Oh do I have a treat for you this Monday morning! I hope you had nothing planned for the rest of your day because this seriously inspiring DIY wedding is going to have you pinning and wedding planning all day! In 3 words Jacqui & Matt described their celebration as rustic, fun & relaxed – and based on the fabulous photographs from Pixie Rouge Photography I think you could add perfect!

Married the 28th March this year Jacqui and Matt had just over 1 year to plan and pull off their rustic vision for their big day – and with all of the DIY projects they had planned they needed every minute, as well as all the help they could get from friends, family and loved ones! Jacqui describes the whole planning process as crazy, exhilarating and the most rewarding experience ever; and when you see all that they achieved you will understand why. From the aisle arch for the ceremony, and their succulent filled bouquets, to the doorway for their grand entrance to the reception and the fantastic flamingo-topped chalk board wedding cake, this wedding is DIY perfection and most importantly to the happy couple, ALL them!

Before we take a look at the rest of this rustic celebration, a few words from Anna of Pixie Rouge Photography, the lovely lady behind the lens of these fabulous photos….. “This bunch of beautiful misfits were such a delight to photograph, choosing such a stunning location of the Yarra Valley – Healsville. This was such a vintage DIY masterpiece  with Jacqui’s family, friends and bridesmaids at the ceremony busy all day setting up probably the most incredible ceremony set up I have ever had the pleasure of photographing at, with the sweeping views of the Yarra Valley as their back drop.

Of course a vintage wedding would not be complete without….well vintage cars, and these guys did just that! They had Mustangs, Fords a Cadillac and the cutest little Kombi on earth!”

“The boys, or should I say men were dressed in 3-piece dark grey suits, with light grey ties. A little personal touch was Matthew’s Star Wars Yoda tie. They really looked so handsome!”

“I had 5 bridesmaids – 3 beautiful friends who I have known from high school Rachael, Titama & Tash, and my two older sisters Megan & Nicole. I wanted a dress that everyone would feel comfortable in, as well as one that looked stunning, and these dresses by Lydia Bright, purchased online at ASOS were truly perfect for everyone. We also had our “cute as a button” flower girl Ruby, who wore a lace garden party style dress, and rocked it with her pink converse high tops with frilly party socks, and a massive heart shaped wand. So Gorgeous!”

“I adored my flowers, and could not have wanted more. I love succulents, so I wanted them to be a focal point of our bouquets. They were created with rustic/messy feel using cluster roses, daisy chrysanthemum, blue gum, statice and billy buttons in a colour palette that reflected the bush surroundings, with a hint of red, pink and yellow. Pia Linden and Vicious Vines really captured everything I was hoping for, and more.”

“My dress made me feel so glamorous! Inspired by some Anna Campbell gowns I had fallen in love with, it was lovingly made by a friend. With my accessories I wanted to keep everything really simple, my shoes were Badgley Mischka’s Naomi which have an art deco feel to them. My hair piece was painstakingly designed and handmade by my amazingly talented designer friend Natalie Burling, again keeping in that vintage/art deco theme I love.

For my something borrowed I actually wore my mums garter, a stunning lace little number, just beautiful as they were married 40 years ago, and still are married to this day. My beautiful mum gave me a gorgeous bangle to wear with aquamarine stones in it for my something blue.”

“Our venue is actually a private property, with rolling paddocks looking over the Yarra Valleys exquisite vineyards, but we were lucky enough to have our dreams answered when they said yes to us using it – the views were to die for.”

“My one stress was the weather! It had rained and rained in the days leading up to the day, and all of the morning!, then as we were driving to the ceremony the sun shone through the clouds…of course I had a cry. I thought if the sun shines now it’s going to be the most perfect wedding! When we arrived it took my breath away, the amount of work that my friends and family had put in to achieve this for us was unbelievable. I couldn’t honestly believe we had pulled this off!”

“My dad Greg gave me away, walking down the aisle. Those moments were a blur really, I only had eyes for Matt, he was all I wanted to focus on. He was crying, so was I – all happy tears!” Awww, nothing is more romantic than a groom giving in to a few tears! And understandably this was one of Jacqui’s favourite moments from the day.

“I loved all the music from our ceremony, many people commented asking who the artists were. The song I walked down the aisle to was from a UK folk artist called Ben Howard, the song “Only Love” simply perfect. The signing of the register was the Hawaiian version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, a song my mum pick to play at the reception, but I adored it so much I thought it was deserving of a part in the ceremony. And finally the song to walk up the aisle as the newly married couple was “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees…yes we boogied all the way! Ha!”

“The reception was decorated in a very rustic way. We had a sit down dinner in our fantastic 10m x 15m clearspan marquee with festoon lights hanging all throughout. The tables were dressed with crystal and silver candle holders collected over months and months of op-shopping, as well as our really rustic table “numbers” which were actually woodland animals painted on round cuts of red gum found out in the bush near Emerald, Victoria. The reception as well as the ceremony were designed and bought to life by my close friend Katie McMillan at Unwritten Page Events and Styling. She is amazing!”

“Our wedding cake was designed by Shannon Maes at Amaesing Cakes – 3 Tiers of Chocolate Mud and Salted Caramel Ganache. The design of the chalkboard with the words “All you need is love, love is all you need” was striking…and the best part were the handmade fondant bride and groom flamingoes sitting on top! Just spectacular, and a really different cake!” As was the couples entrance to their reception!…..

Pearls of Wedding Wisdom from the Bride…..

“The best piece of advice I was given was to take it all in, because the day goes so quickly! For me, this meant after a couple of glasses of champagne walking down the aisle again – as the first time I hadn’t noticed all the gorgeous little details through my tears…this was something I was so glad I did!

I would add, start planning early! I had over 12 months to plan and yes it was pretty much a DIY wedding but I couldn’t have done it with less time.”

“We had a fingerprint tree and also a polaroid guest book which my best friend and bridesmaid Titama organised it was such a thoughtful thing to organise for us as we had totally forgot to do a guest book.”

Tell us a little about your photographer….

“Well what can I say, about Anna from Pixie Rouge Photography…….the photographs speak for themselves. We wanted someone who understood what we wanted and rolled with that. We wanted laid back shots which captured the moment, nothing forced and unnatural. Our wedding photos are perfect!”

Wishing the happy couple Jacqui & Matthew every joy! A huge thankyou to them, and fabulous photographer Anna, for allowing me to share their wedding with you. Do follow Anna over on Facebook and Instagram to see more of Pixie Rouge Photography‘s work, or pop across to their website pixierouge.com.au.

Amy

x

Photography ~ Anna Turnock at Pixie Rouge Photography

Wedding Dress ~ Designed & created by a friend

Headpiece ~ Created by a friend

Bridal Shoes ~  Badgley Mischka (Naomi)

Planner ~ Katie McMillan at Unwritten Page Events and Styling

Bridesmaids Dresses ~ Lydia Bright from ASOS

Bouquets ~ Pia Linden and Vicious Vines

Hair – Family friend

Makeup ~ Kim at Allure Boutiq

Wedding Cake ~ Amaesing Cakes