A celebration indeed was on the cards for Sarita and Adam. The pair, who describe their day as “Punk rock meets boho –  vibey, fun and full of love,” wanted a wedding that was the ultimate post-pandemic celebration. But they knew this day was not just about them, it was about their community and their vendor dream team all playing a big role on the day. They explain “We did what felt fun and authentic to us – we did it our way and we bloody loved it. From our amazing vendors who really ‘got’ us and put so much effort into our celebration” to the guest list “it was one big party for our community and a chance for us to all be together.” This was a wedding as much about the people around them as it was about one beautiful relationship.

“We wanted to include people from all parts of our lives in some kind of meaningful way. From the friends who were in the wedding party, to the witnesses, to the reading, to the crew who led on the dance floor- we wanted our wedding to feel like a community event full of love, fun, and laughter for everyone.” And with the golden light of autumn glowing all day long, the rich hues of the season played a very big role – as did photographer Little Chief Photography, who captured every beautiful bit of it.

The story begins years ago in Canberra. “In a hot and sweaty yoga studio, eyes met, smiles were exchanged, and the conversation flowed. Adam said he was new to Canberra, and Sarita said we are just going to be friends. Yoga extended into drinks at a whiskey bar, a dessert dinner, shopping trolley rides through the streets of Canberra, and a night of dancing and fun. They met up for coffee the next day and a week later they took a road trip to Melbourne where Adam introduced Sarita to his parents and his tight-knit community. That night he said to her “I know this is crazy but I think I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you”. Meanwhile, she started checking for exits coz jeez, that sounds like a red flag, we just met and we are just friends. They started hanging out, they started hooking up, you know, “just friends”. 6 months later on a little beach getaway Sarita said, “hey I think I’m in love with you”. Adam said, “I know, me too, I loved you from the minute I first saw you, I was just waiting for you to be ready”. With a little patience from Adam, the rest was history.”

Adam had hidden the engagement ring for two weeks in his car glove box before proposing, the story going “On what was to be the day of the proposal, we both took the afternoon off work to drive up to Sydney to see a Northlane concert. It was such a beautiful afternoon, a lovely drive, deep conversations about the future, life, politics, work, and travel…..and it got Adam thinking about the possibility of proposing that day. The moment just felt right, they were at Sarita’s mum’s house which was perfect because they are so close, so Adam decided to tell Sarita he left his wallet in the car, and pop downstairs to get the ring and practice his proposal.

When he returned, Sarita still had not yet begun to get ready for their night out, so he thought he’d just get it done then and there. As Sarita turned around to get some clothes out of her suitcase, Adam pulled out the ring from his pocket and got down on one knee, exactly at the moment Sarita whipped her pants off! Sarita turned back around to see Adam on one knee, said “omg no wait”, and hurried to put her pants back on. Adam gave her a minute and continued with his proposal asking if Sarita would do him the honour of allowing him to be her husband. She said yes (of course) and after much-excited squealing and a few tears, continued their night of dinner and thrashing about in the mosh pit with friends – easily one of the best nights of their lives so far.”

Want to set the scene? Hit play on Sarita and Adam’s wedding film captured by Down the Road Weddings. Sarita raving “Our celebrant Jessie introduced us to our videographer Ruby who jumped in at the last minute and created the most epic video for us.  We loved all of our vendors, we were so fortunate to have had the opportunity to book and work with the best in the business. They were a huge part of the success of our special day, for which we are truly grateful. ” Adam added his grandfather’s ring to complete his look.

That incredible suit (with floral lining no less) is a beautiful number by Bellington Estate. Shares Sarita “Bellington Estate knocked Adam’s custom jacket out of the park. The idea was to have something that was both contrasting and complementary to the groomsmen, yet still fit in with our vibe for the wedding. We came up with a slightly textured look, a deep purple colour and a skull/rose lining to hit that rock feel. To also set Ad’s apart, Bellington Estate also provided a beautiful dark green wool tie to finish off the outfit. Shirt, pants, shoes and socks all matched the groomsmen.
So grateful for the amazing work from Bellington Estate. They were carefree, relaxed, and looked after all of Ad’s needs.”

The hair and makeup dream team? Makeup artist Killer Queen Creative and hairstylist Vine Artistry. “A special call-out is Danee from Killer Queen Creative who is honestly a magician” raves Sarita. “Her skill, artistry and creativity are unparalleled. As a make-up lover and someone who wanted a less traditional look, I did a lot of research into the right artist for me and Danee knocked it out of the park. I’ve never had more beautiful make-up in my life. She also introduced us to Rhea from  Vine Artistry who created incredible custom hairstyles for all the bridesmaids. Word of mouth and community connections clearly played a big part in our special day.”

For her gown, Sarita wore a gown from Karen Willis Holmes, pairing the “Taryn” bodice with the”Lea” skirt.   She tells ” I wanted a classic cut and design with a twist. The A-line shape was gorgeous, and the pearls on the skirt divine. I paired this with a satin belt (also from KWH) and a custom studded leather jacket from Rockstars and Royalty. I’ve always loved a clash of unexpected things. Satin, pearls and tulle, mixed with leather, metal studs and glitter. It speaks to everything I love about punk, rock and metal – contrast, individualism, uniqueness, and the freedom to be yourself.
The experience of trying on wedding dresses with my girlfriends was so much fun. We made a whole weekend out of it and Erin at KWH just got it immediately. She understood I wanted something a bit different and helped me bring my ideas together. The same goes for Vicky, the owner of Rockstars and Royalty. Vicky is supremely talented and a creative superstar, who put the perfect touches on my outfit for the day.” Oh and the star of the show – sparkly boots? They’re from Betsey Johnson.

Falling in love  with it’s flexibility and beauty, Sarita and Adam chose Rocklea Farm as their venue.

“We chose Rocklea Farm because it is so beautiful and so versatile. The grounds are amazing but so are the barn and cool indoor spaces. They gave us the flexibility to bring in our stylists and use their space to bring our magic to the experience which was great, not to mention having the ceremony under the amazing 100+ year old river red-gum tree – this set up such a special scene for our festive wedding. We also really liked all our guests just being in one spot for the whole day as well.”

Sarita chose to walk down the aisle hand in her with her mum “to the big, vibey “Come Together” by Gary Clark Jr. I really wanted a big, fun song to set the tone for the day” she remembers.

“We wanted the ceremony to be short and sweet, but it was important to us that we wrote our vows” explains the bride, “It turned out to be our favourite part of the whole day and it was so special sharing our stories and promises with our community. We had a single reading which was On Marriage by Kahlil Gibran, a favourite of Sarita and her mum Suzanna.”

Looking for a celebrant with rave reviews? Sarita gives them all to Jessie Belle. She shares “I (Sarita) do want to call out Jessie of Jessie Belle Celebrant. After the venue, she was the first vendor we put time and energy into finding as the celebrant sets the tone for the whole day. They are the magic maker, the coordinator, and the director of so many things, so we knew we had to find the right person for us. And when we met her we just knew right away that she was our person. Jessie is full of life, love and energy and I couldn’t recommend her more highly. She was so kind and took such good care of our story, we honestly consider her a friend to this day.”

“I love our photos” notes Adam. “They’re all incredible and capture the emotions and moment so incredibly well. I love our “first kiss” during the ceremony, the intimate shots of us in the paddock/field, the group shot with our family and also the bridal party at the Kombi just after the ceremony. I’m a sucker for candid shots as they capture the essence of the emotion during a particular moment, so those shots where people are just being themselves and aren’t focused on being photographed also stand out for me :)”

This wedding? Well and truly a team effort. “Our favourite part was doing it all together! We had a shared vision and wanted it to reflect who we were so we turned it into a fun activity we did together. Our vendors were also incredible so catching up with them as part of the planning process was so exciting as we could see our vision come to life, and they all took such good care of us.”

In beautiful autumnal tones, Sarita and Adam handed their floral design over to Stephanie Belle Botanical. “The flowers were stunning and put together by Stephanie Belle Botanical. Our florist Gerry was super cool. Sarita described the vision she wanted to create which was moody, gothy, earthy, dark, florals and Gerry worked her creative magic. Nothing was standard or symmetrical, everything was unique and individual which Sarita loved. The arbour was an absolute work of art with earthy, moody autumnal tones set upon a magnificent old tree.”

The wedding party was a critical part of the joy of Sarita & Adam’s wedding day. “We both had a big posse of mates which absolutely made the day. I had closest girlfriends from the defining periods of my life – high school, uni, and moving to Canberra. Ad’s had his tight-knit group of childhood friends along with his closest mates from uni and Canberra. Since we both lived and worked overseas for several years, our bridal party hailed from Geelong, Canberra, Sydney, Israel, the US, the Netherlands and Norway.

The bridesmaids all wore individual dresses in moody autumn tones and the brief was about everyone looking and feeling their hottest selves. The groomsmen wore matching jackets with individually chosen linings and wolf lapels from the amazing Bellington Estate in Geelong. We wanted the boys to add their own flare to the outfit. The colours were chosen to fit in with the Autumn, moody vibes. Textured shirts and Chinos were from MJ Bale in Canberra. The idea was for the boys to be able to wear this out for other occasions.”

Photography another big standout for these two, “Jackie crushed it, there are honestly too many to count! Jackie from Little Chief Photography is amazing. We really loved her style, the way she works with light and shade to capture those perfect, golden hour moments. She was also so fun to be around on the day and it just felt like hanging out with one of the gals. She was super relaxed and knew how to be in exactly the right place at the right time.”

The way that these two made their day completely stress free? By hiring a planning team Here Comes The Truck. “We actually used a full-service planning team through Here Comes the Truck. Could not recommend Caity and her team more! They took care of every little detail that you need but don’t want to organise yourself, and made the entire thing seamless. Caity organised food trucks, styling, booze and wait staff which was an absolute godsend because we planned a wedding from interstate during a global pandemic. She’s also a rockstar human who brought joy to everything and made the whole experience so much fun.”

Sarita can’t pick a favourite detail of the day. Every bit? Epic and something she wishes she could do all over again. For Adam? “Every single moment was so special. The location and our vendors all brought their A-Game which helped support us to not have a worry in the world. Sharing our celebration with our close family and friends from all over Australia and the world was truly amazing. It really was one kick-ass party.”

Want to take Sarita & Adam’s advice? Here it is!

“1. Have fun with your planning and do what feels true to who you are.
2. Invest in the right vendors for you – they can make or break the experience so its worth researching to find people you connect with.
3. Have a bloody good time. You’ll never regret having fun!”

The first dance was one to remember, and included a flash mob! “We did a mix of songs that the DJ  (DJ Tommy O) cut together for us. I used to be a dancer so with help from Adam and our friend Rachel, I designed and choreographed the whole dance including a group flash mob at the end where all the guests learnt the dance ahead of time and joined in.

Mashup included:
– With You – Sum 41
– Shape of You- Ed Sheeran
– Danza Kuduro – Don Omar, Lucenzo

Creating and executing the flash mob was amazing, the speeches were phenomenal, and sneaking away to take photos together and share some quiet moments were some special highlights. Honestly, the whole thing was just a dream come true.”

Congratulations to you both Sarita & Adam! What a joy to be able to share every story of your day. Thank you for sharing and to Little Chief Photography for every one of today’s beautiful images.