Real Wedding – Kathleen & Rob, Rutherglen VIC

Low-key lovebirds Kathleen and Rob did much of their planning from afar and relied on advice from their loved ones to plan their wedding day. What resulted was a relaxed country wedding that had their guests delighted.

Family and friends excitedly contributed to creating personal touches, from hand-painted stationery, to lovingly crafted bunting and a personally written tune sung to the bride and groom.

As they danced the night away under the stars and gorgeous festoon lighting, you get the sense that for Kathleen and Rob, it’s only the beginning of a very happy and love-filled adventure – and The Bower Co was there to capture it all.

 

IN KATHLEEN’S WORDS…

The meeting.

We met at a mutual friend’s 21st at the Night Cat in Melbourne, seven years ago.

The ‘one’.

After several days holed up in a sweltering Kathmandu hotel room with upset bellies and no electricity, we were still managing to laugh about it. So we knew we were onto a good thing.

The proposal.

It was all very unglamorous. We were walking in some bush next to the Murray River in Corowa. It was hot, we were sweaty, our dog Piper was running away to chase cows. In the 40 degree heat Rob got down on one knee and pulled out a ring our jeweller friend Claire had secretly created from Rob’s vague specifications. It was perfect!

Planning process.

We were living overseas in Bristol for the first year of the engagement, so most of the planning was done via email. My super amazing sister Anna was invaluable in providing enormous amounts of ideas and advice, as well as hand painting all the stationary and finding the venue. Closer to the day my Mum seemed to recruit an army of her friends to assist with everything from making bunting, collecting billy buttons from their farms to making the cake. The days prior to the wedding were pretty much an excuse to take time off work and for us to hang out with our friend Rosie who had flown over from New Zealand to drink tea and pretend we were preparing for the wedding.

Style inspiration.

We had no idea about a specific style, but as friends and family chipped in bits and pieces, the wedding organically took its shape.

The dress.

I’m not the biggest fan of shopping so was dreading finding a dress. The first shop I went to was the Bridal Atelier in Armidale. The shop assistant magically seemed to get exactly what I was looking for and suggested my dress. I bought it then and there and didn’t even try on anything else.

Favourite moment.

My cousin Jamie wrote and performed a song. It was about the fact that now we were married Rob would have to change his AFL team from Carlton to Richmond. It brought the house down.

Traditions.

We were not too fussed to keep any traditions but it was so special to have my Dad walk me down the aisle.

Meaning of marriage.

Love, laughter, friendship, family and curry.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Love you to the end by The Pogues, played by my Uncle Barry and cousins Jamie and Brendan.

First Dance: One more night in Brooklyn by Justin Townes Earle.

Funny stories or new disasters.

We had a near disaster when my Dad put his road bike on top of the dress when we were transferring it home. Luckily for him and his future biking career, the bike grease only made it to the top of the case.

Planning surprises.

There were not really any planning surprises, every single one of our vendors we worked with was super helpful and on the ball.

Words of wisdom.

Do exactly what you want. Don’t stress and have fun!

 

 

Kathleen and Rob’s Tribe…

Photography: The Bower Co – Bec and Kenny were so relaxed and super sweet and captured exactly the vibe and atmosphere we wanted.

Florist: The Rutherglen Wedding Company  – Katie seemed to seemed to telepathically get exactly what look I wanted. The locally-foraged and native flowers were incredible!

Hair and makeup: NAK – Nicole is THE BEST and so gorgeously relaxed and happy. Plus she helped me find a look that I felt comfortable with. Pure genius.

Rings: Claire McArdle – Our rings are so special and custom-made to suit us and our stye perfectly. Claire’s quality and craftsmanship is out of this world.

Catering: Snow Road Produce – The only thing I was specific about, Emma took my brief and ran with it. The shared platters with seasonal, local salads and veggies were so delicious, everyone was raving for weeks about them.

Venue and Ceremony: Olive Hills Estate – Kay and Ross were so fun, helpful, flexible and accommodating right from the start. It is the perfect, perfect venue.

Stationery / Signage: Anna Bartlett

Entertainment: Scott & Amanda

Cake: Mary Macqueen

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Zimmerman

Groom and groomsmen suits: Politix

Groom’s Shoes: RM Williams

Celebrant: Francis Walsh

The Dress: Sarah Seven from the Bridal Atelier

Honeymoon: Surfing! Heaven on the Planet, Lombok