Real Wedding – Pip & Rich, Euroa VIC
Be swept away by Pip and Rich’s dream day in the country town of Euroa.
Bringing a party vibe to a black-tie soiree, Pip and Rich set about creating a day that allowed them and their guests to truly enjoy themselves.
They thought about all the weddings they had attended themselves and took elements they loved from each, to bring together a sublime celebration.
Elsa Campbell captured all the magic moments and be sure to check out Pip’s incredible tips for your own wedding day, that won’t cost a cent – now who doesn’t love that?
In Pips’ words…
The meeting.
We met at work but didn’t start dating until a year after we first met.
The ‘one’.
I knew I’d found the one when I booked a weekend away to Tasmania a few weeks into our relationship (without asking him) and he didn’t bat an eyelid.
The proposal.
Rich told me we were going away somewhere for my birthday, so I knew I was in for a surprise. However, when I opened my birthday card in bed, not only did it say that we were going to Thailand in 2 days but also asked me to marry him.
Planning process.
We got engaged and married on my birthday a year apart. It wasn’t intentional but happened to work out that way with the venue.
Style inspiration.
We knew we wanted a black-tie wedding and for it to be as much outdoors as possible. We also knew we wanted a big party vibe and for our guests to really enjoy themselves. We tried to combine as many elements of the weddings we loved as possible, by writing our own vows, having a longer cocktail hour, dancing before dinner, short speeches and espresso martinis for dessert.
Favourite moment.
Walking down the aisle and seeing all our family and friends (and my husband to be!)
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle – Chateau – Angus and Julia Stone
Reception Entry – One more time – Daft Punk
First dance – Ces petits riens – Stacey Kent.
Planning surprises.
We thought we wouldn’t get stressed by the wedding planning process, but it turns out that planning a large event by yourselves with no event planning experience takes its toll! Two weeks out we were wishing we had just eloped, but we ended up pulling it off without a hitch and it was truly the best day. We wouldn’t change a thing.
We were both surprised that we found we couldn’t eat on the night, so after all the planning of the menu we barely had a mouthful of food!
Words of wisdom.
The parts of our wedding that people enjoyed the most were things that didn’t cost money. We created a booklet with a few funny facts about each guest which were an icebreaker when the guests sat down for dinner. This took lots of time but was essentially free to do and what everyone was raving about. You don’t have to spend lots of money to add unique touches.
We also picked an entry song for each of the paired-up groomsmen and bridesmaids and asked them at the rehearsal the night before to make up a short entrance dance. It was impromptu and very funny and resulted in some of the best pictures of the night!
We both agree that the best tips would be to get everyone up dancing early, keep the speeches short and sweet and have a cocktail hour at 10pm.
PIP AND RICH’S TRIBE
Ceremony and reception venue: Euroa Butter Factory, Euroa
Celebrant/Officiant: Isabella Henricus. I met Issy through a mutual friend. We clicked instantly at our first meeting and knew that she would be the perfect person to marry us. Even though Issy is based in Geelong she happily travelled to Euroa for us and went the extra mile to prepare a wonderful ceremony that was true to us as a couple. Her efforts to get to know our families and introduce herself to guests on the day is testament to her wonderful nature.
Photography: Elsa Campbell. I first saw Elsa’s work on Instagram and loved her style of photography. We didn’t get a chance to meet until the wedding day itself but that wasn’t a problem – her calm presence and professionalism was just what we needed on the day. We treasure the photos she captured.
Videography: Oliver Manton. Ollie is currently videoing weddings as a side hustle. For a young guy he was very professional and did an amazing job with our video, we are so pleased we engaged him last minute.
Florist: Georgie Campbell. I loved the bouquets that Georgie created and the fact that they had cotton in them!
Hair: Natalie Jaye Hair. I knew that I wanted relaxed waves for both myself and my bridesmaids, and Natalie nailed the brief, doing a slightly different style to suit each bridesmaid. Natalie specialises in weddings so I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about, her communication was excellent leading up to the day and she happily travelled the two hours to Euroa, which was extremely hard to find!
Make Up: Sarah McFaddern. Sarah is exceptionally talented and lots of fun, so after meeting her through a mutual friend I knew she would be perfect to have around on the wedding morning. Sarah is a perfectionist and we did two trials to make sure my desired style of “natural but photogenic” would work on the day! The bridesmaids looked absolutely stunning.
The Dress: Marquise Bridal. Marquise Bridal. After trying on around 130 dresses in every style imaginable in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, New York and LA, I fell in love with the simple, elegant and sexy style of Megan’s gowns and her down to earth nature. I had lots of fun having my dress made with Megan, who to make sure it fit perfectly.
Bride’s Shoes: Sol Sana
Rings: Bride’s wedding rings Lucy Folk. Groom’s ring: Diamondline
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Finders Keepers the Label
Bridesmaid’s shoes: Country Road / Senso
Groom’s suit: Angela Nicolades
Groom’s Shoes: Jenner
Catering: Euroa Butter Factory, Euroa
Bar: Euroa Butter Factory, Euroa – The staff at the EBF went above and beyond your to make sure we were relaxed on the day and that everything ran smoothly.
Stationery / Signage: State of Elliot
Entertainment: Band : M and the Best Men. Mariah and her band were amazing, the jazz set they played kicked off the dance floor, which was lead by the grandparents of all people. I asked Mariah to learn an acoustic version of Chateau by Angus and Julia for the aisle song a week out from the wedding. I heard her sing it for the first time as I was walking down the aisle and it was simply incredible.
DJ: Duck Duck Loose (Will Anderson) Will is a friend of ours and was also a guest at the wedding. He brought two hours of power to the dance floor at the end of the night. Will has the best energy and plays something for everyone whilst avoiding cliche wedding songs. The best part was when the venue called last song after we were already well overtime, Will played an 8 minute version of Africa-Toto to really drag out the night!
Hire: Table Art
Marquee: Bourke Hire
Honeymoon: Minimoon – Byron. Maximoon – Italy
