It was a dating app that made for the beginning of Louise and Drew’s story. “We met on Bumble” remembers Louise, continuing “We matched, chatted for a few days and then met in person for a wine. Our first date went really well so we caught up for another date a few weeks later and the rest is history!”

The pair, who, caught up in the mess of 2020, moved their May 2020 wedding, to May 2021 thanks to COVID-19. At the very last minute, they moved it again to October 2021, and luckily, almost all of their vendor dream team (including the ever-talented and lovely photographer today Amy Skinner) were able to make their wedding dreams come oh so beautifully true, of a day that was, in the bride’s words “Pretty, warm, rustic and relaxed”.

And the proposal? Drew popped the question in the very place the couple would eventually say their wedding vows, says Louise “Drew and I had planned dinner and an overnight stay at Mandoon Estate on 23rd December 2019. We had booked it a few months before a little getaway treat for ourselves after a busy few months at work.

When we arrived at Mandoon, we went for a walk around the grounds and the next thing I knew Drew was down on one knee asking me to marry him! I was completely surprised and had no idea it was coming, which made it even more special. The vineyards and the Swan River provided a beautiful backdrop that made it feel so romantic.”

Louise wore a simple, yet beautiful Rachel Rose gown from Bridal By Aubrey Rose. A decision she was thrilled with. “The girls at Aubrey Rose, especially Rachel, made my experience a very positive one. I was quite nervous about trying on dresses as I don’t like to be the centre of attention. But Rachel made me feel so special and had the incredible ability to be able to pick out dresses that suited my shape. I always knew that I didn’t want anything too over the top. I fell in love with my dress PEARL instantly! It was simple, modern and classic, and fit my curves in all the right places. Small pearls adorned the back which was complemented by tiny pearls in my veil.”

Louise and Drew held their wedding at Mandoon Estate. “We chose to have the ceremony and reception at Mandoon Estate as this was where Drew proposed so it was already a very special place for us. We loved the idyllic backdrop of the vineyard, Swan River and the old homestead (Linton & Kay Gallery).

We also loved how everything we needed was on-site; the ceremony took place outside the old homestead, we didn’t have to go off location to take photos, they have a huge function space for the reception, and we could stay the night in the on-site accommodation at The Colony. The function manager, Elly Waugh, was exceptional- she went above and beyond to ensure we had an incredible wedding.”

“Overall we just wanted to create a simple, relaxed and rustic vibe. Drew and I are pretty humble and easy-going people, so we wanted our wedding to reflect that and didn’t want anything too over the top or flashy. Just simple and loving. We wanted to make sure our guests had a fantastic time, with plenty to eat and drink and great tunes to dance to!”

Drew and his groomsmen wore pieces from Suit Vault. Louise sharing “Drew always wanted a look that was more laid back and relaxed. With the excellent advice from Jarrod at Suit Vault, he chose a dark New York grey suit jacket made especially to fit and complemented this with cream chinos, a white dress shirt and brown shoes.”

Drew’s favourite moment of the day? The moment he saw Louise. “At the ceremony, the moment the doors opened (of the art gallery) where the girls were waiting to walk down the aisle. I could see Louise at the back standing with her Dad and once the music started I began to get emotional and teared up a little. I didn’t think I was going to get teary but the feeling of seeing Louise looking absolutely amazing in her beautiful wedding dress was more than enough for me to get emotional. It was an incredible moment that I will never forget.”

Louise walked down the aisle on the arm of her father to Ruelle’s “I get to love you”.

Louise and Drew chose Brent Dickson- The Wedding Crasher to officiate the ceremony. “Our ceremony was our favourite part of the day. It was filled with so much happiness and emotion and we will never forget the rush of excitement, adrenaline and nervousness that we both felt. It was a relaxed, simple and meaningful outdoor ceremony. We were very fortunate to have Drew’s good friend Brent as our celebrant. Having him there made our ceremony personal and meaningful, with a few quality jokes thrown in there for laughs!”

“Honestly all of our vendors were amazing” remarks the bride. “We were so lucky to have incredible vendors who made our day stress free and run smoothly. We changed our wedding date three times due to covid, and every single one of our vendors was so understanding and flexible.”

These two have rave reviews for photographer Amy. “We were blown away by Amy’s photos. She has an amazing eye for light – we absolutely love the warm, golden light that shines through in many of our photos. We also loved her candid style – she made us feel so comfortable and relaxed and she really captured who we are as a couple so truthfully.

Amy was amazing to work with. She has a great sense of humour and made us laugh so much – we loved her the moment we met her. She made us feel so special and we felt like we had known her for years! We had so much fun with Amy and her assistant/hubby Paul. She is a very talented photographer, extremely down to earth and an all-round awesome person.”

Those beautiful blooms? Styled by Flower & Barrel. Says Louise “I absolutely loved our flowers. I contacted the amazing Maki from Flower and Barrel only a few weeks before our wedding date! Our original wedding date was in May 2020 but had to be postponed to May 2021 due to Covid. In early September we decided to bring the wedding forward to October 2020! All of our original vendors were available except our florist, so I had to do some very quick research to find a replacement, and that’s when I found Maki on Instagram. Maki made us the most beautiful arrangements that were a mix of preserved and fresh flowers with a warm and pretty colour palette of peach and soft pink mixed with a range of rustic greens.

I absolutely loved the colour of the bridesmaid dresses and how well our flowers complemented them. The beautiful rose rust palette was perfect for the warm, 35-degree day and matched the amazing golden light that shone through the trees in the afternoon.”

If you’re yet to walk down the aisle. Louise offers up this advice. “Try not to get too caught up in all of the hype and stress of wedding planning. Keep it simple and let the process reflect who you are as a couple. The day goes by so quickly and in the end, people are there to see you get married. They’re not worried about the silly details that brides stress about!”

There were plenty of personal handmade touches throughout the day, right down to the wedding cake made by the bride herself. Louise explains “We went DIY for quite a few things! I belong to quite a crafty family!
I made my own wedding cake and cupcakes. I also made our invitations. My sister/bridesmaid Jen made the macarons and the succulent pot favours. The succulents were a combination of cuttings from our own succulent collections. Jen’s hand painted the gold rim on each terracotta pot and I made the personalised love hearts on our laser cutter at the school I work at.
My dad made our arbour from scratch! My mum made the floral arrangements for the sides of the ceremony chairs and she also made some posies for the cocktail tables at the reception.”

For their first dance, the newlyweds chose “You are the reason” by Leona Lewis and Calum Scott. “Because we both don’t like being the centre of attention, we asked our DJ to invite our wedding party onto the dance floor pretty quickly so that we weren’t up there on our own for too long!” admits Louise. “We didn’t have any over the top dance moves, Drew spun me a couple of times, but overall it was pretty quick and simple but still very loving.”

A big congratulations to you both Louise and Drew! What a gorgeous story we got to share. Thank you both and thank you to Amy Skinner for sharing today’s celebration with us!