Julia & Haydyn

“Heartfelt, light, funny, involving all, not overly traditional, a celebration of friends and family, great music and fun.” If we could start a country wedding story any way, it would be with the bride’s words. Julia and Haydyn chose the country venue of Kimo Estate situated just outside of Gundagai for their black-tie wedding. With bow ties donned and a beautiful gown crafted, the couple and their guests made their way to the rolling countryside to celebrate a very special story. They invited  Luke Chisholm Photography along, and we’re so glad that we can tell their story alongside such beautiful images!

Although they’re both Aussie, these two met in London! Julia fills us in “We met 10 years ago while travelling in London, at a hostel. A friendship developed and we travelled together. Haydyn returned to Australia before me. We remained in contact.

Haydyn’s music taste was really working in his favour. He mixed some tapes for me and serenaded me from afar as we lived in different cities. I’m from Canberra and he was living in Sydney. Love blossomed regardless of the distance and for the following three years, we made long-distance work.”

Haydyn popped the question “in the shower, both butt naked (although I was wearing a shower cap)!” remembers Julia.

The groom donned a classic tuxedo from Suit Supply.

Julia started the day with tradition, telling “One of my bridesmaids gave me a box with something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. I’ll cherish the vintage crystal glasses and pass on the borrowed handkerchief to the next bride.”

 The bride chose Suzanne Harward to make her gown, noting “It was classic but modern. I could have gone with something more relaxed and fitted but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to wear a beautiful gown.”

The beautiful country venue of Kimo Estate set the scene for both the ceremony and reception. Julia tells “Kimo Estate is a working farm, luxury accommodation and a wedding venue. We chose to have all parts of the wedding there, including having our families stay at the old cottages on site.

The ceremony was held at the Kimo Homestead which was built in 1878, surrounded by a huge beautiful garden. Our ceremony was held in the grain shed; a huge timber and tin shed that gave off incredible Game of Thrones or Harry Potter-esque vibes. We chose the venue mostly for the physical space itself. It didn’t need any styling whatsoever. With perks like Bose speakers in the garden and 100 candles in the reception space, we could splurge on some of the other elements that were important to us, like music. Also, we chose it for the location. I’m from Canberra and Haydyn is originally from Wagga so it was smack bang in the middle of both. A lot of Haydyn’s family is from Gundagai so the location holds a lot of family significance as well.”

The bride walked down the aisle with her father to Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing. ” It’s such a nice song, and always seems to build. So perfect if I was running late!”

Julia and Haydyn chose Sally Shippard to officiate their garden ceremony, sharing “Our ceremony was light-hearted but full of love. Our celebrant, Sally absolutely nailed it. A lot of what was said was about our families, as it’s important to the both of us. This also included both our mums doing readings.

Haydyn’s mum read an excerpt from ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ and my mum read a poem by Bob Marley.”

Beautiful blooms on the day were styled by With Love Bespoke Styling. “Ash is amazing. I instantly fell in love with her bold bouquets and stunning colour combos” remembers Julia. “I gave her a very confusing brief wanting a bold and romantic vibe. She nailed it. The orchids were a treat. I balled when she delivered the bouquets.”

Country weddings call for country charm, but this wedding brought a different vibe, somewhat unexpectedly, explains Julia. “Gundagai is a really small town, but as it turned out our wedding was the same day as the National Busking Championship. It made for a pretty funny energy before everyone came along to the wedding.”

 

The newlyweds were thrilled with their choice of photographer. “What a massively talented human” remarks Julia. “It wasn’t just about the photos, he was so chilled out all day. We’d been to weddings before and had seen photographers barking orders and calling the shots but Luke just went with the flow and was so accommodating. He captured the day perfectly and we feel so lucky we got him.”

The grain shed opened its doors for a beautiful reception, the sparkling light, one of the bride’ favourite parts of the venue. She explains “Before sunset, light pierces through all these holes in the grain shed which make beams of light shoot off in all different directions. And when the sun does set, about 100 candles are illuminating the whole place. It creates such a magical atmosphere.”

Speeches were a definite highlight for these two, who planned their day to make sure they gave them plenty of time. “We made sure we had enough time allocated for speeches and the dance floor so tried to keep a tight schedule earlier on.”

Despite being originally against sunset portraits, Julia and Haydyn count these photos amongst their favourites of the day, Julia noting “We didn’t want the whole sunset shoot thing because we wanted to just spend more time with all our guests. But we are so glad Luke our photographer convinced us – the lighting, the rolling hills and the wind. It was epic. He did such an amazing job.”

 

“My parents would always answer “we love you all the same” when we asked who they loved the most” tells Julia of her favourite vendor.  “And I feel like that’s the right answer for this question! They were all so lovely, talented, patient and accommodating.”

The first dance? Utterly romantic remembers the bride. “It was great. We had high hopes of doing lessons and wowing everyone but time got the better of us. Haydyn still managed to dip me though!

The song was ‘You Send Me’ by Aretha Franklin, originally by Sam Cooke. The perfect balance of slow and fun.”

   It was a conscious decision for these two to do away with the fuss, Julia explaining “When we were planning we both realised that so many of these really nice gestures from other bride and grooms go unnoticed or are lost in the buzz of the day. Haydyn wasn’t game enough to ask his mum to make another 200 jars of relish after his sister’s wedding.

Instead, we wanted to focus our energy on other basics – nice wine, cold beers, good vibes and a great DJ (Adam Rogan from The Vintage Stylus. “We both love music and it was a big part of how we got together (the mixtapes), it makes such a difference to a wedding when everyone is just letting loose on the dance floor. I think it shows that they’re comfortable with everything in the day.”

A big congratulations Julia and Haydyn! Thank you for sharing your beautiful stories with us! Thank you also to Luke Chisholm Photography for sharing today’s celebration!