CONOR + EVIE

BUDGET

It's on most couples minds when planning the big day. Did you let your budget depict your day, or did you embrace it and get bang for your buck?

We never really set a budget as such, but worked out what were ‘musts’ for us, and then what we were willing to sacrifice if the money just wasn’t going to stretch that far. Things like extra decorations were on a ‘wishlist’ but towards the end, Conor had done such a beautiful job with our garden, we just didn’t need them. We were also realistic about what we were putting our money into, and maybe that came from being a young family. I (Evie) wasn’t willing to budge on the photographer, I knew I had to have Sherise, you can’t put a price on beautiful family photos. Whereas, a dress was something I was only going to wear once, so I found one I completely loved, AND it was only $200.

Do you have any advice on how you saved dollars on the extras?

It really was all about the ‘must’ list and the ‘wish’ list and putting things into perspective. There’s some things that people really wont notice or remember and it’ll just cost you extra dollars and a lot more stress. Don’t sweat the small stuff and spend your dollars on what’s important to you. For us it was about creating the perfect ‘feeling’ that we wanted, not ticking a list and making sure we’d included every possible option because that just would have been overkill.

THE DRESS AND SUIT

We’re digging your wedding attire. How did you guys go about finding your dress and suit?

I had originally bought a dusty pink dress with my bridesmaids, mum and Conor’s mum. However when I found my ultimate shoes I realized they just didn’t match. Mum and I walked into a shop and I fell in love with my dress. Mum was a little surprised as I wasn’t sure about wearing white, but as soon as I put it on I knew. I didn’t tell anyone apart from Sherise and we planned for her to capture everyone’s reactions as I came out in my secret dress. Those photos still make me laugh. All up, my dress, shoes and earrings came in at under $300.

Conor and I went shopping one day and just tried on a heap of stuff until he found what he liked. He had a pretty good idea in his mind beforehand, and I actually think we spent more on his outfit!

Then we agreed to just tell the bridal party to choose whatever they liked. I love that by doing that we captured their personalities and they’ve all been able to wear their dresses and shirts again because it’s something they loved.

CEREMONY

A Kindred resident celebrant (PEACE & LOVE CEREMONIES), we know that your own wedding was the catalyst to becoming a celebrant yourself. Tell us a little about your ceremony and special details? Even some advice to other couples currently selecting a celebrant?

It was! Our ceremony was lovely, personal and simple. We had a very relaxed ceremony with kids coming to join in for cuddles throughout. At one point Conor and his groomsmen all were holding their toddlers which was beautiful. We wrote our own vows which was very memorable, and our friend Amelia and Conor’s sister Ingrid did two very special readings. Even though the ceremony was very simple, it was just what we wanted.

The most important thing I believe when finding a celebrant, is that you find someone you connect with. Celebrants have the amazing, but often tricky job of capturing your personalities, your story and what you want within a short space of meeting you. It’s important you click with the person that is going to be telling your story.

PHOTOS

It’s easy to crush over your wedding pics by talented Kindred member Sherise Fleming. What advice would you give to couples looking at selecting a wedding photographer?

We actually chose our wedding date around Sherise’s availability. It was the only thing I knew I really wanted. Do your research, look at their styles and think about what you want. We liked Sherise for her candid relaxed style. We didn’t want to be off for hours getting photos away from everyone.

DIY

We’re fans of a good DIY, but we’re also fans of employing local creatives to do the job for you. Did you have any DIY projects, regrets or favourite vendors?

No regrets, that’s for sure. I think we had a great mix of DIY and amazing professionals. Conor and I created all the large colourful chandeliers that hung in the hall for our reception. We wanted an injection of colour, something fun, and of course nothing that cost the earth. Those chandeliers were just hula hoops and crepe paper! But we loved them! Everyone commented on how great they looked, and all the kids at the wedding took one home the next day.

As far as styling went, we really let the flowers do the talking, and we were so lucky that friends of ours James and Annette Frew from the Longford Wildflower Farm did all our flowers. We met with them to discuss ideas and then let Annette’s creativity take over, she did a beautiful job. And again, loved ones took the flowers home from the tables, that way they were enjoyed for so much longer.

VENUE

Was it always the plan to have a backyard wedding? How did you plan for weather?

It was always the plan for a backyard wedding, we just sure whose backyard! We decided on ours pretty early on, and Conor got to work transforming the garden. It was so special to have the wedding at home, all the kids went in to watch The Lion King when it all got a bit much. Our daughter still refers to that tree as ‘the wedding tree’.

Our wet weather plan was to move to the supper room in the Briagolong Hall and set the chairs up in there. I stressed a lot about that, but as it turned out it was stinking hot and everyone had to retreat to the shade!

CATERING & GUEST LIST

How did you guys go about choosing a caterer and what style of food service did you have on the day? Did your catering affect the guest list?

Duart Homestead was always on the top of our list. I was super nervous though because we had guests like my mum and all her sisters who are total foodies and love different cuisines and experimenting with food, then guests like my dad who like more traditional simple classics. But I needn’t have worried. When I met with Nath he just totally got it and they created the most amazing gourmet BBQ. Steak, giant king prawns, delicious salads, it was just perfect and everyone raved about it!

Food was pretty important to us that we got it right, so we worked out the guest list and then the menu. That was something we were going to make work with budget