Lou + Rob, Xandadu Winery, Margaret River, March 2012...{wedding}

Perth couple, Louise + Robert, chose Margaret River for their wedding location.  Having shot the wedding of one of Lou's bridesmaid's in Denmark in 2010,  I was delighted to travel across and see lots of familiar faces.

I don't think there was a moment during the entire day that Lou and Rob weren't smiling from ear to ear.  There was so much happiness at their wedding day.

And what is even more impressive is that Rob + Lou have their own business and LOVE working together too!  They are obviously a perfect match!  So you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn that their gorgeous couple will soon be parents.

Congratulations Lou and Rob!

Here's their wedding day in their own words....

________

Location? 
Xanadu Winery, Margaret River.   We loved the location, staff, food and wine. The staff made the lead up to and our wedding day so much fun.

Theme?
We were really driven by the beauty of Xanadu winery and the rustic, relaxed feel. Outside we wanted to provide a lounge atmosphere that blended in with the natural beauty of the Winery.  And inside we wanted the WOW factor with different style table cloths and mountains of flowers!

Hair + Make-up?

I really did not want to transform myself or the bridesmaids into people who you couldn’t recognise, I wanted everyone’s natural beauty to shine through!   Hairdresser Carly Poppas, she was fabulous - everyone loved their ‘do’ and she was great company helping everyone to remain relaxed and calm.  

Hendra Widjaja is THE Artist for eyes!  Hendra manages to make everyone’s eyes look amazing I also LOVE the air brush makeup! Its so light and doesn’t feel like you have stuff caked on your face. My husband really dislikes makeup and Hendra is the only person I know who can make you look and feel amazing without taking away the glow of your natural skin.

Shoes?
Carmen Stefans, these were my something old - I have never been able to find a better or more comfortable pair!

Jewellery?
My something borrowed and something blue was my great aunt’s sapphire ring and my earrings were Designed by Danielle Campbell

Bridesmaid Dresses?
We wanted the bridal party to be comfortable and love their outfits as much as we did, so went shopping with each and bought an outfit they liked and which suited our Natural/Relaxed theme. The dresses came from boutiques: Willow, Adam Heath, Sana

Groom & Groomsmen?
Groom's suit from Parker and Groomsmen's from Saba

Florist?
Wayne Stubbs - he has definitely left every guest with a lasting memory of a beautiful and unique venue!
 

 

Celebrant?
John Young was fabulous - so professional. He has many wise words and also was able to bring much humour to the day. 

Vowels?
We thought that as they are the most important words we will say to each other the least we could do is remember them without the celebrant providing prompts!

Favourite photo?

The photo of us kissing at the signing table and pretty much all the other photos! Krysta did an amazing job and really captured the essence of our wedding. She was also an absolute pleasure to work with and have as a part of our wedding journey.

Memorable moments?
Bride - Arriving at the venue 15 minutes before the Bridesmaids and Dad pulling a bottle of champagne out of nowhere for us to drink whilst we waited. He is always prepared!
Groom - Xanadu staff served the boys pizza and wine tastings whilst we waited for a very late bride!

Did everything go to plan?
More or less, all the planning went out the window and we left it to the control of the professionals to tell us when we needed to do things. We were too busy enjoying ourselves to worry about any changes to the plan. I guess we could do this because all the people we hired to help us we trusted could do their job and would take care of what we had requested.

Special touches? 

We tried to include good friends and family as much as possible, we did things such as naming tables after farms in the family and having friends act as the chauffeurs and pick up the bridal party and drop off to the venue.    Even our gifts for guest were personal -   the gentlemen received pickled yabbies caught and peeled by Rob and his family and ladies received homemade chutney cooked by my Mum & I using my great grandmothers recipe.

The party?
Venue: amazing!
Food: amazing!
Wine/Champagne: amazing!
Staff: amazing!
We could not fault Xanadu in anyway!  We had such a fun night and from all reports so did our guests….and the staff!

Thanks to Helen for her assistance on the day.  Here's some more from Lou + Rob's wedding...