When it came to planning their wedding, James and Esta knew exactly how they wanted it to feel: relaxed, personal and (most importantly) completely theirs. Set against the open farmland and glowing fires of Bonfire Station, their day unfolded with custom cocktail quests, handwritten vows, lucky rain breaks, and a dance floor full of Hawaiian shirts.

Captured beautifully by photographer Nikki Russian and videographer Carlo from Luna Rossa Films, this relaxed wedding was less about tradition and more about creating a celebration that felt like one big love letter to their favourite people! 

When James and Esta planned their first date in early 2017, they decided to skip a traditional dinner and dive straight into a bar crawl! “I had just survived a nightmare nursing shift, and we decided to launch into a full-scale bar crawl along Chapel Street (our favourites being Jungle Boy and Leonard’s House of Love) and went 1:1 drinks until the early hours of the morning. We love to celebrate our anniversaries and milestones over a few cocktails to relive our first date,” Esta explained.

For months, James had been planning to propose to Esta. And for months, Esta had accidentally been thwarting his plans. It took a 30th-birthday celebration, Hey, Arnold!, and an idiot sandwich for everything to finally fall into place. “I kept unknowingly thwarting his plans, the most elaborate being refusing a helicopter to a mountain top in Franz Josef in New Zealand to get a head start on our drive up North. James wanted the proposal to be an unexpected surprise, and with my constant nudging, it was hard to find an opportunity without me being suspicious. It wasn’t until James’ 30th Birthday party (themed “that aged well”), midway through speeches and announcing best costume, James (dressed as Arnold from Hey, Arnold!) got down on one knee and proposed to me (dressed as an “idiot sandwich” from Hell’s Kitchen). It was completely unexpected, with his important milestone becoming one we could share!”

James wore this stunning red velvet jacket and black suit pants from Briggins Clothiers, completing this look with burgundy leather shoes and custom cufflinks. “He says that the reason was “because he knew it would look insanely good, and he wanted to make something that would be worth passing down one day,” Esta shared.

For Esta, the shots captured during their first look are her favourites. “It’s so hard to pick a favourite. It was an incredible night, so full of moments I’ll cherish forever, but the biggest one for me will be our first look. I didn’t initially want a first look, but James convinced me to do one, and it was the best. We met about an hour before guests arrived in the birch forest. Quiet. Secluded and intimate without the pressure of extra eyes on us or a thousand questions being hurled our way. Just a moment, we could hold and share our excitement together.”

Dressed in an incredible nude-toned Teuta Matoshi gown, Esta looked every part the beautiful bride. “I had it altered to suit my style (low cut with big sleeves, in a gorgeous textured fabric.) I also wore burgundy heels to match the colour palette of our florals and James’ jacket. My everyday style is usually oversized black shirts and baggy pants, but I love texture and deep, moody tones,” she shared.

“My mum, Carol, gifted me her gold necklace: a beautiful pendant with a ram, as we both share a star sign, which was a sentimental gift she had received on her own 21st birthday. I know it’s common to have mum sign as a witness, but we had my mum assigned as the “keeper of things”: she wore my engagement ring for me during the ceremony, holding my vows and wedding band close until we were ready.”

Bonfire Station in Taggerty was their backdrop for the whole day, for many reasons, including: “The vibe is relaxed and comfortable – think barnyard brewery meets school camp surrounded by open farmland, cows and two open fires. The on-site accommodation meant we didn’t have to stress about transport there (we stayed two nights), and our guests had a safe space to stay the night if needed. With a birch forest and hilltop lookout close by, we were spoilt for choice for photo opportunities,” they explained.

“And forget alternating fish and chicken… bonfire station offers a full BBQ package our guests still rave about, along with their own range of beer and cider, we couldn’t get enough of mango cider being a winner.”

As a florist herself, Esta designed and arranged all the flowers for the day. Using a mixture of artificial, dried and preserved flowers to create something that would hold up as a keepsake in their home. “I had a few of my favourites like Billy buttons, amaranthus, anthurium and carnivorous plants like Venus flytrap and sarracenia.”

The groomsmen, including James’ brother-in-law Matt and close friends Rhys and Greg, all wearing matching neutral-toned suits and burgundy accessories.

In Esta’s wedding party, she had her three closest friends from high school, Kathryn, Amber and Lochie, and her friend Bridget, who she met while nursing back in 2018. “The party were given a brown/rust colour palette and were able to pick whatever they liked. I really wasn’t fussed: as long as they felt comfortable and felt good!”

She walked down the aisle with her father, Grant, on her arm as “Falling” by Mansionair played. “We actually had James and our groomsmen walk down the aisle once everyone was seated, first to “Next To Me” by Rufus du Sol, which absolutely set the mood!’ Esta explained.

They wanted the ceremony to feel personal, sentimental, humorous, and overall relaxed. Esta and James also had their wedding party sit down during their vows so their favourite people could experience them saying “I do” to the fullest. “We didn’t have anyone do a reading, though James and I did write our own personal vows: both absolute tearjerkers!” she shared.

“Not so much an heirloom, but for almost nine years, I’ve been writing James love letters in a little book: sometimes they’re just journal entries or summaries of what’s going on in our lives, and I’ll hide it around the house for James to find months later. I decided to handwrite my vows to him in the book, its pages already so full of my love for him, it felt like the perfect home.”

The whole morning had been constant rain, but by some miracle, there was a perfect 30-minute break just as their outdoor ceremony was about to begin. This, for James, was the most magical part of the day. “The rush to get everyone down to the lake, the panic, but with a calm collectedness. Perfectly tying off our ceremony, right as the lightest droplets began to pitter-patter on the lake,” explained James.

Out of every beautiful detail and moment from their relaxed farmstay wedding, Esta and James pinpointed these five things as their top details:

“1. We booked the venue for it two days, and had a really special Friday BBQ and Sunday morning breakfast with our nearest and dearest.

2. The forest for the first look was just an amazing small part of the venue that was so serene and all to ourselves.

3. Getting everyone (and I mean everyone) on the dance floor for a Velvet Archer’s live rendition of Tribute by Tenacious D.

4. Our special cocktails made for each other were like our own personal representation of how we perceive each other.

5. The “silo” bar, an unmanned outside bar with fairy lights, being “operated” by my brother Pat, and having ~20 people trying to order imaginary drinks with fake angry drunks.”

Nikki Russian was the photographer for James and Esta’s day, and they loved everything about her! “We instantly felt comfortable with her, and though some direction was given, she let us just be ourselves and didn’t fuss over overly staged photos, focusing more on capturing candid moments as they came, which made for some stunning images and great memories. James and I love her style, ditching the “oat” overlay I just can’t stand and opting for a more vibrant and fun approach to colour. We’ve recommended Nikki to our engaged friends and family and are looking forward to seeing her at two upcoming weddings!”

Their other lens-based vendor for this wedding was the talented Carlo from Luna Rossa Films, who was their favourite of the day! “Carlo has this innate talent to kind of just blend in in any situation, and I honestly forget he was there filming – not once did I feel the intimidation of a camera lens or like our day was being staged for the “perfect shot”. He just let us be ourselves. Joining in on the banter and capturing our most authentic selves, making Carlo and Nikki a dream team. Carlo has an incredibly unique approach to filmmaking, and we are in awe of his talent,” Esta shared.

While the wedding party and newlyweds had their portrait sessions, their guests were being entertained by a “cocktail quest” James had set up. “The scavenger hunt was to reveal a code word that could be used at the bar to get a cocktail on us while we were off gallivanting!”

Their other favourite vendor of the day was Florine from Bonfire Station! “Florine took a genuine interest in our wedding; she is so passionate, and no ask was too big. She’s always so happy to help and went above and beyond, checking in, staying up to the day, driving me to our first look, and even rushing to help dry off the chairs after rainfall 10 minutes before the ceremony. We visited Bonfire Station a few times in the lead-up to the wedding, and she always made time to discuss our ideas with us.”

While planning a wedding, it’s pretty normal to have clashing ideas on what you want as a couple, which can be especially hard if your visions don’t align. Esta and James concurred on this roadblock, each choosing one non-negotiable, then working through everything else together. “His was that there must be a videographer, and mine was the entertainment having to be live music. Everything else was negotiable.”

As a nod to their first date, James and Esta created their own tradition at the reception: by making each other a signature cocktail! “It’s a tradition we plan to repeat every year until we can fill a book with our recipes as an ode to our first date.”

For the latter part of the night, Esta and whoever else wanted to join changed into Hawaiian shirts, courtesy of her dad’s wardrobe! The shot of everyone rocking their patterns in front of the silo is one of her favourite shots of the day whole day.

Alongside that shot, these incredible moments of her brother Pat ‘manning’ the silo bar are also up there as her favourite. “It just consisted of him handing out the same empty glass in the silo while everyone put in a fake order and told him their troubles,” she shared.

Thanks to Nikki Russian for capturing and sharing these beautiful photos with us. And a huge congratulations to Esta and James on your wonderful wedding!