Real Wedding – Freya & Edward, Dunkeld VIC
You can’t help but be taken aback by the majestic expanse that is in direct view from Mt Sturgeon Homestead in Dunkeld. It truly is breathtaking and makes complete sense as to why Freya and Edward chose this as the location they would marry. And one we’re sure Ebony from Pretty Flamingo loved to shoot!
Their ceremony was held outdoors, centred by a copper arbour draped with soft pink orchids and pops of red roses by the Flowerqueen herself, as the beautiful Mt Sturgeon towered behind them. The serenity, the romance and the elation from friends and family as they ambushed the newlyweds with confetti exiting up the aisle was plentiful.
And the two of them really couldn’t have asked for a more perfect evening. It encompassed two outfit changes from Freya, ample food and free flowing drinks, laughter all around, a killer dance floor DJ’d by close mates and some plate smashing thrown in for good measure. What’s not to love?
The meeting.
We met 12 whole years ago (we should have collected an egg for every year as we’d have a carton ha!) in our first year of uni. Our friend, and one of Ed’s groomsmen, Jeremy, introduced us. We became friends and 6 months later (plus a few cheesy pick up lines) I said yes to going on a date with Ed, best decision!
The ‘one’.
We went on our first overseas trip about 12 months into our relationship. We travelled so well together and discovered our mutual passion for travel, adventure and living life to the fullest. It was then we both knew we had something really special. We’ve had many, many adventures since and a very full passport.
The proposal.
It was in Byron Bay. Ed wanted to propose in a location which was pretty, quiet and was a destination we could go back to. One morning in December 2019 while holidaying there, we went for walk along Wategos Beach and walked to the top of The Pass. When it was quiet, and no one was around, Ed dropped down on one knee and asked the big question. We then had lunch at Rae’s which was divine.
Planning process.
Everything was quite organised! We locked in our vendors quite early which gave us a lot of time to figure out the type of day we wanted and what mattered to us. I spent a lot of time on Pinterest for inspiration, creating mood boards on Canva, to pull together the vibe of the day and all the critical elements. The last couple of weeks were a little sleepless for Ed and I…it’s those small details which take up 90% of your time!
Style inspiration.
We’re suckers for romance as it’s timeless! We wanted lots of candles to create mood in the venue, soft harmonious colours with a touch of boldness and simple, yet classic decorative elements.
I found real weddings and stylised shoots to be the biggest source of inspiration, so fair to say there was A LOT of Pinterest and Instagram trawling. It’s lovely to see what other people have done with event spaces, outfits, flowers and decorations, and you can find different elements that inspire. Wedding mags are also good!
The ceremony.
Our ceremony had the beautiful Mount Sturgeon in Dunkeld as our back drop. Ed and I love hiking so settling on there as our ceremony location was a no brainer for us. In front of the mountain is an old bluestone homestead which is where the bridal party got ready. I remember peeping though the curtains just as the ceremony began to catch a glimpse of Ed, standing under a copper arbour my Dad made, which had a beautiful rose, orchid, smoke bush floral piece on one side. Our two nieces led the way down the aisle towards Ed who had lollipops for them, the beautiful bridal party followed, then myself linking arms with both my Mum and my Dad. What felt like hours standing up there together was only about 30 mins, our celebrant – Jo, crafted a beautiful ceremony narrative, we shared vows (which were frighteningly similar…true love ey!), before exchanging our rings and walking back down the aisle (through a confetti ambush) to be with our friends and family.
The outfit.
I had a ceremony and reception dress. My ceremony dress was a simple, but elegant, bonded georgette Kyha silhouette gown. My dress for the reception was my Mums wedding dress remodelled. Mum’s dress was a Swiss dot tulle cocktail dress, so I wanted to keep the Swiss dot tulle as the key feature of my dress. I went to a small dress maker – Michelle DeLacy, who helped me with everything from design to fabrics and creation.
Favourite moments.
This is hard, there are so many! I think it was having all of our favourite people in one room and having the best night with them, eating good food, having a laugh, drink, dance and celebrating love. The plate smashing was also pretty epic!
Meaning of marriage.
The next chapter in our book of adventures.
Wedding soundtrack.
I thought you guys would never ask!
We had a road trip Spotify Playlist to get everyone ready for the wedding weekend called ‘Fred Get Wed’
Aisle: Bridal Party walked to My girl by Temptations, Bride walked to Norwegian Wood by The Beatles
Exit song: Love Train by The Ojays
Reception Entry: Hyperparadise by Hermitude
Father/Daughter Dance: Sweet Thing by Van Morrison
First Dance: What is Life by George Harrison
Funny stories or near disasters.
Many laughs and thankfully no near disasters!
Planning surprises.
No, it was pretty smooth sailing for us.
Words of wisdom.
Enjoy the planning, it’s such a special time and everything ALWAYS falls into place.
Go with your gut on vendors, there are some really special people in the industry who want to make your day perfect. You’ll know when you’ve found those special people.
After another iconic homestead to tie the knot at? Check out the picturesque Woolbrook Homestead here.
FREYA & EDWARD’S VENDORS
Ceremony venue: Mount Sturgeon Homestead, Hosted by Royal Mail Hotel.
Reception venue: Mount Sturgeon Woolshed, Catered by Royal Mail Hotel. The food was 10/10 and the events team there were so accommodating!
Celebrant: Jo Moon – Jo, is so organised, professional and knows how to craft the most beautiful ceremonies for the couples she marries. She nailed our ceremony, the narrative, the delivery, it was perfect!
Photography: Pretty Flamingo (Ebony and Emma) – Ebony shot our day and wow! The pictures are stunning and authentic. She’s a really talented photographer and one of the loveliest people you’ll meet.
Videography: Wildbird Films – Ben is amazing, not only does he create beautiful work, he’s a lovely person. He knows how to work with people, make them smile and capture really authentic moments. I remember him playing peek-a-boo with our nieces to get them to giggle.
Styling: Myself
Florist: Flowerqueen Co. (Holly) – Holly creates contemporary, stunning florals. She absolutely nailed our brief. She and her team are the lovelies people.
Hair: Styled by Kim Watson – Kim is a hair artist, she’s fabulous at what she does. I didn’t do a trial but we jumped on zoom to discuss options and she gave some many tips of things to do in the lead up to the wedding. She’s super easy to talk to and did the best job on our wedding day, everyone looked fabulous.
Make Up: The Makeup hub (Nat Phelan) – Nat is lovely and so talented, all the girls looked stunning on our wedding day! She’s super easy to get along with, has a large range of products and can do anything!
The Dress(es): Ceremony Gown – Chosen by Kyha, Reception Dress – Michelle DeLacy
Veil / headwear: Veil – White Jasmine Bridal, Headband – Michelle DeLacy
Shoes: Bride – Loeffler Randal, Groom – Charles Tyrwhitt
Rings: Brides rings made by family jeweller, Grooms: Geniene Honey Bespoke Jewellery.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Petal & Pup and Billy J
Suits: Groom – Formal Red + Oxford, Groomsmen – Oxford
Bow ties: Hardy & Harper
Catering and bar: Royal Mail Hotel
Favors: Myself – pressed flower resin coasters with individual guest’s names
Cake / Cake topper: Em’s cakes, Warnambool
Stationery / Signage: Invites – Weis Printing, Welcome Sign – Lasercraft Fabrications + Decal from AliExpress
Entertainment: DJs, awesome friends Dan & Aaron
Transport: Trotters coaches
Décor: Southern Candle Co.
Hire: Elderberry events
Honeymoon: Epic road trip along the NSW East Coast. We drove to Byron Bay (the place we could go back to) and spent time exploring the hinterlands, waterfalls and beaches, before heading home through Mudgee wine region and Kangaroo Valley. Oh and we did a slight detour to hike Mount Kosciusko (long story!). We’ll be heading to Israel later this year for a bigger honeymoon.
