As the final feature of our Garden Issue, Elsie and Darcy embodied the full definition of community and DIY with their autumnal wedding. Set against Maldon Botanic Gardens with handmade details found throughout, this couple made sure to surround themselves with their favourite people from start to finish. Most vendors were old friends, including their photographer, Angelica James Photography! And the rest quickly became new friends.

It was the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show that first introduced Elsie and Darcy, but it was their handwritten letters that truly brought them together. “It was a cold and wet day in July; we needed to get out of the house. Darcy was selling Gin at the show. Mum and I must have tried all the gins. Based on the wonderful time we had the previous year, Mum and I decided to go to the Sheep and Wool Show again. This time Darcy and I talked a little – it was top-rate customer service. I left and had no way to follow up with Darcy; I didn’t have Facebook at the time and honestly wasn’t interested in it. So I sent a letter, a handwritten letter addressed to the boy with green eyes and dark curly hair who worked at Original Gin Co. I didn’t actually know his name at this point…
I figured that even if he never got back to me, it would be a fun story, and after a couple of weeks of not hearing anything, I started telling it as that – a silly story of this thing that I did that was very much analogue in a world of digital technology. Little did I know Darcy had actually written me back,” Elsie shared.

“I remember meeting Elsie at the second wool and sheep show; she was the cute girl in the white coat, and I was more than happy to keep chatting with her (and giving her tawny) even if it meant ignoring any other customers who might have been coming along.
When I received her letter at the distillery, I was quite surprised, pleasantly though, and I knew that anyone who would go to that kind of effort was a sincere and thoughtful person. A stern look from Barbara (my boss), with the comment that ‘you had better take this seriously’, drove it home. I felt a bit nervous as I thought about what I should write back, and whether this was in fact the cute girl in the white coat. We decided to meet at a bar in Highett. I was a little bit late coming from Somerville (I did give her lots of notice), and luckily she hung around. The bartender punished me suitably with the girliest pink cocktail when I asked for a recommendation. We hit it off, got dinner after, and that was that,” Darcy added.

Elsie has been asking Darcy to marry her for years, but a long time ago he made her promise never to ask formally, as he wanted to be the one to ask that all-important question at the perfect moment. “He proposed in August this year, the day before our 7th anniversary. I had no idea that he was going to propose, although I really should have realised,” Elsie shared.

“The proposal itself was quiet, along the Barwon River in Geelong (where we live) just before sunset, walking our dog Gertie.”

As one of the first of her friends to get married, Elsie had no idea where to start looking for her wedding dress. So when we found out her hairdresser’s mum owns Pearls and Roses in Geelong, it felt like the perfect place to start. “It was an enormous dress, but it just felt right. As a wise colleague of mine said, if there is a day to take up space, it is your wedding day!”

Elsie’s family comes from Maldon, so it was a no-brainer for her and Darcy about where their wedding would happen. And with a guest list of 100+ people in a small town, the venue choices were limited enough that they had no stress: a ceremony in the park and the reception at the Progress Hall!

Darcy’s suit was from Lord’s Design in Geelong West, in a stunning green colour with a matching patterned tie and pocket square. “He tried a few places, but in the end the customer service here and their range of colours were the most like what he wanted. He knew he wanted a green suit, and this was the place with the most options and the best fit.”

There were no strict rules for their wedding party; instead, Darcy and Elsie made it clear they didn’t want anyone to spend money and wanted them to wear what they already owned to help celebrate their wedding. “What we ended up with was a wedding party that wore something that they were comfortable in, which was the best outcome!” Elsie explained.

With her dad on her arm, Elsie walked down the garden path as “The Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel filled the park.

Tim Fitzpatrick is an old friend of Elsie’s family, and he created the most perfect ceremony for the couple. “We wanted our ceremony to be fun; it incorporated all of our funny stories and gave us a chance to share these with our friends and family. There was so much laughter,” they explained.

“Perhaps most importantly – we chose to do a hand-fasting for our vows – the ribbon was made by Darcy’s mum, who wove together pieces from my mum’s wedding dress, a family heirloom dress, bits from Darcy’s niece’s baby swaddle and the Kennedy tartan. We did this instead of exchanging rings.”

Some of the best details from Darcy and Elsie’s wedding were created by and for the community around them! “To begin with: Darcy made the ring box. It took him like two months of prototyping to make the wooden hinge work, but he and I both love it,” Elsie gushed.

“All the flower arrangements were done by family. My dad and I made the backdrop doors, cleaning those up and painting them. I drew and designed the wedding invites and then made them all by hand (sigh, mistake, that took way too long…). The candle holders on the tables were all made by Darcy, and we hung all the fairy lights in the hall. All the napkins in the hall were also made by us. We are lucky to have such a supportive and helpful family that mucked in all weekend making it happen!”

Another element Darcy and Elsie had tried to DIY was the flowers! They planted so many beautiful blooms in the lead-up to their wedding; however, the delicate flowers were no match for the January heat, and they got scorched. “In the end, my uncle surprised us by rocking up the day before with buckets of sunflowers, zinnias, and all sorts of other things! It was amazing – the doors behind us in the ceremony used only these flowers,” they shared.

“We also purchased some flowers from Whimsical Wildflowers in Geelong (they were so helpful). We walked in and told them about our plight of the dead flowers, and they helped us order a selection of colours and types that we then used in the table decorations and for the bouquets. They cleaned the flowers up for us and sent buckets of types to Maldon with a friend of mine – all the table arrangements were done by my Cousin’s daughter (14), who was visiting from Perth and desperate to help out, and my aunts!”

Angelica James Photography and Elsie went to the same school together, and while they were a couple of years apart, Elsie has always looked up to her and her incredible work. “When she started her photography business a few years ago, I knew for sure that I would always ask her at some point to do some photos. Having a friend take your photos on your wedding day, particularly when you don’t love having your photo taken, is like a dream. Everything was so nice and friendly and relaxed, and you don’t even notice it is happening,” Elsie gushed.

“Standout moment: While we were in France, there was a painting that she commented I looked just like – despite not having spoken in years, she rocked up on the wedding day and gave me a little polaroid of that painting, captioning it with “more beautiful than a Renoir”. Honestly, amazing. My mum commented multiple times throughout the day and afterwards, going through the photos, that she didn’t even realise that she was there! Darcy also loved her, and couldn’t believe how much she had scoped out for the day; the forethought in planning the locations around town means we have the best selection of portraits!”

All of the moments captured by Angelica have a special place in Elsie and Darcy’s overflowing hearts, but two really stood out to Elsie. “I love the photo of Dad seeing me in the dress for the first time in his suit and slippers: such a great moment. I also quite like the photos of Gertie and us – honestly, though, Angelic did such an amazing job – ALL OF THE PHOTOS. We have a shortlist of 50; we still can’t narrow down to get framed!”

Another really special detail Elsie and Darcy had their community help with was the reception soundtrack. Every single guest submitted a song with their RSVP – though one of their uncles went above and beyond in his curating. “We had one uncle, though, who took this to heart, and in the 100 days leading up to the wedding, he provided us with one song a day. Such dedication! Also, this made a great keepsake: we’ve got the wedding playlist with all our friends’ songs and Boof’s (the uncle) Wedding Playlist with all of his songs…”

The final piece of advice Darcy and Elsie want to leave you with is simple and yet one of the most important parts of a wedding (we think!): “Have fun.”

Please join us in congratulating Elsie and Darcy! Thanks to Angelica James Photography for sharing these moments with us. And finally, goodbye, Garden Issue – we’ve loved celebrating all you’ve had to offer us.