Real Wedding – Brittany & Kane, Downside NSW
For high school sweethearts Britt and Kane, their wedding was a decade in the making – and boy, the celebration did not disappoint. Leaning into their love of old-school nostalgic style with a timeless, modern sensibility made for a chic visual tapestry.
Set on Britt’s family farm, infused with beautiful family history and against the backdrop of blossoming canola, this elegant marquee soiree has it all: a sleek, monochromatic palette, sun-drenched surrounds, big party vibes, and Britt looking like a true queen in not one but three stellar fits. We love her shimmering reception corset by Kyha and her bridesmaids in striking black and white Siss Studio gowns.
Scroll on to soak up every epic moment captured by photographer Luke Chisholm.
The meeting.
Kaneo and I met at school at the beginning of year 11. He was the new boy, and like most new kids, there was an element of excitement and mystery around them because they were fresh and unknown. Our now mutual friend Hayden introduced us formally for the first time to one another in the library during a study period.
The one.
This is so hard; I don’t have a specific time when I knew he was the one; I have multiple times. This is going to be long, so bear with me! When I was 17, as soon as we got together, I thought, ‘this guy is the one’! I’ve always been a huge planner and pretty strategic in the moves I make, so I would never, EVER (even at 17) start dating anybody who I didn’t see a long-term, lifelong future with. I just thought dating for the sake of dating was a waste of time. Kaneo, when I met him, had all the qualities I wanted in a husband even back then, so I thought to myself at the time, ‘This could be, and I hope it is, the man I spend the rest of my life with’. That’s why I made the choice to invest my time in our relationship.
When we were 19, Kaneo left for overseas to play cricket in England for six months. I remember being nervous in the lead-up to his departure as to what would happen. Would we make it? Of course, I hoped we would, he kept telling me not to stress, ‘that, of course, we would stay together’, deep down I knew we would, but I also had a little niggling feeling inside of me that was like ‘he’s not going to stay with you while he’s over in England for six months, he’s going to live his absolute best single life!’.
I remember the day he flew out; I drove him from Canberra to Goulburn, where his parents took him the rest of the way to Sydney Airport; we said goodbye and 20% of me wondered if that goodbye was forever; the other 80% knew it wasn’t. I didn’t hear from Kane for 14 hours while he was in transit to Dubai, the second he landed, I remember receiving the sweetest message from him letting me know he’d gotten ‘safely part of the way through his journey and not to worry about anything’, I knew as soon as I read it, that the torture of wondering if we’d make it or not was over, that, of course, we’d stay together and while it’d be a long six months, distance makes the heart grow fonder and I’d be there to pick him up in six months’ time!
Six months later, I picked him up from Sydney airport.
On Kaneo’s 20th birthday, I remember meeting my Dad at the realtor’s office in Canberra; Kaneo & I were signing our first lease! We were moving in together! I remember sitting in that office and having the real estate agent read out all the terms and conditions of our lease, and they made a real point of running through what would happen if we broke up and needed to break our lease. I remember laughing and thinking to myself, ‘Of course they are saying this because they absolutely think we are going to break up, god they must have seen this play out a million times, young kids moving in together and the whole thing ending poorly’, I remember Dad looking at me with an ‘Are you sure look,’ and I just remember grinning, signing the lease and being so incredibly confident that I would prove that realtor wrong, that we both would! That Kaneo and I were not your standard 20-year-old couple and that one day we’d be married with kids and here we are, no kids yet, but certainly looking back on that day with a smug grin across our faces.
A short six months later and with our first lease in Canberra completed (no bad or ugly break ups or lease breakings involved), Kaneo took a leap and moved interstate to a city that he had never been to so that I could chase my dreams of working in the fashion industry. I remember feeling invincible like whatever challenges came next we could tackle because Kane believed in me so much so that he packed up everything and moved interstate because he had faith in what I could do. It was at that moment that I realised Kane believed in me and what I was capable of more than I had ever believed in myself. That is still true to this day. There is no way I’d be where I am today or in the position that I am in in my career without Kane! He believes in me far more than I have ever believed in myself and celebrates my wins like they are bigger achievements to him than his own. It’s so reassuring to know I have that to come home to each night.
Kaneo & I survived the 2020 and 2021 Melbourne lockdowns together in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom inner-city apartment. I remember at the time everybody asking us (family and friends), ‘how we were coping?’ and I just remember constantly saying, “The silver lining of all these lockdowns is if I didn’t already know I was with the right person I absolutely did than, without a shadow of a doubt!”.
Lockdown sucked, but the glimmer of light in those darker days was spending so much quality time with one another and solidifying that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. I think the lockdown and all the restrictions that were placed on weddings and celebrations made us want to get married as soon as we possibly could in the way that we had always dreamed, with all our family and friends present and one hell of a party to follow!
The proposal.
I guess the proposal story starts long before what a lot of people know. We had been home for Christmas, and it was early Jan. We were staying at the farm, and Kaneo and my brother Luke had been up drinking beers. I think Kane had had a couple too many because when he came to bed that night, he said to me, ‘Guess what I’m doing on Monday when I get home, I of course said, ‘What are you doing darling?’ to which he responded ‘I’m going in to start designing your ring.’
It’s a long time between the start of January and June (especially when you’re waiting for a proposal that you’ve already waited the better part of ten years for), so as you can imagine, those months were kind of torture for me.
Anyway, to cut to June, I’d made it pretty vocal to Kane from January onwards that there was absolutely NO WAY he’d be able to surprise me with the proposal now that he’d let the cat out of the bag earlier on in the year, BUT it was a Tuesday morning when I got an email from my manager asking me if I could do some recon for her on the Wednesday afternoon of nail salons in the area and to go with the Beauty Buyer from work on this little excursion (the beauty buyer at work just so happened to be my old manager and really good friend!). Not once did I think this was suspicious, and I took the job incredibly seriously, writing notes/key takeaways and a bit of a strategy plan for what we could implement in our own business.
The next morning, I woke up nice and early to give myself extra time to get ready and get to work as I had a friends going away dinner on that night. I potentially spent a touch too long dolling myself up for the dinner and so was running a little late for work. I was frantically looking for my car keys as they weren’t on the hook I normally leave them on, so I was calling out to Kaneo, who was upstairs, to ask if he’d seen them or taken them (classic me blaming Kane for everything). He suggested that I look upstairs; in my head, I was like, ‘They won’t be upstairs,’ but as I had already rummaged through the entirety of downstairs, I thought to myself, ‘Well, they must be up there!’ So I leapt upstairs and began to rustle around when Kaneo came in and said, “You’re not going to work today, Britta’, Kane can be pretty dramatic, so I didn’t even initially look up because the tone of his voice told me it wasn’t life-threatening or ambulance needing, so I just kept rummaging around on the vanity where I had been getting ready when Kaneo repeated ‘you’re not going to work today Britta, or tomorrow, we’ve got a 10:40 am flight – but only if you say yes!” As I looked up, he then proceeded to get down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I, of course, said YES, after I got over the initial shock and was able to speak words.
In the most perfect way possible, he proposed to me in the bathroom of our new home, my nails were perfectly manicured thanks to some clever planning from some beautiful work friends and I was honestly none the wiser until he was down on one knee. He then flew us to Tassie for a long weekend, where we ate, drank and celebrated in a beautiful part of Australia.
Planning process.
Kane was a real team player but took a huge step back when it came to design details and general planning. We’re so alike in what we like, so while he had a few non-negotiables, he really trusted me to bring a day that we would both love, and that would really depict who we are in life!
He also took a step back from planning, knowing full well I had a great support system around me and wanting me to have my dream wedding. He allowed me to plan the day and all the details of it with the help of my Mum and wedding planner (who just so happens to be a long-term employee at my parents’ restaurant/wedding venue), who, thanks to this whole process, became a dear friend to me, too.
Kane’s non-negotiables were as follows;
The canola at the family farm had to be in full bloom (a much harder task than most would think, this is a varying (weather dependent), roughly two-week window each year.
Something classic and timeless that oozed ‘fun’.
Style inspiration.
We’re both old souls! We love the classics, things that don’t date; old school music, meals that make us feel nostalgic, 90’s Sitcoms. We wanted a day that reflected us and I think when we stopped and thought about that three things came to mind;
- It had to be a celebration of how far we’d come, we really wanted to share the story of how we grew up together for those guests who weren’t around for the whole journey.
- It had to be timeless but with a modern flair.
- It had to be sentimental so that even if parts of it dated one day, the sentimental parts would always remain.
I loved gorgeous inspirational imagery; I honestly would scan different wedding Instagram profiles, explore Pinterest, scroll Tik Tok and flick through wedding magazines with a tea in hand for hours. I loved all types of weddings and styles (I just love a happily ever after), but the images and videos that appealed to me most were the ones that weren’t necessarily the most glamorous or well-edited but the ones that were raw and captured the couple, their personalities, and their love so clearly and purely that words weren’t needed.
The ceremony.
Where to even begin! Our ceremony was perfect. We really focused on this part of our day when planning the wedding, as we wanted our day to really be about us getting married and not just about a great party (although we did have that, too). Our ceremony was significant for many reasons; it was on my family farm, which I grew up on alongside my siblings, but it’s been in my family for a long time, my dad grew up on that farm, and my grandfather & grandmother Bill & June also lived in what is now my parent’s house for many years when they were raising their own children. My dad built a chapel for us to get married in with his own blood, sweat and tears (he’s an exceptionally clever man), and my mum decorated the chapel (she’s an exceptionally clever woman). Our godmothers & aunties both said readings during the ceremony, and our own mothers were the witnesses of our marriage.
The best part was that the canola crop was in full bloom, just like Kaneo wanted, and the weather was exceptional. It was a perfect September day. It was a long time coming, but totally worth the wait.
The outfits.
I wanted something classic but with a modern flare. I had been living in Melbourne at the time for nearly ten years, and while I tried on dresses at some very traditional Melbourne-based designers, Kyha was the perfect mix of modern and timeless. It just so happened that I loved my first look so much from their exceptional service and incredibly helpful in-store team that I ended up getting my second look and veil from them, too.
Favourite moments.
This is so so hard. I have a few. Our ceremony was magical, reading my vows to Kane and hearing his still gives me goosebumps. The morning with my beautiful bridesmaids and gorgeous family was amazing, Dad and his best friend washed his vintage cars, while I was pampered inside with all my favorite ladies. The fireworks as we cut the cake – EPIC! Our first dances, which were more like a massive singalong as Kane and I can’t dance to save our lives. Sitting down for a delicious meal with our favourite people and having everyone in one place. Dancing the night away under the lights of the chapel that my dad built with his own hands surrounded by the best people! The incredible speeches that our dream team made throughout the night.
Meaning of marriage.
It’s being there for one another. We are, above everything else, best friends. Growing up, my mother always taught us kids to look for someone who was our very best friend in this world and to marry them because when all the butterflies and looks fade, you’ll always have that. It gives me great joy in this life to know that I get to come home every night to my very best friend, the best person I have ever known.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Stand by Me by Skylar Grey and You’re Still The One (acoustic) by Bailey Rushlow
Cocktail entry: You Were Right by Rufus
Reception entry: December, 1963 (Oh What A Night) by Franki Valli and The Four Seasons
Kane’s first dance: Beyond (Leon Bridges)
Britt’s first dance: Lover (Taylor Swift)
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Nothing of significance, however, when Kane arrived at the farm with his groomsmen just before the ceremony was due to commence, he realized he had forgotten his and all the groomsmen’s boutonnieres. He grabbed August (the amazing wedding planner) and told her he had forgotten them and that he ‘knew I had worked so hard to make the day perfect, that he had to get them before the ceremony’. Anyway, everyone tried to play it really cool around me like nothing was going on, but I couldn’t figure out why we weren’t yet walking down the aisle. I wanted to get the show started I’d waited over a decade for this. My eldest brother ended up being the one to tell me that one of the wedding staff was driving to town from the farm in a panic to get the flowers that Kane had forgotten, I think I genuinely just started laughing and said, “I’ve waited long enough to marry this man, I’m not waiting for some flowers to go on his suit before we get this done”. So you’ll notice in the ceremony photos Kane and the groomsmen are missing flowers, but then later on, they have them.
Planning surprises.
I think how hard it was to land on music that we both loved and wanted to be a feature in our day. We both had ideas about songs we really wanted, but they were more sentimental to one of us than the other or vice versa. The songs we landed on in the end, we both absolutely love and felt really connected to. But that was hard.
Words of wisdom.
It’s very cliché, but don’t lose sight of the reason you’re there. As long as your partner shows up on the day and you get married, that day is a huge success. The rest of it will be what it will be. You can’t control everything, and you’ll send yourself mad trying to.
I know everyone says it, and I never thought it would live up to the expectation, but it really is the best day of your life. It’s impossible to articulate, but there is no feeling quite like it. Whatever you have envisioned in your head, marrying your best friend in a room full of people you love will exceed all expectations.
Loving Britt and Kane’s chic monochromatic styling? Emily and Luke also embraced this timeless pallette, in their gorgeous Hubert Estate celebration.
BRITT & KANE’S VENDORS
Ceremony venue: The Family Farm, The Oakleigh Chapel, Downside New South Wales
Reception venue: The Family Farm, The Gardens, Oakleigh New South Wales
Celebrant: Love From Laura, Laura Brooke. I couldn’t have envisioned a more perfect celebrant for our day if I tried. A true gem!
Photography: Luke Chisholm is an incredible talent. I couldn’t wait for him to capture our day. He told the whole story from start to finish so perfectly, and he brought the fun and made us feel so comfortable.
Videography: OLT Media. Living legends, such a fun pair; they created an absolute masterpiece. We adore our wedding film and I’m embarrassed to admit I still watch it at least once a week.
Styling & decor: Uneke Warehouse (Bea Gestier, August Robertson). My dream team, I absolutely adored working with these legends, thank you for bringing all the wild ideas to life!
Florist: Beneath the Blooms. Truthfully, I have never been a huge flower person, but when they brought out my bouquet, I cried. It was so beautiful. Elegant, breathtaking, and whimsical, the flowers on our day were perfect.
Hair: Wish Hair & Beauty. Jess Francis, a long-term friend and hair extraordinaire, brought the fun and laughter to the morning and made me feel like absolute royalty. She is so talented that she didn’t even need a brief; she just made me look like me but better!
Make-up: The Glow Lab. Linds is an extended member of our fam; we never did trial makeup before the day because we didn’t need to! Linds is an exceptional talent and made me feel so calm while making me look flawless.
The dresses: Ceremony set and first dance top – Kyha. Reception mini skirt – custom design. Reception leather jacket – vintage leather biker, artwork by Anna Walsh Studio.
Veil / headwear: Kyha
Shoes: Magda Butrym
Rings: Adoria Jewels
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Custom design – Siss Studios.
Suits & bow ties / ties: 105 Shades of Black
Catering: Lime Leaf
Bar: Uneke Warehouse
Cake / Cake topper: Decadence Cupcake Bakery
Stationery / Signage: Quill Fine Art Creations
Entertainment: The Mighty Yak (reception), Jade Steg (cocktail hour/ceremony)
Transport: Allens Coaches (guests), my Dad’s vintage car collection (Bridal Party)
Hire: Jaegars Event Hire
Honeymoon: Italy/Portugal – planned by Kane.
