Jess and Mitch were married in country fields, surrounded by rustic and romantic details, head over heels for one another. Their relaxed style and easy DIY led to a day full of joy and beauty! Dan Brannan captured the celebration.

The bride and groom met through a work colleague, who set up her friend Jess with her brother Mitch. Using very cunning tactics, Jess tells, ”She arranged a joint birthday party for me and her and invited Mitch –  the rest is history!” The groom proposed in a very impressive manner, on a glacier in Switzerland! Jess remembers, ”Mitch had convinced me to start climbing mountains with him in the Alps and we were just playing around on the ice when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I was both terrified of the surrounding crevasses and over the moon about the engagement!” Note: beware of crevasses during a proposal!

The bride had her wedding dress handmade. She shares, ”I found a picture of a dress I loved then managed to find it in a store. I tried it on and completely fell in love with the style, but it was a fair bit out of my price range. My mum got married 6 years ago and she had her dress made through d’Italia. So off we went with a picture of the dress. The whole experience of making my own dress was nerve wracking but wonderful. I took a style that I loved and really made it my own – everyone should have their own dress made! The girls at d’Italia were incredible, patient and lovely, and helped me to pick really beautiful material.” The groom wore suspenders and bowties which were handmade in Yorkshire, with their own blue trousers and brown shoes.”

Wearing mismatched and floral gowns, the bridesmaids all chose their own dresses. The rustic and native flower bouquets were put together by About Flowers Kyneton. Jess tells, ”My cousin’s wife and mum own a beautiful florist in Kyneton which was perfect. They pretty much did it all based off one inspiration photo I found on Pinterest and the results were incredible. We did a first look photo shoot so the bridal party photos were all done before the ceremony started – this meant we didn’t have to be away from the party for very long taking photos!”

With an eye for detail, the bride did all the styling and decorating herself. She tells, ”I created a large couch around the edge of the tipi using hay bales covered with rugs and pillows I had been collecting over the last 12 months. My mother in law made the bunting and all of the table runners. I had a lot of decorations passed down from friend’s who had also had DIY weddings. Our friends made our rings. Mitch’s is made from wood. My friend also made my engagement ring using an emerald we bought when traveling in Nepal together.”

The afternoon ceremony was held outdoors, with the sweeping countryside as a backdrop. Jess says, ”The brief for our celebrant was to keep it relaxed! She completely nailed it. It felt personal, it was light hearted and it didn’t drag on. We wrote our own vows. The ceremony was held under two beautiful trees that formed a natural arch. Fortunately the weather was perfect and the sun was setting through the trees during the ceremony.” The bride walked down the aisle with her dad to ‘Wherever You Are’ by Angus and Julia Stone.

Hitting the jackpot, the bride’s aunty and uncle had a gorgeous property to lend to the couple. Jess tells, ”We really wanted a venue where we weren’t going to be short on time on the day – people could stay at the venue and come and go when they wanted. We didn’t want everyone to have to get out by a certain time. We also didn’t want people to have to drive anywhere between the ceremony and the reception, or have to walk very far! Fortunately my uncle and aunty very generously offered the use of their place and we took over one of their paddocks for the weekend!”

Making the most of an open plan country paddock situation, the bride and groom used Tipikata tipis’s and Kyneton Hire to set the scene. Photographer Dan Brannan captured the sunset ceremony and reception, all garnered with simple and rustic details. Jess shares, ”Dan was fabulous. He is so easy going and really talented. He was exactly what I had hoped for and can not recommend him highly enough.”

  Grazing tables and a firepit welcomed guests in the relaxed tipi’s which were set up in dry paddocks. The bride remembers, ”We swapped out the dance floor in the tipi for a firepit. It created an awesome vibe and was perfect for when the temperature dropped at night. We set up the dance floor outside instead (thankfully the weather allowed us to do this), so there was lots of space for dancing under the stars! Mitch and I, most of the bridal party and a few friends stayed in glamping tents we put up in another paddock on the property.”

Relaxed and most certainly tasty, Jess and Mitch opted for a pizza truck to feed their guests. Creating picnic style seating, guests mingles at their leisure! The bride tells, ”I didn’t want the stress of deciding on set seating so just set up lots of areas and let people do their own thing. The pizza truck served for two hours and people could mingle and eat however they wanted!”

Thank you to our bride and groom for sharing your wedding day with us, and congratulations! Thank you also to Dan Brannan for the use of your beautiful images!