Both Kirsty + Matt have a profound love of the Australian bush – they actually met taking part in the 100km Oxfam Trailwalk. They wanted their wedding to reflect this unifying passion whilst  being vibrant, colorful + having a distinctly festive, garden party vibe. Matt proposed on his first visit to the far south east coast of Australia at a small place called Tathra, and it was here that they held the wedding. Kirsty’s family has a beach house there nestled in the bush. It was perfect.

Although it should be noted that their wedding took place amidst the worst rain event the region had experienced in decades. There were floods, landslides, road closures and only one access road left. Their ceremony had to be moved from the original Spotted Gum forest just the night before. And when the rain hit again later on the day, they had to move the locations of the speeches and the dance floor at a moment’s notice. I love that rather than letting this ruin their day, they saw it as giving the day an edge of drama, spontaneity and intimacy where everyone felt a part of the adventure. Great advice from Kirsty, Whatever you do, don’t sweat it if the day isn’t going to plan…if you both roll with it and make sure you are having as much fun as possible, everyone else will too. Thanks so much to Christine Pobke for the lovely photos!

From Kirsty, Being a landscape architect, I wanted the flowers to be a distinctive feature of the day. A selection of my favourite natives (including Flannel Flowers, Billy Buttons and Flowering Gum) ordered through the Sydney Flower Markets formed the basis of the palette with additional flowers picked from the garden and the surrounding bush. With the guidance of a very talented mother of a bridesmaid, we all [bride + bridesmaids] assembled the bouquets + groomsmen corsages the night before the wedding.

Most memorable moment of your wedding day?
The ceremony! Matt was blown away when he saw me emerge from the car in my orange dress… and when I saw him standing there at our bush verandah altar I was so happy I could explode. That set the tone for the rest of the day. Our celebrant (Jo Terlich) then retold our story as relayed to her by us before we made our vows. This made the most formal part of the day incredibly personal for us as well as enjoyable and more entertaining for our guests.

Our Music Choices:
Processional: Kids will be skeletons by Mogwai (weird name, but stunning instrumental track from their Happy Songs For Happy People album)
Recessional: You’re all I need to get by -by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
First Dance: Sleepwalk by Santo and Johnny

LOVE a bride that isn’t afraid to rock a bold orange dress!!

Any advice for those planning now?

Take on as much of the design, styling and planning as you can yourself as ultimately it results in a far more personal day. Do not underestimate how much family and friends want to be involved and help, but learning to delegate and share the work load is difficult.  Don’t follow protocol and make it the kind of day that you could imagine as being as fun and meaningful for YOU as possible.
Your guests are there to celebrate your love story and they really do want to hear it! Make sure the day allows this story to be told whether it is though the ceremony, the speeches or the day itself.

photography: Christine Pobke // venue: ‘Wonga’ at the bride’s parents beach house // wedding dress: Aurelio Costarella, Australia // Bridesmaid dresses: The hot pink silk skirts were lovingly designed and sewn by my cousin and Bridesmaid Millie Stephen. We teamed them with silk Therese Rawsthorne tops and chunky yellow wooden beads by Elk, Australia // groom suit & leather braces: Skin Deep, Sydney, Australia, teamed with Trickers boots // invitations+ paper goods: Invitation Hilbert Ho with Bride’s illustration // catering: Valley Edge Cafe, Cobargo, New South Wales // cake: Persian Love Cake by Valley Edge Cafe, Cobargo

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