Going for a coastal boho theme for their wedding, Catherine and David invested in good music, good drinks and even better company for their celebrations. The relaxed ceremony and fun, easygoing reception were all designed and put together by Catherine’s talented eye. Situated on David’s father’s private horse property, the couple said their “I do’s” overlooking the beautiful Cannibal Creek mountains in Victoria.

Their photographer, Holly Osborne, was their stand-out vendor! “She went above and beyond to capture our forever cherished memories. The photos blew my mind when we saw them. I still receive comments today on how outstanding our wedding photos are!”

Catherine first arrived in Australia over 11 years ago, and it was during the Australian Show Jumping Championships that she and David crossed paths for the first time. It wasn’t until years later that the stars aligned—they saw each other again, were both single and the rest is history!

While she was visiting her family back in Ireland for six weeks, David decided he wanted to surprise her. He flew down to see her and their daughter Ryleigh – and Catherine instantly noticed he was acting strange but chalked it up to jetlag. “We were in Ballyheigue, a town where my mother and grandmother grew up and where I had spent every weekend and summer visiting during my childhood,” Catherine explained. “There’s a holy day called Pattern Day, which again, I was a little bit confused as to why Dave the atheist was excited for Pattern Day! After the Pattern Day mass, David, Ryleigh, my mum Marion and I went for a walk on the Ballyheigue beach in the sunshine. I went to take Dave’s hand, but he nervously declined. He fumbled in his pocket and then got down on one knee to ask me to be his wife. It was a moment made even more special that Ryleigh was there with us!”

David actually had two outfits for his wedding attire. His daytime formal wear was this classic navy suit from Peter Jackson to match his groomsmen. He wore a white tie rather than the forest green his wedding party donned. Later in the night, he changed into his night outfit of chinos, a white shirt and a grey tweed jacket so he could be more comfortable and kick back.

Their venue for the day was David’s father’s private horse property, which let the couple skip setting an end time – keeping the party going all night long. Not only that, but the majestic views overlooking the Cannibal Creek mountains were breathtaking. “The property is also listed as a heritage sight with horse stables dating back to the 1800’s. I knew when I saw them that this was just a special place with so much character. It was unique and different, just as we had envisaged.”

In Catherine’s wedding party, she had her twin sister Ellen, her friends Belinda and Zoe and her sister-in-law Frida. They each wore olive green gowns from Shona Joy in various styles. “I advised the girls to just agree on a colour but to have free rein on what style of dress they wanted, how they wanted their hair and make-up. I wanted to make sure those around me felt fabulous themselves and knew that vibe would make the day a lot happier for everyone.”

One of Catherine’s favourite moments from the day was when she was getting ready and found a note David had snuck in for her to read pre-ceremony. “He said something along the lines of how Ryleigh (our beautiful daughter) and I are his whole world and how grateful he is to have found a best friend and loving partner in me. It started the tears for the day!”

Catherine’s incredible gown and look were inspired by vintage, old-school Hollywood vibes and perfectly fit their coastal boho wedding theme. “The vintage waves of my hair matched the dress perfectly. The dress itself (Jane Hill – Huntleigh) is simplistic but also very eye-catching and figure-hugging in all the right places. I felt like a million dollars for one of the most magical days of my entire life.”

To walk her down the aisle, Catherine’s cousin Fergal flew all the way from Ireland. “It meant the world to have him at my side.”

These beautiful florals were designed by Zoe from Dela Floral Design. “I’m slightly biased here as Zoe is also my best friend! The pictures of my flowers speak for themselves. Zoe spoke to me in depth about my vision, the colour palette that appealed to me, and the diversity of textures. I shared my inspiration and Zoe just took it to a whole other level. I couldn’t stop crying when I saw my flowers for the first time. Zoe made sure they pulled the venue together and just flowed.”

One of her favourite photos from the day was this one here, where the happy couple had just been announced as husband and wife. “It was one of those moments in life where I felt deep happiness that was all-consuming.”

The top five things that made their wedding so special included:

“1. Having my loved ones around me.

2. Our little girl Ryleigh being part of our special day.

3. Marrying my soul mate, my best friend and love of my life.

4. Having my Irish family and Australian family come together.

5. The secret moments alone with Dave in a loved-up bubble of bliss.”

Their photographer, Holly Osborne, absolutely smashed Catherine’s expectations out of the park! “I have been a fan of Holly’s work for some time. There was no one else I would have chosen. Every frame is a masterpiece of artistic flair and heartfelt passion. Holly just put everyone at ease to ensure our photos were just natural moments in time, preserving our most precious memories for a lifetime. I can never thank Holly enough for capturing such special moments in time so well. She is beyond talented and just made the whole experience so much fun and effortless.”

As we mentioned earlier, these stables are heritage listed, which is one of the elements that really sealed the deal for Catherine and David’s venue choice. How incredible!

For Catherine and David, the most important parts of their reception were quality music, good food and drinks, and a laid-back vibe! The bar, vintage glassware, decor, wishing well, selfie stand, candy station, furniture set-up, AND lighting were all DIY’d by Catherine herself. “I wanted to make sure we had good alcohol. There’s nothing worse than attending a DIY wedding, and it’s the cheap $8 bottle of bubbles or wine. So we splashed out on the things that mattered to us,” she explained. “Being Irish, and unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, my brother wasn’t able to make it over from Ireland. He had, however, sent over a nostalgic painting of a ‘childhood in Ireland’ that we included in our bar decor. It just added that personal touch.”

Their first dance was to Brandie Carlisle’s “The Story”, a song that Catherine can remember listening to and always thinking of David.

A huge congratulations to Catherine and David! Your coastal boho wedding was beautiful to see – which is why we want to thank Holly Osborne Photography for her talent and for submitting it for us to share!