We’re off to eh country today, and oh, don’t worry, there is of course a touch of yellow. This time? Country, Australian style. Set on a hot summer New Year’s Eve (not Caitlyn and James’ original plan, but one they now, wouldn’t have changed for a moment) today’s couple chose a beautiful country winery for their celebrations. With Edan Coombs Photography behind the camera, there was one brief for their day – “Celebration”. Says Caitlyn “It was lovely to be together again (post lockdown), so the style of our wedding was a celebration. We wanted to celebrate our love, and celebrate it with the people that bring us the most joy. So everything was relaxed and fun. We tried to make sure that the decorating complimented the land which we were on – Dja Dja Wurrung land, using natives as our flowers of choice. The venue was perfect as it was, so we kept all things quite natural and calm. We set up lawn games for people to play, as we love a good game, and rugs for people to sit.”
It was a story of friendship that brought these two together, who met through mutual friends. “We met through friends when we were living in Melbourne” explains Caitlyn. “In a ploy for us to meet, our friends, who were dating, invited us on a double date to play a game of miniature golf. We hit it off (pun intended) and our second date was dumplings in Richmond. After a while, we decided to move in together, and then soon after we travelled the world for two years – living in London and living out of a backpack. When we returned home, we settled down in the country Victoria. We now have two wonderful whippets, Charlie and Nala, and love the space where we live.
The proposal was as equally as full of country charm as the wedding, James surprising Caitlyn over champagne and cheese, after a special walk. “We recently moved to a small country town. James asked if I wanted to go for a walk to take some pictures on the mountain. We love hiking and going for long walks, so it wasn’t too unusual. It was on the mountain at the lookout that James had set up a picnic – he had even left the champagne, a platter, a speaker playing music and wonderful photos of all our times and travels together. The cutest was a little sign that said “Will you marry me?” That appeared as we walked towards the lookout.” Scroll on for this truly special story.
Caitlyn chose a classically elegant look for the day, finding Fifi and Edga to make it. She tells “I tried to keep everything for the wedding very local, and you couldn’t ask for a better dressmaker. I wanted the dress to be simple, relaxed, and something you could have a dance in. The experience of getting a dress was just wonderful with Catherine from Fifi and Edga. She is extremely talented, accommodating to all ideas, and works so hard to make your vision come alive. It truly was a wonderful experience.”
The couple opted to meet before their ceremony for a first look, the resulting images are ones they truly adore. “Edan was such a joy to work with! Edan made everything feel carefree, light and easy. We had fun and were able to enjoy the moment we were in. Edan talked us through every picture and took the time to get to know us both. She was a pleasure to work with! Not to mention the wonderful pictures she took! She was able to capture each moment perfectly.”
“Our favourite photographs were the ones where we were smiling and having fun, we think those encapsulate the day. Edan, our photographer, did a wonderful job at making the photo shoot fun, carefree, and full of love. She took some funky photos as well, which we adored.”
Caitlyn and James hosted their big day at the one venue Harcourt Valley Vineyards. Says Caitlyn “We were able to have a ceremony on the green grass, under the gum trees at Harcourt. Harcourt Valley Vineyards has a lovely set-up, with a gorgeous barn style cellar, and plenty of space for a reception. Festoon lights outside of the barn made a wonderful place to dance under the moonlight – and because it was New Year’s Eve and so warm, we kept outside most of the time.”
The floral details of the day were styled by Sassy Bird Flowers and embraced the Australian country vibes. Caitlyn noted “We chose flowers that complimented the land which we were on. We were lucky enough to have our ceremony under large gumtrees, next to a beautiful protea bush, so we didn’t need to add too much. For our bouquets and arbour, we chose banksias, billy buttons, eucalyptus, and then Tracey at Sassy Bird flowers did the rest. For a gift to our guests, we handed plants, including banksias, eucalyptus, billy buttons, kangaroo paws and pincushion hakeas.”
The couple made much of the decor for the day themselves. “Our favourite part of planning the wedding was being able to plan a celebration” explains Caitlyn. “It was fun picking out the plants, choosing the flowers for the bouquets, painting around 50 pots – from which I think we used around 20. We made all of our signs. And James even made the arbour that we got married under.”
Caitlyn wanted both of her parents to walk her down the aisle, honouring the fact they raised her together. She chose an acoustic version of “Bloom” by The Paper Kites to play as she walked down the aisle.
Yet to walk down the aisle? Caitlyn has this advice for you. “Take time to just breathe – and absorb the moment. It is true that the day goes quickly, so it’s important to sit down and take in your surroundings.
Make sure you enjoy the day with the person you’re marrying – and don’t be afraid to have some fun. Everyone is there for you because they care for you and love you.”
The newlyweds took to the dance floor under lit festoon lights to “Beyond” by Leon Bridges. “We spent many nights practising in our lounge room, and of course looking at YouTube for inspiration! Neither of us are great dancers, but we can highly recommend YouTubing basic wedding steps!” And the dance floor did not, of course, stop there, thanks to Caitlyn and James’ choice of The Knots Live Band! “I was on the dancefloor for five hours straight! We highly recommend hiring a good band to have a little boogie to, there is nothing better than live music.”
The biggest congratulations to you both Caitlyn and James. Thank you for sharing your beautiful story with us and thank you to Edan Coombs Photography for sharing today’s celebration.
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