Good things come to those who wait and for Penny, 10 years of dating Dave culminated in an unforgettable wedding day at Mali Brae Farm – a show-stopping  Southern Highlands wedding venue in NSW.

“… the property was absolutely stunning!” says Penny who wanted to create a relaxed, honest and quirky vibe. “It had a great wet weather option (just in case)”, she adds.

But Mother Nature was on their side and their day, which was captured by the very talented folk from Across The Forest, turned out to be a huge success.

Tears flowed during the ceremony officiated by the wonderful Victoria Eustace from All We Need is Love and Penny glowed, thanks in part to the hair stylings of Boho Hair + Makeup (and also thanks to the general flush of love that hits you on your big day).

To top it off, this clever couple had the good sense to invite We Play Records to the party, who spun beats and had everyone on the dance floor well into the evening.

We chatted to Penny to get the full run-down.

Tell us about how you met and the proposal?

We met at Tafe studying graphic design at Enmore Design Center, 2004 – I think that’s 13 years ago! I was a week and a bit shy of my 18th birthday and Dave was just 19.

We first saw each other across the room on our first day, caught eyes a few times and throughout our first two weeks became increasingly inseparable. I was the one who asked Dave on a first date (yes me!). We went to the Museum of Contemporary Art and were too busy looking at each other to notice that we had stumbled into a few exhibitions without paying – oops! At the end of the day we kissed for the first time on the seats outside the museum. Since then, we have never been away from each other for more than two weeks. And I’m still not sick of his company.

Ten years into the relationship (I waited a looong time) Dave proposed on the steps of a pretty temple in Kyoto, Japan on one of our many travel adventures around the world.

What traditions did you involve during your big day?

As we were getting married by a celebrant we still wanted to keep a few small traditions alive. I walked down the aisle to a very traditional Greek wedding song called “Simera Gamos Ginete” which was played by a live band. Dave and I got married under a Jewish chuppah and we even smashed a glass each.

What advice would you give to other couples leading up to their big day?

Take it all in, the day goes so fast! Let the little things go, prioritise, have a checklist and delegate, you can’t do everything. Don’t get caught up on things that are not in your budget, there are other solutions. Remember what it’s all for in the long run…. you two getting hitched 😉

What does marriage mean to you?

Marriage for me means growing old with someone I love inside and out, who always has my back and who I can be myself with, even in my daggy pyjamas.  It’s something that I think Dave and I had thought about doing for a long time. It was our next step. Not that anything really was going to change, but it made our relationship feel more real, official, strong.

What was your favourite moment on your wedding day?

So many memories! I think the one that stands out for me was walking down the aisle with my mum and looking at all the faces of friends and family who were beaming with smiles. Then looking straight down the aisle to Dave and he was crying and then I started crying, lol!

Tell us any funny stories that surrounded your wedding?

Standing in my underwear, trying to get changed into my wedding dress, with help from my cousins while my family was walking into the room. Not funny at the time, just in hindsight… Mum fainted because she cut her finger while trying to mend my bridal flowers.

How did you find your venue and was the process difficult for you?

WedShed! Made it so easy to find a venue in the style we were looking for. We had looked at a few venues but this one suited us the best. It had a great wet weather option (just in case), we could still customise it to our style, the property was absolutely stunning!

To find more unique NSW wedding venues click here.

CREDITS: Photos Across The Forest // Ceremony and reception Mali Brae Farm // Catering Violets and Vinegar // Celebrant All We Need Is Love // Hair Boho Hair and Makeup // Makeup Helen Samaryan // Bridal gown Rue De Seine // Accessories Aacute // Grooms shoes Shoto // Brides shoes Lipstik // Suit MJ Bale // Music We Play Records.