Sophie & Daniel

Today’s wedding, it’s super special. Because you see, these two are Polka Dot Bride competition winners, they won their wedding photography as Polka Dot Bride readers and today we finally get to share their wedding day! Oh and if you want your own piece of this prize-winning pie that you too can win your wedding photography, just click over here!

So let us tell you about Sophie and Daniel. After winning their wedding photography package with Wild Romantic Photography, the two planned a day that was intimate, relaxed and in the heart of the beautiful Trentham countryside. “We wanted to make the most of being out in the countryside and enjoying the beautiful surroundings” explains bride Sophie, who describes the day as “relaxed, intimate, bohemian and out-doorsy”. it was just the most beautiful celebration for these two who have been in each other’s lives since they were tiny children and met at primary school! The pair dated on and off throughout high school and university before a holiday to Europe sealed the deal!

It was on their anniversary that Daniel decided now was the time to pop the question, Sophie sharing “We were living in Vancouver, Canada at the time, and on our anniversary I came home from work to find Dan ready with a brand new picnic basket packed with goodies and a bottle of bubbles. We don’t normally do anything special for our anniversary so I was a little bit suspicious, but Dan assured me that there was “no ring” in the basket.

We were living right next to Stanley Park, a huge forest, so we walked down and found a nice spot overlooking the bay. Dan pulled out all the goodies course by course, and after all the delicious food and cocktails he said there was once more surprise… and pulled out a diamond and proposed! Dan had found the ring shopping a fun experience and wanted me to enjoy it too, so we found a local jeweller and picked the setting together.”

The groom, a graphic designer created all the stationery for the day, welcoming guests with custom signage was just the beginning, tells Sophie “We didn’t have a wedding planner or venue manager, so we did all the set up ourselves the day before, which we couldn’t have done without our very generous and wonderful friends. We had to set up everything from the bar, festoon lights, grazing table and rearranged some of the furniture.
We set up signage to direct our guests to the house, which Daniel designed. He’s a Graphic Designer and also did the wedding invites and branding, so everything tied in nicely. We even had custom stickers for the beer and choc-top icecreams.”

The groom chose a navy  MJ Bale suit for the day. “He got it tailored to fit in all the right spots and he was really happy with it” remembers Sophie”. “He bought the groomsmen matching pocket squares and bow ties and they all had matching spotty socks… because what outfit is complete without snazzy socks?”

The bride dreamt of a simple wedding gown and worked with D’Italia to design her dream gown.  “I wanted something really simple, timeless fuss-free (with no beading, lace or frills) and comfortable enough to dance the night away in” she tells. ” I tried a few wedding dresses on at all the popular bridal stores in Melbourne but just couldn’t quite find what I was looking for. I work in the fashion industry and had a clear vision of what I was after, so looked into getting one made from scratch. I made an appointment with D’Italia in Malvern and they put me in contact with a couturier, Dragana, who was fantastic. I showed her my inspo images and sketches and she understood what I was after straight away. I only had two fittings and absolutely loved the end result.”

Dreaming of a quiet country wedding, Sophie & Daniel stumbled upon a quiet country home in Trentham, the bride sharing “We knew we wanted the wedding to be mostly outdoors but didn’t want the cookie-cutter vibe that most wineries and wedding venues provide that kick you out at 11 pm. We love the area around the Macedon Ranges and Daylesford and came across a beautiful private property with rolling hills and the perfect little house to host our wedding.
The owner, Tony, was so accommodating throughout the whole process and mowed a clearing in the field next to the lake on the property for us to have the ceremony. Our guests then walked up to the house for the reception, where we had lawn games, cocktails and roaming food. It was really handy having the ceremony, reception and photoshoot all in the one place so we could make the most of being with friends and family on the day.”

The day was all about family and friends pitching in – the bride’s father even making the hardwood arch Sophie and Daniel married underneath.

“We had a lot of support from our friends and family; one friend helped with catering, another made the bridesmaid dresses, people helped set up the day before. We really had a great network of friends and family that helped us every step of the way, which really made us really appreciate all the close people in our life.”

“Our friend Emily sang “Sea of Love” by Cat Power acoustically while I walked down the aisle with my dad” remembers Sophie. “It was one of my most memorable, and warm and fuzzy, moments of the day.”

Celebrant Sue Begg officiated the formal part of the day. “We both wanted our ceremony to be light-hearted and fun to reflect our personalities and to include as many family members as possible. Daniel’s younger brothers were in charge of the rings, my cousin and Daniel’s mum both did a reading and our siblings were in the bridal party. Our readings were also light-hearted, we had “Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog” by Taylor Mali and we had another funny poem about the giving and takings of marriage.
The best part of our ceremony was our vows. We had secretly written them and revealed them to each other on the day. It was one of the most memorable parts and really made the whole commitment ceremony really special. We spent so much time planning every small detail of the wedding together, so have one surprise element was really nice.
Our friend Emily sang “Signed, Sealed Delivered” by Stevie Wonder while we were signing the marriage certificate.”

The floral details on the day, styled by Wootton & Nicholls, included plenty of Australian native blooms in keeping with the county style. Tells the bride “The property was in such a pretty location in the country and we wanted to make sure the flowers complimented the surroundings. After a bit of research on Instagram and online, we contacted a local florist from Daylesford who does beautiful bouquets of natives, which is just what we were after. We agreed that we definitely wanted King Proteas to be the main feature, but left the rest up to her.”

Sophie and Daniel were thrilled with their photographer, who they won through us! “We were really fortunate to win a photography package for free… through Polka Dot Bride! We met with Elle hit it off straight away. It was like having a friend shoot our wedding, she made us feel to comfortable and relaxed and she had a great eye for great locations and lighting. We did a pre-shoot few weeks before the wedding to scope out the locations we wanted to shoot at, and it made the wedding day run really smoothly so we could go back to celebrating with our friends and family as quickly as possible.”

“The first stage of wedding planning was really fun” remarks Sophie. “When we sat down and tried to paint a picture of what our ultimate wedding day would be, we loved the idea that the world was at our fingertips and we could include/not include anything we wanted.”

“We organised lawn games near the house during the reception,” remembers the bride “which made the atmosphere really fun and relaxed. It was nice to take your shoes off on the lawn, have a drink and play a game in the sun with our friends and family. We made out own giant Jenga set (with wood from Bunnings) and we borrowed lawn bowls, croquet and Finska from our friends.”

Guests enjoyed a cocktail reception with plenty of tasty treats from Hampton Wine Co. “Our friends at Hampton Wine Co. did the catering and we absolutely loved all the food they did for us. They were reliable, and really great to work with. We had really lovely feedback from our wedding guests on the food, so we were really happy with it.”

The newlyweds opted out of cake, instead serving up choc top icecream from Choc Top Ice Cream Co! Explains Sophie “Considering we were in on a remote property in summer, and an hour from Melbourne and with only a small residential kitchen, the logistics of organising a traditional cake seemed a little difficult. Instead, we opted for customised choc-top icecreams with our wedding branding on them, which were a nice touch and were more personal (considering Dan loves ice cream!)”

And as the sun set, the newlyweds took to the dance floor, much to the surprise of their guests, with a choreographed number, Sophie remembering “Daniel loves any excuse to hit the dance floor, so a first dance was a must. We didn’t want anything sappy or predictable, so our first dance was to “Praise You” by Fatboy Slim. Dan’s sister is a dancer and helped us choreograph it, taking inspo from Grease and Fame. It was a total secret, even our bridal party didn’t know, and it went down a treat!”

A big congratulations to you both Sophie and Daniel – we’re so thrilled to have played a tiny part in your day! A big thanks also to Wild Romantic Photography for today’s imagery (win your own wedding captured by Elle here).