This wedding has all the golden countryside festival vibes and we adore it! Lucinda and Alexander tied the knot on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at a private property in the Macedon Ranges. It was relaxed and fun, and filled with the most gorgeous DIY styling courtesy of the couple and their friends and family. From rustic pallet tables to the bouquets and buttonholes, there is so much inspo to pore over here. All these thoughtful touches, combined with a ceremony officiated by a friend and that contained sentimental readings and a dirt ceremony, helped Lucinda and Alexander achieve the wedding day they wanted. There to capture all this day’s beauty was the talented Zoe Eley.

The couple first met when Alexander was shooting his final film project at university. Lucinda went to uni with one of Alexander’s good friends, and he recommended that she audition for the film. “I was successful in getting the role, and was quietly taken with the director’s good looks and quiet sense of humour,” explains Lucinda. “We were both with partners at the time, and it wasn’t for another two years (when I was auditioning in front of Alexander again) that we actually started dating each other.”

And how did they get engaged? They were celebrating their anniversary weekend by organising special activities for each other. Alexander took the Saturday and Lucinda had the Sunday. “The day was glorious and full of love and fun, but when Alexander had not proposed by the end of that evening, I gave him a quiet prompting: ‘Are you going to do it?'” says Lucinda. “The next day, we drove out to my family home in the Yarra Valley. Alexander rummaged through my mother’s bra draw to find the engagement ring she had offered him to use, then knelt down in the living room and said the words. We had a very fancy dinner of fish and chips with a side of champagne to celebrate!”

On their wedding day, Alexander wore a tweed-style jacket with a white linen shirt, chinos and leather boots.

For his groomsmen, Alexander had his two brothers Daniel and Mitchell, and his friends Craig, Matt, Jules and Jarrod, who also doubled as their wedding celebrant!

Lucinda wore a custom made gown by New Zealand dressmaker Jennie Field that was purchased from Still White. It was important to the couple that their wedding was as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible, and with so many beautiful second-hand dresses available, Lucinda says it really was a no-brainer. “I felt like a queen!” she adds.

On Lucinda’s side of the wedding party, she had her three siblings (Paige, Alec and Ben) and her two best friends, Fran and Jessi.

“I am proud to say that my bridespeople and I put together the flowers for the day!” says Lucinda. “It was a mixture of wild flowers, eucalyptus leaves, paper daises and king proteas. My beautiful brothers made the button-holes for all of the wedding party with absolutely no training and not much guidance from me; smashed it!”

Lucinda and Alexander chose to marry at a beautiful property in Cobaw named ‘Alkoomi’, which boasts acres of gorgeous countryside with flocks of kangaroos leaping about in the morning and at dusk. “The event was mostly held outside, with the ceremony taking place in a gorgeous little nook that provided shade during the day,” explains Lucinda. “The festivities boarded on the house, with strings of festoon lights and a dance-floor set up so that we could dance the night away.”

The bride was accompanied down the aisle by her father, Peter. They walked down to ‘Our Time Is Short’ by Gang of Youths. “It is one of my favourite memories of the day,” says Lucinda.

The couple wanted their ceremony be a celebration of their love, and how loved and supported they feel by their families and friends. “We included a reading from The Little Prince, Alexander’s favourite book, which was delivered by his niece Loralei, and a poem from Rumi, chosen and read by my beautiful Japanese sister, Ai,” says Lucinda.

They also included a dirt ceremony in their wedding ceremony. “Our mothers brought soil from the places we grew up and combined these in a jar, which we will use to grow a special something when we move to our forever home.”

Lucinda and Alexander chose Zoe Eley as their photographer and say she was amazing! “She brought so much joy and excitement to the day, and made us feel so comfortable especially while taking portrait shots. She was quiet, considerate, observant and so sweet. We love her so much and feel so lucky that we had her there!”

There was plenty of DIY incorporated into this wedding! The couple and their loved ones made the pallet tables, arranged the flowers, organised the venue and set it up with hired rugs and cushions, and made the grazing table. “We loved that we could have exactly the day we wanted by doing it ourselves.”

Lucinda and Alexander say that something that was really special for them was that so many of their guests were involved in making the day come together in some way. From their friends bringing the hay bales for the ceremony, to  their wedding party putting up the festoon lights the night before, to some of their family members and friends playing music throughout the night, they were showered with love in acts of service.

The couple would love to give a shout out to the Big Shot Cafe & Bar team who they call absolute superstars! “They were so professional and friendly in their service, came with a party vibe, but just went above and beyond what we expected,” says Lucinda. “They camped out over night and provided coffee for us all the next day, as most of guests camped also, which was the best. They were even helping to clean up as we dragged ourselves out of bed! Couldn’t recommend them enough.”

Alexander’s favourite detail of the day was the first dance because everyone got involved and surrounded the couple with so much love and joy.

“Our first dance was such a beautiful moment that we will never forget,” shares Lucinda. “We chose to dance to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s ‘Home’, inviting all of our friends and family to get involved in a semi-choreographed dance extravaganza! It really worked out even better than we expected because it was a last minute decision to even go with that song, let alone make all of our guests dance along side us!”

Lucinda’s favourite detail of the day? Knowing that all her special people were there to celebrate the love between Alexander and herself.

So what’s their advice for those in the middle of organising a wedding? Just plan the wedding that you want. “If you are having fun, everyone else will be too. It is such a special day, and it should reflect you both, so keep that in mind and enjoy the whole process!”

A huge thank you to Lucinda and Alexander for sharing their incredible day with us, and to Zoe Eley for sharing her stunning photography. What a joy!