What a BEAUTIFUL morning! I hope you gorgeous babes are just as happy as I am to feel the sunshine today – I really couldn’t think of a more wonderful way to start the week than to do it with a little sun and joy! And to add to this, I am absolutely beyond excited to share today’s real wedding with you. We get sent so many amazing submissions, and sadly, we can’t always feature them all (although we obvs wish we could…), and every now again, we get a submission that only makes us WISH that we were there in person – Ali and Vaughan’s is top of the list for ‘I SO wish I was there’ weddings! The pair married at home at Crescent Head, the Casa Mio Surf Hacienda in Australia, (click on the link, yes, this incredibly lucky pair actually live here!), surrounded by friends and family for a 3-day, outdoor celebration right by the beach. Think BBQ’s, tipis, lanterns, bohemian decor, margaritas, live music (this couple are all about the music) and a 1970’s Columbian theme.
Our wedding was very rustic and very South American with a 70’s Colombian Cocktail inspired theme with a Latino twist. The colours ended up being gold’s and reds and burgundies. We had vintage Spanish paintings hung on the outside walls with a retro Sangria bar with hundreds of collected seventies glass wear from all the local op shops.
This gal (Ali) knows where it’s at when it comes to authentic style – she’s a leather goods designer, she made her own black leather chunked heel boots for the wedding and her oh-so-talented bestie designed and made all of the bridesmaid dresses from her base in Bali. Her and hubby Vaughan (his style is eclectic and cool, draped in a burgundy velvet suit) used their quirky and incredible talents to create this absolute stunner of a wedding, and they did it all on a super tight budget; utilising second hand goods, borrowed items and thrifting through vintage ‘op shops’ to pull everything together.
This wedding overflows with creativity and artistic flare, and hosts an exotic Latin American vibe with a explosion of bohemian beauty. The setting, attire and overall look and feel of this celebration is just breathtaking….and so so SO cool.
Photographer Sarah Christensen stayed with the couple and their wedding party for two days and her dedication totally shows in this encapsulating collection. Here’s bride Ali to fill you in on all the details….
Down on One Knee in the Maldives
Vaughan took me on a boat trip to the Maldives to pop the question. I dropped a knee on a secluded beach and (because I didn’t know her ring size) slipped seven gold bands straight on her finger. It looked ridiculous, she couldn’t even bend it, but she said yes!
Married at Home in Australia
We got married at our house in Crescent Head, the Casa Mio Surf Hacienda. We’d bought it two years earlier and always dreamed of getting married under the huge bloodwood tree in the backyard. We had many working bees and so many amazing friends contribute to getting the house ready for the big day. It was a mission but a wonderful time and all the better to share the big day with everyone who had helped make it possible.
3-Day Wedding….
It was a no brainer to get married at our house. Three acres, only a couple of neighbours who all came to the wedding to share the fun, plenty of space for a million little hang out spots while all being together, and half way between Sydney and Byron where we’d lived for all our lives. The wedding went for three days so that everyone could enjoy a weekend in Crescent as well. We had the awesome local Crescent head girls from Salt and Wildflowers to run our wedding and they were fantastic.
Outdoor Ceremony Under DIY Arbor with Personalised Readings and Confetti Cannon Shot
We had an afternoon outdoor ceremony under the massive blood wood in the backyard. We wanted something different for the arbour so we got our good friend and artist Ozzie Wright (also the best man) to make and paint us an arbour. We didn’t know what it was going to look like until they were setting it up the morning of the wedding and it was incredible!
Ali walked down arm in arm with both her mother and father to ‘Golden Brown’ by the Stranglers. One of our dearest friends, Rainbow Rach, started the ceremony bringing everyone together for a charge blessing, a communal cheer to bring all the love into focus. Marcie O’Neil followed with an amazing spoken word poem, and our celebrant Melissa finalised the proceedings with officiating duties that were lovely, raucous, tender and perfect all at once. At Missy’s announcement of our union, a cannon shot confetti went off in the afternoon sunlight while ‘Down in Mexico’ by the Coasters echoed out into the yard.
Stunning Wedding Marquee
We had the best wedding marquee on Earth! Dave and his team from Katalane had the marquee complete with lighting, stage, dancefloor, bar, bar stools, rugs, barrels, yard cushions and table and bench seating all set up in half a day. The wedding simply would not have been the same without them. They brought the glamour and the earthiness and created a communal space that was absolutely magic. The bands and speeches were all in the tent and everything fit beautifully. We were so sad when they had to leave. We wanted that marquee in our yard forever.
Borrowed, Second Hand Decor with Local Foliage and Flowers
Most our flowers were native the rest were home grown. Our florist was Alchemallia – I liked that all the flowers were home grown on a property in Federal, so we were using what was in season; a beautiful mix of florals with local foliage – worked perfectly for us! All our glassware was bought from Vinnies (so we didn’t have to return anything or pay for damaged goods), we just scrimped and scrapped as hard as we could but always with the style of the day in mind so that it wasn’t all over the place.
DIY Reception, Cocktail Bar, Fire Pits and Decor from Vintage ‘Op Shops’
Our reception was mostly DIY as we were on such a tight budget. We had old chandeliers, platters and glasses from op shops, hay bales for seating, with throws and blankets also collected from vintage stores. All those little touches combined with our marquee, mobile cocktail bar and multiple fire pits brought everything together to create a very pretty and complete picture that suited our theme.
Mexicano did all of our catering. They made us three huge paellas which included a seafood, meat and vegan option. We also had salads and toasted bread and jalapeno margaritas. The boys from Mexicano hung around all the next day and offered to cook the BBQ free of charge as they were having such a good time! Absolute 10/10! We opted for handmade baklava and Turkish delight for dessert.
Self-Designed Bridal Gown and Chunky Leather Boots
I designed my outfit and had it made in Bali with the help of one of my besties and MOH Nikki Penny. I wanted something different, fun and festive – I ended up having two outfits made with the same shape but different material; one gold lace and one embroidered red roses. I design leather wear, so I made my favourite boots in a metallic bronze leather. Vaughan is over 6’4 so they were nice and chunky and high!
I wore a hand carved wooden rose encrusted cross from KT Jewellery in Bali. Our wedding bands were black diamond in sterling silver created by the ever so talented Carpe Diem. Nicholas Morley did my make up and Janette Lovell did my hair.
Burgandy Velvet Flared Suit and Silk Slips
Vaughan wore a burgundy velvet flared three piece suit created by our dear friend and talented tailor Sam Elsom. The bridesmaids wore a range of beautiful silk slips from Nikki Penny’s 1920 table. They were different shapes and tones that were all different but looked so nice side by side. The flower girls all wore Coco and Ginger hand embroidered dresses which were simply stunning.
Beautiful Authentic Moments Captured By Sarah Christensen
Few photographers capture the heart of their subject better than Sarah Christensen. Her strength lies in her easy ability to connect, and convey warmth and emotion through light and composition, all within the framework of the viewfinder. Mix that skill with an absolutely undeniable commitment to excellence and passion for the craft and you have yourself a once in a lifetime artist.
The photographer did not stop for two days straight. When we got the photos back we had tears in our eyes and could not believe the magic that she captured . So many beautiful real authentic moments that we will treasure forever.
Joyride Films did such an amazing job. I never thought we’d be ones for a wedding video, but now we can’t stop watching it! It’s such a great unique take on a wedding video and in a wonderful style.
First Dance
Our first dance was to ‘Down in Mexico’ by the Coasters and it happened straight after we were pronounced husband and wife. We’ve always loved this song to dance to and it suited our house and theme no end.
Favourite Moment
My favourite moment of the day was when they pronounced us man and wife and our friend fired a confetti cannon into the brilliant afternoon sunlight. It was like a symbol to the new beginnings ahead.
Any Advice?
Never take things too seriously – it will always be what it will be. Out of the mistakes comes the magic just let it flow. And finally a friend told us to find each other just after the speeches, when all the official duties and photos and everything else is finished, and walk to a place out of sight and look back at the entire scene from afar.
The Line Up
Photographer: Sarah Christensen; Videographer: Joyride Films; Venue:
Crescent Head, the Casa Mio Surf Hacienda; Wedding Coordinator: Salt and Wildflowers; Flower Girls: Coco and Ginger; Caterer: Mexicano; Florist: Alchemallia; Wedding Bands: Carpe Diem
