If you wanted us to kick off 2023 with a wedding that’s almost fairytale? Then you got your wish! Phoebe and Richard’s autumnal wedding, in a beautiful castle (yes, just outside of Melbourne!) is every bit a dream. Except it’s actually real! The couple wanted a day that was small, relaxed but full of autumn flavour and the colours, oh the colours are just the start of what your’e going to fall in love with in this wedding.

With every hue of red, orange and yellow, and a wedding dress with the most delightful floral embroidery (all done by hand mind you) there was no lack of beauty for photographer Brent Lukey, and luckily for us, capture he did because this is a wedding where every single detail and every single story is an utter delight.

Phoebe and Richard’s story begins with a Bumble meeting. The pair hit it off, and sometime later, Richard opted for a weekend away in Daylesford to pop the question after a romantic dinner. Take all the inspiration from these two as you scroll on!

Phoebe’s delightful floral adorned dress was a Sheike number, and hand embroidered by a friend! “Looking for something more alternative, originally the intention had been to wear a full green dress! However, after a boxing dale sale revealed the perfect white dress from Sheike, a new plan was made for an even more special and meaningful dress. Lucy Rimmer, a close friend of the bride, hand embroidered for over 100 hours the flower and vine details on the dress covering it in colour and character to fit with the autumnal theme. The dress became a unique self-expression that will be treasured for life.”

Richard’s beautiful maroon suit was hard to find! “After much Instagramming, the maroon suit was chosen from Asos of all places, as everywhere else largely only sold black, blue and grey, or was extremely expensive. The mix-match with the brown vest provided a bit of contrast to the suit, and the bowtie was chosen due to Phoebe’s obsession with them! Peggy and Finn sell a set with matching bow tie, pocket square and socks with a mixture of designs that matched the autumnal theme nicely.”

“We both walked down the aisle accompanied by both parents, to the theme “Married Life” from the Pixar movie ‘Up’, played on ukulele by our wonderful friends The Belafontes. Paul and Jess, of the Belafontes, offering to be our wedding band. We never would have asked since they would have been guests, but they were so gracious and really made the reception so much fun.”

The beautiful autumn colours extended to the wedding party. “We didn’t opt for exact matching outfits but instead simply have a colour to aim for, and in the case of the men, have some direction so they’d be a little less formal than the groom so he would stand out a bit.”

We’re sure you will agree that the autumnal tones of the flowers at this wedding were incredible. “The flowers from Floramac (Laura) absolutely made the day. She was able to perfectly capture the autumnal theme through the extravagant arbour decorations complimented by a length of terracotta fabric to beautifully tie the arrangements together. Phoebe’s bouquet and flower crown were feature pieces that tied perfectly into the embroidered design of the wedding dress. Laura even managed to scavenge some gorgeous Australian golden wattle for the bouquet which was a key feature in the dress.

Both Brent (our photographer) and Laura were amazing. They were both so accommodating and so thoughtful – together they really elevated our wedding and photos more than we could have hoped.”

It was very important to Phoebe and Richard that their ceremony felt warm and relaxed. “We just wanted to keep it relaxed and in our style – we had a friend (Hillary Baxter) as the celebrant who could really speak to us as a couple earnestly, and a reading from Phoebe’s dad titled “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten” by Robert Fulghum – it was just a bit more fun and less serious than a lot of the others and we liked the simple tale it told of just being a decent human.

Hillary’s knowledge of us, the way she skilfully (and invisibly!) managed to really keep the ceremony focused on us and feeling intimate and genuine, absolutely cannot be understated.”

Awaiting the recessional, guests held cones, made from pages of old children’s books filled with petals by the couple.

Phoebe and Richard were enchanted when they discovered their venue – Avalon Castle. “We had a giant ‘shortlist’ including the usual wineries and such, but as soon as we visited the quirky and beautiful Avalon Castle we stopped looking. It was the perfect mixture of outdoor beauty, quirky charm with its theatre restaurant origins, and the right price. The many inclusions and arrangements they helped with only further cemented our love for it.

The venue and Laura’s flower arrangements really made the whole thing feel very ‘us’, and with ‘only’ 60 guests, it really did feel very intimate and like our absolute nearest and dearest.”

Photographer reccs? Take Phoebe and Richard’s word on this one! “Brent Lukey was recommended to us by some friends who had used him for their wedding, and we’re so glad that we listened!
From our first meeting with Brent, we knew we’d chosen the right person – he was open to accommodating our requests but was more interested in just learning more about us, our style and getting to know the plan and the venue for the day. On the day itself, he was the perfect mix of blending in and had perfect timing for short, direct requests to get the best pictures, and his friendly nature and dedication to the photos were regularly highlighted by guests afterwards – who had witnessed him lying on the ground or doing the splits on multiple occasions.”

Each guest took home a jar of honey from Phoebe’s parent’s farm.

The first dance? A complete surprise to Phoebe and Richard’s guests because it was a surprise swing dance! “Phoebe’s a keen swing dancer, and so we both took lessons for about 8 weeks leading up to the wedding without telling everyone, and surprised them with a swing dance to Nina Simone’s “My Baby Just Cares For Me”, a song that had recently become a favourite of both of us.”

“The beautiful speeches from our loved ones that made the day perfect.”

Congratulations to you both Phoebe and Richard! What a delightful story to be able to share. And thank you to Brent Lukey for sharing today’s beautiful images.