Amanda & Hayden

Abbotsford Convent, Abbotsford, VIC
Photography by A wedding by Ollie

Primary school teacher Amanda married Hayden in a cheerful, summer wedding. Handy, pre-wedding tips from her students as well as their excited cheers as she entered the church gave the day extra special warmth. “The students clapped excitedly as I walked down the aisle with my dad. Seeing their joy was an absolute highlight,” Amanda said. “At school I’d often see them acting out wedding scenes during recess and lunchtime. They drew pictures and wrote letters. It was so sweet that we included some of their advice and artwork in our order of service booklet.”

Calm and collected

“We were very organised and always felt on top of the wedding planning so we really enjoyed the process,” Amanda said. Attending their friends’ weddings in the lead up to their own wedding helped with ideas and research. “My personal mantra throughout our 2 year engagement was, ‘Search Instagram, trawl through wedding magazines and repeat’. Our only hope for the wedding was that it be one big party. We wanted everyone to have fun dancing, mingling and laughing.”

Capturing moments

“Our dear friend Oliver Freeman was our photographer. We love his style of photography and it was so wonderful to have him by our side for the whole day. His easy-going nature and fun sense of humour made the wedding day so relaxed. We felt very comfortable in front of the camera.”

Floral

Amanda and Hayden’s hand-painted watercolour, floral stationery suite set the tone for their wedding styling. “Centrepieces of lush foliage and flowers ran the length of each table at the reception. We also had foliage garlands threaded between the eaves of the ceiling.” Dusty pink, purple, blue, red and white colours were featured in the arrangements of peonies, hydrangeas, red gum and dahlias. There were also gold embellishments on the wedding stationery, as part of the photo booth backdrop and banners. Amanda’s favourite was the hand-stitched, ‘Best Day Ever’ flag placed in the convent’s courtyard

It's all in the details

Amanda and Hayden's white chocolate and raspberry, 3-tier, semi-naked cake was created by the team at Cherrytree Bakehouse. It was decorated with fresh flowers to match those in the bridal party bouquets and featured the blooms on the tables. Bursaria’s fresh, seasonal catering and roving desserts were served as they celebrated their evening with family and friends.

Vanilla caramel candles stamped with Amanda and Hayden’s wedding logo formed the wedding favours. Personalised to double as place cards, the candles were a sweet-smelling addition to the place settings. “My bridesmaid Katrina has a candle making business so she gave us lessons and together we made 200 candles!”

“Hayden’s father Garry wore a light pink suit to his own wedding 40 years ago. The flamboyant suit was such a well-loved story amongst the family that Hayden decided to use a patch of the suit’s material to make his pocket square. It was a lovely contrast to his navy suit and a pleasant surprise for his dad when he explained its origins during his speech!”

Instant appeal

Abbotsford Convent offers a slice of rural appeal close to the city. “Abbotsford Convent came without the challenging logistics of a wedding far from home. Built in 1901 it is a place rich in history and the old buildings and grounds offered the point of difference we were looking for.” The couple were married at St Ignatius Catholic Church.b “It is a beautiful bluestone church set atop a hill. My grandparents were married there 55 years ago,” Amanda said.