There are a few things to note about this country NSW wedding at BoxGrove (the venue being one) but perhaps the most important takeaway is the emphasis Monica and Thomas placed on having a team of reliable and capable vendors that made their entire celebration "super chill".
"We found that with all of ours, they were like talking to friends", said Monica. From their celebrant to their cake maker, every one of their vendors delivered and helped to make this wedding what it was.
Captured beautifully by Heart and Colour, you can check it out below.
How did you meet? We met at Kings Hotel in Bathurst on “Cheeky Tuesday” night, one of Charles Sturt University's (CSU) regular social nights.
The proposal: We were on holiday at Kangaroo Island, traveling around in our touring setup. After spending the morning exploring, we pulled into Hanson Bay Beach; we were the only ones there, so we set up for lunch. After lunch, we went for a walk on the beach. Tom wanted to get a photo of us with the go-pro (this was totally normal as we were taking photos the entire trip), so Tom went to set up the go-pro on the sand dune; he finally came over to me and grabbed both of my hands and started getting saying some heartfelt things and the next thing I knew, he was on one knee pulling a ring out of his pocket!
Wedding venue: From the beginning, we knew we wanted to be out in nature, surrounded by gardens and flowers to enhance the natural look of the décor. The familiarity of the town was everything to us, and it was so special that it had meaning to us (Bathurst was where we first met).
The on-site accommodation and hair/beauty salon made it so much easier for us to choose BoxGrove. Having the styling package included was a huge plus, and the team at BoxGrove truly made the experience so seamless.
Wedding vibe: For our colour scheme, we went with soft pastels, whites, and beige as the main colours, which perfectly matched the modern garden wedding vibe we were aiming for - colourful, relaxed, fun, with great music and plenty of laughs. I think we nailed it!
Traditions: adopted, adapted or ditched? We went our own way a little! A few fun things we did were:
Making home brew beer and cider and bottling it up and creating our own labels and gifting as wedding favours was so fun, and our guests loved it!
We walked into our reception immediately and began pouring our champagne tower, with our guests standing and spinning their napkins in the air (this was an epic moment!).
Instead of a guest book, we used Off The Hook, and we couldn't recommend this enough to any couple. We dedicated a night to listening to the recording, and we were both in stitches from laughing and feeling the emotions from the day and the love all over again! It is such a unique idea.
Changing into a second dress (party dress!)
The love heart sunglasses were brought out on the dance floor, with our first letter initials and the wedding date written on the lenses. My maid of honour did her duty and ensured everyone had a photo in them; she then made an epic video!
We kept some traditions, such as having one of my Nana’s beautiful blue broaches clipped to my boutique. It was so special that a piece of her was with me on the day. Dad and I did an unrehearsed dance to “My Girl,” which was so fun. We ditched the bouquet toss and garter and stayed together the night before because we just thought it was odd if we didn’t, as we have been living together for seven years.
The outfit/s: My dress was by Allure Romance Collective, and I completely surprised myself with my chosen style! I knew I wanted something simple and timeless, and the moment I tried it on, I suddenly couldn’t hold back the tears. I was with my mum at the Adelaide Bridal Emporium; we made a weekend trip to Adelaide dedicated to dress shopping. It was the third place we went to on the day. The lady in the boutique dimmed the lights and put a veil on me, and it was just such a special moment I will cherish forever. On our wedding day, I felt so graceful and confident!
I also opted for a second dress, something lighter to change into for the dance floor, and I am so glad I did! The white sequin dress was from Meshki, and it was so fun!
Tom got his suit custom-made and incorporated a floral bowtie that matched the overall colour theme. He also had the inside pocket stitched with the wedding date, which was very special.
Standout vendors: ALL OF THEM! The entire process was easy, and the team at BoxGrove knew our vendors, and how they worked, so it was super chill for us.
Soundtrack: Aisle song: "Here Comes The Sun", by The Beatles.
Signing the documents: "Island In the Sun", by Weezer and "Kiss Me", Sixpence None The Richer. Recessional: "You’ve Got The Love", by Florence + The Machine. Reception entrance "On My Mind", by Mashd N Kutcher. Father / daughter dance: "My Girl", by The Temptations. First dance: "Love You For A Long Time", by Maggie Rogers.
Words of wedding wisdom:
Make decisions and move on! Don't spend too much time overthinking; this goes hand in hand with researching the right vendors for you! We found that with all of ours, they were like talking to friends.
As everyone says, the day goes so fast, and it does! So, enjoy the entire process; it is all about you! (both) Don't hold back!
Take time for each other on the day, find somewhere quiet to sit, take it all in together, and catch up a little!
I'll always remember... Tom said, watching me walk down the aisle, and for me it was hearing Tom’s personal vows. We both agreed that the whole day was just perfect; the atmosphere was full of love, and it was amazing!
Hit or (near) miss: A near miss would probably be one of our groomsmen almost knocking over our champagne tower! Long story short, for the reception entrance, our bridal party had the opportunity to be creative with their entrance, one of our groomsmen was doing backflips in the air and (according to sources) was super close to knocking our champagne tower over. I’m glad we didn’t see this, although the photos were great—super impressive!
Apart from that, everything went according to plan! (that we know of)!
Budget: We budgeted $40k and spent around $50k, which we were happy with!
The future: Just continuing to create the life we want and embracing the extraordinary and everyday moments that shape our journey together. It's about the thrill of camping trips, where we disconnect from the world to reconnect with each other, and the joy of creating a family one day, cooking together, walking the dogs, growing old, and looking back on all the memories.
