Surrounded by their favorite people on Olivia’s family farm, Liz and Oliva hosted a relaxed wedding day – both wearing suits.
Tell us about the proposal.
Olivia– We had spoken about it for a couple of years, and I wanted to be the one to propose. We were on a five-day hiking trip in Western Australia, along a stunning section of the west coast (the Cape to Cape walk). It was the height of summer, and we had glorious, albeit very hot, weather the first few days, but a cyclone further north led to heavy rains the day before I proposed.
This led to us being stranded for 24 hours in a tiny hiking tent where Liz could barely even sit up straight! Of course, being stuck in the rain for 24 hours is a good test of any relationship, and at least this gave me plenty of time to rehearse what I wanted to say the next day, not that Liz remembers any of it!
The proposal wasn’t a surprise, as we had bought our rings together and I am terrible at keeping secrets, but it was a beautiful moment. Looking out across the ocean, I took a knee down on some rocks, and thankfully Liz said yes! We glamped that evening, enjoyed some delicious food, and celebrated with our family over the next few days as they were in Margaret River for my cousin’s wedding. It was such a beautiful week, and being able to spend the week after with our family was so special.
What was the inspiration behind the vibe of your wedding?
The farm itself inspired the vibe of the wedding, which was to keep things simple to highlight the natural beauty of the place itself. We’re both quite laid back, and we wanted the wedding to be the same – laid back with some special touches to make it feel like a celebration. So we had heaps of foliage from the farm and friends’ properties decorating the house and marquee, and where we did use flowers, they were kindly given to us by families on neighbouring farms.
Did you undertake any DIY projects for the big day?
Yes! So much DIY. Our family and family friends came together like you wouldn’t believe!
Lil’s mum (who owns Coolaroo) led the charge on all things DIY and was critical to both the day’s vision and pulling it off. My mum borrowed some maypoles from a friend, and my step-mum decorated them for the ceremony and made the flower arrangements. My sister and our friend Alex organized the music. While my step-dad and brother sorted the drinks. Our best friends Issy and Sally were our celebrants and MC. My cousins made the bar and decorated the marquee, and our mums (and many friends) did.. well, almost everything else!
Talk to us about the wedding day!
The days leading up to the big day were hectic as you would expect when having a DIY wedding on your family farm. But still relaxed and such great fun with a bunch of family and friends that had come a few days early to help out. There seemed to be an insane amount to do, but somehow it all just came together (thanks to our massive troupe of helpers). The big day itself was just the best.
Hair and makeup forced us to put down the tools in the morning and enjoy getting ready all together. It had been raining all day steadily, and the clouds were ominous as the ceremony loomed. We rehearsed on the verandah as we were worried it would be too wet to do outside. But the clouds parted mercifully in time for the ceremony, so we could have it on the front lawn as planned. Which was just so beautiful!
We enjoyed champagne with our guests before the ceremony. Which was not exactly in keeping with tradition, but as delightful as it meant, we were able to spend more time with everyone.
For the ceremony, our parents walked down the aisle first. Followed by me with my sister and Liz with my brother. We legally married before the wedding so that one of our closest friends, Issy, could act as the celebrant on the day. Two of our great mates read a poem they had composed for the occasion. And Pepper, our beloved rescue pup, was the ring bearer and brought a smile to everyone’s faces as she trotted to us with the rings!
We managed to wrangle our family and friends, as well as a few ponies and Pepper, for some photos before making our way into the marquee where everyone was swinging their napkins for our arrival as We Are Family (by Sister Sledge) was playing! It was such a joyous moment. Each speech was exceptional, which I think was aided by our guidance that they are kept to a maximum of five minutes! Another one of our friends was the MC. She was hilarious and kept everything running smoothly as only a primary school teacher is capable! The food was incredible, and we danced ourselves happily into the wee hours of the morning.
Most of our wedding guests camped on the farm overnight – either in glamping tents or swags. This meant that the following day, everybody rolled out of bed and could walk straight up the hill to a coffee and breakfast burger van. Getting the recovery breakfast catered was some of our very best decisions!
What are your favorite moments?
- Having our family and friends come days before the wedding to help out and having so many of them stay, or camp on the farm meant we had plenty of time to hang out and enjoy ourselves!
- Mingling with guests before the ceremony – everyone was in the best mood and looked dashing!
- Walking down the aisle to a sea of smiling faces from our nearest and dearest.
- Pepper being the cutest ring bearer of all time.
- Being serenaded by red autumn leaves as we ran hand in hand out of the ceremony.
- Entering the marquee to a sea of swinging napkins and laughing friends and family.
- Our mum’s speeches, both of which were so heartfelt.
- Dancing the night away with family and friends.
Photography by Michael David Gray
Carts | Food Trucks Perky Petal, Delilah
Catering Radish Events
Celebrant Best friend
Shoes RM Williams, Ferragamo
Suit Designers Ginger & Smart, Farage
Venue Coolaroo (Olivia’s family farm)
Wedding Rings Ruusk
