Sarah & Ben

Making their day fun and relaxed, Sarah and Ben threw their vintage wedding with heart and style! Effervescent and full of emotion, from the pineapple touches to the sweetest surprise beverage, we wish we had been there to join the celebrations!  Simone Addison Photography captured every moment.

Having met on Tinder and with their first date involving rugby (and a team loss!), the groom knew he wanted to propose, but hadn’t found the right moment. Ben tells, ”One night, I started having an allergic reaction, Sarah was freaking out and all I could do was watch and feel like this woman would do anything to help me. So when she wasn’t looking I nabbed one of the plastic dress rings, and waited for the reaction to calm down. When we returned to watching our movie, I got down onto one knee. Sarah thought I was still delirious so she asked “Ummm are you ok?”, then she replied with a yes!”

Not keen on the idea of wedding dress shopping, Sarah put it off for a rainy day. She shares, ”A week later, I found a garden party dress I loved online at Chi Chi Clothing, and bought it for $85! Overall, I felt overwhelmed in big, goofy gowns and felt like it wasn’t very ‘me’. The online experience was much easier. It arrived a week later, I tried it on, it fit perfectly, and I loved it! Ben was talked into changing the suit colour, wearing a bowtie, and wearing suspenders (partially) against his will. He’s stubborn, but loves that I had my decisions in picking what he wore. The pineapple socks were all his idea, though. Had to have something pineapple-ey!”

Choosing to get ready together, the bride and groom also chose to walk down the aisle together. They tell, ”We had planned the wedding together, gotten ready together, and wanted to highlight our support for each other. We walked down the aisle to ‘Il Mondo’ by Jimmy Fontana.” The bride remembers, ”Ben started off the wedding by getting me a surprise cup of coffee (I can’t live without my coffee), and we made sure we had plenty of jokes and fun references built into the ceremony. Our celebrant was beyond fantastic. We kept it short, sweet, funny, and made sure that it was as much about us celebrating the people around us, as we were celebrating each other.”

Feeling anything too traditional was not their style, the bride and groom made their relaxed day especially meaningful by including moments and people they cherish. Ben tells, ”We had our pink rings, and Sarah and her sister had their remembrances to their Mum. We planned the whole event together, and it felt like something we both wanted. Everyone loved the wedding, as we organised it to be partly a celebration of our love for them too.” Thrilled with their chosen vendors, the bride and groom share about Simone Addison Photography and Dilhari from Kiss Me You Fool Marriage Celebrant, saying, ”They were on our level right from the start, and we can honestly say that our day would have sucked without them. They made our wedding as much as either of us.”

Finding the parkland for their photos a simple ten minute stroll away from The Guildford Hotel, the newlyweds were even treated with a beautiful sunset! They tell of Simone Addison Photography, ”Right from the first meeting we had she was amazing. Totally prepared, she made us feel completely at ease, and she worked tirelessly and so discreetly. We told her from the first meeting that she was the professional and she should boss us around if needs be to get good photos, and she made sure that we were bossed around – but in the nicest way! We cannot sing her praises enough, and she was totally a huge part of what made our day fun.”

With a vintage feel to the day and fun to be had in celebrating, The Guildford Hotel was absolutely perfect for Sarah and Ben. They tell, ”We picked them solely because they had cheeseburger spring rolls. They were so helpful and great, and their wines were fantastic, and they had all the space we needed, and the place had a great feel. But the cheeseburger spring rolls were at least 85% of the reason why.” Choosing mainly foliage with few flowers, Beans & Bunches decorated the venue with a large arbour. Sarah shares, ”We wanted lots of green at the wedding as neither of us are big on flowers everywhere. We had a few native flowers in the bouquets but the majority of the flowers were greenery that mixed really well with the venue’s rustic style.”

The groom was adamant that his bride received a coffee during the ceremony, and that was just the beginning of many beautiful and heartfelt moments throughout the day. Sarah tells, ”He’s sure he freaked out the event co-ordinator with his enthusiasm. We both made sure we included the cheeseburger spring rolls, as well as the beer on tap (it’s Ben’s and his dad’s favourite). Myself and my sister also had bracelets that included the ashes of and mementos to our Mum. We also had pink silicone rings as our wedding bands, the proceeds of the sale of which went to the McGrath Foundation.”

Getting crafty, the bride and groom did some DIY to make The Guildford Hotel their own. They remember, ”We DIYed a lot, including picture boards, timetables, wedding advice cards, a few lighting decorations, and the entirety of the music playlists for ceremony, pre-reception drinks, and reception party times. We had our first dance to ‘Most Beautiful Girl In The Room’ by Flight of the Concords, because we don’t take much seriously and we wanted everyone to laugh and not notice our terrible, terrible dancing. It worked apparently.”

Congratulations to our beautiful bride and groom on becoming newlyweds, and thank you so much for sharing your magnificent day. Thank you also to Simone Addison Photography for your beautiful photos.