Real Weddings – Casey & Ben, Corowa, NSW

Join us in celebrating the love story of Casey and Ben, a tale that began with a swipe on Bumble and culminated in a beautiful union at the picturesque Corowa Whisky Distillery, a day filled with laughter, love, and unforgettable moments.

Surrounded by family and friends, Casey and Ben exchanged vows in a simple yet meaningful ceremony, with special touches like Casey’s grandparents signing the marriage certificate adding to the intimacy of the occasion.

The couple’s style inspiration came from the rustic charm of the distillery itself, leading to a wedding filled with simple yet elegant details that complemented the venue’s natural beauty.

Their favourite moment? The dance floor, of course! As Lionel Ritchie’s “All Night Long” filled the air, Casey and Ben found themselves surrounded by loved ones, their laughter mingling with the music as they celebrated their love in style.

Marriage, for Casey and Ben, is about having a best friend and partner in crime for life—someone who will always have your back and make every moment feel effortless. And as they danced the night away, surrounded by the warmth and love of their nearest and dearest, it was clear that they had found exactly that in each other.

The meeting.

In July 2019 we met on Bumble, no shame here! Casey’s friend Lorraine was swiping on her Bumble at work one day and swiped right on Ben. It was a match. We had our first date that weekend at The Harp of Erin in Kew for a pot and a parma.

The one.

Casey felt like she knew Ben was the one straight away, it was just easy. Conversation flowed, we had the same interests, same family values, everything aligned. Ben says he knew he found the one as soon as he swiped right.

The proposal.

While holidaying in WA, after a trip to Rottnest and Margaret River we finished our trip with a night in Perth’s CBD. Ben proposed at The Oyster Bar restaurant to Casey’s favorite song ‘Dancing in The Moonlight’.

Planning process.

Ben is from Wangaratta and Casey’s family has always had a holiday home in Corowa. We both love the Murray River region and spending time at Corowa and the surrounding wineries. We had both visited the Corowa Whisky Distillery and knew that’s where we wanted to have our wedding, so we locked it in straight away. Everything else flowed from there. We wanted to use a local photographer from the area who knew the venue and Ellie was the perfect choice. We wanted everything to be stress free so chose vendors who we could give creative right to who didn’t require much direction. We’re pretty laid back, so we locked in the big-ticket vendors like our photographer, entertainment, venue, celebrant, hair and makeup, then did a lot of DIY for the rest. We tried to save money where we could – we used our own cars and put ribbons on them, my brother-in-law drove one and my uncle drove the other. We made our own wedding cake, which was amazing. We made our own favours and place cards. Weddings are expensive so these small things made a difference!

Style inspiration.

Style wise, all inspiration came from the venue. The Corowa Whisky Distillery is a beautiful old flour mill which has been amazingly repurposed. We thought less is more as the venue is already so full of life. Simple yet classic florals to add to the beauty but not distract. Hurricane vases and pillar candles on the tables to accentuate the stunning fairy light nets in the reception room.

The ceremony.

Our ceremony was simple and to the point. We said to our lovely celebrant Kate very early on that we just wanted to say the legal stuff and get the hell out of there to the party, so it was pretty quick. Kate still managed squeeze in our story and set the scene which was lovely. Casey’s grandparents signed the marriage certificate, which was very special, it felt like such a nice way to honour them and include them in our day.

The outfits.

I had been following Made with Love Bridal on Instagram for years and I knew that their styles would suit me. I wanted something fitted, that I wouldn’t trip over and that I could comfortably dance in. Bonus points for a nice open back. We went to a few other bridal shops first, but I was hanging out for Made With Love and probably didn’t really give anything else a chance. When we got to Made With Love, I loved so many of their styles, but Ryder was for me. I am so happy with my choice; it was just perfect.

Favourite moment.

Our favorite moment would be the dance floor, towards the end of the night everyone was up and dancing. We had a big circle happening around us and the DJ was playing ‘All Night Long’ by Lionel Ritchie. It was just the best vibe and made us so happy to see everyone having a ball with us.

Meaning of marriage.

Marriage is having a best friend and partner in crime to be with forever. That person who you can depend on for anything, who will always have your back and it just feels easy.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle Song – To Love Somebody by The Bee Gees,

Reception entry song – Young Hearts Run Free (remix) by Candi Staton & Benji La Vida,

First dance – Dancing in The Moonlight by Toploader.

Funny stories (or near disasters).

Our wedding day happened to be the one random 37-degree day in November. It was sweaty. Our ceremony time was 4:30pm and it was still 37 degrees. I remember standing at the top of the aisle holding Bens hands and I could just feel the sweat running down my legs. The poor groomsmen were all in full tuxedos. After the ceremony our lovely photographer Ellie asked us to do a bridal party champagne spray photo. Ben popped the bottle and sprayed it directly into Casey’s face. It made for some pretty great photos but wasn’t great at the time. Luckily our makeup artist Connie is also a good friend who was a guest at the wedding, and she had the foresight to bring some touch ups for me.

Planning surprises.

I was surprised by how you book the vendors a year in advance but then really don’t hear anything from them for a long time. The month before your wedding everyone contacts you at once and it is a bit overwhelming. I’m not sure what I expected but there really is a big lull from booking vendors until all of the sudden the wedding is here and it’s all go time.

Words of wisdom.

Be organized and make a spreadsheet. You have to stay on top of everything or it will get out of hand. All of your vendors will contact you at once, make your own life easier and just have all of the information ready to go. We also made ‘Wedding Bibles’ for our wedding party and those who were helping out, these had everything they needed to know about the day in there. This included contact lists for wedding party and vendors, seating charts, individual responsibilities for the day and run sheets. Sounds crazy but they were heavily used and answered a lot of questions that people would be directing at the bride on the day.

Final words.

Since we got married at a Whisky Distillery, we had a whisky tasting hour during our reception. Our guests really got into it, and it definitely added a bit of gusto to the dance floor later on.

Who doesn’t love a country wedding! Georgia and Matt’s effortlessly elegant soiree unfolded just the way you’d hope for a dream day ten years in the making. Relaxed, romance-filled vibes coalesce with darling details to create a celebration both stunning in style and filled with upbeat emotion.

CASEY AND BEN’S SUPPLIERS

Ceremony + reception venue: Corowa Whisky Distillery

Bec is the venue manager there and she was amazing to work with. She provided us with guidance and wisdom as she is very experienced. No request was too hard and Bec made all of our dreams come true. Bec was there all night with us, she checked in to make sure everything was going how we wanted. We cannot thank her enough.

Celebrant/Officiant: Kate Mills

Kate is such a warm, kind soul. She made us feel comfortable every step of the way and it was a pleasure to have her.

Photography: Ellen May Photography

We are so so glad we chose Ellie to be our photographer. Ellie and her husband Ben were fantastic. She is so bubbly she made everyone feel at ease in fornt of the camera. She was the main hype girl of the day and had everyone feeling like a superstar. She knew the venue so well, all of the best spots and at what times. We had so many guests tell us how lovely Ellie was, she really made an impact on everyone. Her photos are insane, they are so beautiful and are everything we could have dreamed of. She captured us so well and really showed off the magic of the venue. Not only is she so talented but she is such a hard worker. I had an inbox filled with sneak peak photos by 4:50am the morning after the wedding!! Ellie is the best.

Videography: Retro Day

A cheaper alternative to a videographer. Retro day sends you two video cameras in the mail with a prepaid return parcel. You film your own content on an old school video camera, pop them back in the prepaid bag once you’re done and they edit the film and send it back to you. We love our wedding video it’s so great, our guests also had a lot of fun with the cameras.

Florist: Fig + Flora

Shaylee is so talented, our flowers were simple and classic but so beautiful. She decorated our arbor which didn’t distract from the beauty of the venue but just added to it.

Hair: Kelsey Mae Hair

Kelsey was fantastic, she was so efficient and followed everyone brief perfectly. The girls all picked their own hairstyle and she nailed them all. Everyone’s hair was perfect from start to finish.

Make Up: Conchita Fernandes

Connie is a good friend and we were so lucky to be able to have her do our makeup on the day as well as be a guest. Connie does my makeup for all of the big events in my life so I of course had to have her on our wedding day.

The Dress and veil: Made with Love Bridal

Shoes: Bared Footwear (both bride and groom)

Rings: Novita Diamonds and Ringwood Jewellers

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy

Suits: Ferrari Formal Hire

Entertainment: The White Tree