Laura + Clayton both grew up in rural communities that were close to water… just on opposite sides of the world. Laura next to a cold lake in Canada, and Clayton near a warm ocean in Australia. When they first started talking about marriage, the two pictured eloping on the beach. Simple, romantic, just the two of them and no need to decide between which home country to wed in! However, their families weren’t too keen on the idea of missing out.
Here’s the bride, Laura, with more: Since we live in Canada, which is close to my family, we figured it would only be fair to get married in Australia, close to his family. So when my parents offered to fly across the world to watch us say ‘I do’, we knew it was meant to be and the venue hunting began!
With the intention of keeping things simple and sweet, it was important for us to find an intimate venue where our families could be together and feel comfortable and relaxed. The winner was Gerringong, Clayton’s favorite region along the eastern coastline; as an Aboriginal Australian, Clayton has cultural ties to the area and honoring his heritage at our wedding was important to both of us. With 24 of our closest friends and family in tow, we got exactly what we wanted at Jerrymara Farm Estate. We spent an intimate four days on the beautiful farm bonding over food and drinks, sharing stories over bonfires and heaps of laughter.
Let’s take a peek at all the love captured by Carlie Statsky!
Wanting to incorporate Clayton’s background, Meghann Miniello created Aboriginal art-inspired wedding invitations… just wait ’til you see how they tied this into the ceremony!
The Details
Styled to perfection! How fun is Clayton’s floral chambray tie? It just so happens to be from our GWS x Neck and Tie Co. collab!
The Dress
How gorgeous is this lacy high-low dress by Lover the Label? Talk about STUNNING!!
The Florals
Look at all that greenery + texture! Christine Cater seriously brought her A-game to NSW.
Lookin’ so SHARP!!
The Ceremony Space
Laura shares: Planning a destination wedding from Canada took a lot of research and emailing back and forth, but I loved every second of the process. We are forever grateful for Clayton’s childhood best friend and our photographer Carlie Statsky, who along with our florist Christine Cater, flew in from California to help create a vision for the wedding.
The property was transformed into the magical, coastal wedding we envisioned. Clayton’s aboriginal heritage is something that is very important to us and our only request was that it be highlighted in the wedding design and décor. The ceremony structure was inspired by the Aboriginal symbol for gathering, and it was the perfect mix of culture, romance and elegance.
Clayton: If I had to pick one special moment, it was probably the second our officiant said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife”. I’m so happy to have found my partner, someone who loves me for me. It’s been my greatest achievement of life so far.
A highlight certainly was walking up to my uncle’s car, opening the door and surprising my 90 year old Nan and Pop with the words “thank you for coming to my wedding.” They thought they were being taken out for a fancy lunch and had no idea I was getting married at home in Australia. After 71 years of marriage, they still hold hands and sneak kisses, they are an inspiration for what love is all about. Surprising them at our wedding made my heart swell.
Laura: My favorite part of the evening was during dinner, the informal speeches were so intimate and meaningful. My grandmother sent a hand written note from Canada to be read aloud by my mother. And everyone had the sniffles after Clayton’s heartfelt ‘thank you’ to me. We all laughed hard and we all cried together throughout the meal. I love that the intimacy of such a small group allowed for Clayton and I to express our gratitude to each individual guest that attended.
The cutest flower girl, EVER!!
The 4 days we spent at the farm together were amazing. Everyone spent time getting to know one another and blended together amazingly well. The location was beautiful and so tranquil and I think because we’d all spent time with each other leading up to the ceremony, everyone felt comfortable and relaxed by the time the wedding came around.
The Lounge
Clayton’s grandparents have been together for 73 years, so they honored them with this darling sign!
The cocktail hour featured a delicious spread of oysters + prawns.
The Tablescape
Carousel
Carousel
Another way to they tied in the Aboriginal-inspired art was with these sweet notes at each place setting.
Modern, yet beachy, the peacock chairs framed the space in a super cool way. Don’t you think?
The Newlyweds
Keep it simple, keep it small, and make sure you’ve got an amazing team to back you up. Take a minute or two throughout the day to be present. Don’t sweat the small stuff, at the end of the day, you get to marry the love of your life.
A few parting words from Laura: As hard as it is due to friends feeling left out, a small intimate wedding over a couple of days is the way to go. It allows the couple getting married to breathe in the day and not feel rushed into saying hello and thank you to 100+ people. We got to enjoy our day, take our time, and embrace each other on the most important day of our lives.
We totally understand that sentiment, Laura.
Absolutely beautiful, you two. Thank you + a million congratulations!!
photography: Carlie Statsky // venue name: Jerrymara Farm, Gerringong, NSW, Australia // event design: Christine Cater // planning: Hoorah Events // florals: Christine Cater // wedding dress: Lover // hair stylist: Clair Lynch of The Hair Gallery Nowra // makeup artist: Mac by Meg // groom attire: GWS and Suit Supply // paper goods: Meghann Miniello // calligraphy: Meghann Miniello // handmade details: Meghann Miniello // catering: Rabbit and Co. Caterers // desserts: Rabbit and Co. Caterers // tabletop rentals: Pretty Pedestals // furniture rentals: Hoorah Events // specialty rentals: Hoorah Events // music: Alex Kuusik // officiant: The Master of Ceremony // models: Silent Disco - details coming soon // silent disco: Silent Party // custom leather jacket : Derived Design Co // custom ceremony structure: Statsky Design
Love this gem of a wedding, espeically how loungy and relaxed it looks and feels. Huge congrats to the couple xx
Beautiful Wedding !
Love all those details !
♥♥♥♥
Gorgeous couple. Photos are stunning!