The rain poured down on Alana and Sam’s wedding day, and yet, it seems that it only added to the country charm of the atmosphere of this boho-inspired wedding day. Rolling hills, a corrugated iron woolshed all setting the scene for a relaxed celebration that completely reflected the couple through every carefully made decision.

Embracing every bit of country charm they could “We wanted the wedding to be really relaxed, light and fun” says Alana, the couple chose Duuet to capture their wedding, and the rain? It didn’t ruin a thing, in fact, it made those magic moments better! ” It was as if the ceremony location change was a big ice breaker, everyone was smiling and laughing and started bonding really early on” laughs Alana.

Alana and Sam met at a New Years Eve party, the pair sharing a first kiss as the clock ticked over to a new year and their first day unfolding the very next day. Says Alana “We ended up seeing five sunrises in a row!”

Sam popped the question on the same day as the couple were moving into their new home. “Sam asked some friends to help out which made the day really fun. I went out to get some dinner for us all and when I arrived back at the house, Sam was waiting out the front – he blindfolded me and walked me to the back yard. There he had set up a campfire, festoon lights and a camera to record it all. A friend took off my blindfold and Sam got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

Behind me on the verandah were MORE friends and family that all applauded. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t even look at the ring!! It was such a fun and surprising night!”

“Sam wore a classic french navy suit with a fresh white shirt” remembers Alana. “His tie had a beautiful native floral print that had a masculine feel to it.”

The bride chose designer Lisa Brown to make her wedding gown, the designer also making gold floor-length dresses for Alana’s bridesmaids. “Lisa Brown was so professional and caring, the whole process was a breeze” remembers the bride. She added a much-loved turquoise ring as her “Something blue”. For the bridesmaids “Their dresses had a low back, frill on the bust and beautiful plait detailing that was relaxed and gave off a boho vibe.”

The beautiful floral details for the day were created by Basia Puchalski.  Says Alana “She created these beautiful, effortless bunches that included some stunning roses, hints of hand-painted gold ferns and some boho dried pieces to bring in those warmer tones. She also created some gorgeous centrepieces that still make my jaw drop!”

The couple met before the ceremony for a first look, says Alana “Sam and I decided that we would have our photos taken before the ceremony. Though not traditional, I’m really glad that we did it that way. For one, the weather was beautiful when we took the photos (blue skies and sunny – which completely changed after the ceremony), and it meant we had more time to take photos and more time to celebrate with loved ones at the reception!

It also meant that the whole bridal party were together up until the ceremony…there were a lot of laughs and fun and it took away all the nerves! Made the whole day really fun and beautiful. I’ve been in a bridal party before where the bride was so nervous beforehand that she nearly threw up, I was glad that I avoided that!”

The couple wanted the casual country charm for their day, so chose Wandin Park Estate for their venue. Alana noting “Wandin Park Estate is this beautiful country estate located an hour from Melbourne. Wandin Park Estate features a beautiful homestead that the wedding party stayed at and a gorgeous rustic woolshed where the reception took place. It all overlooks a stunning valley with lots of great photo locations.”

Alana, a graphic designer, had a clear vision in mind for the day, she even foraged the pampas grass for the ceremony backdrop herself! “I collected lots of pampas grass for our backdrop. Our friend made our wedding cake and I created our wedding invitations,” she explains.

Alana walked down the aisle to “Can’t Wake My Eyes Off you” sung acoustically. She was accompanied by her father.

Alana and Sam had to move their ceremony inside halfway through thanks to mother Nature’s rainstorm! Laughs the bride “The ceremony definitely didn’t go the way that we thought haha but it ended up being really beautiful anyway. The weather that day was chaotic (typical Victoria). There were cyclonic winds, hail, rain, blue sunny skies and rainbows – all within a short amount of time! It started raining just as I was walking down the aisle! haha so we all quickly got up and moved to an indoor location that was mostly set up already and within five minutes – it was as if it never happened! The team at Wandin Park Estate did a great job with that.”

“It started raining as I was walking down the aisle! haha, there was a quick change of location and before I knew it – we were saying our vows! Things like that happen no matter what – so it was great that we had a quick-thinking team around us and everyone was in high spirits. Looking back, it was as if the ceremony location change was a big ice breaker, everyone was smiling and laughing and started bonding really early on. Definitely, a ceremony that you won’t forget!”

And with the wedding now complete, Alana gives this advice “Just relax and enjoy the day. Nothing will go 100% as you expected, you just have to let go and focus on your beautiful friends and family that are there to see you happy! Also, be true to yourselves, don’t do anything that you and your partner really don’t want to do just because you feel it’s expected.”

Says Sam “The thing I remember most about the day was just how relaxed the whole night was, course there was the initial stresses just like any wedding but after we had to run to an indoor area for the ceremony everything just became so much easier.”

Alana and Sam opted for a cocktail style reception in the woolshed. “We had plenty of seating and cute areas and couches to sit on but having everyone being able to move around, mingle and dance was the best! Sometimes sit down weddings make it feel too stuffy and formal. I loved how people who normally would not have met were best of friends by the end of the night!”

“Sam and I danced to “Can’t take my eyes off you” which was sung acoustically by Parso” remembers Alana of the couple’s first dance. “It was a lot of fun! I loved how everyone was singing along to the dance and Sam lifted me at the end of the song. For people who are not dancers – let alone dancers in front of people, I actually really loved this moment.

One of Sam’s favourite parts of the day? “During the night Alana and I took a moment on the dance floor to just look around and watch what was going on around us. It was great to see so many of our friends and family all enjoying themselves and being there to share our day with us.”

Sam and Alana chose Travelling Poet Films to capture their wedding on film.

A big congratulations to you both Alana and Sam! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us and thank you to Duuet and Basia Puchalski for sharing today’s beautiful celebration!