Real Wedding - Courtney & Ash, Lara VIC

July 24, 2016 In Real Weddings By Jessica Brawn

Real Wedding – Courtney & Ash, Lara VIC

Laid-back lovers of 11 years, Courtney and Ash, celebrated their wedding day with a boho inspired Mexican Fiesta like no other!

The couple tied the knot in Ash’s parents garden in Lara, which was styled to perfection with the help of Stephanie, one half of the creative duo from Two of a Kind Events. The styling was complete with Mexican wedding flags, festoon lighting and colourful oil drums in true fiesta style.

Breaking away from typical wedding traditions, Courtney and Ash created a relaxed and fun-filled celebration for themselves and loved ones, which was captured by talented Tribe member, Alli Oughtred and videoed by their beloved pet, Harley the Shoodle!

IN COURTNEY’S WORDS…

The meeting.

We went to high school together. We were friends but we weren’t really in the same group. Ash left school in year ten and after that we only saw each at parties. Soon enough we were both going to every party we could find to see each other!

The ‘one’.

When we couldn’t imagine our lives without each other.

The proposal.

It was a Saturday morning and we had been at the gym. I was eating breakky and reading the paper outside. Ash disappeared and reappeared behind me on one knee. He asked me to marry him and I didn’t believe him! He used my car key ring which I could easily fit 3 of my fingers into so it did seem a bit comical! Once he convinced me he was being serious I said yes and all was good. I didn’t suspect anything because we had already been together for so long. It was just at such a ‘normal’ moment, which was perfect for us because we’re not flashy, scream our feelings from the rooftops type people.

The planning.

It was all very laid back! We knew we wanted to have a casual backyard wedding in Ash’s parents beautiful garden in Lara. So we locked in the big things (food truck catering, the best celebrant ever, photographer) early on, and then pretty much just let the rest unfold as it got closer. My amazing friend Steph is one half of the creative wedding wonder team, Two Of A Kind, so she was a massive help.

Style inspiration.

Our aim of the day was ‘relaxed fun’. Although the feedback since the day described it as ‘epic,’ so we’re happy to take that! We wanted to work with the beautiful gardens and landscaping of the yard and just keep it simple. We wanted a Boho/Mexican Fiesta vibe and I think we nailed it with the festoon lights, Mexican wedding flags and colourful oil drums.

The Dress.

This was hard! With my background in fashion retail and buying I am VERY picky. Add in the fact that I’m not a super girly, fancy dress kind of girl and it was quite the task! I saw a picture of the beautiful Bo & Luca ‘Isra’ gown and flew to Sydney to try it on. I bought it on the spot and brought it home with me! Then I had second thoughts about being too ‘fancy,’ so I went and bought my second dress which was a white crochet number from Sass & Bide. I then fell back in love with the Bo & Luca gown! So, the perfect solution was obviously to wear them both. I wore the Bo & Luca gown for the ceremony and the start of the reception, then changed into the Sass & Bide dress for party time. It worked out perfectly since we got hit with a bit of rain in the evening. I heard somewhere it was good luck to dance in the rain on your wedding day, so the wet gown came off and the party dress came on!

Favourite moments.

Too many! Standing with Ash saying our vows in front of all our beautiful family and friends, pranking our celebrant and guests during the ceremony (#sorrynotsorry), Harley running around filming all the action, the amazing speeches from our closest friends, everyone tearing it up the dance floor and ending the night in the swimming pool!

Traditions.

We mostly broke from tradition to be honest! We didn’t have a bridal party, there was no sit down dinner, or structured formalities. No official first dance or hour-long portrait session. After the ceremony we just concentrated on having a good time! I did have a something old, new, borrowed, and blue in the form of a beautiful family ring lent to me by my lovely Mother-in-Law, Kerry.

Meaning of marriage.

We have been together for almost 11 years so in terms of commitment I think we already had that bit down pat! But marriage cements us into an unbreakable little team to take on the world together, forever. It means having each other’s backs, celebrating with each other, and supporting each other. It’s about the two of us choosing to spend our lives together because we want to, not because we need to.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Higher Love– James Vincent McMorrow
Ceremony: Gold – Kiara, Fire and The Flood – Vance Joy

Funny stories/ near disasters.

It was all surprisingly calm and under control. We joke that our big disaster was running out of Pom Pom’s for the invites but that was solved by a 5 minute drive to Spotlight. We did have a little miss understanding regarding cake decoration so my friend (and star florist), Ebony, quickly created a masterpiece just before the speeches! It did start pouring rain just as the food truck was about to serve dinner. It only lasted half an hour though so we all just had a dance in it and got on with the party!

Words of wisdom.

Make a decision about something, organize it and then forget about it. Don’t overthink it. Choose only the parts of a wedding that mean something to you, and leave the rest behind. Just because it’s tradition or everyone else does it doesn’t mean you have to, and on the day just enjoy it! Let it all go and get lost in the day with your partner and the special people in your lives.