Elle & James

On a sweeping farm in Tasmania, with rustic details and Australian native flowers, Elle and James said ‘I do’! The countryside provided a gorgeous backdrop for the romantic day, complete with a Grace Loves Lace gown, seaside adventures and a beloved puppy! Tanya Voltchanskaya captured the day.

The bride and groom met at Falls Festival in Marion Bay. With three days of music, drinks and dancing the two began a beautiful friendship. Elle shares of the proposal, ”James had the ring but wasn’t sure how to pop the question, all he knew is he wanted it to be a surprise. I entered a Facebook competition to win a couples photo shoot, which I won! James originally didn’t want to do it but then thought it’d be a great opportunity to surprise me, plus get photos of the proposal which I always said I would like. So James ‘reluctantly’ agreed to go along after teeing up a signal with the photographer. When the photo shoot came around and the photographer drew my attention away, James completely forgot it was the signal. The photographer made funny eyes at James which almost made me spin around and ruin the moment. Luckily I didn’t, James got into position and when I did turn around I was completely surprised and started jumping and screaming. I said yes!”

Knowing exactly what she wanted to wear down the aisle, Elle began researching. She tells, ”We went to three different bridal shops, each provided a unique experience. We left Grace Loves Lace until last. I was so nervous trying on the dress I had my heart set on in case it looked awful on me. As soon as it was on I knew it was worth going all that way for a dress. When I walked out of the change room my decision became final when mum cried. It was a very special moment.” The groom and groomsmen wore tuxedo shirts with bow ties, the groom wearing a burgundy jacket from Routleys Menswear Fashion.

Building a mirror which will be a precious heirloom, the bride and her father put their skills to the test. Elle shares, ”I’ve always had this vision of having this grand mirror that myself and my beautiful girls could get ready with. I had also asked James’s dad to build our wedding arch. I showed him a photo and my vision for what I wanted and he simply said, ‘leave it with me’. I ended up with exactly what I wanted. As soon as James and I got engaged we knew exactly where we wanted to get married – grandad and grandma’s farm. We went straight up there to share our exciting news and ask if we could have the ceremony up there. They were thrilled and from that moment on, they worked in their garden until the very day of the wedding. We walked down the aisle to ‘We Found Each Other in the Dark’ by City and Colour, performed by our amazing friend and musician, Cameron Windram.”

Bouquets filled with Australian native flowers and foliage contrasted beautifully with the Stevie May bridesmaid gowns. Elle tells, ”Our flowers were AMAZING! Zara from Hill Street Flowers listened and delivered the flowers of our dreams. She met our expectations and beyond. The wind was blowing a gale all day, and was freezing cold as well (James’ grandad even loaned her his volunteer firefighter jacket), so getting all the flowers to stick to our arch at the end of the aisle was a massive task!”

Although somewhat chilly, the Tasmanian countryside provided a magnificent background of rolling hills and pastures. The atmosphere on the day was important to the couple, with Elle sharing, ”I’m a very anxious and stressful person. James on the other hand is super chill. I wanted to draw that kind of vibe when organizing the wedding because James is my calm space and knows how to reassure me. We just love to have fun and wanted everyone to have a great time.”

Romantic, fun and capturing the emotion of the day beautifully was photographer Tanya Voltchanskaya. The bride and groom remember, ”We connected really well with our photographer. Weddings can seem quite stressful, but it was calming knowing that nothing was a problem for Tanya. She was very chill, just let us be us and even gave us a lift to the reception! Tanya had the most amazing photos on her social media and website. When we enquired we knew straight away she would be capturing our day, she fit our vibe perfectly and was completely relaxed in the way she explained she captures photos. It was love at first sight! In the lead up to the wedding Tanya had put something up on her Instagram that really sealed the deal in our decision making. She had said, ‘the wedding shouldn’t be about the photos, the photos should be about the wedding’. That’s when I knew we would have amazing photos, that would capture us and our story perfectly.”

Listing the videography and band as some of their favourite aspects of the wedding, Elle and James were thrilled with The White Tree. They tell, ”They oozed this sense of style that catered for so many different clients. We LOVED that. James and I have quite an eclectic taste when it comes to music so it was a no brainer getting the band on board, knowing they could play a range of music and it somehow fitting our vibe. Their videography again looked as though it would capture us perfectly and we loved that we could book them under the one person – so easy and less stressful! We had a amazing correspondence with these guys leading up to the wedding and nothing was too big of an ask. The band learned our first dance song and no request we had was out of scope.”

Holding the ceremony at James’ grandparents farm in Riana, Tasmania, was a clear choice for the couple. Choosing the sentimental location, they share, ”It’s a beautiful farming town with views spanning right to the coast. Not is it only a beautiful backdrop for a wedding, it’s so special to share this moment on a property that means so much. I had asked my friend to draw myself, James and Beryl (our dog) as we would be on our wedding day. I wanted to personalise the party favors and she did an amazing job of doing that. My dad isn’t a public speaker, he’s usually a man of very few words in front of a big crowd, people he doesn’t know well or on a topic that is foreign to him. However when he got up to do his speech I was completely blown away. It was a very special moment.”

Thank you Elle and James for sharing your beautiful wedding day with us. Thank you also to Tanya Voltchanskaya for the images that showed us all the happy emotions of this lovely day!