Real Wedding – Hannah & Ash, Timboon VIC
If brilliantly unique, beautifully memorable and buckets-of-fun are top of your wedding planning list, you’ll love scrolling Hannah & Ash’s epic wedstival style celebration.
Choosing to create their own traditions, Hannah floated down the aisle to Ash looking like an absolute boho queen in her gorgeous Rue De Seine gown, supported by her family.
Their guests created a parasol perfect procession from the ceremony to the reception, led by a bohemian brass band playing Beyonce; witnesses to the wedding were decided by a special draw during the ceremony, and everyone joined in for the first dance. The result was a day that will forever be etched in everyone’s memory; for all the right reasons.
We especially loved the styling details, so carefully considered and perfectly curated. From the gorgeous one-of-a-kind ceremony arbour, eco-confetti, stunning macramé details and hanging hammock chairs, every guest comfort was considered. It was evident in the joyous emotions present in every incredible image by Sheree Dubois Photography that the newlyweds and the guests thoroughly enjoyed every fun-filled, aesthetically beautiful moment.
The meeting.
By chance; a ‘meet-cute’ over a patient in the Emergency Department. We are both health care professionals and Ash, looking for another staff member, happened to walk into the cubicle where I was treating a patient.
An awkward exchange proceeded (involving some instant blushing!), and later he sought me out at the workstation to (awkwardly) chat me up. I think there is such a thing as love at first sight!
The ‘one’.
When he didn’t run away after 21 days hiking through the Himalayas with nothing but cabbage, tinned tuna and Snickers bars for food! The views were great, though!
The proposal.
It was New Year’s Day in Paris; we’d had an adventure involving wines at Montmartre, new Parisian friends and an underground club the night before. We were hungover and wandering home from a dinner meal at Miss Ko. I had run ahead to cross Avenue Montaigne (think fairy lights and a view of the Eiffel Tower) because I was cold when Ash called out for me to wait. When I turned around, he was on one knee.
Planning process.
Spreadsheets, Gantt charts and more spreadsheets!
Style inspiration.
Neither of us has ever been ones for tradition. We wanted our special day to reflect us and the things we love most – the outdoors, music festivals, food/wine and the company of friends.
We wanted to break away from tradition and scrapped or re-imagined many of the usual wedding rituals. My whole family walked me down the aisle, our wedding concluded with a bohemian procession through the forest with a brass band playing “Crazy in Love”, I didn’t throw my bouquet, and the ’first dance’ was taught to everyone on the night- for everyone to enjoy.
Our inspiration was simply “A fun party to celebrate us with our favourite people.”
The outfit.
I’ve never been the formal type of girl, I always felt out of place at sporting balls and the races. I wanted a dress that was ‘different’, defunct of conventional formality but still a wedding dress.
I had always loved the boho charm of Rue de Seine bridal – so naturally, they were the first choice when it came to looking for a gown. The Nahla was the first dress I tried; my mum instantly cried with joy, and I never looked back!
I’m a big believer in supporting sustainable and local, so the process for putting the finishing touches on my outfit involved roaming the laneways of Melbourne for bespoke stores filled with one of a kind treasures.
It was the week before the wedding, and I still wasn’t sold on the ‘updo’ I decided on. On one such laneway roam by chance I met Sally, just as she said to her co-worker “I’m not sure if I could make one for a wedding, that’s a lot of pressure” … She was holding this beautiful flower crown (made for a hen’s celebration) and I thought – that’s it; that’s what’s missing from my head! Sally (Meadow Sweet) was so lovely to work with, and honestly, the bespoke crown she made for me is still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, my absolute favourite part of my outfit! Her creation was really the crowning glory (pun intended)!
Favourite moments.
The ceremony – I was smiling so much my face ached for the rest of the day!
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage is a commitment between two people where you wake up every day and say – YES! I’m going to help you to be the best person you can be; YES! I’m going to help you when you need me; YES! We are going to build things together for one another and YES! We’re going to do our best to make fun doing it!
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Islands by The XX.
Bohemian brass band forest procession: Crazy in Love by Beyoncè, Hello Hello by The Cat Empire, Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader.
Reception entry: Desert Night by Rufus Du Sol
First dance: Lonely Boy by The Black Keys, RUN by San Cisco, C.U.D.I (Can You Dig It?) by Cosmo’s Midnight.
Funny stories or near disasters.
Instead of pre-choosing our witnesses for signing the marriage certificate Ash and I decided to leave it to fate and draw numbers out of a hat.
Prior to the ceremony, the guests were given brightly coloured parasols as bonbonniere’s which coincidentally had numbers on the bottom. The first number drawn belonged to our friend Amelia, who had just been married a few months beforehand and we hadn’t been able to attend because of another wedding clash. The second number was called and didn’t belong to anyone. The third number was called, and it turned out to belong to Amelia’s new wife, Chloe! The crowd went wild!! It was a 1 in 10,000 chance! We couldn’t believe it!
Planning surprises.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we were required to make a venue and total location change halfway into our planning. I was devastated. We had booked our marquee but now had nowhere to put it! Was the dream of an outdoor ‘party to end all parties’ just going to vanish in front of our eyes?
For four days straight we madly rang every venue we could think of, or that a venue search would provide, but everywhere we tried either couldn’t accommodate the date or the marquee size.
I was really surprised to see that people were very helpful – suggesting other properties that might suit our needs and trying to see if they could squeeze us in on alternate days. It was reassuring to see that people where genuinely keen to help as much as possible – the legends at Toolangi Heights were one such venue we were grateful for their help.
Words of wisdom.
Your marriage is an equal partnership – treat planning it this way as well. Ash and I sat down early on with a list of all the possible tasks and talked about which parts we were most passionate about.
Ash was interested in organizing guest services, building our wedding website and the AV rigging/ practical grounds set up, so he took on those tasks. I took on styling, food and beverage, outfits and entertainment.
We checked in with each other and our progress at regular intervals to keep the momentum going. We also planned rewards for ourselves when we’d completed tasks like a nice dessert one night or a day off to hike.
Love that Hannah & Ash chose to make socially conscious choices in the planning of their wedding? There are plenty of vendors who will help you do the same, and so many options to help you achieve your dream vision in more sustainable ways. Here’s an example of a stunningly styled shoot, showcasing socially conscious choices.
HANNAH & ASH’S VENDORS
Ceremony and Reception location: Brucknell Park
Tipi Marquee: Wandering Events. Antony and the guys at Wandering Events were friendly, laid-back and super easy to deal with. They made us feel at ease when we needed to change the venue.
Celebrant/Officiant: Valentino Ang. Big thanks go out to Val for making our day so special, he was really supportive during the wedding planning process and helped to create a relaxed vibe for our big day!
Photography: Sheree Dubois Photography. Sheree is gorgeous, her photos (they speak for themselves) are absolutely divine! We couldn’t thank her enough for capturing our vision exactly as we’d imagined it!
Videography: G.M Aerial Photography (QLD). Biggest thanks to our good friend Guy who we called in for a favour at the eleventh hour.
Styling: Hannah Leith (the Bride) with set-up assistance from Lush Events. Vicki from Lush has years and years of experience in the wedding business; she’s practical, no fuss and was really helpful with troubleshooting and ideas during set-up.
Flowers: Tables and ceremony centrepiece – O’Grady’s Florist. Bouquets, eco-confetti and boutonnières – Jenna at Waste Free Wildflowers.
Hair: Little Yellow Owl
Make-up: Carla at Renaissance Body and Beauty Warrnambool. Carla is the sweet calm within the storm! She has such a lovely presence that really helped me to ‘get it together’ throughout the morning. She did all of my close friend’s make-up as well, and they were all raving about how beautiful she made them look. Thanks so much for your beautiful work and good vibes Carla!
The dress: Rue De Seine Bridal, via Mon at The Bridal Atelier, Melbourne. The girls at The Bridal Atelier are just beautiful! Could not have had a lovelier dress shopping experience!
Flower crown: Sally “Meadow Sweet”. Honestly! The crowning glory of my outfit. Sally’s flower crown exceeded my expectations. Thank you so much Sally for your beautiful work – my absolute favourite part of my outfit!
Shoes: Tony Bianco
Wedding Rings: R and M Jewelers, Swanston Street (no website via appointment only).
Jewellery: Necklaces – Folkstore and Husk. Earrings – We Dream In Colour.
Groomsmen’s suits: Pitstop Menswear, Warrnambool.
Catering: Whitley Fine Dining and Catering and Timboon Fine Icecream. The food was one of the real stars of our show! With a small number of catering options to choose from in the area, we really hit the cream of the crop here. All our guests were raving about the good quality and amount of food. A giant thank you to Rob and his family for keeping our belly’s full on the big day!
Favours: Hangzhou Haixin Umbrella Industry Co
Cake / Cake topper: Ilma Cakes. Chris makes the most delicious and visually appealing cakes. He’s a very talented baker and an old dear friend. The cake was so delicious we actually have minimal evidence that it existed!! Thanks, Chris!
Signage: Mellyrain Events
Entertainment: Band – music and band members curated by Lindsay Stow via The Salvation Army Warrnambool. DJ – An irreplaceable favour from an old friend! Thanks for the sweet party vibes, Josh!
Décor and hire: Wandering Events and Grand Events
Macramè: Kim at Oak and String.
Honeymoon: Kenya/Tanzania, Africa (postponed due to COVID-19). Mini-moon: Nandini Jungle Resort, Bali.
