Real Wedding – Kimberley & Benjamin, Denver VIC

Six months was all Kimberley and Benjamin needed in order to plan their big day and man oh man, did they nail it! They decided on hosting it at the Burrow, a spot nestled in the Wombat State Forest in North West Victoria. And amidst the soaring peppermint gums, their 10 year love story was relayed by celebrant Matt Finch with equal amounts of fun and sentiment.

Their reception, held outdoors underneath the luminous festoon lights was where speeches were made, food was shared and the entertainment provided by Hey Jack leant itself to some serious groovin’.

Georgia Verrells caught the most beautiful candid moments of everyone and for Kim and Ben’s modern boho/classic-esque style wedding, it was certainly a night to remember.

The meeting.

Ben and I went to high school together. Ben first approached me at a mutual friend’s party and we started talking frequently after that. Since then we have been together for over 10 years.

The ‘one’.

Ben and I are kind of opposites especially when we first started dating. I think we found that interesting about one other. As we got to know each other we worked out that we shared many of the same passions and found the same things ‘fun’. When we continued to love being around each other, I think that’s when we knew that we couldn’t imagine not being in each other’s lives.

The proposal.

We went for a weekend away in Daylesford. We were walking around the lake. I said to Ben that we should get a photo on the wooden jetty so Ben set up his phone to take a photo. The first one didn’t turn out that good so we took another. Ben said to take a third photo (which is very unlike him) and that is when he got down on one knee and proposed. I was very shocked and definitely had no idea it was going to happen.

Planning process.

We booked our venue in August 2021 for the start of February. So it was all go from there. It was definitely very challenging organising a wedding during a lockdown! We only looked at venues on one day (just the three) and when we found the Burrow we just knew it would be the one for us. I think when you look at a lot of options you always have some doubt and regret (maybe we should have done this or that…), so it was really fantastic that we were able to find one place for our ceremony and reception.

Style inspiration. 

At first we were going for a boho style. Then things started to slightly change when I found my dress. This was more of a classic modern style dress. In the end I would say our wedding was a boho/classic modern-day style.

We did a lot of searching online as we weren’t sure exactly what we wanted but it became more clear as we started booking in vendors. We were a bit stuck due to the covid restrictions and would’ve liked to get out and see and meet people but it wasn’t possible at the time.

The ceremony.

Our celebrant Matt Finch made it for us. Before meeting with him we knew we wanted to include our loved ones however he encouraged us to do things our way and that there was no right way of running it. We had my 92 year old Grandmother as our flower girl and my husband’s grandparents as our ring bearers. I also had both parents walk me down the aisle which was special. We didn’t really care too much for the ceremony part and thought of it more as a formality to get through but working with Matt made us really excited. The ceremony was memorable, fun and something we thoroughly enjoyed. All of our guests were very impressed by Matt, a few even asking if he was one of our friends as he knew so much about us and had such a perfect script. Matt was fantastic and we are grateful he was able to work with us and make our day so special.

The look. 

I went looking at a couple shops before finding the one. What I thought I wanted was a style that I felt extremely uncomfortable wearing. All the dresses I chose online (because of the lockdowns) were all very tight fitting and I didn’t like the idea of feeling uncomfortable on the day. I then visited The Bridal Curator and they choose some styles for me to try on. The one they chose for me, ended up being the one. I felt comfortable, classy and like a bride.

My husband decided what he wanted very early – a classic black suit, he went to a couple of places and made up his mind that they weren’t for him. He went to Formal Red in Bridge Road, Richmond and as soon as he walked in he knew it was the right place, he just tried on the one suit and he knew it was perfect. We got some ‘tango’ patent leather shoes from the Florsheim ‘imperial collection’, and so glad we did because they were perfect.

Favourite moments.

My favourite part of the day was walking down the aisle to my now husband. It took me by surprise how much joy I felt in that moment. I did also love hitting up the dance floor and dancing to Shania Twain with my BFF.

Meaning of marriage.

Marriage to us is about having each other’s backs. It’s a promise to stand by each other, to communicate, to respect and to work as a team.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Missing piece by Vance Joy

Reception entry: You make my dreams come true by Hall and Oates

First dance: I’m with you by Vance Joy

Funny stories or near disasters.

For my main dress, my appointments were cancelled 6 times due to lock downs. I ended up looking for my dress two months before the wedding.

Up until a week and a half before the day I had just the one dress that I thought I would stay in. We were shopping for a dress for my Mum and the flower Granny when I spotted the prefect second dress. They were amazing and altered the sleeves and made some other changes before the big day.

Planning surprises.

I think it all did. We just didn’t realise planning a wedding would take up so much of our time. We literally did at least an hour of wedding planning each day…we did only give ourselves six months to organise everything though.

Words of wisdom.

Make it your style. Do what you feel is right and have fun with it. Do what you want to do, you will never be able to keep everyone happy but at least you can be happy. Things don’t have to be so traditional. Relax and make sure you enjoy the day!

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KIMBERLEY & BENJAMIN’S VENDORS

Ceremony and Reception venue: The Burrow

Celebrant: Matt Finch

Photography: Georgia Verrells

Florist: Raven and the Rose

Hair: Sara Jane Caccamo

Make Up: Jenna Guy

The Dress(es): The Bridal Curator and Bridal House

Veil: The Bridal Curator

Shoes: Harlo shoes

Rings: Benjamin Rose fine jewellery

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bec and Bridge

Suits and bow ties: Formal Red

Catering: Hudsons famous catering

Bar: The Burrow

Cake / Cake topper: Blackbird cakes

Entertainment: Hey Jack

Honeymoon: Fiji