Set among an award-winning olive grove and Wagyu beef farm, Rusty Gate Weddings is arguably one of the Bellarine Peninsula’s most unique wedding venues.
For Alex and Justin, it provided the perfect backdrop for their marquee wedding which Charlie & Co Flowers and Darling Don’t Panic brought to life with a giant floral installation and elegant place settings. Check out the entire celebration captured by Ed Sloane Photography below.
Alex and Justin – in a nutshell, how would you describe your wedding day?
Better than ever expected. It was the best day surrounded by all of our favourite people.
What did you expect was going to be your favourite part in the lead-up? What did it end up being?
Justin: I thought it would have been the actual ceremony, but it ended up being the speeches.
Alex: I thought the process of getting ready, having champagne and cheese with my mum and bridesmaids, but it turned out my fave part was dancing the night away at the reception. The whole day had such a relaxed party vibe
Did you write your own vows? If so, what made you decide to do that?
No, we modified the traditional ones to be more personal.
What was it about your wedding venue that made you choose it?
The backdrop of the ocean. Having such variety with the olive grove, gardens and ocean.
Now that you’re married, what’s your best piece of wedding-planning advice you can share?
Get ready early, you don’t want to be rushed out the door. And take a moment with just the two of you to take a deep breath, be proud of the day you’ve put together and enjoy each other. It goes by so quickly.
If you had your time again, is there anything you’d do differently?
Alex: I’d get ready earlier so I wasn’t rushing. Otherwise, it all went perfectly.
Finish these sentences…
My partner is…
Justin: The most amazing wife I could ask for.
Alex: The most determined man I’ve ever met.
The best thing we did at our wedding was… take a moment together away from the reception at sunset to let it all sink in. We could hear the acoustic music and laughter in the background while we watched the sunset over the bay.
We splurged on… flowers. We had a huge installation over our centre table made up of foliage and white flowers.
We saved on… wedding favours – we decided not to bother with these.
CREDITS: Photos Ed Sloane Photography // Ceremony and reception Rusty Gate Weddings // Flowers Charlie & Co Flowers // Catering and cake Truffleduck // Styling Darling Don’t Panic // Stationery Studio Silva // Bridal gown Cappellazzo Couture // Brides shoes Jo Mercer // Bridesmaid dresses Shona Joy // Groom and groomsmen suit Eddie Alias // Rings Sally Rose White Label // Hair and makeup Blondie // Music Ryan S Geelong Entertainment // Celebrant Tammy Goyne.
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Check out our round-up of unique Melbourne wedding venues here.
On the fence about whether to hire a wedding stylist? See what goes on behind-the-scenes here.
