Bonnie + Jason

IN THE BEGINNING ...

We met at a BBQ at the park where we both had mutual friends. It was pretty much love at first sight. I was meant to work that afternoon but I cancelled my shift because we were having so much fun playing lawn games together. We went on a date three days later and have barely left each other’s side since.

LEADING UP TO THE BIG DAY ...

I found the dress and the venue first and made everything work around them. We got married on Kangaroo Island, where wedding vendors are rather scarce, so we took almost everything with us – even wood for table tops! My dress was a nude colour so our white, earthy flowers looked stunning with it! Dried flowers were SO perfect for us because I knew how everything was going to look and we could take everything with us – and then we got to use them again at our wedding reception back in Melbourne! The girl's bouquets were also the perfect thank you gift for them to keep.

My tip would be to pick one or two key items and work around them. The colours at our venue and in my dress were unique, and set the tone and feel of everything else. Also, stay true to what you want and don’t start comparing your plans and day to others.

ON THE DAY ...

We got married at Dune House in Emu Bay, Kangaroo Island. Two weeks later we had a large reception at my family’s farm in Daylesford, Vic. The Kangaroo Island wedding was us and 12 of our closest people. It meant that we could absorb our day and relax in the lead up. It was just perfect! We set everything up ourselves on the day which was so special – we could see everything coming to life! While we wanted to keep the official stuff low key, we didn’t want to miss out on a party and celebrating with our wider group of family and friends – so two weeks later we threw a big party with glamping, a band and lots of dancing.

ON REFLECTION ...

Don’t sweat the small details too much. Make a checklist of items/details you definitely want and stick to that – on the day no one will notice if you do or don’t get those napkin rings you’ve been looking at on Etsy.

LOOKING FORWARD ...

For some years I didn’t really ‘get’ the whole marriage/wedding thing, if I am honest. But it is so special to commit yourself to someone and make a promise that you want to have that person as your partner until you grow old. It is also indescribable to write how you feel on the day, and how epic it is to have a whole lot of people celebrating the two of you, and your love! Jason and I have so much fun, so I really don’t want anything to change, but saying ‘let’s do this forever’ is pretty cool.

Photographer: @mirandastokkel