REAL WEDDING – Ben & Mikaela, Strath Creek VIC

Effortless elegance and understated romance underpinned Mikaela and Ben’s wedding day. A relaxed planning process, where they gradually surrounded themselves with a talented team of A+ vendors, meant that as the day rolled around, they were simply glowing and ready for all the epic emotions to unfold. 

The glorious Flowerdale Estate was the perfect setting for a weekend of fun. With gorgeous gardens surrounded by stunningly expansive vista of natural bushland, every image by lens queen Georgia Verrells is a true treat. With beautifully meaningful moments from beginning to end, including a surprise gender reveal of the baby to come, this is one soiree that reflects all the feels.

Choosing a palette of monochrome sophistication, Ben and Mikaela chose accents of vibrant florals in warm hues as a nod to their upbeat vibe, while bridesmaids in crisp, clean white added to the fresh aesthetic. 

Setting out to create a celebration that felt like a big, elevated and elegant party, Ben and Mikaela more than exceeded expectations! 

Scroll on to enjoy every upbeat moment.

The meeting.

We met back in 2011 whilst working at our part-time jobs – both trying to make some extra funds! At that time, Mikaela was studying Education at University whilst Ben was undertaking an electrical apprenticeship.

The ‘one’.

There wasn’t an exact moment for us.  We naturally got along very well from the get-go. Our relationship grew stronger over time as we adventured together, supported each other through the ups and downs of life and began to create a life together that we were both proud of!

The proposal.

We were on a little winter getaway in Byron Bay. Whilst having a nice, relaxed moment on the beach, Ben surprised Mikaela with the proposal and ring during golden hour.

Planning process.

We were engaged for an extended period (going through all the covid lockdowns), so we fortunately didn’t feel too much pressure to organise everything in one big rush. We ended up planning the wedding over about an 18-month period. We locked in our most important aspects first – the venue, photographer and the band. The other aspects we knocked off over the following 12 months.

Style inspiration.

We wanted a timeless style – a traditional black/white theme with pops of colour added through the floral arrangements. We also wanted our day to be relaxed and fun – like a big, elegant party! Once we had the style and mood set, we based our decisions around that.

We got most of our inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest by looking at other “real wedding” photographs and finding our favourite parts from other people’s weddings and drawing inspiration from that.

The ceremony.

We wanted our ceremony to feel relaxed, real and, most importantly – feel as though it reflected us.  Our celebrant did an incredible job of working with us to tell our story and make it reflect us as a couple.  We wrote our own vows, which made it feel more personable and real. We announced the gender of our baby during “our story” which was really special and helped create all the feels during the ceremony!

Our two fur babies joined us up the front, and we had some of our favourite people by our sides.  We also included our nephew and nieces to be our ring bearers, which was adorable! We had live acoustic music throughout the ceremony for the aisle songs and the signing of the documents, which helped create more emotion and the desired ambience.

The outfits.

We went for a timeless-modern look!

Mikaela loved the simplicity of the bride dress, with the bold square neckline, deep V back pattern, the pretty details of the floral lace at the top and the buttons on the back. She also loves a figure-hugging dress.  Mikaela did a lot of online browsing and was confident this dress was going to be the one before she tried any dresses on!  Mikaela only booked in three different stores to try on dresses, so she had some comparison but not an overwhelming amount.

Ben did some online research and rang a few vendors in Richmond. Men’s Suit Warehouse in Abbotsford was the winner! They helped Ben find the suit he did not know he wanted! The staff were very friendly to deal with and were able to accommodate any requirements he had.

Favourite moments.

The first look was pretty special, as well as the main entry into the reception area – seeing all our favourite people smiling back at us. Ben loved being able to stand up at the front of the ceremony, watching all the guests arrive, the bridal entrance, and watching Mikaela walk down the aisle.

Meaning of marriage.

Choosing the person with who you want to create a life with. Sharing the ups and downs of life together and supporting each other whilst navigating the rollercoaster of life!

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle (bridesmaids): High Lover by James Vincent McMorrow

Aisle (bride): Feels like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk

Recessional: This Will Be by Natalie Cole

Reception entry: Wedding party: Jump Around by House of Pain. Bride and groom: Let’s get Married – Jagged Edge, RUN, Lamarquis Jefferson.

Words of wisdom.

We were relaxed with the planning of our wedding.  Our most important choices were venue, photographer and music, so we secured these early! We did the planning together and chose things that both of us loved – we placed no pressure on ourselves and didn’t try to impress anyone apart from ourselves!

Staying at the venue the night before was a nice way to have a very relaxing start to the wedding day – was so lovely to hang out with our bridal party the night before!  It made the morning feel super chill.  We also stayed at the venue the night of the wedding and shared breakfast with everyone the next morning, followed by a relaxed lunch back at our house, which we loved!  It made our wedding feel like a weekender, and it didn’t feel like it was over in two seconds.  It was also a good chance to get to chat with all the guests at different times, and it not feel like a big rush!

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BEN & MIKAELA’S VENDORS

Ceremony & reception venue: Flowerdale Estate. The property is beautiful, the food is delicious, and all the staff are super friendly.  All the staff took amazing care of us during our stay there and on our wedding day.  Our friends and family all said how easy it was to communicate with the staff when making bookings and asking questions about the day.

Photographer / Super 8 Film: Georgia Verrells. Georgia captured our day beautifully! We loved Georgia’s easy going and relaxed nature and she made us feel super relaxed throughout the photography process. Georgia captured all the natural moments so well and we are in love with the final Gallery and super 8 film she produced for us! Also worth noting – has the skills to capture the perfect photograph, whilst filming on the super 8 camera all at the same time!  Absolutely loved the night shots / flash photography. So grateful we were able to lock in Georgia to capture our special day.

Florist: Blossom Club

Celebrant: Sally Taylor. We wanted a very relaxed ceremony that reflected us – Sal was incredible at working with us to help create this!  The ceremony flowed so well, had all the feels, felt super special and felt very suited to us.

Entertainment & MC: JM Singcere. The arrangements and service provided by JM Singcere was above and beyond what we expected.  Julienne was so easy to work with in the lead up to our day! We opted for the acoustic duo for our ceremony and canapes, extending to a 5-piece band for our reception.  The band collaborated so well with the crowd, and we received so many messages and comments the next day from our friends and family commenting on how amazing the band were!

Make-up: Make-up by Giuliana (Giuliana Corallo). Giuliana is incredibly talented and very easy to work with.  She made all the girls feel very beautiful and comfortable with their look and the make-up lasted all night! Does an incredible job at making the makeup look very natural, with the knack of lasting all day long!

Hair: Tonic (Artist: Ashlea Aitken). Ashlea was so lovely and easy to work with.  All the girls requested their own hairstyles for the wedding – and everyone loved their look!  All our hair held well all day and night.

The dress: Made With Love Bridal

Bridesmaids dresses: Effie Kats

The suits: Men’s Suit Warehouse, Abbotsford

Pet handlers: I Do Paws

Rings: Australian Diamond Company

Stationary / Signage: Briar Rose (Etsy). Kat and Scott were fantastic and so helpful at bringing our designs to life. They offered plenty of advice for all our printing needs. They supplied our welcome signs, seating plans, table numbers, menus, place cards and thankyou cards. They were super-efficient, and everything was of a high quality.