Rachel and Chris first met in her workplace, but struck up a courtship online before meeting and falling in love. Their journey has been what some might call unconventional (but really, what are conventions these days?) The beautiful upshot of that is, their gorgeous baby girl got to share in their wedding day! 

Rachel has kindly shared her wedding planning story with us… 

The Proposal

We were away for our birthday weekend at the Treehouses in Montville and I was 20 weeks pregnant. On the day Chris proposed we had our 20 week scan and found out we were having a … Girl! Chris was really quiet on the way home and I thought maybe he was wondering how he will cope with a mini me! When we got back to our treehouse, Chris gave me a book he had made with all the things he loves about me, and the last page said ‘will you marry me’.

Biggest Wedding-planning Priority

We wanted it to be a smooth sailing as possible – especially with a 1 year old. So picking a venue that could handle everything for us on the day was my number one, and also amazing flowers. We had booked everything 12 months before we got married and once we locked something in we never looked back at it.

Images by Julian Beattie

White on White Wedding Style 

 I didn’t really have a plan for our colour theme or anything. The girls dresses were originally navy but they had to change so when I picked white the flowers and styling just followed.

Stand-out Suppliers

Willow Bud, because Sandi is a dream and her team went above and beyond. Sandi was the florist for our friends wedding two years prior so I knew her work would be amazing. Flaxton Gardens, as everything went exactly how we discussed. Suzanne Riley (celebrant) made our ceremony flow and brought an amazing presence with her.

Advice For Other Engaged Couples

Trust in the suppliers you have picked as they have a lot of knowledge and experience. Try not to overthink the small things and don’t stress if things don’t go exactly to plan due to weather etc as sometimes the alternative is exactly what you always wanted.

What the Future Holds

We want to enjoy family time And spend time with our daughter, Halle. We did things backwards and already have the house and had a baby, so now we get to enjoy all those things together.

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: Flowers! I trusted Sandi from Willow Bud, and new she would do an amazing job.

Best bargain: I got our invitations off Etsy and printed and cut them myself. 

Bridal gown: LUV Bridal

Earrings: Etsy

Shoes: Country Road

Groom’s and groomsmen’s suits: Politix

Tie: OTAA

Groom’s shoes: RM Williams

Bridesmaids’ dresses: Forever New

Honeymoon: We haven’t had a honeymoon yet. We wanted to wait until our daughter was older but now Corona (Covid-19).

Number of guests: 70

Photography: Julian Beattie | Venue: Flaxton Gardens | Florist: Willow Bud | Cake: Chocolate2Chilli | Transport: Champers Rolls Royce Hire | Makeup artist: Makeup by Tihanna | Stationery: Etsy | Celebrant: Suzanne Riley Marriage Celebrant

Thank you for supporting our A-list Vendors below, who were part of Rachel + Chris’ wedding in the hinterland…

https://www.thebridestree.com.au/vendors/celebrants/suzanne-riley-marriage-celebrant-2/

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Susannah and her husband, Rohan, together make up the musical duo Under the Willow. The couple have been making music together for ten years, and it was this passion that allowed them to move with their two beautiful children to the Sunshine Coast – their dream! 

When approaching each wedding day performance, Under the Willow aim to embody a beautiful and serene folk-inspired musical backdrop to match the most special moment in people’s lives.

Susannah, you and your hubby Rohan are a duo, but you can expand to become a band, right? 

We can be a duo for the ceremony, and extend to a four piece band for receptions so that couples have various options available as the event progresses. I believe we are unique in that we love to take any requested song and put our own spin on it. We really enjoy working with couples to ensure the music is special and perfectly fits the desired mood. It’s a lot of fun learning the different songs that are requested! As we are both jazz trained also, we can offer jazz as another style which couples often really enjoy as a backdrop during dinner.

What’s trending in weddings in 2019? 

More and more couples are starting to look for folk inspired musicians that will really bring a personal touch to their ceremony. Boho inspired weddings are a beautiful new trend, which is really suited to the pared back acoustic music vibe. People are often looking for simplicity and uniqueness to complement their ceremony.

What’s your musical history?

Rohan and I are both music teachers and have been for 13 years. We love working with young people and sharing the joy and love of music! This has been a wonderful complement to our weddings work, as we are constantly learning to songs and keeping up with what our students are listening to and wanting to learn. I think this helps us to stay current and versatile as musicians.

Tell us about your roles in the business… 

I am responsible for managing our business, so I answer enquiries, write up quotes, liase with couples about their upcoming wedding and look after the social media/ advertising. Rohan and I collectively come up with new song ideas to add to our list, and rehearse couples’ requests in the lead up to the big day. Rohan specialises in sound engineering, so on the wedding day he will set up the sound gear so everything sounds perfect and the balance is just right. We’ll usually do a sound check, and start playing as soon as guests begin to arrive at the venue.

How did you end up living and working in weddings on the Sunshine Coast?

We are from Brisbane and had dreamt of living on the coast for many years. Last year we took the plunge, sold our home and moved up with our two gorgeous kids. It felt like a big risk at the time, but now we are settled we are so grateful to have the opportunity to raise our children in this beautiful part of the world.

You have a completely free day on the Sunshine Coast. What are you doing and who are you with? 

That’s a tough one! It’s paradise up here with so many options! We live on the northern end of the coast, so we’d most likely spend it together with our two kids at the beach, fit in a nice long bike ride or walk, and perhaps visit one of the many amazing cafes at Peregian or Noosa for a really great coffee or some lunch.

The Bride’s Tree Ceremony Music Exclusive Offer

Under the Willow have generously offered all readers of The Bride’s Tree a $50 discount off any of their ceremony packages when you mention this article at the time of booking. Enquire today! 

Images by Shellbells Photography

The post Susannah Hardy of Under the Willow | A-list Vendor Profile appeared first on The Bride's Tree.