C A R L A & J O S H U A
It was on a warm sunny day in March that Carla and Joshua celebrated their relaxed country wedding at Lindenwarrah in Victoria.
First comes love…
Joshua and Carla met at work and instantly became friends. “Josh would say I won him over with coffees, but I would tend to disagree and hope it was charm,” says Carla. Eventually, as these things often do, their close friendship developed into love. “We have always been able to laugh at each other and have always loved being in each other’s company,” revealed Carla. The pair sealed the deal over a relaxed picnic, where Josh surprised Carla with his proposal.
Then comes marriage…
“Josh and I knew we wanted a vintage style wedding, but most of all we wanted a relaxed feel to the day,” says Carla. The two envisioned a colour palette of pastels with the addition of lace, vintage books and lots of candles to create an intimate atmosphere. “We had a family dinner at a local Italian restaurant the night before and then all headed off to bed early to prepare for the big day.”
They held their intimate ceremony in the lush gardens of Lindenwarrah at Milawa, in country Victoria. “We were married under the most stunning tree, which gave us the perfect backdrop for our wedding day.” To create their vintage atmosphere they enlisted the help of furniture hire companies Gather Vintage Hire and Sweet Kandy Jar.
“Being a warm March day our guests were welcomed with a vintage inspired lemonade stand to refresh prior to the ceremony. We also hired vintage cinema seats for our guests and exchanged our vows under a fabric draped wooden arch with a vintage chandelier. The atmosphere was intimate and the venue was flawless,” says Carla.
Every bride needs a tribe…
Carla and Josh were flanked by three bridesmaids and three groomsmen on their wedding day – all either close childhood friends or part of the family. After changing out of their vintage robes – which Carla had purchased for their getting ready – the bridesmaids slipped into their strapless floor-length gowns (all in a different pastel colour). “It was so much fun relaxing in our gorgeous robes sipping champagne before it all got hectic,” said Carla. “The bridesmaids’ dresses were purchased from Swish Clothing and were one of the easiest purchases we made.” Carla says it took her bridesmaids under 30 minutes to choose a style they all felt comfortable in and then the colour they each preferred. “I didn’t want them to feel like they looked the same, and I wanted my bridesmaids to feel confident and beautiful,” she said.
Josh’s groomsmen wore dark navy blue pants, a cream shirt and tan leather belt by Jack London. “We wanted our groomsmen to look relaxed, so each groomsmen wore a light blue chambray bow tie from a great Australian tie company we stumbled across, OTAA.” Josh looked dapper in a dark navy blue suit with suit jacket by Jack London, paired with the same cream shirt, tie and tan leather belt as his groomsmen.
Here comes the bride…
“I instantly fell in love with an Ivory vintage inspired lace Anna Campbell dress,” says Carla. She brought the dress from the Melbourne Anna Campbell store, but says it was difficult to choose only one gown. “I had a single tier full-length veil with a hand beaded vintage comb; a hand beaded embellished cuff and Samantha Wills earrings.”
A relaxed country setting…
To keep with their vision of a relaxed day Carla and Josh hosted the ceremony and reception at the same venue. “Our ceremony was held late in the afternoon and then our guests moved to the courtyard after the ceremony for drinks prior to canapés and the reception. We wanted the afternoon to be free flowing for our guest so they felt relaxed.” Following canapés in the candle lit courtyard everyone celebrated the reception at Lindenwarrah’s Restaurant Merlot.
“We opted for a sit down meal, which was mouth watering,” said Carla. Lindenwarrah provided a flawless menu on the night; starting in the courtyard with Champagne and canapés, with the guests then moving into the restaurant once entrée was served.
That old country charm…
Carla’s bridal bouquet was an assortment of soft coloured flowers wrapped in a coloured vintage ribbon. She used the ribbon to tie her mother’s ring to the bouquet, as a way of having her close on the day. The bridesmaids bouquets were made up of baby’s breath wrapped in twine.
“Our tables were long, full of tea light candles and vintage milk vases. We decorated with pastel flowers, ivy, vintage books, vintage wooden crates and again lots of candles. We set up vintage games on the grass area for our guest to play and had a photo booth with vintage props. We wanted everything to have a personalised touch and to be a beautiful night for those who joined us in celebrating,” says Carla.
Memories made to last…
“The most memorable part of our day would have to be Josh’s look of excitement when he saw me walked down the aisle, it was priceless,” remembers Carla. “Neither of us like being the centre of attention, but for that moment it felt like we were the only two there.”
A European honeymoon escape…
Carla and Josh spent five blissful weeks discovering and eating their way through Italy. “It was amazing, to say the least, and we enjoyed every minute of it. We then spent one week in Paris, it was definitely the city of love and food,” says Carla.
Wise words for wedding planning…
“Josh and I had a long engagement,” says Carla. “This gave us plenty of time to gather ideas and to save so we could afford what we wanted.” When it came to planning she says you can’t be too organised. I found inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram. I found gathering ideas and knowing what stores had what I wanted made the whole experience a breeze. I knew exactly what shops to shop in before I even stepped out the door.” On the wedding day Carla’s advice for brides-to-be is to relax and let all of your planning unfold over the day. “The only thing you can do is smile and enjoy it!”
Photography: Blissful Love Photography / Location: Lindenwarrah at Milawa / Flowers: The Rutherglen Wedding Company / Cake: Oh Crumbs / Furniture hire: Gather Vintage Hire / Sweets: Kandy Jar / Invitations: Personally Invited / Wedding Dress, accessories and makeup: Anna Campbell & Samantha Wills / Makeup: Katrina Vitullo / Groom’s suit and accessories: Jack London / Bow Ties: OTAA / Dressing gowns: Homebodii / Gown: Swish clothing