Real Wedding – Bec & Andy, Euroa VIC
The desire to create a weekend-long getaway at an idyllic, country location – is what set the tone for Bec and Andy’s big day plans.
With the beautiful backdrop of Euroa, in Victoria’s North-East, this loved-up pair pulled together a day that was as beautiful as it was meaningful to them and their loved ones.
Their ceremony took place under a gorgeous, towering tree adorned with stunning florals, before they moved on to new local venue, Northern Republic.
Festoon lighting and candles helped set the mood, their reception entry was a total party-starter and some stunning styling was the icing on this very loved-up cake.
Captured by one of our favourite lens ladies, Kyra Boyer, this is one fun-filled and fabulous celebration.
The meeting.
We met at Perth Airport in 2014. We were both in the departures lounge waiting for a flight to the small mining town of Kalgoorlie. Andy sat down strategically close to me and struck up a conversation by asking ‘so where are you flying to?’. We chatted until it was time to board and then I said ‘see you at the other end!’. But it was not to be and a whole two weeks passed before we ran into each other at the pub and exchanged numbers. We had our first date the following weekend.
The ‘one’.
About three months into our relationship we started planning to quit our jobs the following year and travel indefinitely across north, south and central America, as well as Europe. I think that’s when we knew!
The proposal.
We took a trip to New Caledonia and New Zealand for a combination of my 30th birthday celebration and a ski trip with Andy’s uni mates. Andy had tried and failed to find a suitable ring in the lead up to this trip and internally lamented quite a few amazing proposal opportunities on stunning secluded beaches in the South Pacific. As a result, he snuck to a jewellery store in the Auckland airport while we had a layover between New Caledonia and Queenstown and bought a ring there. He planned to propose while in Queenstown, until someone brought up the fact that another couple on the trip had gotten engaged there several years earlier.
Luckily opportunity presented itself around six weeks later when we were watching the sunset on a beach along the Great Ocean Road and drinking glasses of Riesling from his parent’s vineyard in Tasmania. He got down on both knees (due to nerves apparently), pulled out a ring box and said; “hey, will you marry me?”
The process.
We knew early on we wanted a country wedding to get people away for the weekend. My mum lived in Euroa for 11 years so we know the town well and love it’s towering gum trees, beautiful old buildings and tight-knit community. A new restaurant called Northern Republic had just opened up in the old flour mill that completely suited our modern, relaxed, outdoor vibe so we asked the owners if they would host our wedding. They had never done a wedding of our size before but were super enthusiastic in helping bring our big day to life. From there, we wanted to utilize local suppliers as much as possible.
The hardest thing was finding a venue, but once that was decided and locked in most other things fell into place. I like to have things organised well in advance while Andy is more of a last-minute Larry, but in the end both of our organisational styles worked well together.
Style inspiration.
The backdrop of Euroa strongly influenced our colour scheme, with it’s dry country look. I really like the dried palm leaf and pampas grass aesthetic with pops of red, terracotta and pink. I found lots of inspiration on Instagram and Pinterest and went from there. A relative of mine is a stylist and was absolutely instrumental in helping pull everything together. I am really funny about good lighting, so it was important to me that we had soft festoon lights and candles.
The dress.
I love a lace or heavily embellished wedding dress on someone else but it’s just not for me, so when I went dress shopping I picked out all the gowns with the most simple material to try on. I find off-the-shoulder really flattering and was trying decide between two dresses, in the end I went for the more ‘extra’ looking one with quite a long train because hey, it’s the one day you can really get away with it!
Favourite moments.
We both absolutely loved entering the reception. We had Andy’s groomsmen dance in to Lonely Boy by the Black Keys and then the bridesmaids danced in to Shake it Off by Taylor Swift and everyone really got into it. Then we came in to one of our favourite old songs, Layla by Derek and the Dominoes which just has the greatest guitar riff of all time. We had worried about it being a bit lame but being surrounded by 120 of your closest friends and family singing, dancing and clapping is just the biggest pump-up moment you can experience. The photos from this moment are so epic.
Meaning of marriage.
It means being the ultimate team and supporting each other through everything. It’s really comforting knowing you no longer face anything alone.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: My bridesmaid sung Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis, as our friend Rob played guitar.
Entry: Layla by Derek and the Dominoes
First dance: Come and get your love by Redbone
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Honestly, the most stressful aspect of the whole thing was accommodation. We had so many Airbnbs cancel on us, our family and friends that I’ve actually lost count. It was a good lesson in resilience and squeezing people into houses!
Planning surprises.
How much of it just involves waiting for people to email you back!!
Words of wisdom.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your loved ones, they are so happy to help and you would do the same thing for them! Our wedding was such a team effort and it just would not have happened without the kind contributions of so many people. It was amazing to have them involved and we are so grateful.
Have a vision of what you want on the day but be flexible and ready to let something go if it’s not going to work or be worthwhile.
Include as much of yourselves as you can in the day. Personal touches really make a wedding for both the guests and the couple! We loved having friends sing and play music and having Andy’s parents’ wine with our customised labels during the cocktail hour was amazing. We used photos of our guests as name place cards in the table which people said was a nice touch. We had very detailed vows full of fun stories which often do a better job of explaining what you love about someone rather than listing their attributes.
Some incredible country-inspired celebrations take place across the state of Victoria. See our archives of these dreamy days by clicking here.
BEC & ANDY’S TRIBE
Ceremony location: Seven Creeks Park, Euroa
Reception venue: Northern Republic, Euroa – the owners, Danielle and Adam were so great during the lead up and the big day.
Celebrant/Officiant: Tammy Goyne, Celebrancy By Tammy.
Photography: Kyra Boyer – our absolute MVP! Kyra is such a professional, so kind and warm and will deliver you the best photos you’ve ever seen.
Videography: Brightlight Weddings – Adrian did an amazing job, we can’t wait to see the video.
Florist: The Nest, Euroa – they knew what we wanted before we did! We were thrilled with the flowers.
Hair: Jessica Campbell Hair Stylist – did an amazing array of up and down hairstyles for my bridesmaids, so talented.
Make-up: Claire Blowers Makeup Artistry – knew exactly how to achieve what I wanted and is so good at what she does.
The Dress: Rebecca Ingram from Raffaele Ciuca
Shoes: Basque
Rings: Andy – Uniform Black, Bec – Gardenring (via Etsy)
Bridesmaid’s dresses: ASOS Bridal
Groomsmen’s suits: Hallenstein Brothers
Catering: Northern Republic, Whiterock Vineyard
Bar: Northern Republic
Bar help during cocktail hour: Your Party Helper – helped pour drinks, clear rubbish, replenish the tasting platters and clean up. Such a valuable service.
Cake / Cake topper: Tegan’s Custom Cakes – the cake looked and tasted amazing!
Entertainment: Groove Junction Band kept people up and dancing all night, we loved their funky vibe.
Hire: Heartwood Hire
Honeymoon: Sri Lanka & The Maldives (cut slightly short due to corona but we’re so lucky we managed to fit it in!)
