For a wedding that was to be laid-back but not “overly vintage, or country”, Hayley and Marc chose Coronation Hall – a Queensland wedding venue where they were free to express their own creative flair and bring to life something more along the lines of “woodsy-eclectic”. Smashed it.
There was loads of greenery, mood lighting, super sweet wedding favours and DIY signage and, most importantly, one of the loveliest Rue De Seine gowns we ever did see – all of which was beautifully captured by Luke Going Photography.
Read on to hear all about how Hayley and her hubby pulled off this epic affair…
Tell us about how you met and the proposal?
After living in London for two years and doing as much travel as we could on weekends, we decided there was still so much to see so we purchased a van to travel Europe for six months. Literally living in each other’s pockets, we had our first day apart from one another when Hayley visited the local hairdresser. Given some alone time and the beauty of the spot where we were located, Marc’s mind got racing!
Upon returning to the campsite that afternoon (which was an amazing spot perched on a top of the hill overlooking a surf beach in Zarutz Spain near San Sebastian), Marc suggested an afternoon picnic on the hill to watch the sunset. Whilst watching the sunset and reminiscing that Zarutz reminded us a lot of Lennox Head (one of our favourite places in Australia), Marc decided the time was right and was down on one knee proposing. We celebrated with champagne at the ca
What DIY projects did you do accomplish for the wedding?
A lot (mostly on our behalf)! Our good friend Anita with our guidance undertook a huge amount for us (actually just about everything – she really is incredible!). The day before the wedding, Marc and I were out on our uncle’s property cutting / oiling slabs of wood for the centre pieces, candle holders, cake stand, cutting greenery for hanging ladders etc which was a lot of fun! Everyone was worried about me ruining my nails – I sure wasn’t!
What was your theme/inspiration/vibe for your wedding?
Hard to say a “theme” as such – the inspiration started with the stag rug (ceremony) found at a garage sale and progressed from there. We were conscious that we didn’t want it to be overly vintage or country. We knew we wanted greenery, wood and ambience with the lighting. End result – woodsy eclectic? Not really sure!
Vibe – laid back, party!
What traditions did you involve during your big day?
We did get Marc’s pop to do a reading which was very special for both of us (considering he nearly didn’t make it, given his car broke down on the way).
What advice would you give to other couples leading up to their big day?
Have an amazing friend (like we did) to bring all your ideas together! If you don’t have an amazing friend-come-wedding-planner – hire one! We wouldn’t have been able to do it by ourselves (especially from Melbourne). Selecting a location with phone reception would also help!
What does marriage mean to you?
After 10 years together, initially the novelty of calling each other husband and wife. Committing to bake for Marc (he asks me to all the time and don’t think I have once). It was one of my promises in our vows, so guess I have to now!
What was your favourite moment on your wedding day?
Our vows – laughter and tears. Marc shocked me by getting quite emotional which was very touching. Dancing the night away. Must admit, we did enjoy it once the spiced rum (Sailor Jerry) was brought out after the speeches and we could let our hair down and let the real partying and dancing start. We didn’t stop until sunrise.
Tell us any funny stories that surrounded your wedding?
Wedding crasher – being in a small country town I guess it is to be expected. He had a great time on the dance floor! He even tried to make it on the bus at the end of the night back to the after party!
How did you find your venue and was the process difficult for you?
We didn’t want a “stuffy”/formal, typical wedding venue and were very conscious that we wanted a venue where we could put our spin on it to reflect us. We found that many wedding venues were crazy expensive (the hall is $100 a day – bargain!) or had early curfews/noise constraints which were a massive deterrent given we wanted to party without these constraints! We saw a couple of other wedding venues, but fell in love with the hall and the surrounds straight away. Even though we knew it was going to be A LOT of work – we (or Anita I should say) were up for the challenge.
CREDITS Photos Luke Going Photography // Ceremony Braeside Farm // Reception Coronation Hall // Catering Pure Catering // Styling and stationery Laneway48 Event Planning // Bridal gown Rue De Seine // Brides shoes Novo // Jewellery Samantha Wills // Bridesmaids dresses French Connection // Groom and groomsmen suits Topshop and Roger David // Grooms shoes Dr Martens // Ties Roger David // Hair and makeup Heather Salloum // Music Andrew Taylor Music // Celebrant Erin Woodhall Celebrant // Transport Vintage Wagen // Videography A&Y Videography.
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