Real Wedding – Rosie & John, Hesse VIC
When you book a wedding venue as picturesque as Barunah Plains, it’s only human to want to utilise every jaw-dropping inch of it.
For Rosie and John, this meant planning a progressive dinner style wedding event that journeyed through four equally stunning areas of the historic homestead.
Guest transitioned effortlessly from the heartfelt ceremony held on the lawn, to cocktail hour by the pool, to a long lunch under an elegant marquee before rounding out the celebrations on a dancefloor beneath 1000 fairy lights in the woolshed.
The couple’s vision for a black-tie garden party with European summer energy was brought to life by a combination of natural textures and classic silhouettes, with accents of soft yellow and blue, all set to the soundtrack of a classic string quartet.
Dive into the effortlessly glamorous gallery shot by Sahra James Photography below, and swoon over the way her documentary style captured everything from the intentional, aesthetic details to the organic in-between moments.
The meeting.
John and I were both hired at the same time in 2015 by our now best friend Jac. She ended up being the MC at our wedding and our friend Luke, who we also worked with in the early days of dating, was our officiant. Those early days of dating and spending time with our mates were super fun. Lots of dinner dates, lots of long nights in Melbourne’s bars and lots of movie nights.
The ‘one’.
John was a slow burn for me – I really thought we’d just have a fun little office romance in our early 20s. But he provided a level of deep comfort and stability I didn’t know I needed. There wasn’t a specific moment, but some of the things that made me know I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him were that his friends always leaned on him for advice and support, he is wildly obsessed with dogs and I can do anything I want in this world and he will support it. For him, he said I push him out of his comfort zone, love with my whole heart and always have his back.
The proposal.
It was 6am and we were in bed on a Saturday morning at my grandparent’s home, back in my hometown in New Zealand. It was so special to be able to share the news with them first. Long story short, he had tried to propose the night before a few times, but I ended up getting champagne tipsy with a girlfriend and then we had a big day with about 30 family and friends that Saturday. He wanted to do it just the two of us, so 6am was the only time left. It wasn’t aesthetically beautiful, but it was honestly perfect. My mum had arranged dinner in an art gallery for that evening, which was the perfect end to the best day of our lives.
Planning process.
Oh wow – it is QUITE the process. Anyone considering DIY venues, just know it doesn’t often end up cheaper or easier! I am very type-A, so I had a PowerPoint and a 15-tab Excel spreadsheet, but yeah, I certainly overengineered it. I think my family and friends are probably so relieved it’s over.
Style inspiration.
Our vision was for a black-tie garden party with European summer energy. The overall mood was created through soft, natural textures and classic silhouettes, using soft yellows and blues as the accent colours of choice. Stylistically, we wanted to complement the gardens. We really planned the wedding around the venue, and we wanted to transition between a romantic and refined ceremony, to a fun and heartfelt long lunch, to a wild dance-floor reception. The venue manager choked a little when we said we wanted to use all four areas of the venue – I now understand why.
With the ceremony held on the lawn and cocktail hour by the pool, we wanted curated styling elements like scalloped umbrellas, ground floral scapes, and a soft blue and yellow colour palette. The long lunch under the marquee brought that sense of European summer leisure – three communal tables set for our guests with shared meals. One thing that was really special is that John decided to take my last name. And so this was something we wanted to surprise people with. We DIYed a photowall nearby with ‘The Browns’ stitched into it, thanks to my incredibly talented mother. And safe to say most people who posted a photo of the wedding were in front of this backdrop. John and a good friend of ours also hung 1000+ fairy lights in the woolshed for the reception/ “after party” it was stunning. I had always wanted a sky full of fairy lights, and boy, did they deliver.
The ceremony.
Walking down the aisle was one of the highlights of the day. I had this total wooosh effect where I could see all the guests and then all of a sudden it was just John and I. He was all I could see and feel. It really was a magic moment that made me glad we decided against a first look (which was something I went back and forth on a lot). The ceremony itself was stunning – the ‘floor flowers’ (I am sure there is a far more chic name for those) were just so beautiful, and I literally gasped when I saw how well Blue Hydie had done at taking my Pinterest board and making it a reality.
The outfits.
Oh my goodness, I do not exaggerate here when I say I tried over 40 dresses on. It was so hard for me to choose because I had felt like I had ‘seen them all.’ I’ve attended over 50 weddings (either as a guest or as a content creator), so I didn’t want to feel like I was wearing something I’d seen before. In addition to that, both my mother and grandmother have had careers in textiles – so we can be a bit picky about the quality of fabrics.
The Bleu collection from J Andretta had been on my Pinterest board since before we were engaged. But the dress was a little out of budget. It took me trying on dozens of other dresses to just take the leap and book an appointment with them. As soon as I tried the dresses on, I knew it was for me. I wanted something that I felt like I could move in – I wanted to feel like I could dance, move and be dipped all over the dance floor. We had about eight fittings over the year, I’d fly up to Sydney for appointments with Mel and the team and they made the whole experience just magical.
My reception dress was actually a last-minute decision. I had tried on so many and nothing felt quite right. But I just knew something was out there. It arrived eight days before the wedding – so some urgent fittings were done – and honestly, I love it as much as my ceremony dress.
John’s suit was from YSG Tailors and they did an incredible job and made him feel really comfortable throughout the whole process.
Another special touch was that my mother’s outfit was made from fabrics her late mother (my grandma) had collected over the years. It was a really beautiful way to honour her on the day. She also made a bag out of fabric from her wedding dress, her sister’s wedding dress and both of my grandmother’s dresses, so that was beyond special.
Favourite moment.
This one is EASY. I asked my 90-year-old grandfather to sing a song at dinner, and my brothers joined him to support. He sang I Love You – Frank Sinatra’s version and he had everyone singing along. Literally everyone was in tears, it was beautiful. The funny part was the music cut out halfway through and my brother got a bit carried away and took the lyrics sheet of my grandad so when you watch it back on video it isn’t as perfect as the version of it in my head. Just goes to show that not everything needs to be perfect to be magic.
Meaning of marriage.
Deep commitment, friendship and partnership. It’s a ‘I will always be here, no matter what’ energy.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: If I Had a Gun – Noel Gallagher
First dance: Bring It On Home To Me – Sam Cooke
Reception entry: Because The Night – Patty Smith
Planning surprises.
DIY weddings are not easier or cheaper.
Words of wisdom.
Here are some things we didn’t worry about, which I have no regrets about:
Matching suits and dresses for the bridal party. We just asked everyone to pick an outfit that made them feel amazing within the colour palette and mood board.
Ensuring our vows ‘matched’ in length. Mine were double and it didn’t matter.
Getting our friend to be our MC, and our other friend to be our ‘celebrant’. We did our legal signing earlier in the week – and it just meant we got to extend the celebration all week.
General advice:
No one cares about your wedding as much as you do! If you start to take things too personally, you’ll just be upset.
I know this one comes from a place of privilege – but don’t sweat the small costs. If one caterer costs $20 more than another, or a photographer costs $300 more, you won’t care in a year from now.
ROSIE & JOHN’S SUPPLIERS:
As a wedding Content Creator myself, I thought I had the absolute upper hand on knowing about the wedding industry, but I ended up almost stuck for choice. I turned to the Melbourne Brides Facebook group, Ivory Tribe and TikTok and Instagram too.
Venue – Barunah Plains
Photography – Sahra James Photography – Where do I start with Sahra? She was the best decision of our day. I actually cannot believe our wedding photos are ours. They exceeded my wildest dreams. Everyone loved her, and she even managed to get some smiles out of my usually stoic husband. I think the thing I liked the most about Sahra on the day was she really is a documentary photographer – she captures the in-between moments so beautifully and doesn’t demand the attention of the room. She let the day flow but still managed to deliver everything we wanted and more. Honestly, I cry just thinking about how lucky we were. I would choose her 1000 times over.
Entertainment – Behind The Veil Music (String Quartet and DJ) – We were so lucky to win – via an Instagram competition – a string quartet and our DJ from Behind the Veil. In particular, the quartet was beyond beautiful, and not something I would have initially considered, but wow it made such a difference to the polish of the day. We were so grateful for the team there, they are complete professionals.
Florist – Blue Hydie Florist – Thuy from Blue Hydie is a literal angel on earth. Not only is she the most lovely human ever, but she also totally exceeded anything I could have ever asked for from our florals. As soon as I spoke with her, I trusted her completely and gave her FULL creative control. We didn’t have a massive budget for florals as the garden’s did a lot of the heavy lifting, but she completely brought my Pinterest board to life. Another 10/10 vendor who I would recommend and use time and time and time again.
Bartenders – St Sahla – St Sahla brought the VIBES. At one stage someone asked me “wait isn’t that your bartender twerking on the dance floor?” Which was exactly what we had briefed to them. They balanced sophistication and class through the first half of the day and then as the sun went down we really wanted the energy to shift. They made that happen.
Content Creator – I Do Socials – This is my own wedding content creation company and so naturally I used the incredible Bree from our team. It would sound too much like a plug to go on about how great she was, but all I can say is running around for 10-hours on a 37-degree day with your type-A boss getting married is no easy task. I love you, Bree.
Ceremony dress – J Andreatta – The dress of my dreams! I have never felt more beautiful. Jess, Mel and the amazing team at J Andretta were so, so, so wonderful to work with. From the custom lace, colouring, numerous re-sizings and about eight fittings, the whole process was magic. There are many expenses you have in a wedding where you really ask yourself, “I am paying how much… for this?” But with my dress, the service, the quality and the overall feeling when I wore the dress was worth every penny.
Reception dress – Helsa Studio
Bridal shoes – Neous
Groom suit – YSG
Hair – Emma Claire Bridal – Emma deserves a special shout-out for being a total darling. It was a 37-degree day, and I wanted a half-up, half-down curl in my hair… my hair doesn’t usually hold curls. But Emma worked her magic and I honestly have never felt more beautiful. She nailed it. She was the perfect energy on the morning of too – really calm, really warm and honestly, I wished she could have stuck around for hours.
Make-up – Jessica O’Donnell, Grace Gniel, Kelsey Monea
Catering – Soft Cafe
Event coordinator – Big Day Co
Funiture – Elderberry Events
Glamping – Happy Glamper
Toilets – Geelong Coastal Hire
First dance lessons – Geelong School of Dance
Tan –The Sorority
Legals only celebrant – Tracy Ellis
