Carly's Country Wedding

If you don’t believe in fate, you will once you’ve heard Carly’s story.

She met her partner on a bridge in Amsterdam on the first day of a Contiki tour in May 2014. They returned to Europe in 2018 for another holiday and made Amsterdam their first stop. Standing on the same bridge where they introduced themselves to each other four years earlier, Carly’s partner asked her to marry him.

Read about their wedding day below.

THE BIG DAY: Carly and her partner got married on a beautiful sunny day in Murtoa, a small Victorian town where they live, in January 2019. To accommodate their 120 gueses, they hired a marquee, outdoor dance floor, vintage caravan bar and held the wedding by the local lake as the sun set on their beautiful day.

LITTLE DETAILS: Carly and her partner’s favourite meal is spit roast, so naturally, that’s what they served their guests! For respite from the summer sun, they served Pimms cocktails and tropical Sangria’s.

THE VIBE: “As we were having our wedding in a small country town, we went for a country/rustic vibe. We had fairy lights around the marquee, wine barrels, timber tables and plenty of greenery. I made a lot of the decorations myself and our bridal party helped us set everything up the day before”

DID ANYTHING UNEXPECTED HAPPEN? “Planning our wedding for January, we always knew it was going to be hot, but who gets married on a 43-degree day in rural Victoria??

When I checked the weather the week before, it was predicted to be 32 degrees. I thought, “Beauty! Perfect temperature for a summer wedding!”, but as our excitement rose, so did the temperature!

We knew there was nothing we could do about it, (don’t sweat the small stuff!) and the day was still perfect! We just laughed it off and embraced the extreme heat!”

FAVOURITE MOMENT: “It is so hard to pick one moment - there were so many, but the most memorable one was probably walking down the aisle and seeing my hubby-to-be for the first time that day. Up until then, it all felt a bit surreal and I think that was the moment when it finally hit me - that after all those months of planning and preparing, we were finally here, about to be married. It was really special and something I will never forget.”

THE DRESS: Carly spent a lot of time researching different designers and had fallen in love with the boho designs from Lillian West. After finding one style in particular that she loved, she travelled 4 hours to Melbourne with her maid of honour to try it on.

She tried the dress on, loved it, but thought the process couldn’t possibly be as easy as falling in love with the first dress she put on! After trying a few other dresses, she knew the first dress was the one for her and ordered it that same day.

BRIDESMAID DRESSES: Carly fell in love with the MARILYN dress after finding Twosisters the Label while waiting for a delayed flight at an airport in Europe. The biggest decision she had to make was which colour to choose!

“The dress was flattering for all shapes and sizes and looked amazing on all the girls. I even bought one for myself!”

WORDS OF ADVICE? “Remember to just be in the moment. Take time to look around and be present - appreciate all the hard work and planning that you and your partner have put into the day and that all your family and friends have come to celebrate this day with you. The day really does fly by! Enjoy making memories that you will never forget!”