Iro and Alex – Photography by Briars Atlas

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…

Alex and I first met back in 2009 when I was working in marketing for a fashion retailer and he was working at the staff café…

I was the youngest person in the building at the time (straight out of uni) and the boys who worked in the café were the only people my age so I ended up becoming friends with them. That said, Alex and I never really had a chance to chat properly until the annual Christmas party on 8th December 2009 (yes, I remember the date!) where we spent most of the night in the corner talking about anything and everything – he had just come back from travelling and I found him so interesting! Six months later (to the day!) on 8th June 2010 we had our first date and we’ve been together ever since.

I think the reason we work so well together is that while we are own people, we’ve always been a strong team with a core foundation of friendship and respect. There are differences in our personalities but we compliment and balance each other. We also have the same core values, as well as an obsession with things like eating, travelling and golden retrievers.

Everything is more fun when experienced together and that’s the feeling we try to apply to building our lives together.

Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details…

Our wedding didn’t have a theme as such – however we approached it knowing that a few things were key…good food, good wine, good dancefloor. If we were going to get our nearest and dearest together to celebrate our marriage, then we wanted to provide them with a damn good party!

Alex and I have always enjoyed exploring country towns in regional Victoria (he loves a V- Line train adventure!) and while we liked the idea of a weekend away for the wedding, we didn’t want to do a destination wedding in a far-flung location. We then happened to stumble upon Butterland by chance and it ticked all the boxes – regional Victorian location (Newstead is only 20 minutes from Castlemaine), relaxed vibe, ability to host both the ceremony and reception, and the clincher…the property was owned by Katie Marx (and her husband Greg Hatton) who happens to be one of my favourite florists.

With Katie looking after the florals and foliage, we knew that additional styling wasn’t required – Katie’s work was the star of the show! Our brief was a variety of florals in all- white paired with green foliage for the ceremony and then when we switched to the reception (a.k.a PARTY TIME) it was all about deep reds, hot pinks and dark plum. Katie and her assistant Leila NAILED IT!

Originally we had planned for the ceremony to be outside however due to the intense heat on the day and the fact it had been showering on and off, Alex made the wise decision to bring the ceremony indoors to the front foyer – it ended up being perfect! It was a cosy atmosphere and the ones we love even more closely surrounded us – I’ll never forget walking in to that room. Post-ceremony drinks and canapés followed outside while we took photos, before the reception in the main hall…and then dancing, lots of dancing!

Tell us about your main outfits:

I had always envisioned myself in a long sleeved, lace dress however it proved more difficult than I thought to find! I’d almost given up hope but then made a last-minute appointment at Suzanne Harward – the first dress I tried on ended up being the perfect one! It had an off-the-shoulder illusion neckline, French lace detail, timeless design and most importantly, was so comfortable! I paired it with a two-tier cathedral length veil and simple teardrop earrings loaned to me from my best friend and maid of honor.

Alex wore a beautifully made custom suit from Oscar Hunt in a dark navy, paired with classic white shirt, black bow tie, silver cufflinks, pocket square and dark brown RM Williams boots. He looked amazing on the day and you could tell how good he felt in something that was specifically made for him! Oh and we can’t forget the suspenders he wore underneath….he loved that additional detail.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?

By far the best moment was walking in to the front foyer and locking eyes with each other – neither of us will ever forget that feeling. What a special memory to celebrate your relationship surrounded by all your loved ones.

Speeches were also a highlight (SO FUNNY) as well as the late-night dancefloor antics – at one stage the DJ played Darude ‘Sandstorm’ and we were lifted up by friends with everyone dancing around us. Too much fun.

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?

Your wedding day is just that – one day. While it’s an AMAZING DAY the best part is knowing that you have many more adventures and experiences to come. As for planning a wedding – don’t take things too seriously, have fun with the process, trust in your suppliers and remember that if things don’t go to plan (and believe me, nothing wedding related ever does) then it’s totally fine because no-one will know what the original plan was anyway!

Photographer Briars Atlas | Bride wearing Suzanne Harward, shoes from Aquazzura, Blue Clutch from The Daily Edited, | Groom wearing Oscar Hunt Tailors, with RM Williams boots, Bow tie from MJ Bale | Ceremony location Butterland, Newstead, Victoria, Videographer Stevan Ostojic from Life in Light Films | Celebrant Megan Watson from Marry Me Megan | Entertainment Tom O’Dwyer (DJ) | Flora by Katie Marx Assisted by Leila Sanderson from @skinny_wolf | Hire Pepper Sprout Hire | Food/beverages/catering Pot & Pan Culinary Tailoring | Cake The Naked Orange | Ring/s by GP Israel Diamonds | Makeup Kath Carlin | Hair Diane Robertson | Fragrance Bride – Poivre 23 by Le Labo & Groom – Polo Black by Ralph Lauren |Bridesmaids wearing White Runway, Scanlan Theodore, Dion lee, Shona Joy with shoes from Tony Bianco Groomsmen in MJ Bale and shoes from RM Williams