Sarah & James

Macedon Ranges Winery provided the perfect spot for Sarah and James to hold their outdoor country wedding! Wine coloured bridesmaids and blooms, DIY touches and classic styling all added to the joyfulness of the day, especially as a perfectly timed cool change swept through right before the ceremony! Smith + Archer captured the day.

Keeping the proposal a surprise from both the bride and the bride’s mum can be very tricky, but James nailed it! Sarah remembers, ”He booked a room at Crown and we had some music on and we were slow dancing together to some of our favourite songs. The song ‘You’re My Best Friend’ by Queen came on, which is the song I sing to Jamie when we wake up in the morning. While the song was playing, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was so perfect! And of course I bawled my eyes out! A couple of days before he proposed, Jamie asked my dad’s permission and this is something that I really valued and appreciated. They both knew that they had to keep it from Mum because there would be no way she could keep it quiet!”

Changing her mind at the last minute, Sarah took a gamble and ended up with her dream gown. She shares, ”I always wanted a Grace Loves Lace dress and had been obsessed with the Verdelle gown. I really couldn’t justify flying to Queensland for a dress so I tried some other dresses on and purchased a dress in July. I did love the dress I purchased but I still kept thinking about the Grace Loves Lace one. Mid January I had a little melt down and decided to purchase the Verdelle dress two weeks before the wedding! Luckily it worked and I loved it so so much!! The Verdelle dress was comfy, I could move and dance and it was so lightweight! It is Italian tradition for the family to see the bride off from her family home as she leaves for the wedding. I really enjoyed having all my aunties, uncles, grandparents and cousins over while I was getting ready. It was like a party before the big party!” The groom wore a black Bell and Barnett suit.

Outdoors and in a gorgeous winery garden, the couple said their vows. They remember, ”Our celebrant Lana Ryder was so genuine and made us both feel so relaxed. We wanted a warm and funny ceremony that really captured James and I as a couple. Lana told our story and what we value and love the most in each other. There were parts that were quite emotional, especially as I walked down the aisle and saw James crying.” Isaac Main sung ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love With You’ as the bride’s mum and dad walked her down the aisle.

The ceremony arbour and reception venue were weighed down under magnificent arrangements of wine and champagne coloured blooms, put together by Raven And The Rose. Sarah tells, ”Ame’s flowers are so different and creative and we basically gave her freedom on what we wanted. I wanted the bouquets, arbour and reception flowers to be a surprise as I knew Ame’s work is phenomenal so I had complete trust in her. Our wedding was a 44 degree day and about 10 minutes before I walked down the aisle a cool changed swept through. All our guests knew that Jamie is a big lover of ice cream and icy poles so we provided our guests with Zooper Doopers while they were waiting for me at the ceremony gardens. This really set the scene for a relaxed and fun wedding!”

The wedding venue held a special place in the hearts of the bride and groom, both being locals. They tell, ”James and I both grew up in the Macedon Ranges and had seen pictures of weddings at Mount Macedon Winery and they looked AMAZING. We are big advocates of supporting local businesses and really wanted to have our wedding at a local venue. Mount Macedon Winery ticked all the boxes as we really wanted an outdoor ceremony, a winery and a big open space for our cocktail wedding. We didn’t bother looking at any other locations because we knew it was the one from the minute we drove up the driveway!”

Yummy cheese platters, beautiful foliage and flowers and sweet favours for guests added to the ambience at the country reception. The bride shares, ”We did our own invites and put together our own bonbonniere. We also made little signs to put around the venue such as ‘reserved for our grandparents’ and our wedding hashtag ‘#foreverwright’. I’m not very creative but luckily my bridesmaids are!”

Thrilled with their choice in photographer, Sarah shares her delight in finding Smith + Archer, saying, ”I stumbled across them and loved the natural photos. I sent an email off to check their availability and little did I realise that I actually knew Ali! We loved that Ali made us feel so relaxed and like she wasn’t there at all. Our photos are natural and not posed and I appreciate all the photos of our guests she took too! She went above and beyond to ensure our wedding day was a success. We had regular contact prior to the wedding and caught up for a couple of coffees. She provided me with so many insights like timeline ideas, venue layout, photo ideas, ways to effectively get ready.. the works! During the day she was a really calming influence and helped it all run smoothly. She was not in our faces and I couldn’t believe the shots she got especially when I don’t even remember her being around. Ali sent us 10 photos the night of the wedding so we could share them with our family and friends and the after service has been fantastic. Our photos were delivered quickly and we can’t get over the quality or quantity! We are currently working on our album which has been fun!”

Thank you to our beautiful bride and groom for sharing your special day with us, and congratulations! Thank you also to Smith + Archer for your stunning images!