A long awaited rustic country wedding for Jessica and Mathew.

After having to cancel all their wedding plans on the week of their wedding in March 2020 when Covid lockdown hit, this bride and groom decided an elopement was the way to go as they were so ready to take their vows. But ever since they have been waiting and wanting to celebrate the big day with their family and friends. They had to postpone their wedding twice but in December 2021 the big day finally arrived for Jessica & Matthew. A great addition to the original wedding plans was that now their baby boy could join them on their special day – waiting at the end of the aisle together with groom Matthew whilst bride Jess walked down. Very precious moment.

The wedding was set within the peaceful, country surroundings of Big Springs Homestead, situated in the foothills of the Flakney Ranges, NSW. The Homestead Gardens are the perfect backdrop for a wedding ceremony with spectacular views of the farm, stables, the lake, ancient trees and surrounding hills. An elegant, warm rustic wedding day with a relaxed atmosphere. We wish the bride and groom a lifetime of love & happiness together.

The pair first met while out at a local footy event – drinking and having a good time. To keep it short and simple – Jess spotted a nice looking guy in a bow tie smiling at her from across a crowded room. She later made the brave move to the bar to say, “hello”.

We asked Jess how did your partner propose to you? Jess reveals; “Matt knows how much family means to me. One weekend when we were back at my parent’s farm for the weekend he asked for my father’s blessing. He then told me he had to do a job for my Dad and needed my help, we drove over to a part of our farm which has been in the family for over 100 years, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.
It was unbelievably personal, meaningful and thoughtful. I love that I have another special memory linked to a very special place”.

So with such a special occasion in a perfect location, what was your favourite part of your wedding day?
“It’s hard to pick just one! We had to cancel all our original plans and elope in March 2020 as lockdown hit literally the week we were meant to wed. We had gotten so close and were so ready to be married and start a family that our elopement was the best alternative to our big day. We rescheduled two more times after this, waiting and waiting for our day with all of our loved ones. One of our favourite moments is having our son join us for our day, he was born at the beginning of 2021. My mum walked him down the aisle and then I had both my boys waiting for me at the end of the aisle – it was very special”.

Did you have a theme or concept for your wedding day? What was your inspiration?
“I didn’t really have a theme, I more had colours that I liked – I love lush greens, white with pops of soft pink, peach and apricot. Our florist is amazing and worked with us through all of our postponements to get us to our day.
We went with a classic elegance, minimal style and loved it!”

Of course we wanted to know how did you find the experience of shopping for a wedding gown?
“I loved shopping for wedding dresses. At times it was overwhelming when I had so many that I loved and thought I wouldn’t be able to choose, but I knew when I found the one!
It was just so much fun trying on different styles and spending time with my girls!”

“What I loved about my wedding gown…? When trying on gowns I was torn between two looks. I loved the ‘fit and flare wedding dress’ style as it was more figure hugging and flattering for my body shape but I also loved bigger skirts with an A-line/ballgown style as a more show-stopper look. My gown gave me the best of both worlds with the skirt that could be attached! I couldn’t find any other gowns that gave me exactly what I was after. It really was a dream come true!
It is a beautiful, beautiful Australian designed wedding dress with so many intricate details and patterns on the lace. I love that my gown was a low back wedding dress and the way the bodice had lots of sheer elements as well. The tulle skirt has a beautiful shimmer/glitter to it and my whole dress had tiny little sequins and glitterly aspects – it literally shone in the sunlight on our wedding day – it was truly magical to wear!”

We always love to ask if you have any words of wisdom for future brides?
“Everyone says it, but the day really does fly by so quickly. Take the day each moment at a time and focus on being there and then. Try not to stress or think ahead too much to what is happening later on, enjoy each moment at a time as you can’t get it back again!
If anything doesn’t go to plan, concentrate on what has gone right. We realised right before our first dance that our sparklers were missing!! I had dreams of a first dance surrounded by light and sparkles and knew it would be an amazing photography moment. It didn’t happen, but it didn’t matter in the slightest!”

Finally, we asked Jess, was there anything special you would like to share with us about your wedding day?
“Our big day was just so much fun! After an elopement, 2 postponements and many uncertain, stressful moments in the lead up we just had the very best time. We took the day slowly and concentrated on loving every moment for what it was!”