Real Wedding – Lara & Michael, Newlyn VIC
The sweeping landscape of their chosen Scrub Hill property paved the way for Lara and Michael’s glorious wedding celebration.
Taking their guests on a journey of the site throughout the day, from their sweet and sentimental Chapel ceremony, to shared plates under a marquee and a night of dancing under the stars – this was a celebration that felt both relaxed and magical, filled with good food, wine and great times.
Lara and Michael’s day was captured by Peter Ingamells and was definitely one to be remembered.
In Lara’s words…
The meeting.
Through friends at the Penny Black in Brunswick, Melbourne in 2012.
The ‘one’.
I can’t recall a specific moment, but it was definitely the ease in which we fitted into each other’s social circles. Being able to hang out together but also with our friends certainly helped kick start things.
The proposal.
I had been a supervising teacher at a five day school camp and arrived home to sushi, wine and a slideshow with our favourite song playing.
The process.
Definitely fun and creative – it was great having a blank canvas to do whatever we liked. I definitely felt more motivated than usual in the lead up and had to up my organisation game in other aspects of life in order to stay on top of things. Considering we set most of the wedding up ourselves, the couple of days before (Michael and his extremely helpful groomsmen did most of the work here), we were fairly relaxed overall.
Style inspiration.
We fell in love with the venue at scrub hill straight away and didn’t want to take away from the beautiful landscape. The venue catered for our idea of having lots of different stages throughout the day. Ceremony in the chapel, grazing boards and drinks cocktail-style under a giant tree, long tables and shared plates for dinner in the marquee and a festival style dance floor in the marquee later on. Scrub Hill already had antique furniture pieces that were available to us and retro-style bathrooms so the style of the wedding was already somewhat whimsical and vintage. It was definitely relaxed but we still wanted delicious and filling food, good wine and quality, funky, old school tunes.
The outfits.
I had seen this Anna Campbell dress online. I tried it on and knew it was the one straight away. I was able to mix and match the skirt layer with the top to find the combo I wanted. I also thought the dress matched the idea of our day and the venue.
Michael had his suit tailor made at Oscar Hunt and surprisingly loved the whole process. He could even sit at the bar and have a drink whilst making fabric decisions! Highly recommend!
Favourite moments.
I can’t pick just one. Definitely walking down the aisle. But also, sharing the love with all our friends and family on the dance floor as the sun was setting around us, and all of the laughs popping bubbly with our bridal party in the forest before the reception entrance.
Meaning of marriage.
Making the lifelong commitment to your best friend official.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Virginia May by Gregory Alan Isakov for our gorgeous niece and nephews who definitely stole the show
Bride aisle: All I Want is You by U2
Reception entry: I’ve got my mind set on you by George Harrison
First dance: From Afar by Vance Joy – I’m not the biggest fan of slow dancing so jumped up on stage to sing the second half of the song instead!
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Let’s just say if you’re buying in the alcohol yourselves, don’t forget soft drink! Some of your guests will be looking for it!
Planning surprises.
It can be difficult being the communication link between marquee, venue, catering and other suppliers at times. I can see why people would choose to hire a wedding planner for this purpose (if the budget allows). I found having local suppliers (Daylesford) that all knew of each other helpful.
Words of wisdom.
As much as other people say, don’t worry about anyone else, your guests do matter! Your guests need to be comfortable. Especially with a DIY event it’s really important to consider seating for older people, shade (this meant goodbye to the dream of a clear top marquee unfortunately), enough food and drink, water, car parking, accommodation availability, transport, access to bathrooms.
A recovery session the next day is also a must! However you choose to do it, it’s a great way to reflect on the day in a more relaxed setting and squeeze as much as you can out of your special experience.
And finally, make all your decisions as a team of two. Work together to make it personal to you both – you can’t go wrong if the day is a true reflection of the two of you.
Brilliant and beautiful wedding vows make for a real ceremony heart-starter, but you need not stress over writing these wonderful words of love – check out our tips for vows that will wow here.
LARA & MICHAEL’S TRIBE
Ceremony: Bluestone Chapel Scrub Hill 1869, Newlyn, VIC
Reception: Kyneton Marquee Hire – Sawmill Paddock Scrub Hill 1869, Newlyn, VIC
Celebrant/Officiant: Fr Brian Glasheen
Photography: Peter Ingamells Photography – Pete could not have captured the day more perfectly with lots of natural, candid shots.
Florist: Wombat Hill Nursery & Florist
Hair and makeup: Blondie
The Dress: Anna Campbell
Groom’s suit: Oscar Hunt Tailors
Bride shoes: Jo Mercer
Rings: Australian Diamond Brokers – Block Arcade
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy
Flower girl and headband: Arabella and Rose
Groomsmen’s suits: Country Road and Politix
Groom Tie: Jeff Banks London
Catering: Spade to Blade Daylesford – incredible food that fitted the surroundings beautifully. Gary was a breeze to work with.
Bar: Spade to Blade
Favours: Everland Favours Petal Confetti
Cake / Cake topper: Cheese board by Spade to Blade
Entertainment: The Baker Boys – incredible! Highly recommend having a four-piece band with a saxophone!
Transport: Little Daylesford Bus Company
Décor: Mostly sourced by bride or Scrub Hill’s own; Candles – A Little Light and Persian rugs from Good Day Club
Hire: Kyneton Marquee Hire
Honeymoon: Mini-moon – Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel Hepburn Springs. Honey Moon – Europe.
