Claire and Giles married at their family property in Lake Mundi, surrounded by their familiy, friends and special guest and fur baby Ronnie the dog. ⁠Their wedding was one of my favourites because of all the sentimental touches and nods to family tradition.

The family’s front paddock was converted into a luxe event space with tented marque, festoon lights and florals. As acknowledged by Claire in her Q&A below, planning an event on a family property is no easy feat as all the little details need to be arranged (can you even imagine the spreadsheet!?).

The weather stayed at bay for the outdoor ceremony and then greeted us for the rest of the afternoon (happy tears from Mother Nature!).⁠ I actually love it when it rains at a wedding and want to reassure you, that your photos will be incredible even if the heavens open! My Vogue wedding was in the rain and to me images taken in the rain have their own lustre as the couple's pull each other tighter and grin cheekily at each other. ⁠

It is testament to what a great couple Claire and Giles are, that the dance floor was open until 1.30am and family & friends partied all night. ⁠The couple arranged glamping tents for guests who were staying overnight and also buses back to the next town.
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Claire's dress was inspired her Grandmother's wedding dress and given a modern touch by @HollyButler with flowers on the skirt and veil. Her Grandmother's signature style always included a headband and so in following with tradition, Claire wore one on her wedding day as well.

Claire has shared so many pearls of wisdom below and I hope you enjoy reading her Q&A Find their vendor list at the end of this blog post.

Thanks Claire and Giles!

Lei x

Marriage to us means

To us, marriage is a public demonstration of our commitment to one another and to each others families. It's a celebration of our dedication to undertaking lifes successes and challenges together.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We married at my (Claire’s) family home, her mum and dad kindly offered to have the wedding at home as it has huge sentimental value. My sister was married at home a few years ago and so I have seen how special it is to have the day where there is such a wealth of love and memories surrounding the day.

What style/theme have you chosen for your Wedding Day?

English cottage garden. Soft colours amongst the natural vibrant spring greenery. Charming beauty with black tie elegance.

Tell us about your outfits.

I tried on so many dresses and found that I liked a huge variety is styles and designs. It was so hard to land on one look.

I decided to go to the amazing and talented Holly Buttler in North Melbourne. I obviously was in awe of her designs on her instagram and she was close to where I work (haha) so it seemed like the perfect option. At first I was planning on a dreamy, tulle, fluffy gown that had a romantic feel. However, in the end I was drawn to an elegant, timeless, gown with sleeves. It was inspired by Miranda Kerrs dress with the flowers spotted across the skirt, I opted for a wider neckline similar to my mother and grandmothers wedding dress (they wore the same dress).

Giles is wearing a suit made at Institchu, he had it made a few years back when he was a groomsman for our close friends wedding. It is simple, classic and luckily still fits so we decided to give it another run.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

Planning the wedding has largely been a complete joy, mostly because it is something I get to think about when I'm not working! Decision making for a rural wedding I think must be much easier in some ways because there are a limited number of options. It also provides an amazing opportunity to showcase the incredible talent in the country, specifically for me, in Western Victoria.

The first person I locked in was our local caterer as she is widely sought after and I knew that I needed someone capable of making delicious food in the middle of a paddock! Next, of course, was the photographer. Lei did our friends wedding and recommended her to us. Having photos that we both love is super important to us. I feel that everyday I can walk past a picture, or glance at my phone background that makes me grateful for our marriage and celebration so why wouldn't I invest in that!

what were your Sources of inspiration?

I have wasted/invested a lot of time in the evenings scrolling through wedding pages on instagram. My algorithm post wedding will be all out of whack. I loved following Redleaf Wollombi, Vogue weddings, Weddings of Desire and a whole huge list of other vendors/photographers/videographers/planners/stylists.

The main inspiration was obviously the setting of our family garden, mum is the most amazing person and has grown the entire garden from nothing, just a bare patch of paddock.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

Giles said just elope! Haha but he is being dramatic.

1. If you are having a wedding not at a 'venue' everything has to be done from scratch so be prepared. It's not cheaper! You will need toilets, generators, extra marquees for caterers, ovens, cool rooms, transport etc. It's also much harder to keep track of total cost as compared to a simple per head cost.

2. I think if you're busy either get a wedding planner from day 1 and make them work for every cent. Or, give yourself a long lead time to prepare if you're doing it yourself. Time in the day is limited and unfortunately researching and deciding takes time.

Advice for other couples

Use instagram for inspiration and dreams! It's can be a helpful resource! But tread that line carefully to avoid wedding fatigue or feeling like you are unable to achieve the wedding you would want if you had the access (and the budget) to all the vendors in the world.

Vendor List:

Photographer: @Leileiclaveyphotography

Wedding Planner: @Littlecrafterevents

Celebrant: @Lisahuntwotton

Florist: @Blommeflora

Dress Designer: @Hollybutler_au

Bride'S Shoes: @Loefflerrandall

Videographer: @_georginamorrison

Make Up Artist: @Vanitymakeupbar

Live Music: @Thewhitetree

Cake Maker: @Chrissy.Made

Stationary / Invitations: @Fielding_milligan

Wedding Signage: @kathryngreen_illustration