Rachel and Chris first met in her workplace, but struck up a courtship online before meeting and falling in love. Their journey has been what some might call unconventional (but really, what are conventions these days?) The beautiful upshot of that is, their gorgeous baby girl got to share in their wedding day!
Rachel has kindly shared her wedding planning story with us…
The Proposal
We were away for our birthday weekend at the Treehouses in Montville and I was 20 weeks pregnant. On the day Chris proposed we had our 20 week scan and found out we were having a … Girl! Chris was really quiet on the way home and I thought maybe he was wondering how he will cope with a mini me! When we got back to our treehouse, Chris gave me a book he had made with all the things he loves about me, and the last page said ‘will you marry me’.
Biggest Wedding-planning Priority
We wanted it to be a smooth sailing as possible – especially with a 1 year old. So picking a venue that could handle everything for us on the day was my number one, and also amazing flowers. We had booked everything 12 months before we got married and once we locked something in we never looked back at it.
Images by Julian Beattie
White on White Wedding Style
I didn’t really have a plan for our colour theme or anything. The girls dresses were originally navy but they had to change so when I picked white the flowers and styling just followed.
Stand-out Suppliers
Willow Bud, because Sandi is a dream and her team went above and beyond. Sandi was the florist for our friends wedding two years prior so I knew her work would be amazing. Flaxton Gardens, as everything went exactly how we discussed. Suzanne Riley (celebrant) made our ceremony flow and brought an amazing presence with her.
Advice For Other Engaged Couples
Trust in the suppliers you have picked as they have a lot of knowledge and experience. Try not to overthink the small things and don’t stress if things don’t go exactly to plan due to weather etc as sometimes the alternative is exactly what you always wanted.
What the Future Holds
We want to enjoy family time And spend time with our daughter, Halle. We did things backwards and already have the house and had a baby, so now we get to enjoy all those things together.
Wedding Secrets
Biggest splurge: Flowers! I trusted Sandi from Willow Bud, and new she would do an amazing job.
Best bargain: I got our invitations off Etsy and printed and cut them myself.
Bridal gown: LUV Bridal
Earrings: Etsy
Shoes: Country Road
Groom’s and groomsmen’s suits: Politix
Tie: OTAA
Groom’s shoes: RM Williams
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Forever New
Honeymoon: We haven’t had a honeymoon yet. We wanted to wait until our daughter was older but now Corona (Covid-19).
Number of guests: 70
Photography: Julian Beattie | Venue: Flaxton Gardens | Florist: Willow Bud | Cake: Chocolate2Chilli | Transport: Champers Rolls Royce Hire | Makeup artist: Makeup by Tihanna | Stationery: Etsy | Celebrant: Suzanne Riley Marriage Celebrant
Thank you for supporting our A-list Vendors below, who were part of Rachel + Chris’ wedding in the hinterland…
https://www.thebridestree.com.au/vendors/celebrants/suzanne-riley-marriage-celebrant-2/
