Real Wedding – Isabelle & Brent, Lexton VIC
From start to end, Isabelle and Brent’s dream day is a breathtakingly beautiful celebration of love and romance wrapped in stunning style.
Paying homage to both their upbringings, his country and her city, these two sweet souls chose a marquee celebration in a gorgeous gardenscape setting, heavy on the party vibes and with lashings of fresh modern glam.
The combined talent of Laura at Weddings of Desire and Wildflos concoct a true theming treat; florals in warm summer shades of honeycomb, blushes, lavender and rich plum, anchored in clouds of babys breath and lush foliage. Crisp white decor underpin the perfect palette, while softly geometric shapes are echoed across stationery and candle detailing to create exquisite accents.
For Isabelle and Brent, their golden hour photos were the moment of the day – and there is no denying these are an incredible realisation of blissful beauty. Sun-drenched and raw, we cannot get enough.
For us, the underpinning emotions of family, connection and electric romance surrounding this celebration are everything – and are so evident in every visually vibrant image by superstar Katie Harmsworth. So scroll on for a celebration to wow the senses.
The meeting.
Brent and I met on Tinder six years ago. It was my very first Tinder date, and we should be a sponsored Tinder success story; it went so well! We went rock climbing for our first date because we both love adventure and challenges. Also, we are very competitive, and to this day, we still argue about who won that day. We just hit it off so well and have been inseparable ever since.
The ‘one’.
Brent told me his ‘moment’. We had just been camping in Wilson’s Prom and then spent some time at my old farmhouse just in that region, and he said he looked across at me over the campfire and just clicked… she’s the one. I, on the other hand, realised that I didn’t want to date anyone else because he just did everything for me and ticked all my boxes.
The proposal.
We were in NZ for a skiing trip, and it’s always been a dream to go to the Onsen Hot Pool NZ. I felt like Brent wasn’t really into skiing this trip, which was weird for him (I still hadn’t cottoned on). Then at the hot pools, he got the champagne package, which I was excited for. We got into the pool, and then he got out immediately to do a wee. I was like, ‘He’s so annoying; we walked past the toilet on the way in,’ then he came back into our private room and dropped down on one need and asked me to marry him. My first words were, “You little shit”, because he had tricked me too well. Then shakenly, “YES.”
Planning process.
This was an extremely drawn-out process. We got engaged in August 2019 and started planning a wedding with Wedding of Desire on 17/12/20. We had only just sent out the invitations in February 2020 (Very early because we have a lot of international guests), and then Covid hit. Not knowing if my two bridesmaids, brothers, sisters, and other family members would be able to make it, we decided in July to postpone to the next December 2021.
While we were waiting patiently to start planning again, we fell pregnant! Our little daughter, Delilah, was born on 09/09/21. And then I didn’t want to get married two months post-birth, so we moved the wedding one last time to 17/12/22. With the amazing assistance and guidance from Laura, who owns Weddings of Desire, the planning went well. There were a few hiccups, but my expectations for the wedding were that I just needed to get it done, so it took a bit of pressure off perfection.
Style inspiration.
Firstly, my families are huge foodies and big wine drinkers, so I had so had to have a marquee wedding to accommodate that. Such a beautiful tent, with flags at the top. Brent is from Deniliquin, so we needed some country essence. I am from Melbourne and wanted it to be a fun party. The property at Mt Mitchell is incredible – glamorous country vibes. We used their rose garden for the canapes, their apple orchard for the glamping tents for the guests, the stables for the recovery brunch, and the front lawn for the tent and ceremony. And fireworks over the lake! We had fun music, Asian foods from Blake’s feast and wine that was specially labelled with the wedding date on the bottles. It was everything I had dreamed of and more. Also, the fireworks were epic, like probably too big.
The ceremony.
Delilah was the star of my ceremony! She was the flower girl along with my niece, Ida. They went down the aisle together and stole hearts. Delilah had given guests petals and played and giggled in the flowers during the ceremony. She took a bit of pressure off me; a lot of people were watching her and laughing at her. We did rock, paper, scissors to pick who went first with the vows; that was cute. I loved my arbour and Brent standing there waiting. Very special.
The outfit.
I had a dress made from Cappellazzo; Andre was incredible. I felt like a princess, I had a big overskirt, and then I took that off for the reception.
Favourite moments.
Brent and I got sunset photos by ourselves, and I think that was a really special moment. We had some quiet time to look at each other.
Meaning of marriage.
To be there for one another, the person you choose, your ride or die.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: All of Me by John Legend
Signing: My Favourite by Mac Millar and Redbone by Childish Gambino
Recessional: Electric Feels by MGMT
Reception entry: Feel it Still by Portugal the Man
First dance: Lovely by Billie Eilish, then Kids by MGMT to get everyone on the dance floor.
Funny stories or near disasters.
Only a story from the day after – Brent lost his wedding ring on the night and didn’t realise until the morning. Everyone at the recovery brunch helped look for it, and then Brent found it in the grass where he had a wrestle with one of his friends during the night. The word was that we were luckily still married after that!
Planning surprises.
How expensive everything was, and how bad guests are at RSVPing and putting in their correct details.
Words of wisdom.
Stay with your partner during the night, and make sure you have a moment away from the chaos to just enjoy each other.
For another take on a country-based wedding, check out Genevieve and Jacob’s stunning Kyneton soiree. Contemporary style with a timeless touch, this one is giving soft wintery vibes and style with a modern edge. Check it out here, on the blog.
ISABELLE & BRENT’S VENDORS
Ceremony & reception venue: Mount Mitchell – Lexton, VIC. Kate, the owner of the property, was incredible; so helpful and a great host.
Celebrant: Sarah from Ceremonies by Sarah.
Photography: Katie Harmsworth. Obviously, she’s a magician! Katie blew me away with her talent. I am not great with photos, and she made me feel effortless and captured the day perfectly. Better than I expected
Videography: Ben, These Wild Eyes. He was amazing.
Styling: Laura, Weddings of Desire. She is worth her weight in gold; I couldn’t have done it without her.
Florist: Wildflos. Their team made magic happen; the flowers were exactly what I dreamed of.
Hair: Abby – the owner of Style Barwon Heads. I live in Point Lonsdale and get my hair blown out by Abby in Barwon Heads; she’s beautiful.
Make-up: Emily McGrath Make-up Artist
The dress & veil: Andre – Cappellazzo Couture
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Rings: Paul Bram Melbourne (cute because it was where Brent’s Mum got her wedding rings from)
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Coco and Lola
Suits: Oscar Hunt
Bow ties / ties: Calvin Klein
Catering, bar & favours: Blakes Feast – a bit special because it was their last wedding ever, and we did the Asian banquet.
Cake: Afroditi- Nobody Hates Cakes. Such a beautiful cake; she’s an artist.
Stationery / Signage: Jacqui, Mickey Loves Jacqui. Jacqui was GREAT to work with; she also has her printer, so she can print things late in advance. Loved all my stationery.
Entertainment: Sammy on percussion, he was epic, and Harry on Sax, both from Rutherford Entertainment. Singer Sophia Brown and Alex Weybury for the ceremony – Laura, the wedding planner, organised them.
Hire: Memphis Hire and Table Art Event Hire, Candleco Australia
Honeymoon: Fiji – Sofitel (Because it has a kids club)
Other: Twilight Glamping for the guest’s tents.
