Georgia and Rob's Bendooley Estate Wedding
What was your wedding venue (ceremony & reception) and why did you choose there?
We had both the ceremony and reception at The Stables at Bendooley Estate in Berrima.
We loved the idea of travelling a few hours from our home in Canberra so that our friends and family were able to make a weekend of it. The Southern Highlands is an easy two-hour drive from Canberra and had plenty of accommodation options for our guests to choose from.
We knew as soon as we visited Bendooley that it was the place for us – the setting amongst the rolling hills is stunning, the food is excellent and The Stables have a wonderful rustic, country feel, whilst still feeling elegant.
From a logistics perspective, the venue could easily accommodate our number of guests and had great wet-weather options. To top it all off, the staff at Bendooley are excellent at weddings. Nothing was too hard, and everything went off without a hitch.
Did you have a wedding theme/style? If so, tell me about it please.
We hadn’t really thought of a theme in the early stages of our planning, but our choices led us to what I’d say was an elegant country wedding.
Our guests dressed to the nines, and we kept the colour palette quite simple by having our bridesmaids and groomsmen in black. We opted for white florals with a splash of greenery and let the venue do the rest of the talking.
How did you and your now Husband meet?
We met at university when were both studying Physiotherapy.
We were friends in the same group for a little over a year before Rob made his move. We often joke that this was a very expensive way for us to meet, because neither of us are physios anymore!
What is your proposal story?
Rob disguised a trip away as a “birthday trip” for me in June 2021.
We both love hiking and exploring different areas, so we set off on a hike to Gerringong Falls. After walking 10km, I’d stopped to admire the view of the falls, and Rob dropped a knee. He was so cool and calm in the lead up and I’d resigned myself to the fact that a proposal wasn’t happening on this trip, so it was a wonderful surprise.
Captured by Thom Stewart
How did you hear about Prea James Bridal?
I thought I’d already chosen my wedding dress before attending my appointment at a Prea James Trunk Show at Mrs Fray.
I’d considered cancelling the appointment as I didn’t want to overwhelm myself with options, but I’m so glad I didn’t!
From where did you purchase your gown?
I purchased both my gown and veil from the wonderful Amy at Mrs Fray in Canberra.
What do you love most about the gown?
It was important to me that my dress was quite effortless to wear, yet still ticked the “black-tie” box. I loved how the cut out at the front provided a little bit of drama to complement the overall simple and classic lines of the gown. I felt that the subtle sheen in the fabric elevated the dress into a more formal gown.
Were there any details that you (and friends and family) made yourselves?
We were so lucky to have my Mum’s cousin make our wedding cake for us.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to make the wedding, so the cake was dropped to my Dad’s sister to travel to Bowral, and was assembled by my Nan and cousin. It was quite a team effort and turned out beautifully!
One of Rob’s best friends from school was our MC, and our music was performed by one of our good friends from uni (who also doubled as our DJ).
They both did such a wonderful job and it felt extra special to involve our friends.
Finally, Do you have any words of wisdom for couples planning their big day? This can be to do with any part of the wedding – eg, planning, budget, or the day itself.
Take the time to choose vendors you love – both the work they produce, and as company! There are so many amazing and talented vendors out there that it can be overwhelming, but you will spend a lot of time touching base with them in the lead up and they will be with you on the day, so it’s important that you click.
We gave a lot of thought to who we wanted and asked friends and other vendors for recommendations, and it was worth it.
We had so much faith in our vendors that it was easy to hand the reins over and let them do what they do best on the day.
There were details that I stressed over in the lead up that I didn’t even notice on the day.
I was so excited to get down the aisle and marry Rob that I had no idea what part of the song Ryan was up to, nor did I think for one second that there weren’t enough florals or candles on the tables. Everything worked out perfectly for us on the day, and we had the most amazing time.
Captured by Thom Stewart
Wedding Vendors
We truly had the most wonderful vendors we could have asked for and would recommend them all. If we had our time again, we’d have the same people spend the day with us!
Photographer: Thom Stewart (“Photo Tom” to us)
Instagram: @thomstewart
Videographer: Tom from Real Nice Films (“Video Tom” to us)
Instagram: @realnicefilms
Photo Tom and Video Tom made such a great team and were fabulous company. Rob and I aren’t really ‘photo people’ but they made us feel at ease instantly. We are obsessed with the final photos and videos, as are our family and friends.
Hair & Makeup: Brooke Low and Cara Lopez
Instagram: @brookelowmakeup
Instagram: @carlalopez.makeuphair
These ladies took such great care of my bridesmaids, mum and me. We loved spending the morning with them and we were all so happy with the end result.
Wedding Co-ordinator: The team at Bendooley Estate
Instagram: @bendooleyestate
A team effort from the wonderful staff at Bendooley. Surena, Kelly and Mark all fielded so many questions from me in the lead up and always had me assured that everything was under control.
Florist: Ivy Lane Collective
Instagram: @ivylanecollective
I didn’t give Dakota much to work with other than “white”! With minimal input from me, Dakota and the team put together such beautiful bouquets, an amazing install for our ceremony and lovely table florals. Nothing was too hard, and we really appreciated that the team also arranged our place cards on the day and accommodated last minute changes I’d sent through in the morning.
Stationery:
Invites: Peep Design
Instagram: @peepdesigns
Day-Of Stationary: Anatomy Designs
Instagram: @anatomydesigns
Our invites were by Rachel from Peep Design, and our day-of stationery was by Anomy Designs, who work alongside Ivy Lane.
Caterer: Bendooley Estate
Accessories:
Veil: I wore a standard full length Prea James 2 Tier Tutti Tulle Veil
Earrings: simple pearl drop earrings from Mejuri and my Mum’s gold necklace.
Bridesmaids Dresses: Bec and Bridge
Groom & Groomsmen’s Suits: Rodger Bartholemew
Band/DJ: Ryan David
Instagram: @ryandavidmusic
Any other vendors you would like to credit:
We ADORED our celebrant, Sue Jackman. We loved her sense of humour and she made us feel completely at ease. Sue created a ceremony that was just perfect for us.
Instagram: @suejackman.ceremonies
