Chilled & Eco-Conscious Wedding

Today we’re celebrating Ace & Cal’s Chilled & Eco-Conscious Wedding captured by Tim Doig Photography. The couple, who initially met through friends, tell us about the theme of their day, “The theme for our day was mostly what one would consider ‘rustic’ but as environmentally conscious individuals, we borrowed, salvaged, made, and utilised many things!” they explain. “The theme for us was eco-friendly, cruelty-free, chilled vibes. Our guests found it laid back, inspiring, and one hell of a party!”

We are always down for a great party! Ace & Cal tell us about their proposal and their wedding day…

Nothing elaborate but special to us. I always said I didn’t care how or where we got engaged, but as long as our senior dogs and bunnies could be a part of it. I went to the gym, and Cal brought the furry kids together and placed bow ties and ribbons on them, cooked dinner, and set up a table in the lounge overlooking our view of the Yarra Valley. When I got home and came up the stairs, the furry kids came to me dressed all cute and Cal dropped a knee. Simple, thoughtful, and inclusive. How our love story has always been.

Cal chose navy pants, a grey jacket, and an open white shirt. His look was for comfort and simplicity.

I bought my dress online but prior tried on a couple to get an idea of style in a shop by myself (between vet trips). I’m not one for shopping and am pretty laid back. The dress was a nicely fitted, geometric patterned/ sequin dress from Alamour The Label, costing only $380.

We opted to avoid having a wedding party as we wanted the wedding process to be as simple and intimate as possible. We did have our nieces and nephews walk the aisle. The flower girls were dressed in white lace and tulle dresses and holding gold hoops (instead of bouquets) with native flowers – made by Ace’s sister. The boys were dressed in navy pants, white shirts, and grey bow ties/ suspenders. They were given timber frames with ‘security’ signage – of course, to protect the bride.

I walked down the aisle with my dad, Dave. We chose a beautiful folk/ indie song by Allman Brown – “Sweetest Thing.” It was very “us”.

No flowers were purchased for our wedding displays. We used galvanised buckets, collected native blooms from family and friends, and filled the buckets to put out at the ceremony and reception. The vibrant colours were beautiful. For my hair piece, the groom’s pocket, and the parents, we bought some artificial flowers online. My bouquet was made by my sister the night before with flowers that were collected.

We used natural elements & recycled items in the styling, and these included felled tree logs, old fence palings, opp shop items, native plants, and eucalyptus trees from family and friends’ properties etc. The whole wedding was DIY, and we loved every second of putting it together, especially coming up with fun and unique ideas on how to do things.

We wanted our ceremony to be laid back but to have our immediate family included in some way. My dad walked the aisle, our mums were our witnesses, Cal’s dad and my brother handed over the rings and our sisters combined said a few closing words about marriage and our upcoming journey before we were announced as Mr & Mrs Murrowood.

The wedding was held at Adams Farm, Coldstream which is a family-run brussel sprout farm in the Yarra Valley. Located next to beautiful rolling hills, is an empty airplane hangar. It was a large, open space with room to do whatever you wanted with.

From the moment we first spoke, Tim Doig was humble, and helpful and made us feel at ease. Being the subject of focus had both Cal and I feeling apprehensive about the photography process. Tim was able to show us that being who we are, as a couple and as individuals would make for far more beautiful photos than posing unnaturally. He took the time to build a rapport with us which has since become a friendship. Every interaction we had and most importantly, on the day, was just light-hearted and full of laughs. We know that choosing Tim was one of the best wedding decisions we ever made.

Honestly, there were too many to choose just one photo as our favourite. Tim captured things we never imagined possible, especially for such an awkward couple. The sunset on the trail was beautiful but the brussel sprout plantation really made for a great setting. We are just so inspired by what he created on the day and the memories he’s created for us.

For our catering, we chose Bomba Woodfired Pizza – the best plant-based pizzas in existence and the garlic bread was to die for. Narelle from Adams Farm had her mobile caravan bar, Frankie with exceptionally fun staff. We also used The Whippy Truck for gelati too. They rolled in playing Green Sleeves and set a nostalgic vibe!

We didn’t have a first dance – the dance floor was open straight after the ceremony with the acoustic duo performing and a mixture of percussion instruments for guests at hand. We had djembes, tamborines etc!

Marriage doesn’t change the people you are but strengthens the bond between you and your partner. It creates resilience, patience, and understanding. We love the way our wedding played out – we got to celebrate in a way that allowed everyone to feel included, and make new friendships after a long road of feeling isolated with Covid. Seeing all our loved ones in one place after so long was magic!