Romantic Summer Wedding at Swallowfield Vineyards

Drinks in hand, guests gathering, and a forest setting that felt made for a celebration: Joanne and Lachlan’s wedding wasted no time finding its rhythm.

Set at Swallowfield Vineyard, their day flowed from a pine-framed ceremony to lawn-side speeches and a packed dance floor in the old stable. Joanne’s sparkling gown (tulle wings included) met rich burgundy tones, with thoughtful, handmade details at every turn. Captured by Lachlan Chatfield, it was relaxed and filled with so much joy.

Joanne and Lachlan used the ultimate dating tool of the 21st century: the apps! Tinder, more specifically.

It was their proposal that was straight out of a movie, in romantic Paris. “Lachlan proposed to me on our last day of a 3-week trip with 10 + friends through the UK. We had two days together in Paris, and he proposed at the Eiffel Tower at 10 pm while it was twinkling. We had never spoken of marriage before, so it was a total surprise! But an obvious yes,” Joanne explained.

Lachlan and his groomsmen wore burgundy MJ Bale suits, paired with black shirts and black leather shoes. “We found them at DFO on sale as old stock, nothing stood out quite like this colour! Lachlan wanted something other than a classic black or cream, like all retailers were suggesting for him, and we think they look awesome in the photos!”

Looking like a fairytale princess, Joanne wore this beautiful sparkly gown – with its own flowing tulle wings! It was the perfect look for this romantic forest wedding.

In her wedding party were four of her best friends and her mum! “I let them pick their own dresses, sticking to my coloured theme of burgundy, lilac and green,” Joanne shared.

“I think having my mum as a bridesmaid was one of my best choices in planning by far. She desperately wanted to walk me down the aisle, and I really wanted to walk myself down, so Mother’s Day last year, I asked her while we were out for lunch – she had a ball being involved with the girls.”

Originally, the couple wanted to get married in the Redwood Forest, but with a 40-guest cap and no dogs allowed, they quickly moved on to bigger, better options. For example: Swallowfield Vineyard in Gembrook! “About a 45-minute drive from home, the venue is a private property managed as a contract grower’s vineyard but hosting DIY weddings in summer! Phill, the owner, lets your imagination run free. We had our ceremony in front of the pine forest, photos on the fields at sunset and by a creek on site. The speeches and dining were held on his lawn, and the reception and dancing were held in the old stable. It was epic!”

As “Light Up My Dark” by Monolink floated through the forest air, Joanne walked herself down the aisle. Fist pumping as she and Lachlan locked eyes!

Their ceremony was short and sweet, staying under 30 minutes, with the groomsmen handing out drinks to guests before anyone walked down the aisle. “Once I had arrived at Lachie, a short back story was told about us by our celebrant, Renee, then we exchanged vows, and I read a short poem by Harry Baker that pulled a tear from Lachie’s eye,” she shared.

“We signed papers, shared a drink and walked back down to bubbles and had the most magical moment.”

For Lachlan, the happiness radiating from everyone throughout the day was the best part. “I remember that my wife and I could not stop smiling throughout the whole day, we were surrounded by all of our favourite people who were there to celebrate our love with us on our special day. The feeling of being so happy and making my special person feel so happy and loved is truly second to nothing,” he explained.

“I also remember just looking around and seeing everything we had been planning over the last 15 months come to life, the way we had set the venue up for bulk dancing, and the smiles on everyone’s faces clearly having a great time was amazing.”

Not only is the iris a beautiful flower (and Joanne’s favourite!), but it was also her grandmother’s name. So to honour her and be surrounded by beauty, it became their hero flower. “All the other florals created by Petal Story worked within the colour scheme to make it feel organic. I didn’t want a typical, rounded bouquet. My dressmaker made my bow, which my florist attached to my flowers. I needed a big bow somewhere! My aunt also gave me my great-grandmother’s wedding wishbone on that day. I wrapped it around the bouquet, and it hung from the bow on my flowers. Super special.”

A lot of their romantic summer wedding was DIY’d by Joanne and Lachlan, from the drinks to the kissing booth! And all the time and effort clearly paid off because everything looked incredible. “We bought drinks through Dan Murphy, we made the hanging buntings for the venue, the cocktail stand, the kissing booth, I brought the tablecloths and collected vintage classes for the flowers. I bought the flowers for the tables wholesale. I made the playlist for the cocktail hours. We brought the vintage Battmitten for lawn games. Lachlan made our wedding cake! My dress was made by a dressmaker, but I designed it and collected all the materials. We did a lot…”

Five things that made this summer forest wedding so special for this couple included:

“1. Having mum as a bridesmaid

2. Having our dog CC there

3. All details that were so us!

4. Our family and friends used EVERY part of the venue, it suited us all so well

5, And the vendors were incredible!”

The vendor that stood out the most to Joanne and Lachlan for their incredible work, aside from photographer Lachlan Chatfield, was Renee the Celebrant! “Again, Renee felt like a total friend; work colleagues thought she was a friend from my friendship group. So much love and support on the day. She even came to my friend’s gig the following week to show support. Legend status.”

Their first dance was a fully choreographed number to an acoustic version of “Fuck ‘Em Only We Know” by Banks. “We did about five lessons, and we did a pretty average job, but it was still a huge highlight. Once we finished, EVERY guest was on the dance floor with us!”

Lachlan Chatfield was the perfect photographer for Joanne and Lachlan, capturing everything with a balance of fun and movement that we love. “Lachlan was a legend; he felt like a wedding coordinator and a friend to us. I ran an hour late to my ceremony because hair and makeup were an hour late for us girls in the AM. He was a total boss adjusting the timeline and updating my celebrant closer to go time,” Joanne shared.

“He was the best at reading me. If I needed more time to mingle, he allowed it and checked in with me at appropriate points to continue the photos. He suggested holding the speeches on the lawn rather than in the barn, which was an epic idea, and it was so beautiful out there. I also realised during the ceremony that I never once noticed him, yet he caught everything. He guided our videographer, who we added at the last minute, so well, with lots of guidance and no hesitation. Highly recommend Lach!”

Three details that really made their day were:

“1. I HAD to have a Mr Whippy ice cream van, which was awesome. There was so much ice cream being had.

2. Our dog CC had to be there, and she partied all night with us, even on the dance floor.

3. It was all in the feel, though; it was so easygoing. There were no restrictions, and all guests used every space we planned throughout the whole day & night.”

The piece of advice Joanne wants to leave for couples planning their weddings is this: “Do with what feels most right for you! Don’t dig too deep into Instagram and Pinterest and fixate on others. If you want it, don’t second-guess anything.”