Classic Country Wedding at Tocal Homestead

Ashley and James didn’t fall for each other instantly. Their love, like the best kinds, was patient – rooted first in friendship. From there, life wove their stories together through coastal hikes, spontaneous getaways, and finally, a ‘sunrise’ proposal on Mount Tomaree, with a coffee in hand and their future ahead of them. When it came time to say “I do,” they knew exactly what they wanted: a celebration that brought together all the people and moments that made their journey special: dogs, donut wall and all. Azure Creative captured every moment of their classic country wedding alongside the couple.

Unlike many modern couples, Ashley and James didn’t meet on the apps – instead, they met the old-fashioned way, through friends of a friend. They actually met through each other’s housemates when they were both visiting Coogee Pavillion in New South Wales. “Although it wasn’t love at first sight, a friendship was formed, and it slowly grew into our relationship,” Ashley shared.

One of their first official dates was a hike to the Mount Tomaree lookout in beautiful Shoal Bay. A spot they had visited time and time again – and, as James knew, was the only exception to Ashley’s rule of no proposals in activewear. “On Easter Sunday in 2022, James suggested we do a sunrise hike to the lookout while vacationing in Port Stephens. James isn’t one for sunrise walks, but he knows I love an early morning and a coffee. He underestimated the drive to the start point, so we were going to miss the sunrise, so I sped up to the top and proceeded to get my phone out so I could capture the sunrise,” Ashley explained. “Followed by a family scattering ashes next to us, we walk around the lookout to a smaller viewpoint where James got down on one knee and popped the question, followed by some tears and a fairly quick yes from me! We then went and celebrated with coffee, as the cafe wasn’t doing mimosas that early in the morning. It was perfect. As is the ring!”

James wore a cream suit jacket paired with a crisp white shirt, sleek black pants, and a bow tie. His wedding party wore perfectly matching outfits, down to the black bowties. Also included in his wedding party were James and Ashley’s two beautiful pups! Lily in an adorable floral collar and Trevor in a dapper bowtie.

Ashley wore a strapless, fit-to-flare Mikado dress with a dreamy big bow on the back! She knew the moment she came across the dress on social media that it was THE ONE. “It is from a beautiful Woollahra boutique called Moira Hughes. I absolutely adored my dress shopping experience with Moira Hughes and Kiera, who assisted with the fitting process!”

Her wedding party wore gold Shona Joy dresses in their style of choice. Ashley finished off her look with a Tiffany & Co. bracelet, gifted by her parents (as her something blue), and her mother’s pearl drop earrings, which she had worn on her own wedding day.

The colour palette for this classic country wedding was soft gold, blush and whites to match the slightly rustic vibe of the day. Their florals were a beautiful assortment of white and pink and hints of greenery, styled by their creative direction and stylist team from The Event Artist. The couple teamed up with Hunter Events NSW to plan the whole day, and they couldn’t have been happier with the results.

Tocal Homestead was their venue for the day, perfectly suited to their cocktail-style wedding with its dreamy outdoor ceremony space. “We also loved the wet-weather setup if it was needed. Thankfully, we didn’t, but it’s good to be prepared. The food by Sprout Catering was great, and being cocktail, the food roved around all night long.”

Instead of traditional flower girls, Ashley and James enlisted the help of their friends to be their beer boys! Ashley and her dad Peter walked after the boys had walked to “Marry Me” by Train.

Ashley was surprised to see their Corgi X, Lily, and Golden Retriever, Trevor, sitting at the end of the aisle – a beautiful surprise pulled off by James.

They had Nell Dark-Jones as their celebrant, who expertly told the story of Ashley and James for their guests in a light-hearted and funny tone.

The piece of advice Ashley wants to leave for couples planning their own weddings actually comes from her mum! “She told me on my wedding day – when times are tough, remember the love you felt for each other on your wedding day. And it has really stuck with me.”

Bec from Azure Creative was the photographer behind the lens for this classic country wedding, capturing everything alongside Ashley and James in her signature storytelling style. “She is amazing and came recommended to us. She is like a friend: so warm and welcoming. Makes you feel comfortable in front of the camera. We also used her for our engagement shoot! Very professional.”

The only part of their wedding that Ashley and James DIY’d themselves was this magnificent donut wall! “We DIY’d the donut wall in place of a wedding cake that we had Krispy Kreme donuts on and it was titled “Donut Mind If I Do”. The donuts were consumed in record time!”

The top four things that made their classic country wedding so special were:

“1. My dogs being part of the day.

2. All our family and friends that travelled from across the country. James is from Tasmania, and I am from Adelaide. We met in Sydney and now live in Newcastle, NSW, so we have friends from all over the world.

3. Celebrating our love and telling our story.

4. My Dad doing a speech.”

One of Ashley’s favourite photos happened during the sunset shoot with their photographer. Looking back at it, she shares, “During our sunset shoot, my husband scooped me up, and the bow on the back of my dress flowed behind me and was captured from behind. It reminds me of a photo out of a magazine.”

She changed into her Aston Bridal mini dress for their first dance – perfectly matching the vibes of their day with more movement. “Our first dance was fairly simple and short as we both are not great dances. We danced to “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer. Our choreography was practised for the first time during our sunset photos with our photographer. I think we did well and stayed on cue for the rough timing we had in mind, haha!”

Ashley’s favourite memory from the night was the moment James hopped up on stage to sing “Mr Brightside” with their band, Paper Boy. “Pants down at the ankles and shirt off for Khe Sanh (defence tradition) played consecutively so the boys are all stripped down. We finished the night dancing to “Love Story” by Taylor Swift.”