Krista & Bradley

Festooned with hundreds of fairy lights and laden with foliage picked from the family farm, Krista and Bradley’s rustic and chic country wedding was everything they hoped for! Married in Mackay surrounded by their nearest and dearest, this bride and groom DIY-ed their socks off to create a gorgeous day, with every beautiful moment captured by House Of Lucie.

Meeting on MySpace in 2009, it took a few years of chatting before the couple met at a concert. Krista shares, ”I bought dinner as a thank you for Brad and we stayed up all night talking. Ever since that very moment we have been inseparable!” On their six year anniversary, Bradley took Krista out for a meal and a romantic stroll around Kangaroo Point to Captain Burke Park overlooking the Story Bridge. Krista remembers, ”Bradley chose this spot because it represented a place of fortitude as that area would never be destroyed, just like his love for me. I was totally surprised as I had no idea. Bradley picked the ring all by himself and even brought multiple jumpers to dinner so that I didn’t take his jumper and find the ring in a pocket!”

The bride chose a beautiful lace gown from Allure Bridal to compliment their rustic and vintage theme. She shares, ”My dress was chosen due to its simple elegance and timeless lace applique. It fit me like no other dress. It was my dream wedding gown! Bradley’s attire was mostly purchased from Johnny Bigg. He wore a navy suit, white shirt, tan shoes and a red and navy Peter Jacksons tie to compliment the look. Although the wedding theme was rustic Bradley still wanted his outfit to be timeless and have an element of a classical feel.”

Choosing to hold the ceremony at St. Francis Xavier, West Mackay, Krista tells, ”Brad and I wanted our day to be filled with happiness and to be surrounded by family. A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians 4:4-9 was read as the reading speaks about never ending love.” The bride was walked down the aisle by her Father to ‘All My Life’ by K-Ci and JoJo. Krista and Bradley chose not to have a bridal party, instead asking the bride’s nephews to be page boys.

Mackay being both the bride and groom’s hometown, this was a special spot for the newlyweds. Krista chose a sweeping waterfall style bouquet with desert roses, eucalyptus and seasonal flowers, wanting something timeless and rustic, but a bouquet that would also complement Bradley’s suit. All of the church decorations, church booklets and wedding invitations were created by the crafty bride herself!

Both Krista and Bradley were thrilled with Khara from House Of Lucie, who captured their day. The bride tells, ”She so effortlessly got so many beautiful photos that my husband and I will treasure forever. We cannot thank her for her beautiful work enough! They were the vendor that we invested the most in and the return was certainly well worth it!” Krista also wanted to say a special thank you to Glamour and Grace Bridal, PlainInkDiary and Wooden Letters Australia for their lovely products and service.

Although the special napkins Krista had purchased were forgotten on the big day, her shabby chic and rustic styling was absolutely beautiful! The reception was held at ‘Farleigh’ on the Portelli Family Farm where the bride and her Father grew up. She shares, ”Having the reception on the family farm was a perfect fit for us as this is where we spent a lot of time as a young couple and it was very familiar to our family and friends. Bradley and I wanted the day to be super special and one to remember so all we wanted was for our family to have as much fun as we did in a beautiful atmosphere on our 7 year anniversary. We made sure we took photos on the family farm located at The Leap, Queensland.”

Loving the opportunity to plan and style the day however she wanted, Krista says, ”My favourite part of planning a wedding was that I was able to make it shabby or as chic as I desired, the sky was my limit!” The bride carried on the ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ tradition, by wearing an old and borrowed eternity ring from her Nana, brand new earrings and a blue garter. She tells, ”My favourite detail of the day was getting to spend time alone with my husband after we had left the church, it was such a special time and I was so glad that we were able to do that!”

A ceiling dripping with fairy lights created magical ambience in the reception marquee, with gorgeous branches of foliage decorating the space. Tables were set with as many candles as they could hold, with flowers and branches of mandarins from local trees. The bride shares, ”The flowers and foliage at the reception were all hand picked from our family farm and put together by myself. The first dance song was ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ by Savage Garden, a staple and much loved song in the our relationship.” Family catered the reception, and all of the decor was put together by the couple, their friends and family. Asked for five favourite moments to share from the day, the bride says, ”I’m going to narrow this down to two because this is all I have ever wanted on my wedding day; the commitment my partner was making to me and being surrounded by friends and family.”