Intimate Country Wedding at Bindo Creek

If golden hour glow, country air and a dance floor full of people who adore you sounds like the dream, then you’re about to fall hard for Rach and Justin’s wedding! Their intimate country celebration at Bindo Creek blended modern black-and-white styling with laidback moments that never felt forced. Instead, the day happened naturally, full of laughter, emotional dances and meaningful details, all beautifully documented by photographer Thom Dwyer.

Bumble is the app we have to thank for Rach and Justin’s beautiful wedding, which we’re sharing today! “After a couple of days of communicating online, Justin decided to ask me out on our first date that weekend, which, conveniently enough for me, being a new shift worker, I had the weekend off and decided to go out on a date with him, also being incredibly nervous! We went out for lunch and ended up spending the whole day together! We ended up going on another date the following day, and from then on, due to COVID-19 lockdowns, we had to make the decision to either make it official or wait until the lockdowns ended. We made it official and have been together ever since!’ Rachael shares.

After coming home from a friend’s baby shower, Justin made a not-at-all-suspicious offer to drive down to a lookout they’d visited when they first started dating, then go out for dinner. “I agreed, and realised he wasn’t acting like his usual self on the drive. When we got to the lookout, he asked if I wanted to take some photos together, which was strange to me because I knew how much he hated taking photos. During this, he got down on one knee and proposed, to which I think I screamed yes before he even finished asking!”

Justin stuck to a simple, classic black suit to match the black-and-white theme. “That way, he could feel comfortable but still look classy.” The groomsmen wore the same style of black and white suit as the groom.

Rachael’s bridesmaids wore a variety of black dresses of their own choosing – the only criteria she gave them was long, black and comfortable.

For herself, Rach wore a simple, white dress from Noodz Boutique that made her look radiant. “I also wanted to show off my new figure that I had worked hard for. After losing 70kgs, I wanted to wear something more modern & fitting,” she shared.

Bindo Creek was their venue of choice for this intimate country wedding. “The venue was absolutely stunning and offered exactly what we were looking for, which was a relaxing country vibe. They also allowed us to have whatever caterers & vendors we wanted for the day and let us decorate as we wanted the day before!”

Rachael walked down the aisle with her dad on her arm, as an acoustic version of “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls was performed by the Ben Fox Band.

For their ceremony, Justin and Rach wanted everything to be relaxed – not only for them but also for all their guests. With the help of their celebrant, Kathleen Martin, that’s exactly what they had. “We had our wedding party sit down once the ceremony began, and we had our own vows to make it more personal,” they shared.

One of Rach’s bridesmaids used to be a florist, so as a wedding gift, she created all the bouquets, the buttonhole for Justin, and decorated the tables with beautiful faux flowers in that same black-and-white theme.

The best piece of advice Rach and Justin want to leave for couples planning their own celebrations is this: “Relax & enjoy the ride! The day goes so quickly, and that one day is only one small part of your journey together.”

Even though their day was jam-packed with incredible details, Rachael would have to say her favourite was their photographer: Thom Dwyer! “Thom captured our whole day beautifully, and we now have those memories for a lifetime. He was absolutely incredible from start to finish, not just on the day, but the whole experience. From the communication on day one from booking him, to the actual day where both my husband & I aren’t the most photogenic people, we felt so comfortable with him, and he captured our day absolutely beautifully,” Rachael gushed.

“We’ve had so many people compliment how stunning & incredible our wedding photos are. Thom was the absolute best investment we ever made.”

The top five things that made this intimate country so special for Justin and Rachael included:

“1. The photographer: make sure you find someone like Thom Dwyer who makes you feel comfortable and captures your day exactly how you want. Those memories last a lifetime!

2. The singer: our wedding singer made our day absolutely perfect! Ben Fox was honestly amazing!

3. The venue was close to home and was absolutely stunning! It really provided the relaxing country vibe we were after.

4. The food! The food really showed what we liked as a couple and contributed to the relaxing atmosphere we wanted for guests.

5. My makeup: my MUA was Kerry Lindenberg from Country Rose Beauty. I have never felt so beautiful in my life! It made me feel so special on my special day.”

To keep the day relaxed and stress-free, Justin and Rachael chose Short Street Kitchen as their caterer, offering live food stations for dinner (with both Mexican and American-style dishes) where guests could serve themselves. “We also had an ice cream bicycle, Annie’s Ice Cream, which came out and set up after dinner to surprise our guests. Our wedding favour to our guests was different flavours of cupcakes to choose from, which were mini versions of our wedding cake. We had a Polaroid guest book, which we made sure our guests & vendors took a snap and placed into the book along with a message to help capture our special day!”

If there was one non-negotiable for Rachael, it was the father-daughter dance! “We danced to an acoustic version of “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion by Ben Fox Band,” she shared.

“And then Justin and I’s first dance was the acoustic version of “Latch” by Sam Smith performed by Ben Fox Band, we had our wedding party join us halfway through the song to make us feel more comfortable.”

Even though she loved all of Thom’s work, these sunset shots are definitely Rachael’s favourites. “There are too many to choose from, but it was probably one of our couple shots that Thom got us for during golden hour, getting that beautiful sunset!”