Real Wedding – Elly & Darcy, Naturaliste WA
Elevated boho elegance was the vibe for Darcy and Elly’s coastal farmhouse celebration. A soft, muted palette, fresh natural surround and gorgeous beach portrait setting coalesce to give this gorgeous day a truly effortless, effervescent look and feel.
For a couple who first met at high school, with partial credit for their relationship going to a chance usage of a baseball glove, the emotions ran high from guests and the couple alike, all captured with artistry by Tahnee Jade Photography.
Elly and Darcy drew inspiration from the chic coastal vista of Meelup Farmhouse, mirroring their personal taste and the aesthetic of their own home. With a ceremony filled with personal touches and an epic celebration throughout the night, Elly and Darcy’s wedding was a testament to their journey from teenage intrigue to lifelong commitment.
The meeting.
We don’t remember the first time we actually met since we went to the same High School. We floated around the same friend groups, so we would run into each other in classes and at parties throughout the years with some funny memories looking back, but never anything more. That’s until Darcy had a party at the end of year 11, 2011. During this year, my (Elly’s) oldest brother Luke started playing baseball at the same baseball club Darcy had played at for years. Luke borrowed a glove from someone on his team who happened to be Jake (Darcy’s older brother), and the glove had “Darcy” written in big letters down the side.
So the moment we first clicked was at Darcy’s party when I noticed him wearing a Perth Baseball Club hat and pointed it out. I remember Darcy couldn’t believe I knew about his club, and it finally clicked when I realised he was Darcy from the glove I had been using to throw the ball with Luke at home. When Darcy heard I had used his glove and even threw a baseball, I’m pretty sure that’s when he fell in love with me. He says not, since he played hard to get with me that night. I tried to deny it, but the next night, when he messaged to ask if I was up to anything, I got my friend to come with me back to his house again and hang out. I guess we were both intrigued! Then, after that night, we saw each other every weekend.
The one.
We find this one tricky to answer! We aren’t sure if it’s because we have forgotten what we thought almost 13 years ago, or because when we found each other we were 16 years old, still kids really. We have both changed so much from our teenage years into early adulthood and to where we are now. There have been hard times to navigate through in our relationship as we have grown as individuals, but that’s where we believe we found “the one.” Rather than it being a particular moment, it was more of a gradual realisation that no matter what happens or where we end up, we only ever want each other by our side. When you start talking about the future (marriage, kids, life) and realise the person you have alongside you is truly your best friend, and they’re willing to grow with you through it all, there can’t be anyone else.
The proposal.
In a proper Darcy and Elly fashion! Darcy asked me where I would like to go to dinner one night ’cause he wanted to take me out and have a cute date. I was straight onto our favourite place – Wangs Treasure House for Dim Sum. We went to dinner, had a lot of great food and came home. Darcy pulls his car into the garage and turns it off, but he just sits there instead of getting out. I look over at him – and his face – I thought it was something bad because he was white as a ghost. I asked him something like, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” and he reached into his pocket, pulled out the ring, and said, “I want you to be my wife.” I was so shocked – and that’s the only thing Darcy ever said to me about a proposal, was that he wanted me to be surprised. We had a trip planned a week later to Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef Resort, which he booked months prior and was planning on proposing here. But he couldn’t wait, was so nervous, and honestly, if it happened any other way, it wouldn’t have been us.
Planning process.
We waited for around eight months to even start looking at wedding planning because it felt so overwhelming to begin. We knew we wanted to get married in the South West (Darcy’s Mum is from Busselton and Elly spent every year down there with her family, so it holds a lot of memories for us both). This was probably the key – knowing where to look. We booked a weekend down south and visited a few venues and as soon as we got to Meelup we knew it was the place.
From here, the process was quite smooth. Stacey at Meelup walked us through everything and answered any/all questions, as did our Celebrant Jemilah Wright, and most of our vendors really explained everything as we went. Probably the biggest hurdle/stress was that we work in mining, so it felt like we were putting everything on hold every other week or staying up late to email/organise during shift work. It can take some time and emails to ensure you have a solid run sheet for the day, but it makes things go a lot smoother when you have it all worked out.
Style inspiration.
Our venue, Meelup Farmhouse, was our inspiration and style. Our home is very similar in aesthetic and we love the mood it creates. We loved the stylish coastal farmhouse surrounded by bushland, relaxed and connected to nature with a high-end boho feel.
Inspiration from real weddings was the most useful when planning our wedding. It helps to see what you might be envisioning, as when you’re booking everything, it can be hard to picture what it will be like when it all comes together. Especially when you see so many beautiful setups curated by stylists, it can feel like you need to do more when really you don’t.
The ceremony.
The ceremony Jemilah created was perfectly suited to us. She ensured it was personal and included everything that was important to us. We had time to see our guests and take it all in. The best thing was Jemilah was so prepared and knowledgeable. We did a little rehearsal the day before which helped so much with any questions or fears about what we needed to do/ where we needed to go on the day. It made the ceremony flow so beautifully. Actually, when we were rehearsing, she asked us who would do their vows first, and we were going to rock off for it (rock paper scissors!) and she suggested doing it on the day, which was such a fun addition and tension breaker to loosen up before going into our vows. I highly recommend writing your own vows. It felt like it made the ceremony ours as we made jokes and promises to each other in our own words.
The outfits.
Elly: You hear all the stories of brides having the emotional moment when finding their dress, which didn’t feel like me. I’m the type to struggle to find something I love. I went to maybe five stores, trying on a few dresses each time, not sure about any and thinking I’d just go back to the first one I tried on. That’s until I went into Bridal by Aubrey Rose and even though the selection was a lot smaller than other stores, I found more dresses I liked on one rack than the other stores combined.
It wasn’t the TV moment of tears and everything, but I knew when I put it on that it was me. I was looking for something more plain, which the crepe skirt gave, but I needed the train lined with lace and a beautiful corset-type top with beading to really feel like me and a bride. It was also strapless when I knew I wanted straps, so the ladies at BBAR helped me find the perfect ones, along with a veil. As a shorter girl, the waist didn’t sit in the most flattering spot, so they were able to order the dress with the bodice shortened by one inch.
Darcy was looking for a certain suit jacket. It was a linen-type jacket, but everything he saw didn’t feel right. He was looking online and came across a jacket at Tarocash that had a linen look but was more structured with a textured weave pattern. He went to try it on and found it was perfect; the ladies at Tarocash Midland helped him to fit shirts, pants, shoes and pocket squares for him, his three Groomsmen and Elly’s Bridesman.
They even had everything tailored in-house, so once they were picked up, they were wedding-ready.
Favourite moment.
We struggle to pinpoint a favourite moment since the whole day means so much to us, but there’s one moment that sticks out to us both. After we said our I Do’s and our vows and signed the papers, there was a moment Jemilah said to take while our witnessess were signing. We stepped to the side and had a couple of minutes to talk just us. It felt like relief from the adrenaline, and we could just be excited together. A rare moment on a wedding day. We look back at that moment, and it feels so vivid in our minds when a lot of the day was moving so quickly, it can become a blur.
Meaning of marriage.
Elly: to me, it means a commitment to each other throughout life’s ups and downs, never giving up on them, choosing them every day because they’re the person who’s going to help you, hold you accountable, and learn with you.
Darcy: to me, it means committing my life to the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle (flower girls & Nans): Love Like This – Ben Rector
Aisle (bridal party & bride): Fall Into Me – Forest Blakk
Signing: Just the Two of Us (acoustic) – VDVM and Latch (acoustic) – Sam Smith
Recessional: Feel so Close (radio edit) – Calvin Harris
Reception entry (wedding party): Let’s Groove – Earth, Wind & Fire
Reception entry (bride & groom): Peanut Butter Jelly – Galantis
First dance: You’re Still The One – Shania Twain
Father & daughter dance: Send Me on My Way – Guy Meets Girl
Mother & son dance: Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
Funny stories (or near disasters).
For something funny – My two-year-old niece and flower girl, Ivy, started walking down the aisle and just tipped her whole basket of flowers out mid-way. It was adorable and hilarious and so fun to watch back.
Planning suprises.
Finding vendors. Never having anything to do with the wedding industry until you go to plan one leaves you feeling a little lost on where to start looking. Thankfully, after locking in a couple of vendors, you can see who they work with and recommend.
Dress shopping. I was surprised when I went shopping ten months before the wedding, and I was told I was leaving it late! Most shops advise eight months for the dress to come in, and you want to make sure you have enough time for alterations.
Words of wisdom.
If you have vendors you definitely want to use, I’d recommend checking their availability when you get dates from the venue you choose. Then you can book the date with the venue after you have secured them. If you reach out to a vendor you like and they are booked, don’t be afraid to ask if they have referrals. They are in the industry and have a lot of helpful recommendations that are similar to their style and what you are looking for. From my experience, they are all glad to help.
Also, everyone says it, but enjoy the process with your partner. It can be stressful at times, but carving the time out together makes it so magical when you see it come to life. It’s the absolute best and most love-filled day surrounded by the best people. So grateful.
We love a seaside celebration, so much so that we’ve curated some of our favourite ocean-inspired or beach weddings, here. No longer a shell-encrusted style faux pas, coastal elegance can be a stunning aesthetic that wows guests and showcases your personal tastes.
ELLY & DARCY’S SUPPLIERS
We had the most unbelievable day which we couldn’t have done without any of our vendors. We can’t believe how lucky we were, and we had so many comments from our guests, even still, on how our ceremony was so beautifully done and how gorgeous the venue was. Jemilah was the perfect celebrant the whole way through the process, we couldn’t recommend her enough, and at Meelup Farmhouse the staff and service were above and beyond. Any chance we get we will be going back – they always remember us and make us feel extra welcome.
Photographer: Tahnee Jade Photography. We really wanted a photographer who could candidly catch “nice” shots of us on the day. We’re the couple that gets weird in front of the camera and can never get a nice photo, so someone who could make us feel relaxed and capture beautiful moments of the day without us looking awkward was the goal. Tahnee is such a vibe! She’s funny and real, so down to earth. She was everything we needed on the day and more. Her experience and professionalism create such a relaxed experience and atmosphere. She captured such special moments to look back on without us even realising it, and when we were taking bridal party and couples portraits, her directions kept us going from moment to moment so fluidly that it all felt natural. Her organisation on the day and attention to what suited us as a couple made it such a great experience – two times over. The smiles when we got to go through our album matched our smiles on the day.
Venue: Meelup Farmhouse. Meelup Farmhouse was the venue we never knew we dreamed of until we were there. As soon as we walked in, I don’t think there was any question about it. The aesthetic of the Farmhouse is completely our style, and the relaxed coastal/bushland vibe, along with the adorable animals, was an instant sell. This was all before realising how incredible the food, drinks, service, and staff were. You feel like a valued guest but also like you’re right at home.
Celebrant: Jemilah Wright Celebrant.
Florist: Rose And Bud. Kara from Rose and Bud was instantly so kind and helpful. We had an idea of what we wanted and had inspiration pictures, but her advice was key to bringing it all together. Kara had experience with Meelup, and all her recommendations were spot on, along with her setting up, styling, and overall vibe she created. We really didn’t have to do anything else as Kara set up the florals and candles to create the exact atmosphere we were hoping for. Even staying to repurpose our arbour florals to the reception area, Kara looked after us throughout the planning and on the day.
The dress & veil: Bridal By Aubrey Rose.
Shoes: Forever Soles (Honey – White Bow Satin Wedding Shoes).
Earrings: Lola Knight (Edie 18ct Gold).
Suits: Tarocash – Suit Jacket (Natural Cordova Textured Blazer), Dress Shirt (White Portland Slim Shirt), Shoes (Black Smith Lace Up Shoe).
Ties: OTAA – Montego Black Linen Necktie.
Hair: Bride And Groomed Hair Stylist
Make-up: Lexi Thomson
Entertainment: The Wedding DJ
Lighting: South West Event Hire
Audio guestbook: Off The Hook
