The best wedding stories are found in the details you don’t see coming. For this one, that meant booking a venue sight unseen, a dog in the wedding party, Disney songs down the aisle, cup noodles for hungry guests, and months of rehearsals for a dance with the parents. Aubrey and Peachy celebrated at Eleven Eighty, with Argel Ramiro Photography capturing all the fun along the way.

It was their shared love of dogs that brought Aubrey and Peachy together, and it is their love of each other that brought us to their rustic winter wedding today! “We started talking after liking each other’s dog photos, not knowing that the dog I posted wasn’t even hers, just a clever excuse to start and keep the conversation going,” Aubrey shared.

For years, the plan had been to propose to Peachy in Queenstown as she loves the cold. Somehow, every time a Queenstown trip was suggested, she had a different trip idea. So for quite a while there, there was no trip and, sadly, no proposal. It wasn’t until completely out of the blue that some friends told Peachy and Aubrey they were heading to Queenstown in two weeks and invited them along. This time, Peachy said yes! Leaving just two weeks to organise a ring and figure out exactly how this long-awaited proposal was going to happen.

The plan was to propose during a helicopter trip into the mountains, although Peachy wasn’t making the behind-the-scenes planning particularly easy! A little help from family was called in to keep the surprise under wraps, and somehow, it all came together. Once they arrived in Queenstown, the nerves kicked in, with barely any sleep before the big day. And then, naturally, the weather had other plans. The helicopter trip was cancelled on the day of the proposal, but was rescheduled for the following morning.

They woke to perfect blue skies, and this time, everything was finally going according to plan! “The helicopter landed on The Remarkables, and we decided to film a TikTok dance we had been doing throughout the trip. We turned our backs to each other like we always did, but when Peachy turned around, I was there with the ring. Her first reaction was, “What the f**k, wait, WHAT?!” followed, thankfully, by a yes. After years of thinking about it, two weeks of panic and several sleepless nights in Queenstown, I finally slept very well that night,” Aubrey shared.

Peachy wore a beautiful pantsuit because she had two main goals: to look cute and be comfy. And this was the perfect middle ground, something sexy without being uncomfortable. “It wasn’t too over the top and fit in well on the day. Huge plus when I tried it and was so comfy!” she shared.

Aubrey also picked a one-shoulder look, but it cut across the opposite side. “I chose the Francine one-shoulder gown because it was simple, elegant and flattering. I loved the neckline, fitted shape and the leg split. It felt modern, feminine and very me,” Aubrey explained.

Originally, Aubrey and Peachy were looking at venues around Orange, but after realising they didn’t want to travel that far, they started looking at South Coast venues instead. They knew in the beginning that a rustic country feel was the goal, and Eleven Eighty stood out by far! “We also loved that they were pet-friendly and welcomed dogs, which was a big plus for us. We reached out to them, and Richard responded really quickly and then gave us a call. He took the time to ask questions about what we were looking for and the kind of wedding we had in mind, which made a really good first impression on us,” Aubrey shared.

“The funny thing is, we actually booked Eleven Eighty before seeing it in person! It sounds a little wild now, but it ended up being one of the best decisions we made. We visited for the first time about a month later, and as soon as we arrived, we knew we had made the right choice. It was even more beautiful in person and had exactly the rustic countryside charm we were hoping for.

That was also when we met Richard and Clare. They were so warm and welcoming and showed us around the property. We felt really comfortable with them from the beginning, and meeting them just made us even more confident that Eleven Eighty was the right place for our wedding.”

Aubrey walked down the aisle first with her dad, as the beginning of “A Whole New World” from Aladdin played. Peachy followed soon after with her parents. “We wanted something that felt romantic and meaningful, but still simple and very us – we love Disney!”

The ceremony was intimate, relaxed and personal, filled with lots of warmth and humour. And working with their celebrant and MC, Robyn Pattison, they had the perfect ceremony! “We didn’t want it to feel too formal or scripted. We just wanted it to feel like us, surrounded by the people we love. Our MC was amazing at creating exactly the kind of relaxed and happy atmosphere we wanted. It felt really natural and light-hearted. Robin Pattison made the day so memorable, fun and relaxed. She really helped create the atmosphere we wanted and made everything feel natural and easy,” Aubrey explained.

Brilliant Blooms curated and created all of these beautiful autumnal flowers. “The flowers we chose for the day were rustic and autumn colour themes, to match the greens of the venue. And because we love autumn colours!”

Only their close friends and immediate family were invited to witness Aubrey and Peachy tie the knot. And, of course, their pets were in attendance, too! “Our guests were dressed in semi-formal or cocktail attire, with earthy, neutral, or muted tones. As our celebration was held in winter, we recommended warm layers such as coats, shawls or jackets.”

Five things that made this rustic wedding unique to Aubrey and Peachy were:

“1. We felt incredibly grateful that everyone made the effort to celebrate with us. Some gave up their weekend and drove all the way to the South Coast, while others flew in from interstate and overseas. It felt like such a privilege to have all those people we love in one place with us.

2. Our fur-baby, Taho, was able to attend our wedding and be part of it.

3. We were so lucky with the weather. It had been raining for a few days before the wedding and started raining again afterwards, but somehow our wedding day was a beautiful, sunny winter day. The rain also made everything look so fresh and green, especially the grass, which made the countryside setting even more beautiful. Even at night, it wasn’t windy, so we could really enjoy being outside and make the most of the venue.

4. Getting married in front of the people we love, especially our parents, was incredibly special. Having them there supporting us so openly and lovingly as a gay couple meant more to us than we can really put into words. Seeing our parents there, happy for us and celebrating our love, felt like a dream come true.

5. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and had fun.”

Argel Ramiro Photography has captured all of Aubrey’s family’s weddings, and so it made it all the more special that he captured this celebration as well. “He’s based in Sydney, amazing at what he does, and made the whole day feel fun, easy and flexible. Before the wedding, we also did a pre-wedding photoshoot with him, so we already felt really comfortable working together!”

While Eleven Eighty supplied most of the decor, Peachy and Aubrey still wanted to add their own special touch to a few key areas: “We handmade all of our souvenirs; we already had an idea of how we wanted everything set up and where we wanted the different pieces to go. I chose the drinks myself because I love a good drink and really enjoyed deciding what we would serve on the day,” Aubrey shared.

“We also had a noodle bar with Korean and Thai cup noodles, which was super popular with everyone! The marshmallow pit was another big hit and added such a fun, relaxed touch to the night.”

Peachy and Aubrey wrote personal letters for every single guest and vendor that played a part in bringing their celebration to life. They started writing these three months before the actual wedding and were still writing them right up until the wedding. “It actually became a really nice bonding experience for the two of us. We would sit down together, write the letters and talk about all the memories we’ve shared with our friends and family over the years. We wanted each letter to feel personal and to let every guest know how much they mean to us.”

Every vendor that had a hand in bringing Aubrey and Peachy’s day to life put their heart and soul into the celebration, and it shows. “Everyone was amazing. Our MC (Robyn Pattison), Band and DJ (Jets Music), makeup artist (Irene Artistry), photographer and caterer (Hungry Monkeys) were all so easy to work with. We also used some of Eleven Eighty‘s recommended partners, including the caterer and florist (Brilliant Blooms), and they were all fantastic. We were really happy with everyone involved in the day.”

Peachy and Aubrey actually have two pieces of advice to share with couples planning their own weddings: “Enjoy the whole journey leading up to the wedding, not just the day itself. There will always be little things to worry about, but somehow everything works out in the end,” they shared.

“We’d also recommend using the venue’s trusted partners where you can. It made things so much easier for us because they already knew the venue and how everything worked, which meant a lot less stress.”

The classic “At the Beginning” from the movie Anastasia was Aubrey and Peachy’s first dance song. It lasted less than two minutes before they invited their parents up for a special dance number! “It was such a special moment when we got up and danced with our parents in front of everyone. We had been practising the choreography for months, and our parents absolutely delivered. They were superstars! It was so much fun and definitely one of our favourite moments of the day.”

Please join us in congratulating Aubrey and Peachy on this incredible celebration! And thanks to Argel Diosep Photography for capturing and sharing everything with us.