Stewie must have had some sense knocked into him when he bumped his head on a chandelier at a dinner party some three years ago, because the girl giggling at him ended up his wife. Piano teacher, Kelsey, was taken by this tall – albeit clumsy – drink of water, and now calls him her best friend and husband. 

Their DIY backyard wedding ceremony took place in Kelsey’s grandmother’s garden in Flaxton in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, followed by a reception at Obi Obi Hall. 

Images by Renee Towers Photography. 

“I gave Stewie a double swag for all our camping adventures, he gave me an Akubra hat. We have the groomsmen and fathers monogrammed Zippo lighters and the bridesmaids got the wedding day accessories including a clutch, jewellery and a handmade wrap.“

“Our photographer, Renee Towers, pre-planned all of our locations. The first was in my grandmother’s garden, then at a bridge creek crossing on Obi Obi Road and finally an old dairy farm up the road from the reception hall.”

“One really special part was that my piano teacher, Marion Kilchester, played for the procession. She even wrote a special piece of music just for us that was played when we made our way back up the aisle.”

“My Grandmother passed down her wedding dress and veil so that I could use them if I wanted. I went and tried on gowns in stores but nothing had quite the charm of that dress. My mother painstakingly and carefully altered it whilst maintaining as much of the original charm as possible. To have a similar dress made that just suited me so perfectly would definitely have made a dent in the budget. She did an amazing job especially as one of my criteria was ‘can play badminton in it’!”

Wedding Secrets

iggest Splurge: Investing in the lawn games so that we will always have them to bring out at parties. 

Bridal gown: Passed down from my grandmother, lovingly restored by my mother

Accessories: I made my jewellery.

Shoes: My boots were from EasySteps – SO comfortable!

Bridesmaids’ accessories: I made the bridesmaids jewellery and my mum made them and me caplets. I got their clutch bags at Colette Hayman.

Groom’s suit and shoes: Kingsize Big and Tall

Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Suits from Ed Hardy + their own shoes. 

DIY: The bar made from recycled pallets, paper garland decoration, and confetti. 

Honeymoon: Severn River at Ballandean

Number of guests: 82

Wedding budget: $15,000

“(My favourite moment) was definitely the complete, exhausted happiness when my husband drove us off in my dad’s restored EH Holden Ute at the end of such an amazing day. Stewie’s favourite bit was the moment the rings went on. He says everything was smooth sailing after that!“

Photographer Renee Towers Photography | Videographer ShowBiz Video Productions | Transport Danny’s Tours | Makeup Artist Libby Hendrie | Hair Stylist Inside Hair | Entertainment Iain Jackson and Marion Kilchester | Celebrant Mary Baker | Wedding Night Accommodation Blue Summit Cottages http://www.bluesummitcottages.com.au/ Honeymoon Accom Severndipity | Pre Wedding Accommodation French Cottage and Loft Hall Obi Obi Hall

The post Kelsey + Stewie’s Flaxton Backyard Wedding appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Cecile and Trent may just be the cutest couple we’ve seen. It definitely takes a very strong couple to work together and live together, as these two events planners do. 

Trent proposed to Cecile in 2013 just as they both completed the Kokoda Trail. They wed in a beautiful ceremony at Flaxton Gardens, following it up with some sensational location shots around the hinterland in Flaxton and Maleny.

They then head back to Flaxton Gardens to rejoin their 105 guests for a relaxed reception. Jennifer Oliphant was there to capture every moment of their special day. 

“I wanted a Tiffany theme as the first present Trent ever gave me was a beautiful Tiffany bracelet. I also wanted a classic and simple theme and I think the Tiffany blue colour is beautiful.”

“We made sure to invite only the people we really wanted in our wedding. We had all our close friends and family there. I also had my parents, sister and her partner, brother and his partner and a close friend travelling all the way from Norway.”

“Make sure to make time during your wedding day to take it all in. Trent and I did all our bridal party photos onsite and then we went off on our own to do our couples photos. We also took some time during the reception to be just us. “

“We’re best mates and we trust each other 100%. We work together and pretty much sit next to each other in our office and we couldn’t imagine having it any other way. I guess an important thing that makes us work so well together is that we share the same values and goals in life. We both very family orientated and we can’t wait to start a family together in a couple of years’ time.”

“We spent a week in Noosa after the wedding with my family from Norway but that didn’t count as our honeymoon. We’re planning an extended trip to Europe and South America in 2015. “

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: Photographer and videographer

Bridal gown: The Bridal Centre

Accessories: The Babushka Ballerina

Shoes: Myer Centre – Brisbane

Bridesmaid dresses: The Babushka Ballerina

Groom’s suit and shoes: Strictly Formal

Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Strictly Formal

Rings: Stones Diamonds

Gift registry: Wishing Well

Number of guests: 105

Wedding budget: $60,000

Honeymoon: Europe

A-list Vendors

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Flaxton Gardens

Photographer: Jennifer Oliphant Photographer

Cake: Ideas in Icing

Celebrant/Other Officiary: Weddings with Kristy

Videographer: Lumina / Florist: Exclusive Wedding Flowers / Caterer: Flaxton Gardens / Bombonnieres: Candy Buffet / Hair and Makeup Artist: Latonas Makeup / Stationery Supplier: Nic Nac Design / Dance instruction: Larissa Meade / Wedding Night Accommodation: Spicers Tamarind Retreat

The rest of Cecile and Trent’s wedding album full of gorgeous wedding details is awaiting you. 

The post Real Wedding: Cecile & Trent at Flaxton Gardens appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Having rustic vintage elements in mind, Janelle DIYed her way to a gorgeous Flaxton wedding at Sunshine Coast hinterland wedding venue, Flaxton Gardens. Chalk boards and rustic wooden signage made for cute styling in the gorgeous setting. Delicious food for all the guests was of utmost importance, and the catering at Flaxton Gardens did not disappoint. The guests were treated to scrummy canapes, followed by a sit down dinner with a choice of chicken or salmon dishes that were a big hit.

Janelle and Shane called on their wonderful friends to help out with the wedding in many different ways. Their transport was a friend’s gorgeous blue Kombi van, another pal pitched in and made a tier of cupcakes for the wedding cake, while another was acted as DJ throughout the reception, playing all the couple’s fave tunes.

The beautiful photos below are by Sunshine Coast wedding photographer, Terri Hanlon Photography, and all of the other amazing wedding professionals responsible for this dream wedding are listed below them. 

"We are truly best friends"

"Shane and I met whilst we were both working in Lake Louise Canada. We lived next door to each other and I served him coffee everyday."

"The day before the wedding, three of my best friends and mum came up and helped me put all my ideas together."

"Everyone loved the attention to detail and said the whole day was amazing and it's sad it had to end."

"The whole day was very relaxed, time for everyone to catch up and just have fun. Everything was planned so no one had to do anything but relax and enjoy the day."

Wedding Secrets Revealed

Biggest splurge: The food – the happy couple wanted everyone to eat well and enjoy it!

Best bargain: The boys’ suits were made in Bali for $100!

Bridal gown: Eve Boutique

Bridal accessories: Eumundi Markets

Bridesmaids’ dresses: Sportsgirl

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Eumundi Markets

Groom and groomsmen’s suits: Janelle designed them and had them made in Bali

Groom and groomsmen’s shoes: Mathers

Bombonieres: Cupcake and a little brown bag of chocolates

DIY: Just about everything – the decorations, programmes, invitations, flowers, and dessert table

Total cost: $12,000, paid for by Janelle’s dad

Janelle and Shane’s Hand-picked Team That Made It All Happen

Photographer: Terri Hanlon Photography

Location: Flaxton Gardens

Florist: Maleny Florist

Caterer: Flaxton Gardens

Makeup Artist: The Makeup Boutique

Hair Stylist: Kooshka

Celebrant/Other Officiary: Pastor Jonathan Gullo from Suncoast Church

The post Rustic Vintage Real Wedding in Flaxton appeared first on The Bride's Tree.