Tilly loves Lachlan | Wedding at Woodfordia

April 6, 2020

With a little (okay, maybe a lot) of help from their friends, Tilly and Lachlan managed to come in under budget. Let’s take a moment to give them some snaps, cause this is almost unheard of!

The couple married in the exact spot where they met, Woodfordia, home of the famous Woodford Folk Festival. What we love most about this wedding is the stunning imagery, captured by Graeme Passmore Photography & Films. Graeme is famous for his knack for getting those candid shots everybody wants. The only problem I had was narrowing down the following selection for you, as there was an abundance to choose from since he was with Tilly and Lachlan from morning till the end of the night.

Tilly has shared her wedding planning story and memories from her dream wedding at Woodfordia…

The Proposal

Lachlan proposed to me on the cliffs overlooking the Blue Lagoon in Malta. This was the country that my grandfather lived for 4 years in the 50’s, and yearned after my Nanni (our flower girl). Upon his return to Australia, they were engaged.

The Location

I grew up on the Sunshine Coast, and always knew this would be somewhere i’d love to get married. The site we used is the same site as the Woodford Folk Festival, which is where we met. After looking far and wide, this site just made sense, and completed the journey we’d come on together.

Images by Graeme Passmore Photography & Films

Most Emotional Moments

There were two. Just before i walked down the isle, my mum told me she’d be walking on the other side of me (my dad was on the other). They’ve been separated for 25 years, and it was the first time i can remember being physically between them. The second was when my sister got up and sang Nick Cave’s ‘Into My Arms‘, and we all shed a tear. After a long, emotional day, the beautiful song just got the better of us!

Unforgettable Moment

The day before the wedding, when we were bumping in, i looked up at one point. Lachlan had just arrived back from our aunties farm with a truck full of flowers and foliage, and all of our friends and family (around 20-30 of them) were all running around moving flowers and transforming the space. the love and support of them all was overwhelming, and a reflection of our everyday lives. We are so lucky.

Biggest Wedding-planning Challenge

The guest list changing. Honestly, it really throws you out when people can’t make it last minute, and puts a lot of stress on every element of the planning!

Advice for Future Couples Getting Married

Only invite the people closest to you- everyone else can take a back seat. Take the time to really plan what you want, and surround yourselves with people who will support your vision and help bring it to life. remember, it’s you and your partners wedding, no one else’s!

Wedding Secrets

Biggest Splurge: Wine and Fireworks! We both LOVE good wine, so it was important to us to have a really great selection at out reception. Lachlan has always loved fireworks, and it was the one thing he wanted, so we put aside some $$ from the beginning to put on a good show. It helps that our friend is a really talented pyro-technician, which made it really affordable.

Best money-saver: We have a LOT of really talented and useful friends who work in the events and arts industries. Instead of gifts from them, we asked them to help put the wedding together, which meant we were able to bump in and create a stunning space for $0 labor cost.

Bridal gown + veil: Marilyn Crystelle Bridal

Shoes: Wittner

Groom’s and groomsmen’s suits: Tony Barlow Menswear

Groom’s and groomsmen’s accessories: Peggy & Finn

Bridesmaids’ gowns: They all chose their own dress from various shops- they were just told to get something white and lacey that they felt beautiful in.

Flowergirl: My Nanni was our flower girl, and she chose something special from her wardrobe. The only brief she was given was to feel beautiful and confident! She also grew roses in her garden over a year and dried the petals to use to sprinkle down the isle.- so special.

Wedding planning resources: Lots of Pinterest and wedding magazines. I collected photos, quotes and stories across the first year of our engagement and used that to create our vision.

DIY: Lachlan made the arbor from scratch, we did all our own flowers and table settings, I painted all the signs and designed all the styling myself. Even the cheese table was done by a friend! All we employed people to do was the catering and the band- everything else was done by us or a loved one.

Honeymoon: Hawaii and Japan

Number of guests: 60

Wedding budget: $30,000

Actual cost of wedding: $28,858