Have you noticed that being “country” has become kinda cool? Well, whether you were country raised or more of a concrete cow-person donning your boots in the city, you can easily have the rural wedding of your dreams. Here are five fabulous tips to countrify your wedding day, with me – Liz Jelléy of Country Wed – whilst remaining true to your roots.

Image: Aimee Catt at Gordon Country

Location

If you have a farm, then you have the perfect backdrop for your wedding day. Rustic old barn? That’ll make an amazing reception space. But if you weren’t born on the land, there are still plenty of options out there – many of which are not that far from your local city. The wonderful thing about a lot of these locations is, there’s no restriction on how late you can party and how rowdy your mates get. Make sure you take into account that not all your guests will want to drive. Accommodation nearby is always a great idea, as well as a bus to get everyone safely in and out. Just remember to have a backup location for your ceremony if it’s outside. No one wants to get drenched on their wedding day!

Image: Kendell Tyne Photography from Alex & Luke’s Romantic Glam Willow Farm Wedding in Berry 

Image: Bronnie Joel Photography from Tischa & Brennan’s Intimate Casual Country Wedding 

Music

Country music has garnered the reputation of being, well let’s face it, depressing. Your lover leaves, the truck breaks down, the dog ran away… But that’s only a very small part of the genre, and any cowpoke worth their RM’s knows that country music’s soul is made up of love songs. As a country girl and marriage celebrant, I have had the absolute joy of marrying couples who, like me, love their country music. When it comes to the ceremony tunes, it’s great to have a slower, more romantic song for the entry. If your absolute favourite song isn’t lyrically appropriate, you can always find the instrumental version. I recommend having one or two quieter, more sentimental songs for the signing of the registry, but then for the recessional, pick an absolute banger. This helps signal to everyone that you’re now married and it’s ready to celebrate! Create a joint playlist with your partner to add music for that all-important pre and post-ceremony mingling background music. It’s a nice personal touch to loosen everyone up and is way better than stilted silence.

 

Images: Tessa Cox Photography from Intimate Elopement in the Blue Mountains

Your Outfit

You don’t have to turn up to your wedding wearing wranglers and fringing to show your “country” side. Wearing western boots and adding a hat for photos is a great way to represent who you are, without going overboard. Plus it’s much easier to dance the night away in a pair of high tops than high heels.

Image: You, Me & The Sea from Rose & Christian’s Glorious Bohemian Glam Wedding 

Image: Maple and June from Emma & Jake’s Whimsical, Vintage Country Wedding 

Images (L-R): Tahnee Jade Photography from Cody & Andrew’s Romantic Garden Wedding At Baxter Barn / Stone & Wool Photography from Bonita & Ben’s Rustic Beerwah Wedding

Décor

The best thing about having a country theme is, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Think of readily available local greenery that you can use on your tables, old saddles you might have in your shed, and some old horseshoes from your local farrier. Hessian makes a great table runner and if in doubt, fairy lights always look amazing against wrought iron. Old horse troughs can be turned into eskies, and hay bales can be used for extra seating.

But above all, being a bit country on your wedding day is all in your attitude. Try and relax, get a little laid back, take your time to survey the horizon, and most importantly appreciate the moment.

Image: Lauren Anne Photography from Kara & Eric’s Bohemian Inspired Wedding at Tocal Homestead

Images (L-R): Fennel & Fern at Pangola Farm Barn / Jess Took This 

Vows

My couples generally love the planning of their big day, however, they quite often do not love the daunting task of writing personal vows. But with the help of your friends like AJ, Keith, Hank and Miranda to name a few, we’ve got this. So, here are my tips on how to deliver personal, memorable, and entertaining vows that will have your new spouse weak at the knees.

Before setting out the gate, it’s always best to decide how long you both want your vows to be. Try reading a passage and seeing approximately how long it is (as in, the word count or the number of lines) and if you’re both comfortable with that length, that’s your guide. You don’t want one person going on and on and the other saying very little – unless that’s your dynamic. Step two is to understand your tone. I suggest that you make it mostly sweet, with a bit of humour too. The laughs always help if you feel like you’re close to tears. Having said that, tears are a beautiful expression and shouldn’t be shied away from. Just make sure you have a spare hanky in your pocket or bra. Then turn to your favourite songs for inspiration. You might have a song you both love, or one that’s tied to a pivotal moment in your relationship. However, it’s important to remember who you’ll be delivering your vows in front of. For instance, if Luke Combs is your absolute fave (I hear you) then maybe skip “The Kind of Love We Make”… we don’t want to give Aunty June in the front row a heart attack. Something like “Forever After All” or “Better Together” might be more appropriate. Borrowing a line or two and politely thanking the artist for the use of their words is guaranteed to make sure that every time you hear that song, you’ll get transported back to that special moment in time and get to relive it over and over.

Image: Tom Rawlins at Bundaleer

About Liz Jelléy of Country Wed: Hi I’m Liz, and I’d bloody love to marry you! If you’re looking for a fun ceremony that won’t send your guests to sleep, then I’m the gal for you. I’ll take care of the legal requirements and personalise a ceremony just for you and your partner. My job is to get the party started and set the tone for the whole day’s celebrations. My ceremonies are fun and all about you. I’m based in Brisbane, but happy to travel to where ever your wedding shindig is planned (yep, even interstate) I’m not a one-trick-pony though! Not only do I hitch the lovers, but I also love commitment ceremonies, vow renewals, legal-only ceremonies, elopements, and destination weddings and can even MC your reception or event!