We’re super excited to share with you Anna & Ryan’s Elegantly Relaxed Merricks General Wine Store Wedding, captured so beautifully by Kyra Boyer, for many reasons. We’ve fallen head over heels with the couple’s wedding day style, their sweet baby girl, the casual vibe the whole day emits, and the gorgeous setting. Anna remembers their story & recounts their blissful wedding day…

We met at our Ambulance Victoria group interview. I remember Ryan was wearing a pale blue knit. He admits he doesn’t remember me from this day. We then met properly on our first day on the job for Ambulance Victoria. We were in the same induction group.

Our proposal was during lockdown (who can even remember which one?!) in October 2020. We had purchased a virtual cheese and wine tour with our favourite place, Merricks Food and Wine Store. When I got home Ryan had said he had gotten extra snackies for us to have, in case we got hungry. There was a HUGE bag of burger rings by the TV which I thought was odd because, whilst I do love burger rings, they’re not one of our go-to snack choices.

Midway through the wine tour, Ryan grabbed the bag of burger rings because he was feeling peckish. I, on the other hand, had filled up on cheese. He opened the bag and I had a split-second thought where I wondered, “Surely he’s not put a ring in there!?” and he began pouring the burger rings into a bowl on my lap. Sure enough, a box with a ring was inside!

Ryan wore some of his pre-loved favourites. His cream linen blazer from Peter Jackson was purchased a few years back for a wedding. His navy pants were from his existing navy suit, also from Peter Jackson. Ryan’s shoes are his beloved Dr. Martens that I found for him in an op shop a few years ago. The shirt was purchased (by me!) online during the lockdown. He chose 3 online that he was keen on and when they arrived we both knew that was the one, so we returned the other two without even trying them.

I wore a two piece outfit. My top was made by Anna Campbell Bridal. I loved the open back and the flared bell sleeves. It was the first and only thing I wanted to try on and Anna Campbell was the only store I visited. I didn’t love any of the skirts that they had and knew that I wanted to wear pants. So I kept my eyes peeled for pants but lockdowns meant it was hard to get to bridal places. My pants were actually from The Iconic and were a brand called Whistles. They fit perfectly, but the buttons did burst on the day so my bestie had to sew me back up – it provided a lot of laughs when I asked our MC if he could ask if anyone had a sewing kit with them. Ryan’s 91 year old Nana, Juna, came through with the goods.

We didn’t have a wedding party. This was one of those traditions that we didn’t want to do just for the sake of doing it. Ryan had Ollie, his 6 year old nephew, pass him the rings during the ceremony, which was so lovely. Ryan still had his two best friends, Nick and Alex, get ready with him. His mum, stepdad, sister, and Ollie were there. I had my two best friends with me the night before for bubbly and a spa. My sister and mum were also there to get ready with us on the day.

I walked down the aisle to “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave. Millie, our 11 month old bubba, was a very important part of our day. She walked down the aisle with me and my dad. Before the ceremony, she was getting quite upset as things were a bit delayed. When we were waiting outside for the ceremony she wanted to grab some rosemary from one of the barrels outside. So Millie held that as we walked down the aisle. Which was absolutely perfect.

Our ceremony was short – as planned. Ryan actually wrote it all and it was very important that there was an acknowledgement of country. We also wrote our own vows.  I had mine on me but Ryan wanted to say his from memory. He found it a little hard to recall them as we had a beautiful distraction between us, our very noisy and squarky little girl Millie June. Our vows were so beautiful and we are getting them framed. We also read a book called “Love Can Come in Many Ways.” It’s Millie’s favourite bedtime book. The 3 of us read this together.

We didn’t have flowers! I didn’t want to carry a bouquet. I was also mindful of planning a wedding during covid and trying to keep things as relaxed as possible, so minimal vendors made this so much easier! We got some lovely spotted gum from our local Tully’s, and Merricks placed this beautifully on the tables.

We also had beautiful coloured rose petals from my Mum’s garden that were in a wooden cart that Millie was walking around. It was so important that we had Millie as a part of our day. We were so excited to share this with her. We were also really grateful to have my Oma and Ryan’s Nana June there.

We held our ceremony and reception at Merricks General Wine Store, of course! We had always talked about this being our venue and we planned the entire day around this. We have dined there so many times and have been there for many adventures and dates.

There was a LOT of on-again-off again and back and forth with our guests. We actually cancelled twice (set a new future date for the party and planned to go ahead just with an intimate ceremony) and then 3 weeks before we announced we were going ahead with whoever could join us! This was after the government announced that we would be coming out of lockdown on the 5th of November.

We booked 2 Airbnbs for both us and our families a couple of hundred metres down the road which happened to be side by side. This made it so easy for the photos beforehand!

 

Kyra Boyer was our photographer. She was sensational. We clicked from the get go and she was such a delight to work with. She was also incredibly patient with all of our back and forth during Covid when we were uncertain if the big day would go ahead. Thank you, Kyra – you captured everything perfectly.

We made my mum’s famous Mrs Bean’s zucchini pickles for our wedding favours and placed these at everyone’s spot. They were a HIT!

Kerry, the manager of Merricks was absolutely wonderful. She made the entire process so smooth and was the perfect match for our relaxed vibe. We have developed such a lovely relationship with her since and love popping into the office to say hello to her. The food was absolutely incredible. We had rave reviews of the food (with many food snobs in attendance) and people saying it was the best dining experience they’ve ever had. The chef was the wonderful Guy Stanaway.

Ryan and I boogied into the reception together to “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” by The Four Tops. We didn’t do a first dance. This wasn’t something we were really that keen on doing. Plus, with all of the Covid restrictions leading up, we didn’t even know if we were going to be able to have any dancing. As it turns out we could have an outdoor dancefloor on the deck – it was amazing! We all boogied in the rain.

Our day was relaxed, no-fuss, fun, boozy (sorry Merricks!), an absolute-coming-out-of-extended-lockdown-party and us saying no to outdated traditions that didn’t vibe with us.

My advice for couples planning their wedding day is to stick to their guns and do what the two of you want to do. It’s your day. Don’t sweat the little things!

Their day was filmed by Edward Wischer Productions.

Thank you to Anna & Ryan for sharing such a stunning day with us! And to Kyra Boyer for allowing us to share their gorgeous images with their story!