Ashlee & John's Ferguson Farmstay Wedding

Ashlee & John's wedding located at the beautiful Ferguson Farmstay (John's family farm) has that gorgeous classic look so many of us dream of. A colour palette of deep reds and blues makes this wedding. Ashlee wore a classic strapless Mariana Hardwick gown paired with a custom veil with lace applique to match her dress. Scroll down for more gorgeous photos by Olivia Treasure Photography, a perfect proposal and some great advice from Ashlee...

THE DRESS "My main criteria was a timeless look, nothing sexy, something sophisticated, elegant and classic. I only came to realise what I really wanted after trying a few on to see what suited me, but Samantha was fabulous with helping me make the decision!"

HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET? "We met through my sister and her husband only a little over 2 years ago! Both men were racing in the Cape to Cape mountain bike race in Margaret River and I went along to cheer my brother-in-law on. I got chatting to John after the race at Prevelly Beach, and mentioned I would be keen to give mountain bike riding a go. He took the hint and we went on our first “date” for a mountain bike ride the very next week!"

THE PROPOSAL "John took me back to Prevelly Beach for the first time since we met there 2 years ago, under the pretence of a weekend away with my sister and her family (he even had my sister ask me to come with them, as if it was her idea, so my suspicion would not be sparked!!). He took me down to the beach at Surfers Point where we had had our first conversation, and there he had arranged my mum, dad and sister to set up a beautiful picnic, complete with champagne and flowers. It was a beautiful moment, and little did I know my brother was capturing photos from a drone. We then went out for dinner in Margaret River, and to my surprise when we walked into the restaurant, my Mum and Dad, sister and husband, brother and wife, and my best friend and her partner were all there to celebrate with us! What a beautifully organised evening. He had even picked the most perfect ring. What a man!"

FAVOURITE MOMENT "I have a few favourites from the day, although so hard to pick because the day was just perfect. We came to realise that newly married couples aren’t exaggerating when they say it really is the best day of your life!! I loved “the kiss” and that walk back down the aisle hand-in-hand, as a newly married couple, realising “we’re married!”. Our entrance into the reception venue gave me absolute tingles, and brought tears to my eyes. Having 100 people on their feet, clapping and cheering and sending you all their love as you’re announced as a married couple is absolutely overwhelming!! I also loved our first dance. We had practiced a simple little routine and were both pretty nervous about it, but when we got to that final dip with everyone cheering we both had that lovely feeling 'we did it!'."

THE VENUE "We got married at John’s family farm, the Ferguson Farmstay. It was an easy choice."

FAVOURITE DETAILS "It’s an amazing feeling having chosen all your details in the lead up to the wedding, and finally seeing them all come together on the day. I absolutely loved the red of my bridesmaids dresses, with the blue of the boys' suits, and my florist Claire matched the flowers so beautifully."

ADVICE FOR FUTURE BRIDES "Photos and video footage!! We made sure people knew we were comfortable with them taking photos and videos of the day, none of the popular “unplugged” rules! We received such beautiful and candid shots from many of our guests, including many moments that our photographer wasn’t part of. We had also specifically asked a couple of guests to get some footage of our ceremony, speeches and those key moments like the first dance and cutting of the cake. We didn’t hire a videographer as we couldn’t justify the cost, but those guests provided us with such amazing footage that we will look back on for years to come."

BEST WEDDING SPEND "Our biggest spends were focused on our priorities for the wedding: making sure the day was fun and full of great food. We picked an amazing band (Groove Night Avenue) who provided fabulous entertainment and were so organised and easy to work with. They had more people on the dancefloor than I would have imagined! And our caterers were such an important part of the day, as we had an open bar from 4.30pm so we needed to line 100 stomachs! Nick from Amorish catering provided amazing food. One final tip: get a few quotes! I saved more than $1000 on our flowers by getting a number of quotes."

VENDORS Photographer Olivia Treasure Photography Dress Samantha Wynne Venue Ferguson Farmstay  Suits Bon Marche Mensland Bunbury Celebrant Jennifer McDonnell Hair J&Co Hair Studio Bunbury Makeup Envy Skin & Beauty Specialists Band Groove Night Avenue Catering Amorish Catering Wedding Bands Michael Hill