Caitlin + Steve have been together for 8 years, so it was really important to them that their day really represented who they are, both together and as individuals. The most important things to them are their families + friends and they really wanted them to be super involved. I love that their day was relaxed with bright colors + fun details. Caitlin is an art teacher and her mother is an artist, so of course there are lots of great DIY details – including the super fun pinwheel arch they were married underneath. I also LOVE that she surprised Steve with a flashmob at the reception! So fun. :) Thanks so much to Louisa Bailey for the gorgeous photos!
Processional: Groom: Every Teardrop is a Waterfall by Coldplay; Bridal Party: Love Love Love by Avalanche City; Bride: Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Isreal Kamakawiwo'ol
Recessional: She Loves You by The Beatles
First Dance: An amazing salsa dance to Hey Mama by The Black Eyed Peas!
There were two very memorable moments for us. The first was of course when we first saw each other coming down the aisle. This was especially sweet because the rain held off until after the ceremony, so we didn’t have to change all our plans and decorations!
The second was when I surprised Steve by getting our family and friends to do a flashmob to ‘Love on Top’ by Beyonce! The look on his face was priceless!
Being from different religious backgrounds, Caitlin + Steve worked with their officiant to create a really meaningful ceremony which included elements from both a Jewish and Catholic service. From Caitlin, “We included a modern interpretation of the 7 blessings as readings, which we adjusted ourselves and had seven members of our family read them to us. My sister read ‘I carry your heart’ by e.e. cummings as it’s my favourite poem.”
We found lots of inspiration from wedding blogs, paper art and art books. We decided to create badges for all the guests so everyone could be included in the fun! Guests were invited to choose a badge whose word ‘spoke’ to them. They features words such as ‘Fun’ ‘Joy’ ‘Love’ and ‘Forever’. There was even a ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ one just for fun!
The Buniyong Town Hall was decorated by Caitlin, Steve + Caitlin’s family. They collected over 300 glass bottles in the months leading up to the wedding and filled them all themselves with flowers. They sewed their own table runners and made + painted all the decorations and the guestbook. Caitlin + Steve decided that instead of a registry they would ask for donations to their home renovation fund, as they had just purchased their first home together! Caitlin made a small ceramic moneybox version of their house as their ‘wishing well’.
The surprise flashmob!!
Having Louisa Bailey as our photographer was like having another friend with us for the day. (Some of our guests even thought she was our friend!) She made everyone feel so comfortable. And the photos speak for themselves!
Enjoy the process! And make sure you have a great support team. A husband whose exact phrase is ‘You do whatever you like, I trust you. I know it will be perfect!’ also helps a lot! :)
We also decided right at the beginning which things we wanted to splurge on (FOOD!) and which we would try to do ourselves in order to keep on budget.
photography: Louisa Bailey // venue: Ceremony at Brim Brim Gardens, Buninyong, Australia; reception at Buninyong Town hall, Buninyong // floral design: Stems Flower Market, Ballarat // wedding dress: Australian eveningwear designer Thurley // hairpieces: The bride made her hairpiece using silk and the leftover beads from the wedding dress // jewelry: The bride’s sister, jeweler Claire McArdle, made all the jewelry for the day // shoes: I designed the shoes myself through the Australian website Shoes of Prey, because I couldn’t find any beautiful yellow shoes in the local stores! (And because it was so fun and easy!) // bridesmaid dresses: The Bridesmaid and flowergirl dresses were made by the brides mother. With fabric from D’Italia in Melbourne for the bridesmaids and Tessuti Fabrics in Melbourne for the flowergirls // hair: Sheree and Ange at Exterior Motive // makeup: Catherine Louise // groom suit: Australian Designer Country Road // invitations + paper goods: The Bride // catering: Peter Ford Catering
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