With a warm, romantic color palette, this lavender infused wedding inspiration photo shoot is the perfect fit as the seasons change from summer to fall. Join us in celebrating September with these gorgeous lavender farm wedding images created by French Kiss Events, Verbena Floral Design and Jennifer Ballard Photography!
Vanessa Watters of Verbena Floral Design shared her inspiration for the design of this wedding photo shoot, as well as some expert advice for couples thinking about their wedding florals…
For our fall lavender shoot, we found inspiration from the rich colors, evening light, and coziness that comes with the change of seasons. Our color palette included the warm and burnt tones of autumn, and had a wide range for us to draw from. Effortless romance was brought to life through the bohemian gown, the long stemmed bouquet (the ultimate bouquet in romance department), and the simple but extremely elegant calligraphy. All these elements just ooze romance and allow you to focus on the true theme of all weddings: love.
When considering your overall wedding esthetic and floral design, consider looking at your color palette the way you look at a paint chip, with two or three shades on either side of your chosen color. Flowers work the same way and offer hundreds of shades and variations, that when blended together, create a truly elegant and cohesive look. Additionally, when gathering wedding inspiration from blogs, Pinterest, and magazines, always consider where in the world, geographically spearking, your wedding will take place as opposed to where the inspiration content was designed. Depending on your location, floral availability and colors will vary greatly. Giving your floral designer creative license to transform your inspiration into something that will be perfect for your particular venue will ensure you get the most cohesive overall design.
We are so excited to share the incredible work of Australia wedding photographer Todd Hunter McGaw in today’s intimate Springbrook, Queensland wedding. Admire the gorgeous landscape and sigh at the amazing portraits of Sarah and Jaran on their lovely wedding day.
The Goals: Jaran and I wanted to have an intimate, informal and homely wedding so that everyone could relax and have some fun! We also wanted to keep it real…about us and how we fell in love.
The Design: When Jaran and I first started dating, he used to tell me about an old farm that his parents had bought at Springbrook in the Gold Coast Hinterland. The first time he took me up there I couldn’t believe how magical it was. The air is crisp, there are waterfalls and beautiful old trees. It reminded me of Tasmania, where I was born.
We chose to have our wedding at Springbrook Mountain Manor, a Tudor boutique hotel, located a couple of properties away from Jaran’s parent’s farm. The venue really suited us with its beautiful gardens for the ceremony, the hedge maze for photos and the restaurant for dinner with a dance floor in the English tavern. It’s also a hotel so the guests could stay the night.
Our wedding was on the first day of spring. It’s one of the least rainy days of the year at Springbrook which is important because it rains three metres a year on average. It was also my brother’s birthday. I bought him a little chocolate cupcake and we all sang happy birthday at the reception. After he had a few drinks, he told me that it was his best birthday ever, but he didn’t like how they kept making speeches about Jaran and me. Thanks for letting us have our wedding on your birthday Huw!
We ordered the wedding stationery through Cricket Printing on Etsy.com. They came all the way to Australia from Rhode Island! They were this gorgeous wood grain look with a little pink heart. They fit the location and feel of the wedding perfectly.
Jaran wore a light grey suit, killer black shoes with a cool blue spotted bow tie. He spent three hours the night before the wedding tying that bow tie. He decided that he didn’t like the way it is traditionally tied so he engineered a new way of doing it (he’s an engineer).
The string quartet played an instrumental version of Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros as I walked down the aisle. It is about smiling and spinning in circles and jumping in puddles. We love that song. It is so beautiful and ethereal that it makes me cry when I hear it! I thought it was the perfect song to relive a childhood innocence before embarking on marriage. A couple of months after the wedding, I saw Sigur Ros play it live.
For the wedding ceremony, Jaran made a wooden stage for us to stand on. He made it out of 100-year-old pieces of hardwood from our house. The top piece in the archway was made from the stairs and the floor used to be the front deck. I made some little signs with the leftover hardwood to put up around the gardens of Springbrook Mountain Manor.
I sewed bow ties for all the guests at the wedding. My mum had some old material that she used for quilting and I found a pattern online. Jaran and I liked the idea of everyone wearing bow ties at the reception and being dressed up and ready to celebrate.
We gave out Tasmanian made jam (with Tasmanian ingredients of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and boysenberries) to our guests as a thank you. One of my brothers (who lives in Tasmania) knows Joanna from Joanna Jams, he visited her at Salamanca Market in Hobart and organised to bring the jam up to Queensland. He had 20kgs of jam in his suitcase! Make sure you grab some Joanna Jam next time you’re in Tassie!
My mum made our wedding cake. She makes the best fruitcakes (it tasted even better a year later!). She watched YouTube videos on how to roll out the icing and make the little flowers. Jaran and I absolutely love Doctor Who so we found someone on Etsy who makes little bride and groom daleks as our wedding cake toppers.
The Moments: My favourite moment was at the end of the photography session when the sun had set on the beautiful warm day and it was absolutely freezing! For the last couple of photos, Jaran and I were standing on the little wooden stage that Jaran had made for me. Jaran hugged me to keep me warm.
After Jaran and I were engaged, my dad talked about how he was going to wear a hired costume to the wedding. I just knew he was going to wear something to try to outdress me! A month before the wedding, I said to him that it would be perfect if he turned up in a kilt. Dad said it was too late and that he had already paid for his suit. Can you guess what happened? Yes, that’s right. He turned up in a kilt!
I thought my dad was going to write yet another terrible limerick for his speech at the wedding. He ended up writing this beautiful ode about me and my life and it made me cry. I love you, Dad!
My nephew, Zac, heard our last name wrong and thought it was actually “Shoelayson.” We think of ourselves as “The Shoelaysons” now.
The Photography: In the initial stages of planning, we were researching Springbrook wedding and Todd Hunter McGaw’s website came up. We were never in doubt that Todd and Alyda were “the ones.” We loved the quirky photos and the little robots on the website. Oh, and there was definitely some chemistry when we first met the McGaws. On our wedding day, it really felt like Todd and Alyda were our best-friends-for-a-day. We were just hanging out, laughing loads and taking photos while exploring Jaran’s parents property. Todd and Alyda also ran a photo booth for us at the reception which was so much fun. Initially we were using the props that we had bought specially but by the end we were posing with salt and pepper shakers, ornaments and anything we could get our hands on! Todd and Alyda never ran out of ideas for new and exciting photos.
The Advice: We would have to say that the most important thing to do is to stop planning the night before and relax. You’re the only person who is going to notice some little detail that was missed. Try to take some time out to enjoy the day. It goes so quickly. My advice to other brides is not to “settle” for a dress. You will know when you find the right one (same advice above goes to the single ladies… just replace “dress” with “man”). I picked up a few bridal magazines during my wedding planning and one magazine had the most beautiful Collette Dinnigan dress on the cover. I loved the details in the lace. Unfortunately, there is no Collette Dinnigan bridal store in Brisbane. I found a dress with the same Rococo lace in her regular collection in a department store. Ivory with sleeves and cut at tea length. I knew instantly it was the right dress. My mum cried when I put it on.
We are bringing you a little sunshine this Friday with Kayla and Taylor’s adorable grey and yellow wedding at the Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa Valley. Fun and festive, this bright and sunny wedding was photographed by K Stone Photography.
The Goals: We really wanted to enjoy the planning process all while praying that we wouldn’t lose perspective on what this day meant to us and allowing the day to reflect who we are as a couple.
The Design: We wanted to create a fun and welcoming environment. We wanted the “backyard” feel as neither of us wanted to feel outside of our element and just wanted to be comfortable on this big day. We also found wine country to be beautiful and we were fortunate to find a great venue just on the outskirts of Napa. The moonlight grove at Chardonnay Golf Club is a perfectly quaint and beautiful spot with everything we were looking for. We were very focused on the details but also focused on having fun with it and not taking it too seriously or allowing ourselves to get stressed. We wanted our guests to know how much we appreciated them for all their love and support. This meant we certainly wanted to have a welcome beverage station, bathroom baskets for the guests, and plenty of food and drinks throughout the evening. We are so grateful for how everything turned out and all of our vendors truly exceeded every expectation!
The Look: I really wanted a simple look as I did not want to feel too out of my element or uncomfortable on such a big day. I found a simple dress that I loved and paired a fun belt with it to give it a little something extra. I also didn’t want to go too over the top with the makeup or hair. Jocelyn Gomez of Bella Bridal Napa Valley did an awesome job on creating the look I wanted. She also did a fabulous job on all my bridesmaids, mom and grandmother. I loved my veil and the intricate details on it! I wasn’t even going to wear one, but eventually decided I should. I am so glad I did! I also wanted my bridesmaids to be comfortable and let them pick what they wanted to wear! They chose J.Crew silk chiffon dresses which looked great! They each wore a style they preferred and paired their own shoes and jewelry with it. It was great because each of their personalities were seen through it!
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The Moments: My most favorite part of the day was when my husband and I took a golf cart all around the venue just after we got married. We got some awesome one-on-one time together and stood in awe of some amazing Napa Valley views. It was truly so romantic and just so special to have the time together. It was much needed to take a step back, breath, and take it all in. I also loved when my husband and I exchanged our own vows. It is something we will always remember.
The Advice: I would tell them to enjoy the planning process and that being engaged is such a unique season in a relationship. I also loved that my husband and I wrote our vows together; we decided what was important to us in a marriage and spent time in prayer asking for guidance. We then recited the same vows back to each other on our big day and it was so special. Most importantly, be reminded of what the day is all about. Don’t get too caught up in the details and other people’s opinions; just have fun with it! It is your day!
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