A N A & B E N
{Pretty Up!}
Floral guitars, rustic ladders and rich shades of plum created a truly unforgettable wedding for Ana and Ben.
F R O M T H E B R I D E . . .
We first met…
We met at our college café, he was trying (and failing) to pick up one of my friends! I wasn’t into him at first, so we were “just friends” for a long time.
We knew it was love…
We were at a close friends’ party and stayed up well past 3am just talking about what we really wanted out of life, our ambitions and what we believed in. We were both really surprised to find we had so many similar goals, that was our “light bulb” moment that really gave me confidence to admit that I was falling in love with him.
The proposal…
I hate celebrating my birthday. It was my 21st and Ben had planned a treasure hunt for me that took me to places that meant something special to us, like where we had our first date, our first kiss, where we wanted to get married, and so on. The hunt ended up in Ben’s backyard where he had set up an outdoor cinema with dinner. It still didn’t click to me that he was actually going to propose. Once we had finished watching “The Vow” (how could that not have been an obvious clue?), he said that he wanted to give me a new reason to be happy on my birthday and then he proposed!
T H E W E D D I N G . . .
Our dream wedding…
We wanted something simple with a kind of romantic and rustic elegance. Ben and I both love deep purples and reds so initially that’s what we had in mind. From the start we knew we wanted it to be a casual family affair with a banquet dinner and live music.
Reception decor…
I really have to hand it to Daisy from Pretty Up! She really ran with Ben and my simple ideas and in turn came up with things that were both classic and personal to us. We decided on a ‘Rustic Romance’ theme that included rustic, DIY, vintage pieces with deep, rich colours like plum, purple, green with accents of gold.
We had three long trestle tables with mahogany Tiffany chairs spread across them were handmade wooden planter boxes filled with flowers over a hessian table runner. There were candles and smaller capiz shell vases filled with baby’s breaths spread across the table as well. For Ben and I we had our own “sweetheart” table, with a mirror behind us that read “Mr & Mrs” and vintage ladders decorated with flowers, twine and candles.
We also used these rustic ladders during the ceremony. Around the room we had many different photos of us to show our journey together with gold spray painted bottles we collected throughout engagement period. The photos, candles and bottles vignettes gave it a very homely and personal feel.
We also had hanging guitars that had flowers spilling out from it on the walls which were a feature on the back wall. This was customised for us as we are both in a band called Hurst so incorporating music was personal and unique to us. Other music elements included in our wedding decor were the wishing well was my first guitar case, the guest book/item to sign was Ben’s first bass head and the paper cones filled with petals for the ceremony were made from music sheet paper.
Reception venue…
Our reception took place in the Hayshed at Tocal Homestead, Paterson.
We instantly fell in love with Tocal Homestead from the moment we drove into the property. It’s a beautiful property with fields that stretch towards the horizon. It was so far removed from everything, but had enough landmarks and quirky bits that allowed our guests to gallivant and enjoy the property.
Bridal party…
We had three bridesmaids and three groomsmen.
The bridesmaids wore..
I let my bridesmaids have free reign for their dress choice. I told them what kind of colour I wanted them to have and they ended up with a violet gown from Myer.
The groom and groomsmen wore…
All of our groomsmen were wearing suits and accessories from Roger David. Two of them had never really “suited up” before, so suit shopping was a really exciting time for them. Go figure! Ben also had his suit from Roger David, however his coat was from ASOS.
The dress…
My inspiration was to go for an ethereal goddess look. I wanted a gown that flowed and was understated. I have pretty minimalist personal taste, so I went with a strapless love heart shaped bodice and a Grecian Goddette skirt from The Babushka Ballerina.
I had my heart set on a dress from The Babushka Ballerina, however, when I finally tried it on, I hated it! So our assistant ended up experimenting with separate pieces on me and built the gown. What really made the gown ‘the one’ was the veil. My mum picked a long lace trimmed veil to represent my Spanish heritage. As soon as I tried it on, we all knew that that was it. The veil set the tone, and I was so happy with it.
Accessories…
Aside from the veil, we picked a beautiful handcrafted belt made by Bride la Boheme that was adorned with pearls and crystals. I felt the pearls added a real grace to the overall look of the gown without being too flashy. In addition, Ben gifted a pair of pearl earrings for me to wear on the wedding day.
Wedding flowers…
Prior to the wedding planning, I had zero idea as to what I wanted. I knew that I loved foliage and that I wanted deep reds and purples. Our florist, Sharen ended up collaborating with our Stylist, Daisy and they came up with really beautiful bouquets and planter boxes for the reception. My bouquet was astounding; it was incredibly beautiful and well balanced in colour. I also loved the addition of succulents to the bouquet and for the groomsmen. We kept our bridesmaids bouquets really simple with Baby’s breath.
On the menu…
We had a banquet style dinner. We wanted it to feel like you were at your grandma’s house where you ate what you want, and however much you wanted.
Bonbonniere…
We gave each of our guests Toffee Apples made by Cherie D’Arrigo, which also functioned as place cards. They were inspired by the surrounding agriculture of the area.
Memorable moments…
Both the food and band were amazing. It was just a quality evening filled with lots of love, laughs and dancing.
The wedding night…
We stayed at Orchard House about 30 minutes from the venue. It was a cosy holiday house with its own fruit orchards, chimney, spa and pool.
M A R R I E D L I F E . . .
The honeymoon…
We went to Melbourne for a few days, and then went cruising to Vanuatu & New Caledonia.
Plans for the future…
We now live in the Hills District. We’re currently saving up to move and work overseas. We’re still tossing up if we want to go to the US or the UK.
MW x
Wedding Stylist Daisy May from Pretty Up! Photography Tim Engelbrecht from Hello Sweetheart Bride’s Dress The Babushka Ballerina Bridesmaids’ Dresses Myer Groom’s Suit Asos and Roger David Reception Location Hayshed Function Centre, Tocal Homestead, Paterson NSW Ceremony Location Tocal Homestead, Paterson NSW Flowers Sharen Souter Cake KISweets Décor Pretty Up! & DIY Stationery Beth Weynberg Bonbonniere Cherie D’Arrigo made the Toffee Apples and the name tags with attached by my bridesmaids (DIY) Music Michael Duschesne