it ended up being not very glamorous, but very entertaining. One of my favorite photos from the wedding is of our spontaneous (and clumsy) lift and spin on the dance floor. You can just see my face beaming with happiness! I also love the picture of us traipsing through the fields behind the reception, there is one where I am lifting my skirt up as a I walk and you can see that I am actually barefoot (which I was for most of the day and night) and you can see the whole party happening in the field behind us. It captures the vibe of the day perfectly.”

As the evening drew to a close, the night simply got better. The bride shares, ”My favourite moment was at the end of the reception, when the band handed me the microphone and I got to rap Biggie Smalls ‘Juicy’ with all of our friends on the dancefloor. The atmosphere was amazing, it really was so much fun and the most epic way to end the evening. Our band were just amazing! Hanlon Brothers made the night so special and got everyone up on the dance floor. They had such great energy and just the most wonderful voices. It wouldn’t have been the same without them.” Telling of another vendor they loved, Erin says, ”The Air Stream itself was just incredible and a real show stopper. But the bar staff were fantastic too! By the end of the night everyone was in the caravan making cocktails and dancing. it was so much fun!”

Thank you to our gorgeous bride and groom for sharing your wedding day, and congratulations on becoming a Mr and Mrs! A special thank you also to This Day Forward for sharing your photographs.