Real Wedding - Anita & Brenton, Noojee VIC

September 30, 2019 In Burgundy, Country, Green, Real Weddings, Red, Rustic, Victoria By Natalie Drum

Real Wedding – Anita & Brenton, Noojee VIC

Anita and Brenton planned, planned and prioritised when it came to working out the details for their big day, so they were a step ahead the entire way.

They exchanged their vows, surrounded by nature, giving a relaxed feel to the celebration ahead. Not wanting the day to be too formal or stiff, they kept their styling simple with rustic and boho touches as well as their own DIY flair.

One of the best moments? Announcing to their much loved family and friends that they were expecting their first child, it doesn’t get much better than that!

Georgia Verrells was with the couple every step of the way and managed to create memories that will last a lifetime through the images below.

In Anita’s words…

The meeting.

We met in high school (yep, high school sweethearts!) when we both worked in the kitchen at the local hotel.

The ‘one’.

I knew I had found the one not long after we met. We just instantly clicked and found we had really similar values and outlook on life. We did have a brief time apart in our early 20’s, spent some time finding ourselves and then came back together 18 months later. It was then that we both knew we really wanted to commit to each other.

The proposal.

Brent popped the question during a surprise trip away to the Barossa Valley in South Australia. We went for a hike in a nearby National Park and watched the sun come up over the vineyards nearby. Brent set the camera in a tree to get a photo of the both of us (he was actually filiming the whole thing) and then dropped to one knee! We spent the rest of the day doing a winery tour, it was so perfect.

The process.

We set out a budget first and foremost. We then set about making a list of all the things we needed to organise under headings such as ‘Hens Party’, ‘Ceremony’, ‘Reception’, ‘Honeymoon’, ‘Attire’, etc. to allocate a certain amount of money and a timeline/deadline to organise each aspect of the wedding.

Style inspiration.

We wanted a wedding with a very relaxed feel, not too formal or stuffy. We also wanted something that was very ‘back to nature’, ‘boho’ and ‘rustic’.

The dress.

Finding my dress was the most difficult part! Again, I wanted something relaxed but also a little unique and sexy. Finding something unique was not easy, most dresses I found were all really similar. In the end, I had Bernadette Pimenta Couture create a gown from a few ideas I had (off the shoulder, sweetheart neckline and leg split).

Favourite moments.

My favourite moment of the day was walking down the aisle toward my fiance. Nothing else mattered but the two of us in that moment. The music was perfect and I felt so relaxed and happy.

Meaning of marriage.

We were both so glad that same-sex marriage was legalised in Australia as equality is really important to us. It was really all just about celebrating our love with our friends and family. We had been together for 13 years so practically felt married already and we knew that having a piece of paper wouldn’t change much for us. We do like calling each other husband and wife now though!

Wedding soundtrack.

Played live by our musician, Miller from Strike a Light Media. It was magical.

Aisle: You’re Still the One by Shania Twain

First: Wonderwall by Oasis.

Funny stories (or near disasters).

We found out we were expecting our first child two months before our wedding and really wanted to announce it on our big day. It was difficult trying to keep it a secret but it was so worth it seeing the reactions on the faces of our friends and family.

Planning surprises.

I think what took us most by surprise was that sometimes DIY isn’t always the cheaper option. Sometimes things didn’t work out and we had to try a few more times to get the desired result. When we got closer to the big day, we ended up ditching a few of our DIY ideas in order to save on time, effort and stress.

Words of wisdom.

Plan, plan, plan. And prioritise. It might be tempting to spend more time on the fun little details (decorations, colour schemes, etc.) but sometimes other tasks that aren’t as enjoyable require more time and effort and should be done first.

It’s really important to enjoy the process of the wedding planning as the day flies by so quickly. Working on the DIY projects with my fiance was one of my favourite parts as it meant we were spending quality time, creating things together.

This sweet pair nailed their wedding plans by starting with a budget in mind. Follow their lead, we have a blog post all about keeping your spending in check – see here.

ANITA & BRENT’S TRIBE

Ceremony and reception: Toorongo River Chalets, Noojee

Celebrant/Officiant: Danielle Woodcock – Marry Me in Melbourne

Photography: Georgia Verrells

Florist: Lou Clarke of Floral and Found

Hair: Jess English – Allarah Hair Design, Parkdale

Make-up: Kelly Rose Makeup Artist

The dress: Bernadette Pimenta Couture, Armadale

Veil / headwear: Bernadette Pimenta Couture

Shoes: Novo

Rings: Blue Nile

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Sheike