You know the expression, there's no place like home? Well today's lovely couple Janine and Kiel took that expression quite literally when it came to planning their wedding as you will see. Their super creative Australian wedding will make you want to head down under for some outback festivities of your own! The amazing family home of Janine in Northern New South Wales sets the scene for this DIY wedding day. Add a very talented bride and groom, countless friends and family on hand to help and vintage accessories and you have a wedding with lots of Aussie country charm, romance and Janine and a Kiel's unique style! Deep Grey Photography were on hand to capture all the lovely details...
So how did this pair meet? Well like many love stories Janine and Kiel were introduced by a mutual friend....'We spotted each other while I was working at a massage stand in a busy shopping centre in Broadbeach. A mutual friend introduced us and we had an instant connection. We went out for a few months, then spent some time apart before Kiel finally realised that this was meant to be forever (I knew all along of course)'
I was fortunate enough to grow up on a beautiful property in Northern New South Wales surrounded by passionfruit vines, cane fields, and banana trees on the mountains around us. I wanted to feel as relaxed and 'familiar' as possible with our venue, so the choice was clear - there was no place like home.
Our wedding was specifically 'us'; using our creativity, family memorabilia, country hospitality, vintage collections, and our favourite food, music and people to create a celebration of who we are as individuals, and as a couple.
We had the ceremony under a great big camphor laurel tree near the house, had drinks and platters a short walk away from there, then the dinner reception was in the large barn that was draped and transformed by fantastic friends and family into the perfect mix of rustic country charm and fairy-lit romance. It was definitely a whole lot more work, stress and organising then if we'd hired a venue - but I wouldn't have had it any other way.
My father Barry and brother Chris have both passed away and I really missed that opportunity to have them with me, and walk me down the aisle that day. We lit candles for them during the ceremony, and I had my dad's wedding ring tied around my wrist for the day just to reinforce that sense of having him by my side on the special occasion.
There sure was plenty of love down under with Kiel looking every bit the smitten groom!
We love photography and creative imagery and could not risk being disappointed with how our special day was captured. So we researched loads of photographers and their portfolio's to find the quality and style that we'd be happy looking back over for the rest of our lives. Eventually we came across Deep Grey. Their images speak for themselves. They are stunning, candid, and really capture the essence of a moment. We hated the idea of the typical, awkwardly posed wedding photos - it was going to be a beautiful day full of love and happiness - no posing required for that!'
Janine's family home in Northern New South Wales was the perfect location for some beautiful photographs for their photo shoot with Deep Grey Photography.
Vintage chairs and suitcases' from Janine's grandparents and her own sourcing in op-shops and charity bins created a gorgeous range of authentic vintage style to the special day... One of my favourite things I loved doing in preparation for the wedding was spending hours hunting through op shops for vintage china, I managed to collect enough for all 100 guests to have their dinner and desserts from a mix-match of gorgeous old, detailed crockery - they were centre-pieces within themselves. I used my Nana's Royal Albert china, and her lace table cloth on the bridal table.
What a talented groom Janine has! Kiel is the Creative Director of the Potato Press, a graphic design company , so he was a dab hand at perfecting the details of his DIY projects! Personalised wedding invitations, illuminated 'Bar' sign at the reception, table decor, the outdoor signs all made out of old white picket fences, mock wooden moustaches and glassses for the some photobooth fun....to name a few!
It really was a team effort with this couple together with family and friends they created all the personal touches to make their wedding unique to them! Janine didn't shy away from some hard work making her own head piece and Kiel's bow tie! Janine's bridesmaid made the bunting for the guests entrance, her sister whipped up Mojitos for pre-wedding drinkies and a whole load of hand made activities to keep the kids entertained! The two mum's made a signature cake each for the big day while family and friends made desserts to make up the couples desert table. Janine's mum even crocheted hand-towels for the portaloos!
Any advice for future marrieds-to-be? "Make the day yours!... Anyone can have a picture-perfect wedding with all the things you 'could' or 'should' have ... but just do what is important to you. Use the array of fantastic wedding blogs for inspiration - but add your own twist to make it truly a day that celebrates everything about you."
A fantastic way to end the day, with a beautiful sky filled with the stars of the milky-way! Congratulations to Janine and Kiel on such a magical wedding day! And of course a big THANK YOU to Deep Grey Photography for sharing their work with us, they captured all the wonderful details of Janine and Kiel's day....and you can just feel that sun shining down on you!
All the Wedding Details
- Ceremony & Reception Venue: Janine's family property in Northern New South Wales
- Photographer: Deep Grey
- Cinematographer: Salvador Cantellano
- Styling/ Hire: Friends and family
- Hair stylist: Leah Wise @ La-Sorella-Robina
- Makeup artist: Alisha Holden
- Flowers: White Ivy Designs
- Stationery: Produced by Potato Press
- Celebrant: Sherryl Searles
- Caterers: Savior Fare Catering
- Wedding rings:Pandora and Jason Moss
