Jun 13, 2020

Katie & Josh's Old Broadwater Farm Wedding

When I met Katie and her family, here was this stunning girl, rather unsure about what she was looking for, she was so petite. I just couldn't wait to help! Katie's dress was a transformative experience. She fell in love with one of my ready to wear dresses that I had literally just finished in our studio. I knew I had to try to convince Katie to just quickly "pop it on"! The design is a perfect dress for petite brides with a tiny waist. The fabric is a gorgeous heavy crepe which I love to work with and it hugs the brides hips and bottom, without feeling everything is on show. I loved designing this dress and working with Katie was fabulous. We tweaked a few design lines and we finalised her last set of alterations two weeks before her wedding, to show off all her hard work at the gym and dance lessons. Being able to make our dresses locally and in-house has always been a dream. I named our new ready to wear dress after Katie too!!

THE DRESS "At first I was looking for something light and flowy (to hide lumps and bumps) and more fitted around the bodice. I went to a few other dress shops and found that I liked part of one dress and another part of a different dress – but couldn’t quite find what I wanted in one.

"I went into see Samantha and told her what I was looking for. She was completely honest with me and said that she doesn’t have anything like that in stock at the moment but she was making a few new gowns and to call back in a month.

"A month later I went in and tried on one of the dresses she had custom made. It definitely had features of what I wanted, but when I first saw it, I thought it wouldn’t look good on me. I tried it on anyway and instantly fell in love. I bought it then and there, with my sister and mum who also agreed that this one was just perfect. It was classic white (something that I really wanted, but could not find in my style anywhere else) and had a v-style neckline with a low cut back. The pearl look buttons down the back was icing on the cake.

"I have always been conscious about my lower body, but Samantha took my dress in to hug me where I liked, and not hug me in the places I wanted more hidden. Samantha was always so honest and lovely, she made me 100% comfortable and I trusted Samantha and her team. I knew that when I picked up my wedding dress, that it was going to be AMAZING. And it was."

HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET? "I met Josh back in 2015, at a wedding/AFL grand final party. I was friends with the bride, and Josh was mates with the Groom. We started chatting later in the evening over a game of darts (which I beat him at) and he took my number. He asked me out a few times before I agreed, and ever since then we have been inseparable."

THE PROPOSAL "We went to New Zealand for a friends wedding last year, and decided to make it into a holiday as neither of us had been there before. In the final few days, we were in Paihia and they were doing helicopter rides to “the hole in the rock” which is a tiny island further down the coast. We decided to do it and booked it in for the following morning. Josh was acting completely normal and he isn’t really the romantic type, so I had no idea what he had planned. We caught the helicopter to the island and were out taking in the beautiful views in the distance, when I turned around and Josh was down on one knee. He totally surprised me! We spent the rest of the day enjoying the sun and having a few celebration champagnes. It was stunning. And to top it off, the pilot from the helicopter caught the moment for us on camera!"

FAVOURITE MOMENT "The whole day was pretty amazing. The weather was perfect and the venue was stunning. Josh called me his awful wedded wife in the vows and got everyone laughing. I think he was pretty embarrassed, but it seemed to relax everyone and I think made the whole ceremony more enjoyable. Josh's sister Jade was our MC and was hilarious! She had everyone in stitches throughout the evening. Cracking the jokes about purse checks for toilet paper at the end of the night (this is when the TP crisis first hit the supermarkets) and embarrassing Josh at every opportunity (sibling love). I honestly loved every part of our day. Especially where we snuck off to a Tuart Forest and read our personal vows to each other in private."

THE VENUE "We got married at Old Broadwater Farm in Busselton. As soon as I went and saw it, I knew this was it. We wanted to get married in the shade under some trees and an outside cocktail style reception with festoon lights – they had it all! Even a permanent marquee set up. We felt totally happy knowing that if the weather wasn’t great, then they had us covered at no extra cost. I loved the fact that you can have your ceremony and reception at the same venue. They also supply the ceremony set up, pre-reception setup and reception set up (including chairs and tables, festoon lights, bars, wine barrels etc) you really didn’t need to outsource anything unless you really wanted to."

FAVOURITE DETAILS "Everything honestly! The food by Supper Road was to die for. Everyone raved about it. Our DJ Tom from Southsound events nailed it. My flowers were breathtaking. Domaney at Blush and Bloom just knew exactly what I wanted and gave me great suggestions and ideas about how to re-use the flowers from the ceremony at the reception. Emma from Emma Louise Designs came up with some amazing menu’s and welcome signage for us.

"The cake was delicious. I am planning on buying all my cakes in the future from Hannah at Bake the Cake in Margaret River.

"Karli from Streaksahead saved me! My original hairdresser pulled out last minute and she stepped in THANK GOODNESS and did the most amazing hair styling I could have asked for.

"Sam at She-artistry is honestly the best makeup artist. I couldn’t tell you how much I loved my makeup!

"We got a sneak peak back from our Videographer – Chapman films. It is amazing. They are the most beautiful couple and honestly made us feel so comfortable, not once did I even notice a camera! Highly recommend them and also our photographer Jodie at Merge Photography. She is awesome, and the 40 or so photos we have received back already are breathtaking!! These 2 things were so important to me and I am so happy we chose them both!

"Nikki our celebrant made our ceremony light and fun. I think I would have been so nervous if it wasn’t for her help and guidance. She was my support leading up to the wedding, only ever a txt message away.

"The amount of complements I got about my dress too, I loved it so much! I just wish I could wear it every weekend. I never thought that I would be the kind of person to keep my dress forever – but let me tell you, I am never letting it go!"

ADVICE FOR FUTURE BRIDES "I am so glad that I walked into Samantha Wynne the day I did. I found that some dress stores told you everything looked amazing. Samantha has an eye for it and honestly she made finding my perfect dress so easy! She didn’t make me try on heaps of styles that she knew I wouldn’t like. I appreciated her honesty and the fact that she listened to me. I think that when you find the dress, you kind of just know. Trust yourself. I am really happy that I didn’t spend a million dollars on flowers and styling. The venue we chose was already beautiful and I think that simple always looks better."

BEST WEDDING SPEND "I don’t regret anything we spent money on. We didn’t go overboard, but also didn’t scrimp on anything. I am really happy that we paid a little extra and had the DJ organise the music for the ceremony and pre-reception. I wanted the guests to be present and not have to think about pressing play on an ipod or anything. Also getting a videographer. The day goes so fast, and you do struggle to remember a lot of things. I am really looking forward to hearing all the speeches again, and watching our first dance!! Actually I just cant wait to enjoy the whole day again and watch it with Josh on every anniversary (and show our future children). Our Photobooth was awesome! Everyone really enjoyed getting some crazy photos and a lot of our guests mentioned how much they loved it."