Cottagecore, mismatched and gloriously imperfect.
Some weddings begin with a venue. Others with a dress. For Mardi and Sacha, it all started with a collection of vintage plates.
Gifted these beautiful pieces, the couple found themselves inspired by a vision that would shape their entire celebration. Choosing to marry at a private property, they fully embraced a cottage-core aesthetic, creating a day that felt beautifully nostalgic, effortlessly romantic and entirely their own.
Although an unexpected downpour arrived just before the ceremony, they didn’t let it dampen the mood. Instead, they simply changed course, kicking off the celebrations with speeches, canapés and plenty of laughter before making their way to the ceremony once the skies cleared. Beautifully led by Precious Celebrations, the ceremony unfolded amongst mismatched chairs and oversized fabric flowers lovingly handmade by Mardi’s mum, creating a setting that felt intimate, heartfelt and perfectly fitting.
And then there were the details. Vintage furniture scattered throughout the property. Drinks served from wheelbarrows. Eclectic table settings inspired by the very plates that started it all. Even their beloved groodle, Goose, made a memorable appearance.
Documented by Elsa Campbell, every image captures the warmth, whimsy and wonderful personality woven throughout this unforgettable celebration.
The result? A wedding that was gloriously mismatched, delightfully imperfect and, somehow, absolutely perfect in every way.
The meeting.
We met at the end of 2018 when Sacha moved in with one of Mardi’s best friends from high school. We ended up at an Alex the Astronaut gig at The Corner Hotel, then headed out to Yah Yah’s for a Thursday night boogie. Our mutual friend ditched us in the middle of the dance floor, and things took off from there.
The one.
It wasn’t a single moment for either of us – everything just felt simple and effortless when we were together. Life took off, and we just went with it.
The proposal.
We didn’t have a traditional proposal. We’d already spoken about the future and knew we wanted to get married. The day we picked up Sacha’s ring became our engagement day. We celebrated with a weekend away in Melbourne, just the two of us, filled with great food and some boozy mini golf.
Planning process.
It took us a little while to figure out exactly what we wanted to do. Once we settled on a country town wedding at Mardi’s childhood home, we started by locking in our key vendors – Elsa Campbell, Precious and Horizons Duo. From there, Pinterest, magazines, Instagram and op shops became our go-to resources. We figured out the finer details as we went along. Who knew choosing tablecloths could require so many trips to Spotlight… only to settle on white for most of them anyway!
Style inspiration.
The vision really became clear once we were gifted some beautiful vintage plates from a family friend. From there, we embraced a cottagecore-inspired mismatched aesthetic that complemented, rather than competed.
We knew we wanted flowers from Mum’s garden and loved the idea of using a wide variety of blooms and mismatched bouquets. We wanted the day to feel beautiful but not overly polished or traditional – embracing a bit of chaos, colour and personality instead of perfectly matching place settings.
The ceremony.
We ended up doing everything backwards thanks to the rain and not wanting to compromise on our ceremony location. We started with canapés and speeches while we waited for the weather to clear, then eventually ventured outside once the rain stopped.
Being able to mingle beforehand probably made us a lot less nervous. It felt so special standing amongst the fresh green trees after the rain, surrounded by fabric flowers handmade by Mardi’s mum, all in our own backyard.
Goose, our groodle, did an excellent job walking down the aisle and seemed just as excited to be there as we were. At one point during the ceremony, two king parrots flew in and sat above us – our guests loved pointing out that they mate for life.
Precious, our celebrant, made the ceremony feel funny, relaxed and heartfelt, even incorporating a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who read their vows first.
The outfits.
Neither of us wanted a big traditional ballgown.
Sacha was searching for texture and a vintage feel. She found her Rachel Gilbert dress on sale and bought it without even trying it on – luckily, it worked perfectly.
Mardi wanted something fun, short and featuring a big bow that would highlight her grandma’s opal necklace. She found Erinn Ferry through Instagram, and Erinn designed everything perfectly, including the veil. It ended up being easier to custom design the outfit than trying to find something close to what Mardi had imagined in-store.
Favourite moment.
It’s hard to pick just one.
One standout moment was after our first dance when Max from Horizons brought out his saxophone (our guests still rave about Horizons!). We were all dancing together under the festoon lights and night sky, and it was just pure fun – so much love, laughter and happy chaos all at once.
Meaning of marriage.
We’re not especially traditional in our views on marriage. Our wedding was really an opportunity to bring so many of our favourite people together in one place to celebrate with us. The legal piece of paper is just an added bonus.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: All I Want Is You – a slowed-down acoustic version of Barry Louis Polisar’s original.
Signing: Space Oddity – Alex the Astronaut and Paul Kelly’s live recording from the night we met.
Ceremony exit: Evergreen – Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners ft. Caamp
First dance: Love Today – Mika
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Mardi broke out in hives all over her neck about a week before the wedding. At first we thought it was allergies, but considering it started disappearing the morning of the wedding and was completely gone the next day… it was probably stress!
The other major moment was the isolated storm that rolled through 10 minutes before our outdoor ceremony was due to begin. It completely flipped the timeline of the day, and everyone had to think on their feet for a while – but it actually became one of the highlights of the wedding.
Planning surprises.
We didn’t anticipate how difficult creating the guest list would be. Trying to keep the numbers within our target without feeling guilty was definitely one of the biggest challenges.
Words of wisdom.
Our vendors absolutely made the day, and we were so grateful for the incredible team we worked with. The whole day could easily have turned into a wet mess if they hadn’t been so flexible and willing to roll with the changes.
One of the best decisions we made was grabbing coffee together at a local café on the morning of the wedding. It gave us a chance to escape the setup chaos, decompress and actually get excited for the day together.
DIY worked really well for us, but it definitely helped that the wedding was at home. We needed several days either side of the wedding, so setup and pack down didn’t feel rushed or overwhelming.
Mardi and Sacha’s Vendors
Ceremony and reception location: Private property – Thornton, Victoria
Tent for reception: Stretched Events
Celebrant/Officiant: Precious Celebrations
Photography: Elsa Campbell
Videography: Directors Edge
Styling: DIY
Florist: Mardi’s mums garden
Hair and makeup: Zoe Karlis
The dresses: Mardi: Erinn Ferry | Sacha: Rachel Gilbert
Veil: Mardi: Erinn Ferry
Shoes: Mardi: LMS | Sacha: Siren
Rings: Cushla Whiting
Bridesmaid’s dresses: They picked their own
Catering: Caitlin – Thornton General Store
Bar: Dan Murphy’s
Cake / Cake topper: Jodie_Louise_ (Instagram only)
Stationery / Signage: Event Wanderer Co
Entertainment: Horizons Duo – Unplugged entertainment
Décor: DIY – Mardi’s mum Sue
Honeymoon: Rottnest Island WA
